Power Ranking College Football's Best 2015 Pro-Style Quarterbacks
The dual-threat and spread-oriented quarterback has become so prevalent in college football that it's threatened to render obsolete the type of player who has dominated the position for decades.
But the pro-style quarterback isn't dead yet. In fact, in 2015 a strong crop of QBs focus on throwing the ball and prefer to leave the rushing to the running backs. And this group could help allay the fears of some NFL personnel that the college game is ruining the quarterback position.
"There a growing skepticism about how NFL-ready QBs from spread systems are especially in an era where franchises are looking to play young quarterbacks earlier than in years past," Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman wrote earlier this month.
The top two picks in the 2015 draft were quarterbacks, with No. 1 selection Jameis Winston coming from a pro-style offense and No. 2 pick Marcus Mariota bred from the spread.
It's too early to say for certain what direction teams will go in next year's draft (or beyond) when it comes to the quarterback position, but if they are interested in a traditional pocket passer, he might come from this list of the 12 best pro-style college QBs in 2015. They're ranked based on their past results, expected performance and how well they play their position.
12. Zach Terrell, Western Michigan
1 of 12
Year: Junior
Height, weight: 6'1", 204 lbs
2014 stats: 3,443 yards, 67.9% comp., 26 TD, 10 INT
Western Michigan went from 1-11 in 2013 to 8-5 last season, and not surprisingly that turnaround has Zach Terrell's play written all over it.
He averaged 9.4 yards per attempt, third-most in FBS and tops among returning players for 2015. He only had three 300-yard passing games, yet he completed more than 70 percent of his throws on five occasions including a 17-of-19, 357-yard, four-touchdown effort against Eastern Michigan.
His numbers against power-conference competition (222.5 yards per game, 56.2% completion, two TD, two interceptions) weren't stellar, but he'll get a few more big opportunities this year with games against Michigan State and Ohio State on the Broncos schedule.
11. Mike Bercovici, Arizona State
2 of 12
Year: Senior
Height, weight: 6'1", 204 lbs
2014 stats: 1,445 yards, 61.8% comp., 12 TD, 4 INT
A career backup who had to talk himself out of transferring on more than one occasion, Mike Bercovici finally got a chance to play a significant role for Arizona State midway through the 2014 season when starting quarterback Taylor Kelly broke his leg. The three-game substitution was surpassed only by what Cardale Jones did for Ohio State during the postseason, but not from a statistical standpoint.
Bercovici's first career start saw him throw for 488 yards and three touchdowns (but also two interceptions) in a loss to UCLA, but a week later he went for 510 yards and five TDs in a win over USC. He followed that with a solid performance in beating Stanford and its strong pass defense, before returning to a reserve role when Kelly was able to resume action.
His only other notable appearance came in relief of Kelly in a near-comeback against rival Arizona, when Bercovici threw for two second-half touchdowns. His action might have been limited, but it was more than enough to ensure ASU wouldn't have any questions at the quarterback position for 2015.
10. Gunner Kiel, Cincinnati
3 of 12
Year: Junior
Height, weight: 6'4", 208 lbs
2014 stats: 3,254 yards, 59.7% comp., 31 TD, 13 INT
Last season was Gunner Kiel's third at the college level but the first in which he actually played. The former Notre Dame signee redshirted as a freshman in 2013 and then had to sit out the following season after transferring to Cincinnati.
Not surprisingly, when he finally got to see real action he wasted little time. Cincinnati had an uncharacteristic two straight byes to open the 2014 season and then debuted on a Friday night against Toledo, unleashing Kiel's deep-ball style on the Rockets.
He threw for 418 yards and six touchdowns on 25-of-37 passing in that game, completing a 52-yard pass on his first-ever collegiate snap. He finished the year tied for the most TD passes in school history and is the first Bearcats quarterback to surpass 300 yards in four consecutive games.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
9. Brandon Doughty, Western Kentucky
4 of 12
Year: Senior
Height, weight: 6'3", 216 lbs
2014 stats: 4,830 yards, 67.9% comp., 49 TD, 10 INT
A pair of knee injuries robbed Brandon Doughty of nearly two full seasons early in his Western Kentucky career. But those losses led to future gains, as he put together one of the best years ever in 2014 and gets another chance to do so after getting a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA.
