College Football Draft Kit: 2024 Fantasy Quarterback Rankings

College Football season is fast approaching and RotoWire's college football staff has written their breakdowns on the top players to target at each position. We kick things off at quarterback where there is another loaded crop of exciting players ranging from dual threats to high-volume passers who can rack up the yardage and touchdowns. 

These rankings are based on a standard 4-point passing touchdown format and may vary based on format.

2024 College Fantasy Football Draft Kit

• College Football Projections
• College Football Fantasy Five
• College Football Rankings
• College Football Cheat Sheet
• National Championship picks
• National Championship odds
• Heisman Watch
• Heisman Odds

2024 College Football Quarterback Rankings

1) Kaidon Salter, Liberty

2024 Fantasy Projection

2024 Fantasy Outlook

Salter wasn't locked in as the starter heading into fall camp in 2023, but how the tides have turned since then. He ran with the starting gig, both figuratively and literally, racking up 1,089 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns under the tutelage of Jamey Chadwell, who had similar success with Grayson McCall while at Coastal Carolina. Salter added 2,876 passing yards and a 32:6 TD:INT ratio, trailing only Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix in fantasy production. He enters 2024 as arguably the top fantasy quarterback alongside Nix's replacement at Oregon in Dillon Gabriel. Salter does lose CJ Daniels from his receiving corps, which shouldn't be understated, but Treon Sibley returns, and the Flames add a bevy of transfer wideouts to fill the gaps in the passing attack. LIberty's schedule remains among the easiest in the college football ranks in 2024, so there's little reason Salter can't replicate his 2023 output this season.

2) Dillon Gabriel, Oregon

2024 Fantasy Projection

2024 Fantasy Outlook

As he approaches his final year of eligibility, Gabriel has the chance to elevate his play under center twofold as he joins a recently successful Oregon squad. Gabriel finished the 2023 season with Oklahoma, passing for 3,660 yards, 30 touchdowns, and six interceptions. The 5-foot-11 field general will jump into an offense under Dan Lanning that enabled Bo Nix to go from 11 passing touchdowns in his sophomore season with Auburn to then 29 touchdowns in his junior year and 45 touchdowns, along with being a Heisman finalist by the time he was a senior. Gabriel will follow a similar path as he transfers to Oregon later in his college football career, and he'll have ample resources to aid his success. With wide receiver Tez Johnson returning, who eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards last season, and Texas A&M transfer Evan Stewart likely jumping into the role of NFL-bound wide receiver Troy Franklin, Gabriel will have all he'll need to lead a successful year, if not a Heisman-level campaign. 

3) Byrum Brown, South Florida

2024 Fantasy Projection

2024 Fantasy Outlook

Brown is a dynamic, dual-threat quarterback who led the Bulls in both passing and rushing last season. As a sophomore in 2023, Brown broke out with 3,292 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while completing 64.6 percent of his passes. He added 809 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground as well. Offensive coordinator Joel Gordon, who is now entering his second year in Tampa, is clearly not shy about trying to squeeze as much of Brown's playmaking ability out of him as possible. With three of his top four receivers from last season returning, Brown should continue to thrive as a mobile gunslinger for the Bulls.

4) Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss

2024 Fantasy Projection

2024 Fantasy Outlook

Dart enters his third season at the helm of the Ole Miss offense with some Heisman buzz and National Championship dreams. It's established that quarterbacks in Lane Kiffin's system are reliable sources of fantasy production, and that notion could grow stronger this season. Dart's experience and surrounding talent are major factors, but it's also who is not in Oxford anymore that could change things. The departure of Quinshon Judkins could force Kiffin to rely more on Dart as a passer this season. Mississippi ran it 57.6 percent of the time in 2023. Now, with a middling running back room on paper, an experienced quarterback, and a loaded receiving room, Dart could go gangbusters in 2024. It's also reassuring that Dart has combined for over 1,000 rushing yards over the last two seasons, which won't disappear this year. The only thing holding Dart back may be Mississippi finding itself on the right side of blowouts, leading to starters like him resting in fourth quarters as opposed to past instances of track-meet games or garbage time production.

