Power Ranking the Projected Big 12 Starting Quarterbacks
Though the Big 12 has consistently produced gunslinging quarterbacks such as Collin Klein, Bryce Petty, Robert Griffin III and Brandon Weeden since 2010, the conference may have its first down year in recent memory when it comes to the quality of its signal-callers.
Trevone Boykin of TCU is the only quarterback whose name has any staying power.
Guys like Baker Mayfield, Seth Russell and Patrick Mahomes may prove to be diamonds in the rough as the season progresses, but that's all theory and not reality.
In a 10-team league, which team has the best quarterback? Which has the worst?
Let's rank each Big 12 team's projected starting quarterback.
10. Montell Cozart, Kansas
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What is there to say about the maligned Kansas Jayhawk?
Montell Cozart's struggles have mirrored that of the Jayhawks as a whole over the past five seasons.
With projected starter Michael Cummings likely out for the year with a torn ACL, Cozart sits on top of a depth chart that includes just two freshman—Carter Stanley and Ryan Willis—in addition to himself.
Last year, Cozart started the opener for Kansas, but lasted just five games in that role. When 2014 wrapped up, he completed 64 of 128 passes for 701 yards and five touchdowns but an alarming seven picks.
Known as a potential dual threat, Cozart failed to show that in 2014 with just 63 yards on 52 rushing attempts.
Kansas is in the midst of a program purge under new head coach David Beaty. But the Jayhawks will still field a football team this season, with Cozart as its most probable Week 1 starter.
9. Sam Richardson, Iowa State
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It certainly doesn't take much to do so in Ames, but Sam Richardson has solidified himself as Iowa State's starting quarterback for 2015.
Last season, he completed 56.3 percent of his passes for 2,669 yards and 18 touchdowns against nine picks.
Those are serviceable numbers, especially for a guy who now has a year of starting experience under his belt.
But going 0-8 in Big 12 play (he missed one conference game due to injury) and winning just two games as a starter are plenty of reason to doubt Richardson's effectiveness.
Iowa State has worse problems than its quarterback play. Far worse.
But Richardson is no star, and Paul Rhoads will need more than what's expected out of him if he wants to get off the hot seat.
8. Tyrone Swoopes, Texas
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Like several other quarterbacks on this list, Tyrone Swoopes doesn't even have a starting job locked up.
For the Texas Longhorns, fall camp will be a battle between Swoopes, the incumbent, and Jerrod Heard, the redshirt freshman.
Zach Shelton of Bleacher Report notes that Heard looked more impressive than Swoopes in the spring game, completing 70 percent of his tosses.
However, the job is still Swoopes' to lose.
Texas has had trouble replacing Colt McCoy ever since he graduated following the 2009-10 season, and Swoopes likely isn't the long-term answer that Heard could be.
However, he may have the gig to start 2015.
7. Joe Hubener, Kansas State
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Joe Hubener is another guy on this list who is not guaranteed to start.
Kansas State must replace Jake Waters at quarterback, and it has four viable options.
Hubener, Jesse Ertz, Alex Delton and Jonathan Banks are in a virtual deadlock for the starting gig, per Kellis Robinett of the Kansas City Star.
We'll give Hubener the edge for now, as he was Waters' primary backup and saw some playing time a year ago.
Hubener saw mainly garbage time in parts of six games last year, completing 9 of 17 passes for 235 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
His body is built similarly to Collin Klein's, which is likely why he was able to add three rushing touchdowns to his total.
Hubener looked competent last season, though we only saw a small sample of his work. But ask yourself this: When was the last time K-State had a bad quarterback under Bill Snyder?
6. Skyler Howard, WVU
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When Clint Trickett went down last year, Skyler Howard played a good second fiddle for the Mountaineers.
Now the job is Howard's alone, and he'll look to further establish West Virginia as a bona fide Big 12 contender after the team had a breakout start to last year's campaign.
In four appearances last year, including two starts, Howard didn't throw a single interception. He did, however, toss for 829 yards and eight touchdowns.
He added 140 yards rushing on 22 carries, good for 6.4 yards per carry.
How high the ceiling is for Howard is a mystery, but Dana Holgorsen is a legendary molder of quarterbacks.
5. Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State
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The rise of Mason Rudolph has been the most promising development in Oklahoma State's quarterback play since Brandon Weeden gave up professional baseball to be the old man on campus.
Rudolph's coming-out party came late last year—as late as it could, actually. He shined in Oklahoma State's final two games, wins over Oklahoma and Washington in the Cactus Bowl.
Now the rising sophomore, who finished last year with 853 yards, six touchdowns and four picks over three games, is solidified as a top aerial threat in the conference.
Mike Gundy knows how to work magic with his signal-callers, so expect Rudolph to have a breakout campaign for an Oklahoma State team looking to establish itself as a dark-horse title contender.
4. Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech
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There is plenty of hype surrounding Texas Tech gunslinger Patrick Mahomes, who finished the Red Raiders' four-win campaign as its starter last year after taking over midway through.
Mahomes was called "Texas Tech's best chance at a Heisman Trophy" by Tommy Magelssen of the Dallas Morning News.
The Whitehouse, Texas, native finished with 16 touchdowns, four interceptions and 1,547 yards through the air last year in just seven games.
Despite this, Mahomes is still not the official starter for Texas Tech, as he's still battling with Davis Webb.
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury has kept quiet about the final call, but all roads seem to point to Mahomes.
3. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
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Yet another guy on this list who has not sealed up a starting gig just yet, Baker Mayfield is vying to lead the Oklahoma Sooners over Trevor Knight.
Jake Trotter of ESPN reported back in April that Mayfield was the favorite for the job, as Knight was disappointing in his sophomore campaign, never replicating the success he found in his freshman Sugar Bowl showing against Alabama.
Mayfield already had Big 12 experience at Texas Tech, where he threw for 2,315 yards and 12 touchdowns while winning his first five starts.
He also became the first true freshman walk-on to start a game at quarterback in the Big 12.
Mayfield redshirted last year but will still be a junior officially, as he burned a year of eligibility by transferring within the league.
That means it's now or never for Bob Stoops to pull the trigger on Mayfield, and it looks like the time is now.
2. Seth Russell, Baylor
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Bryce Petty and Robert Griffin III may have had more hype than Seth Russell, but Russell may be the most athletic of all three.
A Sporting News feature described how Russell threw down a between-the-legs reverse tomahawk dunk. The same story also cited Baylor wideout KD Cannon calling Russell a "freak."
Russell already owns the school record for most passing yards in a half with 438 against Northwestern State last year, a game Baylor won 70-6.
He started that game as Petty dealt with an injury.
That was the only significant time Russell saw all year. But with Art Briles' penchant for developing Heisman-quality quarterbacks, it's hard to imagine Russell won't follow suit.
1. Trevone Boykin, TCU
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There's no debate at all that TCU's Trevone Boykin is the best quarterback in the Big 12.
On this list, he's one of just three guys—along with Richardson and Cozart—who started in Week 1 last year. If you add Swoopes, who only missed Week 1, he's one of just four.
Boykin, who nearly switched to full-time wide receiver at one point, took TCU to the cusp of the College Football Playoff last year. He tossed for 3,901 yards and 33 touchdowns while throwing just 10 picks.
He added 707 yards and eight scores on the ground, proving himself as one of the biggest threats in the nation a season ago.
Boykin is the Big 12's best quarterback, hands down. He is also perhaps its best player and certainly its best preseason Heisman candidate.
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