2 weeks Ago
Sign up for our daily Illini football newsletter here Greetings from "Can't Wait For Saturday," your morning morsel of college football, courtesy of longtime Illini beat writer, AP Top 25 voter and Heisman state rep Bob Asmussen. He'll give you his views each day on the game he loves. *** The national champion quarterback has moved on from the Big Ten.
So has one of the Heisman Trophy finalists. And the driving force behind a surpising spot in the College Football Playoff. But even without Will Howard at Ohio State, Dillon Gabriel at Oregon and Kurtis Rourke at Indiana, Big Ten offenses are in good hands going into the 2025 season.
Here are my rankings of the league's signal callers as spring practices wrap up: 1. Drew Allar Penn State Not much debate for the top spot. Considered a a superstar recruit coming out of Medina, Ohio, he seems to have the makeup of the game's greats.
But Allar has had enough glitches during his career to keep Penn State's loyal fans from getting totally in his corner. His numbers were stellar (hitting 67 percent of his passes with 24 touchdowns and just eight interceptions en route to 3,327 yards). But his performance against big-time opponents not so much.
He can wipe away any lingering doubts by guiding the Nittany Lions to the CFP title. 2. Luke Altmyer Illinois This guy, I have a much better handle on than Allar.
The Mississippi transfer had some rough times during the 2023 season, but clearly used that experience to grow. Everything was better in 2024 and he still has room to improve. If he has the kind of season I expect, he will zoom toward the top of the all-time best Illinois quarterbacks.
If the team wins big, a Heisman campaign is a reasonable possibility after Altmyer threw for 2,747 yards, 22 touchdowns and just six interceptions last season. 3. Nico Iamaleava UCLA This is the likely destination for the former Tennessee starter, who got in a tiff with the school about name, image and likeness (i.
e. money) and is moving on. The SEC's loss is UCLA's likely gain if Iamaleava regains the form he showed in leading the Volunteers to a Citrus Bowl win at the end of the 2023 season.
He was not strong in the CFP first-round loss at Ohio State in 2024, though, but he still finished with 2,616 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions last season. Circle the calendar: UCLA hosts Penn State at the Rose Bowl on Oct. 4.
4. Dylan Raiola Nebraska No pressure on the Georgia native, but the fate of the once-proud program is in his hands. He was good as a freshman hitting 67 percent of his passes for 2,819 yards, a Nebraska freshman record.
He needs to throw for more touchdowns (13) and fewer interceptions (11), but those numbers figure to improve his second year in the conference. Given a manageable schedule, he is capable of putting together an All-Big Ten level season and possibly getting the Cornhuskers back to the level of national success their fan base craves. 5.
Julian Sayin Ohio State The Alabama transfer and California native will replace Will Howard, who led the team to the national title during his one and only season with the Buckeyes. Fortunately, Savin has got oodles of talent and the nation's best receiver — Jeremiah Smith is a frontrunner to win the 2025 Heisman Trophy — to throw to. With new offensive coordinator Brian Hartline calling the plays after Chip Kelly left to become the Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator, don't expect much — if any — dip in quarterback production from the 6-foot-1, 203-pound Sayin.
6. Dante Moore Oregon Considered a hotshot recruit in the Class of 2023, Moore originally went to UCLA, where he showed potential as a freshman starter with the Bruins. After a year as Gabriel's backup with the Ducks, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Moore is ready to lead again.
A Detroit native, Moore has got a whole lot of help at receiver and running back. Plus, Dan Lanning and his coaching know what they are doing, too. It should all add up to another prolific offense that energizes the home fans at very loud Autzen Stadium.
7. Billy Edwards Jr. Wisconsin Hey, he looks familiar.
Oh, yeah, Edwards used to play at Maryland. The familiarity with the Big Ten will be a plus for Edwards, who threw for 2,881 yards and 15 touchdowns in his one year as the Terrapins starter during the 2024 season. But former Illini offensive coordinator Mike Locksley won't get another season with Edwards after the 6-foot-4, 219-pound native of Springfield, Va.
, decided to head to Wisconsin. He will help the Badgers with his running ability, a trait you will find with most of the guys on this list. Mobility is key.
8. Fernando Mendoza Indiana What do you know, Curt Cignetti is trying another transfer quarterback? It worked swimmingly in 2024, with Rourke leading the Hoosiers to the College Football Playoff and finishing in the Heisman Trophy Top 10 after arriving in Bloomington, Ind., via five seasons at Ohio.
The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Mendoza did solid work in two years at Cal, throwing for close to 5,000 yards with the Bears, but the Miami native will surely be the toast of Bloomington if he can make Hoosiers' fans forget about their favorite school's basketball struggles. 9. Aidan Chiles Michigan State The second season in East Lansing, Mich.
, figures to go better for Chiles, who came with coach Jonathan Smith from Oregon State. The 6-foot-3, 217-pound Chiles struggled early in the season but performed at a higher level in the second half of the season. Limiting mistakes is the top priority after he threw almost as many interceptions (11) as he did touchdowns (13) during his debut season with the Spartans.
His past with Smith helps, and the pair will try to get Michigan State back to prominence after a 5-7 record last season. 10, Mark Gronowski, Iowa It is a huge season for Hawkeyes offensive coordinator Tim Lester, who helped Iowa's anemic offense improve in 2024. But just by a little bit.
Gronowski comes to Iowa City after a stellar career at FCS school South Dakota State, where he threw for more than 10,000 yards and 93 touchdowns. Almost as impressive, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Naperville native who flew under the radar coming out of Neuqua Valley High School, ran for another 37 scores in his career with the Jackrabbits..