Doughty led FBS in passing yards and touchdowns last year, with both figures ranking in the top 10 all-time. His 7,800 career yards are the most of any active player, and with another season like last he would finish in the top 25 in NCAA history.
The most impressive thing about Doughty is his accuracy in a system that calls for a lot of quick passes of varying lengths. His completion percentage was tops among quarterbacks who attempted more than 35 throws per game, and he averaged one touchdown for every 11.26 throws.
8. Kevin Hogan, Stanford
5 of 12
Year: Senior
Height, weight: 6'4", 225 lbs
2014 stats: 2,792 yards, 65.9% comp., 19 TD, 8 INT
Following someone with the pedigree and resume of Andrew Luck is a difficult task, but Kevin Hogan has done it about as well as anyone could have expected.
He heads into his fourth season as a starter—third on a full-time basis—and his 65.2 percent career completion rate is second in school history behind Luck's 67 percent. This past season saw him regress a bit in terms of being able to complete drives—Stanford ranked 112th nationally in red-zone offense—but he's managed to perform consistently throughout his career.
He faces a stern test in his senior year in that he no longer has his top receiving target (Ty Montgomery) from the past few seasons, but that also gives Hogan a chance to further prove himself as a quarterback who can transfer his game to the pros.
7. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
6 of 12
Year: Junior
Height, weight: 6'2", 214 lbs
2014 stats: None (redshirted)
We're giving Baker Mayfield the benefit of the doubt that he can still perform to the level he did in 2013, when in eight games as a true freshman at Texas Tech he threw for more than 2,300 yards with 12 touchdowns. Since then he has been nothing more than a practice player, having sat out last season after transferring to Oklahoma.
A stellar performance in Oklahoma's 2014 spring game was tempered by a less impressive outing in last month's scrimmage, though the Sooners' shift to an Air Raid offense similar to what he ran at Texas Tech bodes well for his chances to beat out Trevor Knight and Cody Thomas for the starting job.
Had Mayfield stayed at Tech he might have helped the Red Raiders avoid a down 2014 season, but instead he has the opportunity to lead Oklahoma to a bounce-back year.
6. Jared Goff, California
7 of 12
Year: Junior
Height, weight: 6'4", 210 lbs
2014 stats: 3,973 yards, 62.1% comp., 35 TDs, 7 INT
Any complaints that NFL people might have about quarterback development at the collegiate level doesn't extend to California's Jared Goff, who might be less interested in running with the ball than any other passer in the country. Only 29 of the 55 carries he was credited with last season were for positive yardage, and most of those were the result of scrambling to avoid getting sacked on his 500-plus dropbacks.
On pace to be the Golden Bears' career passing yardage and touchdown leader midway through his junior year, Goff is already NFL-ready in Bleacher Report Draft Expert Matt Miller's eyes.
"Jared Goff is a tall, big-armed quarterback with impressive accuracy and the awareness needed to start in the NFL," Miller wrote. "If Goff enters the draft as a junior, his production and arm talent will have teams ready to jump all over him."
With only 17 career interceptions in 1,038 pass attempts, Goff is a prolific passer who doesn't take unnecessary risks.
5. Brad Kaaya, Miami (Florida)
8 of 12
Year: Sophomore
Height, weight: 6'4", 209 lbs
2014 stats: 3,198 yards, 58.5% comp., 26 TD, 12 INT
What Brad Kaaya accomplished as a true freshman last year must be quantified by understanding he didn't join Miami's team until the summer. The fact he won the job in training camp had as much to do with his performance as the Hurricanes' uncertain quarterback situation at the time, but the move ended up paying off well.
Kaaya was understandably raw during the first half of 2014, when he tossed nine of his 12 interceptions, but over his final seven games he was picked off only three times in 202 attempts while throwing 13 touchdown passes. He benefited from having the nation's top deep threat in Phillip Dorsett, who averaged more than 24 yards per catch, but the quarterback also fell victim to plenty of drops from Dorsett and others.
