College Fantasy Football: Way-Too-Early 2011 Quarterback Rankings

The long, cold winter has definitely settled in: 23 degrees, drifting snow. Continually lacing up the ol' Sorel Caribous. Undaunted by the fact that we have not seen the sun in about 26 days, we press on with a watchful eye on the 2011 college fantasy football season.

Now that the underclassmen have declared their intentions, we have a pretty good sense for the talent pool returning. So we put together what we affectionately call our "Way Too Early" 2011 player rankings.

Please understand there is a reason for the title. It is a first glance at the 2011 prospects. A gut feel. We have not fully analyzed returning o-lineman for each school. We have not yet plugged in the incoming stud recruits (signing day is February 2nd). We did not account for all of the new coaching changes, and we have not taken a peek at the upcoming fall schedules.  All of that will come with due time. 

We'll release one article per position per day. Here's the schedule:

Friday, January 21 - Quarterbacks
Monday, January 24 - Running Backs
Tuesday, January 25 - Wide Receivers
Wednesday, January 26 - Tight Ends & Kickers

We are going to pass on defensive rankings until later this spring. So, without further adieu, let us dive into the quarterbacks!


"Way Too Early" 2011 Quarterback Rankings

For the first time in a while, there probably is not a true consensus preseason No. 1 college fantasy QB (as we sit here in January).  Houston's Case Keenum is clinging onto our top spot for the moment, but he is coming off an ACL injury—a worrisome trait for someone residing in our poll position.

If you're a glass half-empty kind of guy, there are holes to punch in the fantasy prospects of both Tulsa's G.J. Kinne and East Carolina's Dominique Davis.  Kinne's head coach jumped ship for Pitt, while Dom lost his leading receiver as well as four offensive linemen.

Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon are both surprisingly back in the fold in Stillwater.  But the guy who masterminded their dramatic offensive rise in 2010, offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, left for Morgantown. As of this writing, head coach Mike Gundy has yet to name a new OC, although it is widely assumed they are going to try to keep the same offensive system in place. Easier said than done.

Hawaii gunslinger Bryant Moniz loses just about everyone around him—eight offensive starters including WR Greg Salas, WR Kealoha Pilares and RB Alex Green. Can the Rainbow Warriors slap together a decent o-line and find a fresh new set of receivers in time for September?

NC State's Russell Wilson will spend another offseason figuring out whether he will take to the diamond or remain on the gridiron. Something tells me he might opt for baseball this time around.

Since Michigan dumped RichRod, Denard Robinson becomes a tough guy to rank. If new head coach Brady Hoke decides to keep Shoelace in a similar offensive system, he'll shoot up our rankings. If there is any uncertainty, well then, D-Rob becomes a risky proposition. Spring should be very interesting in Ann Arbor.


Other QB questions to chew on

* Can North Western's Dan Persa return from a late season Achilles' tendon injury? 

* What will the Boise State passing game look like without star wideouts Austin Pettis and Titus Young?

* Can BYU's Jake Heaps build upon his monster bowl game to become a viable fantasy QB?

* Will Seth Doege win the Texas Tech starting gig?

* What new twists and turns will we find in the Taylor Martinez soap opera? If you could guarantee us that he would be healthy and controversy-free in 2011, we would rank T-Magic much higher than where he currently sits.

* Who will Western Michigan's Alex Carder throw the ball to this fall? Trusty wideouts Juan Nunez and Jordan White are no more in Kalamazoo. Ditto for San Diego State's Ryan Lindley.

* Will Year 2 of the Sonny Dykes Project at La Tech go smoother than last year's disaster?  We expected fireworks and were treated to a fizzled out sparkler instead.

* With Blaine Gabbert off to greener pastures, will newbie James Franklin be able to step in and produce right away at Mizzou?  His supporting cast is outstanding.

* Can new OC Dana Holgorsen transform West Virginia's Geno Smith into a fantasy stud?

* Will senior-to-be Tyler Lantrip be able to even remotely resemble Colin Kaepernick in Reno? Or will host-shot youngster Cody Fajardo get a few reps in Coach Ault's Pistol offense?

* Who wins the quarterback battle in South Bend this spring? It should be fun watching Tommy Rees and Dayne Crist duke it out.

