Predicting a true freshman playmaker's immediate impact is never an exact science, but considering several factors — past performance, position depth, scheme fit and program stability — can help determine which freshman quarterbacks are ready to hear their turn come Saturday sooner rather than later.
Fourteen quarterbacks ranked in the Top 247 for the 2023 class last year, including Niko Iammareva (Tennessee), Dante Moore (UCLA), Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma State), Jaeden Rashada (Arizona State) and Avery Johnson (Kansas State), played in at least one game last season and combined for just 11 starts and 53 games in 2023.
While there are plenty of high-profile passing prospects from last year, it's not always the highest-ranked prospects who will make the most timely impact. Case in point: two of the nation's least-hyped freshmen in 2023: Virginia's Anthony Colandrea and Arkansas's Jalen Rayner. The pair emerged last season as college football's most productive freshman quarterbacks. Colandrea, a product of Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg (Fla.) and ranked as a three-star and the No. 45 quarterback in the country by 247Sports, started six games for the Cavaliers in his rookie season, passing for over 300 yards in two of those six games and helping Virginia pull off an upset win over Duke. Colandrea led the 247Sports True Freshman All-American team in 2023.
Raynor, an unranked prospect out of East Forsyth High School in North Carolina, made his first start of 2023 for the Red Wolves in Week 4 against Southern Miss and led the team to a high-scoring 44-37 victory over the Golden Eagles. Raynor became the first true freshman quarterback to start for the program since 2001 and the only player to lead the program to a win in his first career start. The Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year started double-digit games as a true freshman.
With the preliminaries out of the way, we're going to rank five notable freshman quarterbacks who are likely to play seriously in 2024.
It's impossible, but crazier things have happened.
5. Walker White, Auburn (5th QB, 41st overall)
This season, the Tigers will return some experienced players at the quarterback position, with Peyton Thorne preparing to take on the Plains again, along with Hank Brown and Holden Geliner, who will join the team as the second year of the Hugh Freeze era approaches and more is expected.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound White has the natural athleticism and NFL-caliber prowess as a runner to give Freese and Auburn fans a glimpse of the future. He needs some refinement in the passing game and will likely need a year or two to develop, but Freese and the Tigers could choose to use him in running and short-yardage situations to help get the talented freshman up to speed quickly.
Comparable to Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Revis in terms of size, athleticism and arm talent, White possesses all the physical traits desired at the quarterback position and is expected to quickly make a name for himself in scouting circles.
Don't say I didn't warn you
4. Ohio State's Julien Thayne (3rd QB, 20th overall)
Ohio State has arguably the most intriguing quarterback staff in the country, and the Buckeyes certainly have the talent to contend for a national championship this season, which will mark Ryan Day's pivotal seventh year in Columbus.
Sain, a former University of Alabama commit, entered the portal just nine days after enrolling at the university in Tuscaloosa and chose to play for Day and the Buckeyes after Nick Saban left the Crimson Tide. With Kansas State transfer Will Howard expected to be the starter and former top recruit Devin Brown also on the team, the path to the field isn't clear, but there are some question marks, especially after a spring in which Howard didn't take the world by storm.
As the most polished passer of the three quarterbacks selected as five-stars last season, it's easy to see why Sain could be a big player early on in a Chip Kelly offense with one of the best supporting casts in the country. A timely passer with impeccable pocket maturity, don't be surprised to see the Californian step up to the big stage sooner than we think. Given the pressure Day faces, some will turn to Sain as soon as things start to get tense. It'll be up to Howard, and to some extent Brown, to contain the true freshman.
Probably not, but maybe
3. Demond Williams, Washington (19th QB)
For now, they have to move transferred quarterback Will Rogers out of his starting role, but the former four-star signal caller There's a chance he'll get plenty of playing time in Seattle. This season, Jedd Fisch and the Huskies are trying to navigate major roster turnover as they search for a replacement for Michael Pennis Jr. in his first year in the Big Ten. Convincing Williams to transfer from Arizona to Washington after spending a few weeks in Tucson was a big, but not surprising, roster development for Fisch.
Williams has quickly built a reputation as a playmaking point guard with a small stature and excellent control over the game, drawing comparisons in both size and playing style to Arizona's former protégé, Noah Fifita.
Currently listed at 5-foot-11 and weighing 185 pounds, Williams proves he has strength beyond his size and has shown an ability to make the most of game-changing opportunities both through the air and on the ground, including rushing for 1,100 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior at Basha High School in Arizona.
Often referred to as “Gamer” due to his competitive nature and small stature, Williams offers first-year Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch an intriguing outlet to build around for the future if the first half of Washington's conference schedule proves too tough.
Likely
2. DJ Lagway, Florida (1st QB, 3rd overall)
On paper, Billy Napier and the Gators look to be in a very comfortable position at the quarterback position as Graham Mertz and his wealth of experience returns to Gainesville in hopes of building on a promising first year in the Swamp. That being said, Lagway is too talented and too important to Napier's future to have him enter the fray and stay off the field now in what looks to be a make-or-break season for the Gators.
Listed on Florida State's spring roster as 6-foot-3 and weighing over 240 pounds, Lagway is fresh off his senior season at Willis High School where he set the Texas Class 6A single-season touchdown passes record while leading the school to its first season in over 60 years and its first appearance in the regional semifinals in nearly 30 years. A proven winner with notable true freshman intangibles but also dual-threat ability, Napier and staff should be able to creatively utilize the five-star playmaker in a way that will remind most Florida fans of the Anthony Richardson era.
Maybe he'll play in the first game
1. Dylan Raiola, University of Nebraska (No. 2 QB, No. 7 overall)
Former five-star and Nebraska legend Dylan Raiola looks increasingly likely to emerge as Matt Lue's starting quarterback this fall after a stellar spring season. If you're a Lue and Nebraska fan, you're probably asking the same question: Why not start a talented freshman?
Raiola steps into an interesting situation in his first season as he tries to jumpstart a program that is headed for its first postseason bowl appearance since 2016 and reinvigorate one of the worst passing attacks in college football last season. It's a tough task, but one that certainly brims with opportunity for a young and talented playmaker, as the Cornhuskers play five of their first six games at home in Lincoln, including two against UTEP and Northern Iowa.
A big-bodied passer at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, Raiola's sturdy build and physicality no doubt prepare him for the rigors of college football, but whether the Cornhuskers have enough protection and playmaking to ease his transition to the collegiate league remains to be answered until Opening Day.
Ready or not, Dylan Raiola is expected to perform well in Lincoln this season.
