By this time next year, NFL teams at the very top of the draft may be weighing the merits of Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, two potential franchise passers set to dominate the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2022.
A list of the nation’s top quarterbacks for this coming season begins with the second-year starters headlining two of the best teams in the country.
Among those coming in behind Young and Stroud are new Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams, Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker and a trio of starters in the ACC: Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman, Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke and North Carolina State’s Devin Leary.
While there is a possible underdog lurking just off the list — maybe it’s Utah’s Cameron Rising or South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler — these quarterbacks represent the best the FBS has to offer.
1. Bryce Young, Alabama
The reigning Heisman Trophy winner will look to gobble up another shelf full of postseason hardware. He’ll need to be better protected, however, and last year’s offensive line was atypically abysmal in pass protection — and that was with all-everything tackle Evan Neal manning the blind side. A banner 2021 season ended with a thud against Georgia, possibly giving Young the motivation he needs to take his game to an even more impressive level.
2. C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud passes during spring football practice.
With Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave off to the NFL, with both possibly landing in the first round of the draft, Stroud won’t have the luxury of throwing to the country’s best receiver corps. He’ll have to settle for just one of the best, with a group headlined by superstar Jaxson Smith-Njigba and holdovers Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison Jr., Jayden Ballard and Julian Fleming. His numbers shouldn’t drop after a hugely productive…
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