* Can Georgia-transfer Zach Mettenberger steal the LSU starting job out from under incumbent Jordan Jefferson?


Whew! There is certainly a lot to ponder as we head into the spring. Here is how we stack up the signal callers for the time being.


CollegeFootballGeek.com's "Way Too Early" 2011 Quarterback Rankings

1	Case Keenum	Houston	returning from ACL injury
2	GJ Kinne	Tulsa	lost HC Todd Graham to Pitt, but talent returns
3	Dominique Davis	ECU	loses four o-linemen and WR Dwayne Harris
4	Landry Jones	Oklahoma	offense loaded, Broyles is back
5	Robert Griffin	Baylor	nine offensive starters return
6	Austin Davis	Southern Miss	nine offensive starters return
7	Brandon Weeden	Oklahoma St.	OC Dana Holgorsen gone, Blackmon returns
8	Bryant Moniz	Hawaii	loses eight offensive starters
9	Ryan Aplin	Arkansas St.	skill players return, old OC is new HC
10	Darron Thomas	Oregon	loses three o-linemen and WR Jeff Maehl
11	Kyle Padron	SMU	10 starters return, but Aldrick Robinson is lost
12	Russell Wilson	NC State	weighing his options with baseball
13	Dan Persa	Northwestern	Achilles' injury recovery is huge concern
14	Nick Foles	Arizona	WR Juron Criner returns but four o-lineman are gone
15	Denard Robinson	Michigan	could be ranked much higher if utilized same way
16	Andrew Luck	Stanford	only four starters back on offense
17	Geno Smith	West Virginia	OC Daa Holgerson should help, foot surgery in Jan.
18	Kellen Moore	Boise State	loses both WRs Austin Pettis and Titus Young
19	Chandler Harnish	No. Illinois	nine offensive starters return, but RB Spann is gone
20	Alex Carder	W. Michigan	interior o-line is lost, WR Nunez and Jordan White gone
21	Bryan Ellis	UAB	solid line returns, as does RB Pat Shedd
22	Chris Relf	Mississippi St.	was a monster in final three games
23	Taylor Martinez	Nebraska	the soap opera continues.  High risk, high reward
24	Tyler Wilson	Arkansas	should fill in admirably for Mallett
25	Zach Collaros	Cincinnati	in for a bounce-back year?
26	Jeffrey Godfrey	UCF	can he avoid the sophomore slump?
27	Nate Scheelhaase	Illinois	lots of talent is gone, including LeShoure
28	Tim Jefferson	Air Force	769 rushing yards, 15 rush TDs in 2010
29	Seth Doege	Texas Tech	would be ranked higher if we knew he was starter
30	Kolton Browning	UL-Monroe	dual threat had a nice freshmen year
31	Matt Barkley	USC	fizzled in second half of season after strong start
32	Dayne Crist	Notre Dame	if clear cut starter emerges, would be ranked higher
33	Corey Robinson	Troy	finished strong—1,000 yards in final three outings
34	Ryan Lindley	San Diego St.	lost HC Brady Hoke, plus WRs Brown and Sampson
35	Zac Dysert	Miami, Ohio	can he win job back from Boucher?
36	Ryan Radcliff	C. Michigan	threw for 3,358 yards in first year as starter
37	Terrelle Pryor	Ohio State	five-game suspension is a killer
38	Kriss Proctor	Navy	showed flashes as backup to Ricky Dobbs
39	Tyler Bray	Tennessee	had a promising freshman year to build upon
40	Jake Heaps	BYU	strong final five games, huge bowl game
41	James Franklin	Missouri	rushing threat, lots of weapons to work with
42	John Brantley	Florida	Charlie Weis could help Brantley out—if he's the starter
43	Stephen Garcia	South Carolina	Lattimore and Alson Jeffrey return to help
44	Ross Jenkins	La Tech	lots of competition for job, first year was a bust
45	Ryan Tannehill	Texas A&M	filled in nicely for Jerrod Johnson
46	Aaron Murray	Georgia	Loses AJ Green
47	Steven Threet	Arizona State	Brock Osweiler will battle him for job
48	Taylor McHargue	Rice	whoever wins Rice job is a sleeper to watch
49	Tevin Washington	Georgia Tech	great rushing QB with lots of upside
50	EJ Manuel	Florida State	showed glimpses past couple seasons

