College Football: Ranking the Quarterbacks by Class

This summer Sam Bradford of Oklahoma proved that it’s truly great to be an elite college quarterback. Bradford signed a six year contract with the St. Louis Rams to the tune of 78 million dollars.

He became just another in a long line of quarterbacks to be deemed worthy of the number one overall pick.

Over the last five years, there have been seven quarterbacks selected in the top ten of the NFL Draft, and each of those young men has had a large chunk of change waiting for them.

Some have been worth the investment and some have yet to show anything that justifies their pick.

It helps you realize that it can be tough trying to figure out who the “real” great quarterbacks are in college football.

Here’s a look at how I would rank this season’s college football quarterbacks in each class. The rankings are based more on how the quarterbacks are right now as college players, not necessarily how they stack up as pro prospects.

Seniors

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SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 03: Jake Locker #10 of the Washington Huskies drops back to pass against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on October 3, 2009 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated Washington 37-30. (Photo by Jonathan Danie

1. Jake Locker: Washington

2. Jerrod Johnson: Texas A&M

3. Christian Ponder: Florida State

4. Case Keenum: Houston

5. Tyrod Taylor: Virginia Tech

6. Greg McElroy: Alabama

7. Colin Kaepernick: Nevada

8. Josh Nesbitt: Georgia Tech

9. Ricky Stanzi: Iowa

10. Andy Dalton: TCU

Juniors

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PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Quarterback Terrelle Pryor #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes runs with the ball against the Oregon Ducks during the 96th Rose Bowl game on January 1, 2010 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

1. Terrelle Pryor: Ohio State

2. Ryan Mallett: Arkansas

3. Kellen Moore: Boise State

4. Jacory Harris: Miami

5. Blaine Gabbert: Missouri

6. Nick Foles: Arizona

7. Cam Newton: Auburn

8. John Brantley: Florida

9. Kirk Cousins: Michigan State

10. Stephen Garcia: South Carolina

Sophomores

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LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 14: Quarterback Andrew Luck #12 of the Stanford Cardinal on the field during the game with the USC Trojans on November 14, 2009 at the Los Angeles Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. Stanford won 55-21. (Photo by Stephen Dun

1. Andrew Luck: Stanford

2. Robert Griffin: Baylor

3. Matt Barkley: USC

4. Landry Jones: Oklahoma

5. Kyle Parker: Clemson

6. Garrett Gilbert: Texas

7. Dayne Crist: Notre Dame

8. Tom Savage: Rutgers

9. B.J. Daniels: South Florida

10. Geno Smith: West Virginia

Freshman

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ATLANTA - NOVEMBER 28: Backup quarterback Aaron Murray #11 of the Georgia Bulldogs against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium on November 28, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

1. Aaron Murray: Georgia

2. Devin Gardner: Michigan

3. Jake Heaps: BYU

4. Robert Bolden: Penn State

5. Tyler Russell: Mississippi State

6. Phillip Sims: Alabama

7. Nick Montana: Washington

8. Bryn Renner: North Carolina

9. Blake Bell: Oklahoma

10. Taylor Graham: Ohio State

Top 10 Overall

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PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Quarterback Terrelle Pryor #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts to a play against the Oregon Ducks during the 96th Rose Bowl game on January 1, 2010 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

1. Terrelle Pryor: Ohio State

2. Jake Locker: Washington

3. Andrew Luck: Stanford

4. Ryan Mallett: Arkansas

5. Kellen Moore: Boise State

6. Jerrod Johnson: Texas A&M

7. Christian Ponder: Florida State

8. Case Keenum: Houston

9. Jacory Harris: Miami

10. Robert Griffin: Baylor