5) Jordan McCloud, Texas State

2024 Fantasy Projection

2024 Fantasy Outlook

McCloud is now on his fourth program in four years, but the gunslinger is coming off a career year in which he posted 3,657 yards, 35 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 68.2 percent of his passes, earning Sun Belt Player of the Year honors. He also added 276 yards rushing and eight touchdowns on the ground, cementing himself as a dual-threat for the Dukes. In what will be his final year of eligibility, McCloud takes the reins to a Bobcats' offense that returns two highly productive receivers in Joey Hobert and Kole Wilson, as well as halfback Ismail Mahdi, who amassed 1,606 all-purpose yards last season. This is shaping up to be an extremely dangerous Texas State offense, and McCloud will be at the center of it all.

6) Garrett Greene, West Virginia

2024 Fantasy Projection

2024 Fantasy Outlook

Greene's passing output during the 2023 season as the Mountaineers' signal-caller didn't leave viewers in Heisman-level awe, tallying 2,406 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. However, his 772 yards rushing and 13 rushing touchdowns bolstered his fantasy perception, and rightly so. Greene will lose his top pass catcher Devin Carter but will otherwise return to Morgantown alongside most of his supporting cast from the 2023 season. The Mountaineers also added to the wideout depth with transfer receiver Jaden Bray from Oklahoma State. Even if Greene's passing production lags a bit compared to others near the top of quarterback boards, his running capabilities should keep his name among the first off the board at his position during 2024 fantasy drafts.

7) Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee

2024 Fantasy Projection

2024 Fantasy Outlook

The Tennessee offense under head coach Josh Huepel has become a bankable asset for fantasy production, especially from the quarterback spot. It helped Hendon Hooker go from an afterthought of a transfer from Virginia Tech to Heisman frontrunner at one point. Now, the keys have been turned over to Iamaleava, the No.2 overall recruit in the class of 2023. In his lone start as a freshman in the bowl game against Iowa, he went 12-for-19 for 151 yards and a touchdown and added three scores on the ground. Iamaleava is the most talented quarterback to come through Knoxville in some time, and with the Heupel offense in place, this first-year starter should be one of the top fantasy producers at his position. 

8) Avery Johnson, Kansas State

2024 Fantasy Projection

2024 Fantasy Outlook

The time has come for Johnson to establish himself as the future of Kansas State. The youngster flashed in his true freshman season, including five rushing touchdowns at Texas Tech in Week 7 of the 2023 season. Johnson was understandably not yet ready for a full-time role and split reps with Will Howard, who has since left for the starting job at Ohio State. If Johnson's accuracy and understanding of the playbook have improved, watch out. He could be a fantasy dynamite with a true dual-threat skillset. In just eight games with limited snaps last year, Johnson posted 12 total touchdowns. Johnson could be in for a monster season with the Wildcats if extrapolated over an entire season in as a full-time starter.

9) Jalen Milroe, Alabama

2024 Fantasy Projection

2024 Fantasy Outlook

The Alabama program has undergone plenty of changes this offseason, but Milroe remains a constant and is key to the Tide's transition into the post-Saban era. Milroe is somewhat unfairly dinged for his passing - he averaged 10.0 YPA with a 65 percent completion rate in his first year as the starter last season. Adding Kalen DeBoer, the architect of Washington's run to the national title game, should only help that facet of his game. Milroe's also devastating as a runner. His speed and 6-2, 220-pound frame punished opposing defenses for 12 rushing touchdowns and over 500 yards on the ground. There's another level Milroe can potentially reach as a passer in the new offense, and his rushing production will provide him with a solid floor for fantasy. He may not have the upside of some of the other elite quarterbacks in the SEC, but there's too much working in Milroe's favor for him to burn his fantasy investors.

