All of these quarterbacks are most likely returning next season. This is because they still need to be draft-eligible or improve their NFL draft position in what shapes into a deep draft class for quarterbacks in 2025. Here are five of the best quarterbacks returning for the 2024 season.
The Best Five Quarterbacks Returning in 2024
Roll Tide
Earlier this season, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe was benched after inconsistent performances, including a home loss to the Texas Longhorns. He was slated to not play against South Florida. Fortunately for Milroe, his replacement didn’t set the world on fire, so he was inserted back into the lineup.
Now, there is an outside chance he will be invited to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. The last several weeks have seen Milroe display his dual-threat capabilities. In back-to-back November games against the LSU Tigers and the Kentucky Wildcats, Milroe ran for seven touchdowns and now has twelve on the season. He added in his 21 touchdowns through the air and he’s responsible for 33 scores against only 6 interceptions.
After facing intense criticism, Milroe is the primary reason why the Crimson Tide won the SEC West again and will play Georgia for the championship this Saturday. The Alabama faithful should be thrilled to have their signal caller back for one more season, as he will only get better.
Did Someone Say South Florida?
Sitting at third on the depth chart to begin this season, the USF Bulls quarterback, sophomore Byrum Brown, has come in and showed many of the same dual-threat skills as Milroe. He has accounted for three more touchdowns this season than his Alabama counterpart while throwing five more interceptions. Brown’s cumulative passing and rushing yards are just short of 4,000 for the season.
Those are impressive numbers for anyone, but even more so for someone who saw limited game action a season ago. Like Milroe, Brown also has good size, standing at 6’3″, although not too many guys are as big as Milroe. After suffering through a bad 2-10 season in 2022, his play has contributed to a solid turnaround, with the Bulls sitting at 6-6 and bowl-eligible. The future is bright in Tampa, and the South Florida faithful are happy to have Brown under center for at least one more season.
Where’s Arch
After what seemed like non-stop media coverage about where the latest Manning would attend college, Arch Manning finally settled on the University of Texas. It was presumed he would roll into Austin and take over the starting duties from day one. Someone forgot to tell Quinn Ewers. Making it clear to everyone that the job was his and his to keep, Ewers Led the Longhorns to an impressive 34-24 win at Alabama, which was led by, of course, Milroe. Of all the quarterbacks on this list, most believe that Ewers is the most likely to declare for the draft.
However, he recently stated that he was 90% certain to return to Austin for another year. While his numbers do not jump off the charts, Ewers has a big arm and can make all the throws. Having sophomore running back Jonathan Brooks to hand off too until his season-ending injury certainly kept his numbers down. The number of other QBs that will be taken off the board early in 2024 is another reason that Ewers is more likely than not to stay. Of course, the NIL money that Texas can throw at him and others makes the decision to forego NFL money a little easier now. Ewers will also be on many people’s shortlist as an early Heisman favorite going into next season.
The King Of Atlanta
After transferring from Texas A&M to Georgia Tech, sophomore quarterback Hayes King has started to make a name for himself as he leads a resurgence in Yellow Jacket football. King has thrown for twenty six touchdowns this season, but has also thrown fifteen interceptions in a campaign that has shown a lot of promise with some bumps in the road.
Prior to coming to Atlanta, King had very little experience at the collegiate level after suffering an early season-ending injury while playing in College Station for the Aggies. He has also shown good running ability, evidenced by his seven rushing touchdowns and a 5.6-yard per-carry average. King needs additional seasoning at the collegiate level. However, he could be a high NFL draft pick at the appropriate time.
It’s Good To Be Named Cameron
If he can end up having the same kind of career as Cam Newton, then Washington State Cougars’ junior quarterback Cameron Ward will have accomplished a lot. As the most season of the signal callers on this list, Ward joins a long list of successful quarterbacks who have played in Pullman. Coming from the FCS ranks, Ward won the Jerry Rice Award, given annually to the top freshman in the FCS. During the 2020-21 season, he threw for an insane 47 touchdowns that resulted in the Power Five schools calling.
In two seasons leading the Cougars, he’s thrown for 43 touchdowns and ran for 11. He’s also thrown for over 3,000 yards at the FBS level in each of his two seasons. While eligible to come out after this season, Ward is not projected to be one of the highest-rated draftable quarterbacks for the 2024 season. Another year in Pullman could change that.
The 2024 College Football Season Will Be Fun
With these QBs leading their respective squads, along with the inevitable ones coming out of nowhere to put up big stats, next season in college football is surely to be fun and exciting to watch. But isn’t college football awesome every year?
Main Image: © John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
