2021 Big 10 East Quarterback Preseason Rankings

The Big 10 has produced a multitude of successful quarterbacks over the conference’s history that have gone on to prosper at the NFL level. Guys like Tom Bray and Dree Brees are a couple of legends that still hold strong ties to their respective universities. Today, a new crop of guys are looking to put their stamp on the Big 10 while some familiar faces return to make an impact on their program. I will be ranking the quarterbacks of the Big 10 East based on talent and who I believe will have the most individual success.

7. Noah Vedral - Rutgers

Noah Vedral looks to take the Scarlett Knights to new heights on the 2021 season and it seems as if the program is turning around in New Jersey. With Greg Schiano back running the show, Rutgers has a head coach who has had a great experience at both the NFL and college levels. Once a journeyman, Vedral looks to take the next step in his career as he will be returning to Rutgers for a second consecutive year as a starter. His 2020 shortened season got cut even shorter as he suffered an ankle injury late in the season but he started 7 games and threw 9 touchdowns along with 8 interceptions. While that interception to touchdown ratio is not one to brag about, 6 of them came in two games versus Indiana and Illinois and they could be avoided with some better decision making. Vedral has shown flashes of brilliance, for example, his career-high came against a close loss to Michigan last year as he threw for 381 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Scarlett Knights’ top 3 receivers are returning next year giving Vedral a chance to take his game to new heights.

6. Anthony Russo - Michigan State

Anthony Russo is one of the more intriguing names on this list and will be a guy who might surprise this conference. Transferring from Temple University, Russo has not been officially named the starter for the 2021 season, I am going out on a limb and predicting that he will get the job. He is making a name for himself already in East Lansing as coach Mel Tucker said, “He's got a big arm, He's tall, he can make every throw, good ball placement accuracy, has clutch production, he is confident in the pocket. Russo finished his junior year at Temple throwing 21 touchdowns and almost 3,000 yards. However, he is prone to throwing interceptions at a high clip. After missing most of the 2020 season due to a shoulder injury, Russo looks to take the job in East Lansing and give the Spartans the passing attack that they have been missing for several years.

5. Cade McNamara - Michigan

Coming off one of the most disappointing seasons at a storied program, Cade McNamara is the starter in Ann-Arbor as Joe Milton has transferred to Tennessee. McNamara saw action in only 4 games for the Wolverines in 2020 but he showed promise and went 1-1 as a starter throwing for 5 touchdowns with 0 interceptions. The four-star prospect will try to bring glory back to a program that has been nothing but mediocre during Harbaugh’s reign. As Michigan returns their best receivers in Ronnie Bell and top running back in Hassan Haskins, McNamara should be poised to break out for a big junior year.

4. Taulia Tagovailoa - Maryland

Coming in at number four is Taulia Tagovailoa. The pressure is incredibly real for Taulia Tagovailoa as he will always be compared to his brother Tua Tagovaila who is a college football champion. Tagovailoa is coming off an inconsistent 2020 season that was cut short after four games due to COVD-19. Tagovailoa threw for seven touchdowns and three interceptions along with 1011 yards. Tagovailoa showed flashes of brilliance especially when he threw for 394 yards and scored 5 total touchdowns against Minnesota in 2020. But, he flashed his inexperience versus Northwestern and Indiana where he threw 3 interceptions in each game. With some experience under his belt and the return of his top target Dontay Demus along with the emergence of former five-star receiver Rakim Jarrett, Tagovailoa is capable of being one of the top quarterbacks in 2021.

3. Sean Clifford - Penn State

After an inconsistent 2020 season, Sean Clifford is looking to get back to playing at his full potential as he did during his sophomore season. In 2019, he lead the Nittany Lions to an 11-2 record while throwing for almost 2700 yards along with 23 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He has momentum on his side as his final four games in the 2020 campaign were impressive. After Penn State dropped to 0-5 to start the year, Clifford led the team to 4 straight wins scoring 7 total touchdowns and accumulating almost 1,000 yards. Although Clifford has experienced four offensive coordinators, he might have gotten the best and most skilled play-caller for his senior year. Mike Yurcich will be calling plays for the Nittany Lions and he has incredible experience under his belt. Yurcich has spent time as a coordinator at Ohio State, Texas, and Oklahoma State. If Clifford can learn the new offense and improve on his accuracy, he should be able to deliver a solid season for Penn State.

2. C.J. Stroud - Ohio State

Although the quarterback competition in Columbus is far from over, I am going to predict that C.J. Stroud will be getting the rock to open up the 2021 season. Having big shoes to fill in replacing Justin Fields, Stroud is already sitting at the top of the Heisman odds. He has the potential to be the best quarterback in this conference but I can’t put him at number one as he has yet to start a game at the college level. The good news for Stroud is that he has Ryan Day developing him into an elite quarterback, similar to how Day developed Justin Fields. Stroud displayed his talent versus Michigan State running when he got in the game and broke out for a 48-yard touchdown run. The former 5-star prospect played well in the spring game for the Buckeyes throwing for 185 yards and two touchdowns. Stroud certainly isn’t lacking talent around him with two of the top receivers in the nation returning in Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson which will only elevate his performance level in the 2021 season.

1. Michael Penix Jr. - Indiana

After being named second-team All-Big Ten, Michael Penix Jr. is looking to become the best quarterback in the Big 10 East in 2021. Although he tore his ACL and wasn’t able to finish the 2020 season, Penix Jr. still finished with 1645 yards and 16 total touchdowns in just 6 games played. As well, Penix Jr. is not afraid of the moment and shows up in big games. Versus Ohio State in 2020, he threw for 491 yards and threw for 5 touchdowns. Penix Jr. also has one of the best weapons in the conference at receiver in Ty Fryfogle who was a first-team All-Big Ten member. Fryfogle caught 7 touchdowns and had 721 receiving yards in just 8 games. Penix Jr. is an elusive, play-making talent that has a massive impact on the outcome of a game. As long as Penix Jr. is on the field, the Hoosiers have a great chance of making noise in the conference and the nation making Penix Jr. the best quarterback in the Big 10 East.

Stats: https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb

Anthony Russo quote: https://statenews.com/article/2021/04/michigan-state-football-quarterback-breakdown

Ty Fryfogle accolades: https://iuhoosiers.com/sports/football/roster/ty-fryfogle/15364
Michael Penix Jr. accolades: https://iuhoosiers.com/sports/football/roster/michael-penix-jr-/15409