51	BJ Daniels	USF	terrible bust in 2010.  can he bounce back?
52	Alex Gillett	E. Michigan	capable of huge games, but is wildly inconsistent
53	Austin Dantin	Toledo	had some nice games before injury
54	Jordan Wynn	Utah	solid but unspectacular
55	Kirk Cousins	Michigan St.	only three games of 20+ fantasy points in 2010
56	Sean Renfree	Duke	inconsistent sophomore year, nice potential
57	Garrett Gilbert	Texas	huge question mark after disastrous 2010 season
58	Trent Steelman	Army	five games of 20+ fantasy points in 2010
59	Chris Masson	UL-Lafayette	four games of 20+ fantasy points, missed four with injury
60	Jordan Jefferson	LSU	with RB Ridley gone, will he be asked to do more?
61	Danny O'Brien	Maryland	loses stud WR Torrey Smith, coach Edsall in place
62	Rob Henry	Purdue	dual threat who finished strong in last two games
63	Matt McGloin	Penn State	will battle Paul Jones and Rob Bolden for job
64	Phil Bates	Ohio	great runner, needs to work on his passing
65	Tyler Lantrip	Nevada	replacing Colin Kaepernick will be impossible
66	Jacory Harris	Miami, FL	new coaching staff, Stephen Morris could win job
67	MarQueis Gray	Minnesota	has all the tools to be a star, will he be QB or WR?
68	Collin Klein	Kansas State	running QB who will need to improve passing game
69	Pete Thomas	Colorado State	deep sleeper with some upside
70	Ryan Katz	Oregon State	only had one 20+ fantasy point game in 2010
71	Mike Gerardi	Temple	had some nice games down the stretch
72	Ryan Griffin	Tulane	played well against weak teams on schedule
73	Chas Dodd	Rutgers	QB Tom Savage is transferring
74	Brock Mansion	Cal	Shane Vereen is gone, but eight starters return
75	Tino Sunseri	Pittsburgh	could Todd Graham turn him into a stat machine?
76	Jeff Tuel	Washington St.	threw for 2,780 yards and 18 TDS
77	Jerry Davis	Buffalo	battled Alex Zordich for time last fall
78	AJ McCarron	Alabama	Philip Sims battling for job
79	Taj Boyd	Clemson	finally, Kyle Parker is gone and the job is his
80	Ryan Nassib	Syracuse	had a surprisingly good 2010 campaign
81	Matt Schilz	Bowling Green	WR Kamar Jorden returns to help out
82	Casey Pachall	TCU	tough to replace Andy Dalton
83	Jon Budmayr	Wisconsin	Curt Phillips will fight for starting job
84	Wesley Carroll	Florida Int'l	TY Hilton returns to help out
85	Logan Kilgore	Middle Tenn	unenviable task of replacing Dwight Dasher
86	Tommy Rees	Notre Dame	whoever wins ND QB job should do well in year two
87	Austin Boucher	Miami, Ohio	will battle Dysert for starting job
88	Mike Glennon	NC State	will jump way up if Russell Wilson plays baseball
89	David Piland	Houston	waiting in wings if Keenum is not 100 percent
90	Kawaun Jakes	W. Kentucky	spot starter at best
91	Tyler Hansen	Colorado	had a few decent outings before rupturing spleen
92	Spencer Keith	Kent State	inconsistent.  Had two nice games and five terrible ones
93	Nathan Stanley	Ole Miss	with Jeremiah Masoli gone, the job should be his
94	Terrance Owens	Toledo	will battle Austin Dantin for starting gig
95	Jerome Tiller	Iowa State	Austen Arnaud and Alexander Robinson depart
96	Jordan Webb	Kansas	had a disappointing 2010 season
97	Patrick Nicely	Akron	four decent outings to go along with 8 awful ones
98	Logan Thomas	Virginia Tech	replaces Tyrod Taylor
99	Caleb Herring	UNLV	hopes to replace Omar Clayton
100	Stephen Morris	Miami, FL	could unseat Jacory Harris as the starter

Todd DeVries is the founder of CollegeFootballGeek.com, your premier destination for all things college fantasy football.