10) Seth Henigan, Memphis

2024 Fantasy Projection

2024 Fantasy Outlook

Henigan has steadily improved through three seasons at Memphis, and he appears to be in line for another excellent season as the Tigers' signal-caller. Henigan accounted for 37 total touchdowns last year while throwing for 3,880 yards and completing 66.7 percent of his passes. He threw multiple touchdown passes in 11 games last season and ended the year scorching hot, racking up 1,016 yards and a 10:1 TD:INT ratio over the final three games of 2023. Couple that momentum with the return of star receiver Roc Taylor, who piled up 69 catches for 1,083 yards, and Henigan could be even more dangerous as a senior. 

11) KJ Jefferson, UCF

2024 Fantasy Projection

2024 Fantasy Outlook

After a down year production-wise at Arkansas in 2023, Jefferson will welcome a new start in Orlando, Florida. The dual-threat quarterback with 38 career starts perfectly fits Gus Malzahn's system. Jefferson averaged 22.5 touchdowns through the air and 7.5 scores on the ground in his first two full seasons at Arkansas before taking a step back to 19 through the air and two on the ground last year. The Knights' QB in 2023, John Rhys Plumlee, broke a school record for signal callers with 505 rushing yards. There's a chance Jefferson can exceed that production. Fantasy investors should recall Cam Newton in 2010 at Auburn when he rushed for 1,473 yards and 20 touchdowns and added 30 passing scores as part of a National Championship with Malzahn as the offensive coordinator.

12) Haynes King, Georgia Tech

2024 Fantasy Projection

2024 Fantasy Outlook

King had a breakout year in 2023 with the Yellow Jackets after three quiet seasons at Texas A&M. The quarterback threw for 2,842 yards, 27 touchdowns and 16 interceptions while completing 61.6 percent of his passes. He was also Georgia Tech's second-leading rusher, tacking on 737 yards and 10 scores on the ground. King could stand to cut down on the turnovers and improve his accuracy numbers a bit, and he'll run it back with second-year offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner who helped orchestrate his breakout year. His top two receivers, Eric Singleton Jr. and Malik Rutherford, return, as does starting halfback Jamal Haynes. Ultimately, this offense should take another step forward with the returning production and scheme, and King figures to reap the rewards of that in his fifth-year senior season. 

13) Chandler Morris, North Texas

2024 Fantasy Projection

2024 Fantasy Outlook

Morris is coming off a career year at TCU, but one tainted by a knee injury that forced the gunslinger to miss five of the team's final six games. He posted 1,532 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 65.5 percent of his passes in total. Morris also added three scores on the ground, and he transfers to a North Texas quarterback room desperately needing a veteran presence. Assuming he stays healthy, Morris should own the keys to the Mean Green offense all year long. Morris' experience should help him facilitate the offense well, but North Texas lost its top four pass-catchers from a season ago. It'll be a new-look offense for the Mean Green, one that should allow Morris to put up respectable if not otherworldly numbers.

14) Kyron Drones, Virginia Tech

2024 Fantasy Projection

2024 Fantasy Outlook

Drones is an exciting centerpiece for Virginia Tech's offense in 2024. The Texas native burst onto the scene last season with a stellar 17:3 TD:INT ratio, which he paired with 2,903 all-purpose yards. After Grant Wells injured his ankle, Drones took the starting job and never looked back. The former Baylor Bear appeared to get better as the season wore on, and he should only continue to develop, as his top three receivers from last season, Da'Quan Felton, Jaylin Lane and Stephen Gosnell, return, and Ali Jennings is back after an early end to his 2024 campaign. Tyler Bowen's return as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks' coach should also aid his continued development. Drones did lose five fumbles as a ball carrier last season, but if he can keep his interception numbers down and continue to stress defenses with both his arm and legs, Jones will be a handful this fall and could stuff the stat sheet.

