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B1G QB Rankings after Week 13: Dwayne Haskins secures his spot at the top
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The dust has settled. The 2018 regular season is over.
It’s hard to believe, but the 13-week season flew by, making the last three months feel like a nanosecond. But, that’s pretty typical when it comes to college football. The season will never be long enough.
With the regular season in the books, we’ve put together our final B1G quarterback rankings. It’s been tracking these guys all season long, from the experienced seniors to the young newcomers. This year really felt like the quarterback position had the best depth, conference-wide, that the B1G has had in some time.
The top five quarterbacks really separated themselves from the rest of the pack, especially had the end of the season. But there was plenty of jostling back and forth throughout the year.
Here’s where we ranked the B1G quarterbacks as the 2018 season comes to a close.
14. Artur Sitkowski, Rutgers
It was a rough year for the true freshman. Sitkowski played in 11 games, completed less than 50 percent of his passes, had just four touchdowns and threw 18 interceptions. While it’s great to get a young quarterback quality reps, this seems like a terribly mishandled situation. It’ll be interesting to see if Sitkowski bounces back in the spring and next fall.
13. Kasim Hill/Tyrrell Pigrome, Maryland
Matt Canada’s offense didn’t call for much passing from his quarterbacks, which is probably a big reason there was so much inconsistency at the position. Hill started off with a spectacular performance against Texas, but that was arguably his best outing of the year. Watching Hill’s season end short due to another ACL injury was rough, too. Kudos to Pigrome, who stepped up and delivered a great performance in his first start of the year against Ohio State.
12. AJ Bush, Illinois
He wasn’t the best passer, but Bush was the most stable signal caller the Illini have had since Wes Lunt. The Illinois offense had a new dynamic with his ability to run the football, and it provided a spark. Bush had more rushing yards than any other B1G quarterback this season, which includes Trace McSorley and Adrian Martinez. It would’ve been fun to see what Bush might’ve done in Rod Smith’s system if he had a few years left.
11. Brian Lewerke/Rocky Lombardi, Michigan State
This is a long way down the list for Lewerke and Lombardi, who had to split duties near the end of the season. The No. 11 spot probably isn’t a true reflection of how good Lewerke is, but injuries on the offensive line, wide receiver and battling his own hurt shoulder were tough to overcome. This was a forgettable season offensively for Michigan State. When Lombardi stepped in, he struggled with consistency.
10. Alex Hornibrook/Jack Coan, Wisconsin
Hornibrook’s junior campaign was one full of ups and downs. He was brilliant in Wisconsin’s thrilling win over Iowa at Kinnick Stadium. But over the next few weeks, he struggled to complete passes. Hornibrook battled a head injury through the final month of the year, limiting his availability. When Coan was called into action, he did exactly what was expected of him. Take away the Penn State game and he was an excellent reliever.
9. Zack Annexstad/Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
Both quarterbacks performed better than expected this season. Annexstad earned the starting job at the beginning of the year and had a pretty consistent start for a true freshman walk-on. Then, when Morgan had to take over, he delivered some sensational outings. Minnesota’s receivers deserve a lot of credit for the success of the two quarterbacks, but Annexstad and Morgan did a great job getting the ball to playmakers.
8. Peyton Ramsey, Indiana
Another B1G quarterback with dual threat capability, but Ramsey had issues with interceptions throughout the season. He tossed 13 picks this season, second-most in the B1G. But Ramsey is also the reason the Hoosiers had chances to win games against Penn State, Michigan and Ohio State. He’s only a sophomore, so he still has time to develop into one of the better gunslingers in the conference later in his career.
7. Clayton Thorson, Northwestern
His stats to reflect a quarterback ranked in the top half of the B1G, but results matter. And throughout the year, particularly in league play, Thorson has found ways to win games. As the season progressed, so did Thorson’s play. It was evident that he was getting healthier over the season, which translated to more consistent play. And, for what it’s worth, Thorson has started in more games than any quarterback in B1G history. So there’s that.
6. Adrian Martinez, Nebraska
Is this kid going to be fun to watch or what? Martinez was the reason behind Nebraska’s explosive offensive output in the second half of the season, getting the job done through the air and on the ground. He accounted for 25 total touchdowns this season and guided the Huskers to wins in four of their final six games. There’s no question Martinez is going to be near the top of future quarterback ranking lists.
5. Nate Stanley, Iowa
Stanley is another quarterback who struggled with consistency week-to-week, but had far more good outings than bad ones. He finished the year with more than 2,600 yards and 23 touchdowns, as well as a few 300-yard passing games. Stanley has the ability to rack up the stats, but rarely gets the opportunity in Kirk Ferentz’s offense. He’s also hit eight wins in back-to-back seasons as a starter for the Hawkeyes.
4. David Blough, Purdue
What if Jeff Brohm would’ve went with Blough to start the season? That’s probably one decision the Purdue head coach is kicking himself for. Blough threw for over 3,500 yards and was responsible for several big plays throughout the year. In a pass-heavy offense, he accepted the challenge and turned out to be a perfect fit.
3. Shea Patterson, Michigan
Name a throw and Patterson can make it. He’s an incredible decision-maker, has a great ability to extend plays and is great at getting the ball to playmakers. It’s clear that Patterson is a next-level quarterback, though he still has plenty of room for improvement. He didn’t fair well in games against Notre Dame or Ohio State, but he was pretty darn good in the other 10 appearances this season.
2. Trace McSorley, Penn State
Winner. People are probably tired of hearing that word associated with McSorley, but it perfectly sums up his career in Happy Valley. McSorley wasn’t the most accurate passer, and he didn’t quite get the Lions past Ohio State, Michigan State or Michigan, but he leaves the school with boatloads of records and will be remembered as a legend inside the Beaver Stadium walls. Maybe McSorley’s ranking doesn’t simply reflect this season, but he’s been good enough to be a top two quarterback in the league for a long time.
1. Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State
Has there been a more underappreciated player at quarterback this season? Yes, that sounds weird to say considering the attention Haskins received, but over the last month, his play has been overshadowed by Ohio State’s poor rushing attack and flimsy defense. Haskins finished the year with over 4,000 yards, 42 touchdowns and completed 69 percent of his passes. He’s a huge reason why the Buckeyes are 11-1 and in the B1G Championship Game. If this were any other season, he’d be a Heisman Trophy winner.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB