The Monarchists

Quarterback is the most important position.  It is not everything, as even the best quarterbacks can struggle if they are not given a good supporting cast or if the defense is atrocious.  But having a solid QB1 can get your team over the hump and in the championship conversation.  It is not a coincidence that the top quarterbacks on this list are also leading teams with SBC Championship aspirations.

1) Texas State – Jordan McCloud

You are just not allowed to not name the returning Sun Belt Player of the Year the best quarterback in the conference.  He may have transferred to Texas State, but he will have a much better supporting cast with the Bobcats and would have been learning a new playbook anyway at JMU.

2) App. State – Joey Aguilar

Remember when I said you are not allowed to rank the returning SBC Player of the Year second?  Well, the SBC did and named Joey Aguilar the Preseason SBC Player of the Year.  Frankly, I do not really want to rank Aguilar as number 2 either.  He is really is more like 1(b).  Both quarterbacks were named First Team All-Conference too.  Is that a cop out?  Maybe it is but so be it.  They are both very very good.

3) Ark. State – Jaylen Raynor

After years of searching, the Red Wolves finally found a top quarterback.  As a freshman, he made his first road start in Week 5 and completed 20 out of 35 passing attempts for 383 yards and a program record of six touchdowns along with 35 rushing yards.  He is good on the ground and through the air.  If he sticks around next year he could be the Preseason SBC Player of the Year…or he could be getting a shot to play at a P4 school.

4) James Madison – Dylan Morris – Alonzo Barnett 

JMU replaced McCloud with a top transfer in Dylan Morris who spent last year backing up NFL-bound Michael Penix.  Back in 2021 he started for the Huskies and threw for 2,458 yards,  14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.  He is a pocket-passer, experienced in the spread offense which is the scheme Chesney runs.  Chesney says its competition with Barnett, but we all know Morris is the guy.

5) Louisiana – Chandler Fields – Ben Wooldridge

Zeon Chriss emerged as the guy in Louisiana but he transferred out.  No matter, that leaves seniors Chandler Fields and Ben Wooldridge to compete for the spot.  UL has already claimed to have a starter but has not named who.  Wooldridge was actually their starter in 2023 before injury sidelined him.  Injury eventually sidelined Chriss too, giving Fields the opportunity and experience to play in his second bowl game.  Both Woolridge and Fields are seniors with plenty of experience and have been battling each other for playing time since 2022.  No matter who gets the start, they are both capable of improving their 2023 numbers if they can just stay healthy.  Emphasis on the “if.”

6) Southern Miss. – Tate Rodemaker

Whoa there Golden Eagles!  Everyone told you, you were supposed to be a bad team and you still might be, but you got a stud in the transfer portal at quarterback. Finding a quarterback has been a struggle for Southern Miss over the past few seasons.  But Rodemaker comes in from Florida State where he played in nine games for Seminoles in 2023, including one start against rival Florida.  He threw for 510 yards on 32-of-56 attempts and five touchdowns.  The big P4 transfer is expected to do well in the Sun Belt.

7) Old Dominion – Grant Wilson – Emmett Moorhead

Wilson transferred to the Monarchs along with his offensive coordinator Kevin Decker prior to the 2023 season.  Wilson already knew the playbook and won the starting job but his 2023 campaign had a lot of ups and downs.  He would play very well against Louisiana and Georgia State, but not so much against Wake Forest and Texas A&M-Commerce (let’s just agree to not talk about that game).  Emmett Moorhead comes in from Boston College where he had also mixed results, dominating Duke in ’22 and then just giving the ball away to Notre Dame in the same year.  Consistency in the passing game is needed in Norfolk.  But still, Wilson’s home run touchdown throws and running ability puts him in the middle of the list, not to mention his now iconic winning touchdown against Georgia State.  Wilson does have the capability to take that next step and be a top quarterback in this conference.

8) Coastal Carolina – Ethan Vasko – Noah Kim

Ethan Vasko transferred in from Kansas last season and took over after Grayson McCall and Jarrett Guest were injured.  He played well against Old Dominion and in the Hawaii Bowl.  Noah Kim comes in to compete from Michigan State.  Whoever wins, the quarterback position should be competent but who exactly will they be throwing to? Last year’s best receivers are gone.

9) Troy – Goose Crowder

Troy recently named junior Goose Crowder the starting quarterback.  Last season he was 9-13 for 94 yards in limited action last season.  Before that, he spent his first two years at West Virginia.  Crowder has a big arm but he will have big shoes to fill replacing three year starter Gunnar Watson.

10) South Alabama – Gio Lopez

South Alabama unsurprisingly named lefty Gio Lopez the starter for Week 1.  The freshman got his feet wet in 2023 with some playing time while not burning his redshirt season.  He adds mobility and completed 67% of his passes last year.  He had a solid performance in the Lending Tree Bowl and even showed flashes of excellence.  He could climb these rankings fast but we need to see a lot more from him first.

With Darren Grainger out of eligibility, State brings in two transfers to compete for the starting job.  Zach Gibson from Georgia Tech was recruited by Shawn Elliot and the other transfer is Christian Veilleux from Pitt, recruited by Dell McGee.  McGee may favor the QB he recruited but the competition is open the last I checked.  Regardless who wins the battle, the unit is probably way down from Darren Grainger’s talent level.

12) Georgia Southern –  JC French – Dexter Williams –David Dallas – Colton Fitzgerald

Southern just announced that JC French will be the starting quarterback.  French redshirted in 2022 at Memphis and then transferred to Southern in 2023 where he saw action in ten games, completing 13-of-16 attempts for 122 yards, one touchdown and one interception. We will see how short his leash is because Indiana transfer Dexter Williams may be right behind him. For the Hoosiers, Williams threw only two touchdowns and two interceptions for 184 yards in 2022 and did not see the field in 2023.  Then there is Boise State transfer Colton Fitzgerald and redshirt sophomore David Dallas.  Camp rumors are that Dallas was playing very well.  But French is the starter…for now.

Yes he has a funny name and an underwear NIL deal, but the Oklahoma transfer has never actually taken the field at the FBS level.  Will he be any good?  Will any of them?  Who can really say.  Booty does have good experience at the JUCO level and comes from good stock being a nephew of former NFL quarterback John David Booty. His other uncle, Josh Booty, was a quarterback for LSU before playing in the NFL and even made his way to the Miami Marlins roster as a third baseman.  Hunter Herring might be in the mix as well.  Herring missed the majority of the 2023 season with an injury.

14) Marshall – Cole Pennington – Braylon Braxton – Stone Earle

Mitch Griffis would have had this unit in the middle of the pack but this summer he announced his retirement from football. He committed to the Herd in December and completed his degree from Wake Forest in May.  After graduating, he must have felt the desire to do something else with his degree and his heart was not in football anymore.  So that leaves legacy Cole Pennington who threw zero touchdowns and six interceptions in 2023 and Tulsa transfer Braylon Braxton who threw two touchdowns and six interceptions in 2023 with the Golden Hurricanes.  One of these players has to rise up and move up these rankings this season, but as of now the quarterback room had a combined two touchdowns and twelve interceptions last season.

EDIT:  Stone Earle is a late transfer to Marshall from North Texas announced just a couple days ago.  Earle made two starts last season for North Texas, including one in a season-opening loss to Cal. He finished 22-of-40 with 274 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions.  He brings up the Marshall QB room’s TD:INT ratio to a total of 6:16 in 2023.  He may be the best talent but it may take time before he is brought up to speed due to his late arrival.   Further, Earle coming in so late and already potentially the starter kind of proves my point about their ranking beforehand.