15) Jackson Arnold, Oklahoma

2024 Fantasy Projection

2024 Fantasy Outlook

Arnold is somewhat unproven, and his start in the bowl game gave an idea of his upside and drawbacks. He threw for 361 yards and two touchdowns against Arizona, but also chucked three interceptions. The bowl game context is important as they are essentially exhibitions for big programs that fall short of the playoff, so the interception detail can be somewhat forgiven. There's another layer of uncertainty as well with Oklahoma installing Seth Littrell as OC, though his offenses at North Texas routinely posted strong results. Drafting Arnold is a bet on his pedigree - he was the No.10 overall player in the 2023 recruiting cycle - and that the Oklahoma offense won't skip a beat without Jeff Lebby calling the shots. Those should be gambles that pay off, though the jump to an SEC schedule is worth factoring in.

16) Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

2024 Fantasy Projection

2024 Fantasy Outlook

Sanders enters the season as one of the top prospects at the quarterback position and is likely to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft in 2025. Despite inconsistent offensive line play in 2023, Sanders completed 69.3 percent of his passes for a school-record 3,230 yards and 27 touchdowns versus just three interceptions. Colorado hit the transfer portal hard this offseason and seems to have improved the offensive line, though it remains a question mark. What's not a question mark for the Buffaloes is the wide receiver group, pairing Sanders with one of the best units in the country. The unit consists of returnees Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn and adds incoming transfers Will Sheppard (Vanderbilt) and Lajohntay Wester (Florida Atlantic). Sanders likely has another big season on deck for the Buffs and should be drafted as such.

17) Brady Cook, Missouri

2024 Fantasy Projection

2024 Fantasy Outlook

Missouri is a legitimate preseason Top-10 team with Cook returning and a bevy of weapons around him, including Biletnikoff Award candidate Luther Burden. Cook was solid in his first year as the starter in 2022 and found another level in 2023; he threw for nearly 600 more yards and seven more touchdowns on 15 fewer passes while bumping his YPA from 7.1 to 9.0. Being as experienced as he is, it's difficult to envision Cook not building on his 2023 breakout, especially when Missouri ranks 16th in returning offensive production. Being Luther Burden's quarterback would be enough to give almost anyone some fantasy upside, but Cook is talented in his own right and can get it done on the ground as well (904 yards, 14 RuTD since 2022).

18) Cam Ward, Miami

2024 Fantasy Projection

2024 Fantasy Outlook

With Miami's current depth at the wide receiver position, any serviceable QB could be under center and likely produce a solid season for the Hurricanes. Luckily for Miami, Ward is at the helm, bringing the necessary experience and football IQ that could make for a breakout year and a sneaky playoff run. Head coach Mario Cristobal stated "[Ward's] ability to improvise is sometimes better than the designed play," which could give the Hurricanes the edge they need if they hope to compete with the top ACC teams this year. Ward completed 324-of-486 passes for 3732 yards, 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions, adding eight rushing touchdowns with Washington State in the 2023 season. He has just one year of eligibility remaining, but his decision to ultimately not join the NFL Draft and become a Hurricane shows he's hungry to make noise, joining returning pass catchers Xavier Restrepo and Jacolby George. 

19) Will Howard, Ohio State

2024 Fantasy Projection

2024 Fantasy Outlook

Howard's stats climaxed in his 2023 season at Kansas State, tallying 2,643 passing yards, 351 rushing yards, and 33 total touchdowns with 10 interceptions. The super senior will now make his way to the Buckeyes, who enabled Kyle McCord to surpass 3,000 passing yards and log a 24:6 TD:INT ratio in his final year with the team. Though Howard will not have star wideout Marvin Harrison as an asset, he does join Ohio State with more experience as a starter and overall experience in spreading the love. Howard should be primed for another big season in his collegiate career as he joins wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and potential breakout freshman Jeremiah Smith, plus a pair of star running backs in TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins who can both contribute as receivers out of the backfield. Howard has all the skills necessary and as long as he makes it over the hump of acquainting with his new team, his output should only increase from his time as a Wildcat. 

