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It has been discussed ad nauseam how much differently the college football landscape will look in the upcoming season. From the movement of schools in conference realignment, the undoing of the Pac-12, and the upcoming 12-team playoff, it will have a substantially different feel.
The same can be said about the quarterback position. By the end of the 2023 season, there were several quarterbacks among the top of the active leaderboard led by former Wake Forest and Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman. The No. 2 passer was Bo Nix, who was selected in the first round of the NFL draft by the Denver Broncos. In all, eight of the top 10 passers will not be a part of the 2024 campaign.
As we head into the middle part of June, here are the top 12 active passing leaders who look to build upon their career numbers in the upcoming historic season of college football at the FBS level.
1
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon Ducks
Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK
Career Stats:
63.1% Comp | 14,865 Yards | 8.9 YPA | 125-26 TD-INT
After stops with the UCF Knights and Oklahoma Sooners, Gabriel takes his talents to Eugene to suit up for the Oregon Ducks. Dan Lanning replaced the No. 2 active passing leader with the new No. 1 guy. That offense should continue to hum right along with the southpaw and new wideout Evan Stewart, who transferred in from Texas A&M.
2
Will Rogers III, Washington Huskies
Julio Aguilar/Getty Images
Career Stats:
69.3% Comp | 12,315 Yards | 6.6 YPA | 94-28 TD-INT
Will Rogers III was the prototypical Air Raid quarterback but is coming off his worst season over the last three years in Starkville. He left the Bulldogs as the all-time leading passer in Mississippi State history to become the first Washington quarterback under new head coach Jedd Fisch. He should once again return to form with the weapons at his disposal in Seattle.
3
Seth Henigan, Memphis Tigers
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Career Stats:
63.8% Comp | 10,767 Yards | 8.2 YPA | 79-25 TD-INT
Henigan probably isn’t a household name for most fans, but he is among the best quarterbacks at the Group of Five level. Should Memphis earn the coveted G5 slot in the College Football Playoffs, he will likely be a major reason why. If you tune in for a Memphis game in 2024, keep your eyes on No. 9 when the Tigers are on offense.
4
Grayson McCall, North Carolina State Wolfpack
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Career Stats:
69.9% Comp | 10,005 Yards | 9.8 YPA | 88-14 TD-INT
Grayson McCall has been one of the best G5 quarterbacks since he put on the Chanticleers uniform. The quarterback with the highest completion percentage, highest yards per attempt, and best TD-INT ratio on our list is making the jump to the Power Four. The Wolfpack is poised to make some noise in a wide open ACC.
5
Connor Bazelak, Bowling Green Falcons
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Career Stats:
61.9% Comp | 9,301 Yards | 6.5 YPA | 48-34 TD-INT
You might remember Connor Bazelak from his time with the Missouri Tigers and Indiana Hoosiers, now he is coming into this second season with Bowling Green. Due to the extra year of ability, Bazelak will enter his sixth season after signing in the 2019 recruiting class.
6
Alan Bowman, Oklahoma State Cowboys
SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK
Career Stats:
64.5% Comp | 8,789 Yards | 7.2 YPA | 49-32 TD-INT
If you are a quarterback going into your seventh season, you should be on the active passing leaders list. Bowman signed with Texas Tech in the 2018 recruiting class. After three seasons he transferred to Michigan for two more then to Oklahoma State last year. He led them to the Big 12 title game and was granted a waiver to play in the 2024 season.
7
Hank Bachmeier, Wake Forest Demon Deacons
HELEN COMER/The Daily News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
Career Stats:
63.0% Comp | 8,663 Yards | 7.6 YPA | 51-24 TD-INT
After stops with the Boise State Broncos and Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, Bachmeier is making the jump up to the ACC with Wake Forest. It wasn’t a great year with La Tech and perhaps working with the 2021 ACC Coach of the Year Dave Clawson can bump up his level of play.
8
D.J. Uiagalelei, Florida State Seminoles
Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports
Career Stats:
59.1% Comp | 8,319 Yards | 7.1 YPA | 57-24 TD-INT
After starting his collegiate career as a five-star signee with the Clemson Tigers, the elder Uiagalelei brother spent last season back on the West Coast with the Oregon State Beavers. He returns to the ACC this season with the Florida State Seminoles, filling the void left by Jordan Travis. It will be interesting to see how he performs against his old team, Clemson when they come to Tallahassee.
9
Graham Mertz, Florida Gators
Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Career Stats:
63.7% Comp | 8,308 Yards | 7.3 YPA | 58-29 TD-INT
Graham Mertz quietly had one of the better seasons at the FBS level last season. He certainly wasn’t the reason that the team finished 5-7 a year ago. With a tough schedule in 2024 for the Florida Gators, the success of the team might fall on his shoulders. Don’t sleep on Mertz, he is a much better passer than he often gets credit for.
10
Payton Thorne, Auburn Tigers
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Career Stats:
61.0% Comp | 8,256 Yards | 7.3 YPA | 65-34 TD-INT
The former Michigan State Spartan and current Auburn Tigers quarterback Payton Thorne checks in at No. 10 on the list. His 2023 campaign with Auburn left a lot to be desired from what we expect with a Hugh Freeze quarterback. Most of his success came at Michigan State. Thorne has plenty of competition behind him but this will be his last chance to build an NFL-caliber resume.
11
K.J. Jefferson, UCF Knights
Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Career Stats:
65.1% Comp | 7,911 Yards | 8.2 YPA | 67-18 TD-INT
It was a forgettable final year in Fayetteville for the former Arkansas Razorbacks dual-threat. Jefferson appeared in 12 games and only threw for 2,107 yards with a career-high 8 interceptions. He leaves the Hogs behind to join former Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn at UCF. He should be just as productive as John Rhys Plumlee was for the Knights when he was healthy.
12
Brett Gabbert, Miami (Ohio) RedHawks
The Enquirer-USA TODAY NETWORK
Career Stats:
58.9% | 7,893 Yards | 8.3 YPA | 59-19 TD-INT
The younger brother of former Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert, Brett takes the last spot on the list. He is a highly productive passer who returns for a sixth year. He only played in 12 combined games over the last two seasons due to injury. If you can stay healthy as he did in 2021, he should put up good numbers once again.
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Courtesy : https://collegesportswire.usatoday.com/lists/college-football-active-passing-leaders-dillon-gabriel-will-rogers/