With the explosion of the Superflex format in dynasty fantasy football, one thing is more apparent now than ever before. The quarterback is king. There is plenty of talent coming up through the devy pipeline, and I will provide weekly reports throughout the college football season to track these prospects. The next three draft cycles are loaded with promising, NFL-caliber signal callers who showed up and showed out in week two. In the latest installment of my Quarterback U series, let’s closely examine the position with devy risers and updated class rankings.
RISERS
Quinn Ewers, Texas | 6’2″ 195 lbs.
Finally, the breakout performance we have been waiting for from Ewers. Last week, I wrote about Ewers as a faller. I highlighted his frustrating inconsistency with 25+ yard passes. Against Alabama, he went 3/5 in that department with two touchdowns, according to ESPN Stats & Info. He found his deep ball just in time to catapult Texas into the playoff discussion. Arguably, the program has more momentum today than in nearly 15 years. This was the signature performance of Ewers’ career, with impeccable ball placement all night and the finesse to his game that we needed to see.
Every throw from Quinn Ewers vs Alabama
— Nash (@NashTalksTexas) September 10, 2023
STATS
24 for 38 (63%)
349 yards / 9.2 per attempt
3 TD / 0 INT
89.4 Total QBR (out of 100/ESPN) pic.twitter.com/32MnJ8kkAd
Ewers carved up the Alabama defense for 349 passing yards, three touchdowns, and a 90.2 PFF passing grade. A general lack of consistency has always been my issue with Ewers, so I want to see him build off this performance. If he continues to refine his game with cleaner mechanics and improved deep accuracy, Ewers will be a first-round lock.
Michael Penix Jr., Washington | 6’3″ 213 lbs.
Two factors are working against Penix: injury history and age. The latter is something several in this class have in their profile. Older prospects are common as we cycle through these COVID classes, but it is worth noting. Although, Hendon Hooker was still a Day 2 pick at 25 years old with a torn ACL. Bo Nix and Jordan Travis are in the same boat. Penix’s injury concerns create a red flag in his profile, which is hard to ignore. 2022 was the first season in his lengthy college career in which he played more than six games. Torn ACLs highlight the long list of injuries in 2018 and 2020, a sternoclavicular joint injury in 2019 and an AC joint shoulder injury in 2021.
Washington Huskie QB Michael Penix Jr. went on a tear today:
— NFL Future Stars (@NFLFutureStars) September 10, 2023
*28/38 (74%)
*409 passing yards
*3 TD’s
*11 rushing yards
*Avg. 14.6 yards per completion
Penix made another strong push for the Heisman, he’s been an absolute stud so far this season.
pic.twitter.com/RsmTkiNUto
When he’s healthy, Penix has one of the best arms in college football. Certainly the best deep ball in his class or any other. He has been an unstoppable force this season and is starting to look like a Heisman finalist for Washington. I look forward to seeing how Penix performs late in games against stronger defenses in November. I watched every snap of his performance at UCLA in 2022. Box score scouts saw a pretty average line from Penix, but the film tells a different story. Penix was rattled all night and struggled mightily against the UCLA pressure. I am still waiting for the signature performance that puts those concerns to bed, but I am encouraged by what I have seen in two games.
Aidan Chiles, Oregon State | 6’3″ 200 lbs.
Chiles threw his first college touchdown two days before he turned 18 and gave Oregon State fans a glimpse of the program’s future at the position. DJ Uiagalelei has looked great so far in his bounce-back season, but the four-star true freshman is the Beavers quarterback I’m more interested in.
the freshman to the senior 🙌
— Oregon State Football (@BeaverFootball) September 10, 2023
📺 Pac-12 Network pic.twitter.com/g8eQ5QFjww
As a true dual-threat quarterback, Chiles is elusive in the pocket and a dangerous runner once he breaks containment. He is equally effective as a passer, with smooth mechanics and impressive accuracy. Chiles looked like a star in the Oregon State spring game, and his first regular-season appearance did not disappoint either. This is just the beginning of a special career in Corvallis for Chiles.
LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina | 6’3″ 245 lbs.
It did not take long to find an excuse to hype up one of my favorite quarterback prospects in the 2026 class. Albeit against Furman, Sellers looked the part and then some. He completed all four of his passes, including the 60+ yard BOMB shown below, for 86 yards and two touchdowns.
Ladies & gentlemen, LaNorris Sellers. pic.twitter.com/5Q7PA4vM80
— The Spurs Up Show (@TheSpursUpShow) September 10, 2023
I am obsessed with Sellers as a C2C target, and while he may be less of a devy prospect, we can’t ignore a player with his size, athleticism, and arm talent. Sellers appears to be the QB1-in-waiting at South Carolina when Spencer Rattler moves on. He has rare arm strength, flick-of-the-wrist velocity, good vision, and a noticeable football IQ. I expect Sellers to impress throughout his true freshman season as South Carolina implements packages with him at QB.