20) Thomas Castellanos, Boston College

2024 Fantasy Projection

2024 Fantasy Outlook

Castellanos is set to be the Eagles' starting quarterback once again after an up-and-down 2023 campaign. The gunslinger played well early in the year, but became increasingly turnover-prone towards the end of the season, throwing just three touchdowns to seven interceptions the final four weeks of the season. All told, Castellanos tossed for 2,248 yards, 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while completing under 60 percent of his passes. The Eagles brought in Grayson James from FIU to add competition at quarterback, but Castellanos still figures to claim Boston College's starting role under center. He'll need to gel with two transfer receivers and a transfer tight end, but if he can find some consistency in his passing game and couple that with a similar rushing output from last season - 1,113 yards, 13 touchdowns - he could be one of the better dual-threat quarterbacks in the ACC.

21) Joey Aguilar, Appalachian State

2024 Fantasy Projection

2024 Fantasy Outlook

Aguilar entered 2023 as a bit of an unknown commodity under center, but that didn't last long. Through three weeks, he sported a 9:2 TD:INT ratio, and he finished the season averaging 297.8 passing yards per game over the last five contests, posting a 17:4 TD:INT ratio over that span. He's also proven to be a capable runner, amassing 249 rushing yards and a trio of touchdowns on the ground. Star receiver Kaedin Robinson remains in tow for 2024, as does No. 2 option Christian Horn and tight end Eli Wilson, giving Aguilar all the tools he needs to repeat or even surpass his output from a season ago.

22) Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

2024 Fantasy Projection

2024 Fantasy Outlook

Nussmeier has been waiting in the wings for three years and now finally gets his shot. He has big shoes to fill as the follow-up act to 2023 Heisman winner Jayden Daniels, but Nussmeier has shown flashes of serious potential before. While he won't be able to lean on Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas as Daniels did, the cupboard is hardly bare for Nussmeier. Nussmeier put himself on the map in relief of Daniels in the 2022 SEC Championship Game against Georgia when he threw for 294 yards and two scores. He capitalized on his start in last year's bowl game against Wisconsin by throwing for 395 yards and three touchdowns. Nussmeier has a cannon arm and elite talent around him, including on the offensive line, which will translate to gaudy production in 2024. Things could get even better for Nussmeier's numbers if the defense is as porous as 2023, but that would be difficult. 

23) Carson Beck, Georgia

2024 Fantasy Projection

2024 Fantasy Outlook

There are two ways to look at Beck going into 2024. One camp could note that losing Brock Bowers, Ladd McConkey and other key pass-catchers will ding his production or at least lead to a slow start as he develops a rapport with his new receiving corps. The other would note that Beck is talented enough to be the top quarterback selected in next year's draft and still has more than enough to work with in Athens to be a viable fantasy asset. Beck's accuracy is top-drawer; he was one of two quarterbacks to complete at least 70 percent of his passes while attempting more than 400 passes. He was also explosive with his completions with a 9.5 YPA. Look for Beck to have another high-volume, high-efficiency season through the air even with the new cast of characters. Beck doesn't have the rushing ability of other elite fantasy quarterbacks, and the schedule is brutal with road games against Alabama, Texas and Mississippi, but he remains a player that managers can feel confident starting nearly every week.

24) Quinn Ewers, Texas

2024 Fantasy Projection

2024 Fantasy Outlook

Ewers is a potential Heisman Trophy candidate, having set career highs across the board as a sophomore for the Longhorns. Ewers completed 69.0 percent of his passes for 3,479 yards, 22 touchdowns and just six interceptions. This included a virtuoso performance in the Big 12 Championship Game, throwing for 452 yards and four touchdowns in the 49-21 thrashing of Oklahoma State. He also more than held his own in the CFP Semifinal versus Washington, passing for over 300 yards in a losing cause. Ewers should continue to ascend in 2024, with two rather large caveats. Firstly, Texas moves to the SEC, meaning a tougher schedule and tougher opposing defenses. Secondly, there is also the looming presence of Arch Manning, whose name and pedigree will cast a shadow over the Texas program this season, especially if Ewers struggles or has a bad game. Ewers is the surefire starter heading into the 2024 campaign, but a lot can change in a short amount of time.