Given the chance to develop over a full offseason, Kaaya should be far improved for 2015. He figures to be the key to whether Miami can challenge for the ACC Coastal Division title and keep coach Al Golden's job safe.
4. Kyle Allen, Texas A&M
9 of 12
Year: Sophomore
Height, weight: 6'3", 205 lbs
2014 stats: 1,322 yards, 61.5% comp., 16 TD, 7 INT
Kyle Allen was expected to contend for the starting job as a true freshman, but after Kenny Hill beat him out in the preseason, he had to sit back and watch his teammate become an instant star while leading Texas A&M to a 5-0 start. But Hill eventually faded, and once Allen got his shot, he performed like someone who had spent his bench time preparing rather than pouting.
Allen started the Aggies' final five games, winning three, and not counting a sloppy debut against Louisiana-Monroe he was quite impressive. He completed 65 percent of his passes and threw 12 touchdowns, including four in a bowl win over West Virginia.
His play prompted Hill to transfer, and Allen is entrenched as the starter for 2015. A&M's offense has plenty of spread tendencies, but with Allen in the pocket it resembles more of a traditional passing attack that he has shown a strong grasp of.
3. Cody Kessler, USC
10 of 12
Year: Senior
Height, weight: 6'1", 215 lbs
2014 stats: 3,826 yards, 69.7% comp., 39 TD, 5 INT
Since 2003, USC has had six quarterbacks taken in the NFL draft, including first-round picks Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Mark Sanchez. Cody Kessler might not add to the first-round tally, but assuming he puts up another year like last season, it's unlikely he'll have to wait too long to hear his name called.
Kessler's 2014 performance was arguably the best in school history from a statistical standpoint. He was a little over 100 yards short of the school single-season record, while he tied the touchdown mark en route to establishing new bests in completion percentage and passer rating (167.1).
Far less heralded than many of his predecessors at the position, Kessler has managed to outshine most of them with a knack for hitting the deep pass and finding his second or third option.
2. Christian Hackenberg, Penn State
11 of 12
Year: Junior
Height, weight: 6'4", 236 lbs
2014 stats: 2,977 yards, 55.8% comp., 12 TD, 15 INT
Looking at his numbers, Christian Hackenberg doesn't seem like someone worthy of sitting this high in our rankings. Yet he still remains a highly coveted draft prospect, one who could end up going No. 1 overall if he can make some key adjustments without compromising his skill set.
Hackenberg was the victim of a woeful offensive line in 2014, one that allowed 44 sacks and had him running for his life on almost every dropback. Bleacher Report's Ben Kercheval noted Tuesday that, while doing research on a story about pass-rushers, "Christian Hackenberg is in a lot of these photos."
But he was also a big part of the problem, allowing frustration to affect his play and also forcing throws when he could have tried to scramble for a few yards. Even with all that, though, pro scouts love him for what he's capable of, such as when he threw for a school-best 454 yards against UCF in Ireland or went for 371 yards and four touchdowns against Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl.
1. Connor Cook, Michigan State
12 of 12
Year: Senior
Height, weight: 6'4", 220 lbs
2014 stats: 3,214 passing yards, 58.1% comp., 24 TD, 8 INT
Connor Cook had a shot at the starting quarterback job early in his sophomore year in 2013, and since proving himself to be worthy of the task, he's been validating the chance Michigan State took on him in almost every game. Now he's on the cusp of being a high first-round draft pick in 2016 if he can put together a third straight solid season.
"Cook is the most intriguing senior prospect this year," wrote Chad Reuter of NFL.com. "If he can lead an inexperienced passing game in his final collegiate season, he'll be in line for a very high draft slot."
Cook needs 3,069 yards and 20 touchdowns to become the Spartans' all-time leader in those categories, and along the way he'll pass a handful of pro-style passers who came from MSU and have managed to stick around in the NFL including Brian Hoyer, Drew Stanton and Kirk Cousins.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