RANDOM MUSINGS
The 2024 class is unlike anything I have seen in years. Maybe ever. There is an undisputed QB1-2, then at least eight prospects with a legitimate case to be QB3 in this class. The margin is razor-thin between someone like Bo Nix and Riley Leonard. For the dynasty managers trying to make heads or tails of this, watch how the season unfolds, pay attention to the pre-draft process, and wait to see how the NFL values these players. Draft capital and landing spot will determine everything with this group.
That brings me to my second thought. It is very likely that a few of these guys stay in school and try their luck in 2025. Why wouldn’t they? Is anyone else concerned about the 2025 quarterback class? Drew Allar is a bonafide star, and I like Conner Weigman, but the class as a whole leaves a lot to be desired. When and where will guys like Devin Brown, Maalik Murphy, and Ty Simpson play? I think Shedeur Sanders and others are looking at the 2025 class and recognizing the opportunity it presents.
My final musing is about the Tennessee quarterback situation. Joe Milton is not the answer. He can throw the ball out of the stadium, and that is fun, but it’s not enough. He struggled to get anything going against an FCS opponent. Meanwhile, there is a five-star NFL prospect behind him on the depth chart named Nico Iamaleava. Something tells me the hook is coming for Milton.
2024 CLASS RANKINGS
| 1. Caleb Williams, USC | 19/21, 281 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT, 21 rush yards (Stanford) |
| 2. Drake Maye, North Carolina | 21/30, 208 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 57 rush yards (App State) |
| 3. Bo Nix, Oregon | 32/44, 359 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 46 rush yards (Texas Tech) |
| 4. Jordan Travis, Florida State | 15/29, 175 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 20 rush yards (Southern Miss) |
| 5. J.J. McCarthy, Michigan | 22/25, 278 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 38 rush yards (UNLV) |
| 6. Quinn Ewers, Texas ⬆️ | 24/38, 349 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 11 rush yards (Alabama) |
| 7. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado | 31/42, 393 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, -30 rush yards (Nebraska) |
| 8. Michael Penix Jr., Washington ⬆️ | 28/38, 409 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT, 11 rush yards (Tulsa) |
| 9. KJ Jefferson, Arkansas | 13/19, 136 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 48 rush yards (Kent State) |
| 10. Riley Leonard, Duke | 12/12, 136 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 13 rush yards (Lafayette) |
2025 CLASS RANKINGS
| 1. Drew Allar, Penn State | 22/26, 204 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 27 rush yards (Delaware) |
| 2. Conner Weigman, Texas A&M | 31/53, 336 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT, 29 rush yards (Miami) |
| 3. Devin Brown, Ohio State | 7/13, 101 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 9 rush yards (Youngstown State) |
| 4. Cade Klubnik, Clemson | 28/37, 315 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT, -6 rush yards (Charleston Southern) |
| 5. Maalik Murphy, Texas | DNP |
| 6. MJ Morris, NC State | DNP |
| 7. Ty Simpson, Alabama | DNP |
| 8. AJ Swann, Vanderbilt | 26/39, 314 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT, -8 rush yards (Wake Forest) |
| 9. Walker Howard, Ole Miss | DNP |
| 10. Gunner Stockton, Georgia | 1/1, 4 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, -10 rush yards (Ball State) |
2026 CLASS RANKINGS
| 1. Malachi Nelson, USC | DNP |
| 2. Dante Moore, UCLA | 17/27, 290 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, -3 rush yards (San Diego State) |
| 3. Jackson Arnold, Oklahoma | 0/0, 0 TD, 0 INT, 11 rush yards (SMU) |
| 4. Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee | DNP |
| 5. Arch Manning, Texas | DNP |
| 6. Jaden Rashada, Arizona State | 16/29, 167 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 3 rush yards (Oklahoma State) |
| 7. Austin Novosad, Oregon | DNP |
| 8. Aidan Chiles, Oregon State ⬆️ | 9/13, 74 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 42 rush yards (UC Davis) |
| 9. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina ⬆️ | 4/4, 86 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 6 rush yards (Furman) |
| 10. Lincoln Kienholz, Ohio State | DNP |
Justin Hulsey is a Senior Writer for Dynasty Nerds. Follow on Twitter for more college football and NFL Draft coverage. Gain access to the Prospect Film Room, members-only Discord, podcasts, Nerd Scores, full rankings, and more for just $4.99 a month. Copy and paste promo code FF_Hulsey to take 15% off any membership cost today.
