There’s only one game left of the 2024 College Football Season. Here is who we project to be the starting quarterback for every Big Ten team in 2025.
Getty Image / Aaron Thornton
We have just one game left in the 2024 College Football season, as Notre Dame and Ohio State will square off for a national title on Monday. That means it’s time to start looking ahead to next year.
While it can be hard to predict for some teams, this list will attempt to predict the Week 1 starting quarterback for each Big Ten team for the 2025 season.
Indiana: Fernando Mendoza
Indiana got a great season out of Ohio transfer Kurtis Rourke en route to a College Football Playoff appearance. Head coach Curt Cignetti will turn to another transfer in former Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza, one of the most sought-after quarterbacks on the transfer market, threw for just over 3,000 yards and 16 in 2024.
Illinois: Luke Altmyer
Luke Altmyer will look to have a huge final season in Champaign after a fantastic 2024. Altmyer led Illinois to their first ten-win season since 2001, and his eyes will be set on a potential College Football Playoff appearance in 2025.
Iowa: Mark Gronkowski
The Cade McNamara experiment in Iowa City was a disaster. Iowa will go back to the portal once again for a starter. This time, it’s FCS superstar Mark Gronkowski. He’s thrown for over 10,000 yards in a storied career at FCS powerhouse South Dakota. Now, he’s going to try to get something out of an Iowa offense that has been awful for years now.
Maryland: Malik Washington
Head Coach Mike Locksley has a decision to make. Incumbent starter Billy Edwards Jr. transferred to Maryland. UCLA’s Justyn Martin transferred in. But, I think they will go with talented freshman Malik Washington. Washington is being billed as a program savior, and Maryland isn’t going to be any good no matter who they start. So, you might as well let the young kid takes his lumps.
Michigan: Bryce Underwood
Other outlets are predicting Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene to start for the Wolverines after a year of awful quarterback play in 2024. That’s not going to happen. Michigan boosters paid Underwood, the top recruit in America, a small fortune to play in Ann Arbor. He will be starting from the jump for Sherrone Moore.
Michigan State: Aidan Chiles
Oregon State transfer Aidan Chiles showed potential in his first season in East Lansing. But, turnovers plagued him, as he threw for just 14 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. Still, he has huge upside, and Michigan State is betting on him taking a huge leap.
Minnesota: Drake Lindsey
One year after dipping into the FCS ranks to get transfer Max Brosmer, PJ Fleck must love what he has in redshirt Freshman Drake Lindsey. Fleck wasn’t too aggressive in the quarterback market in the transfer portal, bringing in a pair of backups. Expect Lindsey to be under center for the Golden Gophers.
Nebraska: Dylan Raiola
Raiola, arguably the most-hyped Nebraska quarterback recruit in history, was handed the starting job from day one in Lincoln last year There were certainly some high highs, and also some pretty low lows. Ultimately, he ended up throwing for 2,819 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 11 picks last year. Given that he was a true freshman, that’s a solid foundation to build upon. He has every tool in the toolbox to make a huge leap for head coach Matt Rhule.
Northwestern: Preston Stone
Northwestern’s secured a big commitment in the transfer portal when they nabbed SMU transfer Preston Stone. Stone was beat out by breakout star Kevin Jennings in 2024. But, he was sensational for the Mustangs in 2023, throwing for 3,197 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. He will be a huge upgrade in Evanston.
Ohio State: Tavien St. Clair
Ryan Day is focused on winning Monday night’s National Championship Game. But, he’s going to have a really tough decision at quarterback to make for next season. Will Howard is out of eligibility, and backup Devin Brown is transferring. That leaves Class of 2024 five-star Julian Sayin as the early favorite. But, Ryan Day has shown that he’s willing to bet on potential before, and that’s where Tavien St. Clair comes in. The Class of 2025 five-star has the makings of a future top-five NFL Draft pick, and he’s got a real chance to win the job as a true freshman.
Oregon: Dante Moore
Many expected Oregon to go into the transfer portal to replace Dillon Gabriel. But, it appears that Dan Lanning is going to roll with Dante Moore. Moore, a former five-star recruit in the Class of 2023 that transferred in from UCLA prior to the 2024 season, has a ton of talent. It’s up to offensive coordinator Will Stein to coax that talent out of him.
Penn State: Drew Allar
We all know that Drew Allar’s season did not end well in the College Football Playoff Semifinal against Notre. His late interception cost Penn State its season. But, he was outstanding for most of the year for Penn State, and may be the odds-on favorite to be the first-overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft as reports swirl that Arch Manning would like two years as the starter at Texas. Allar completed 67% of his passes for over 3,300 yards and had 24 touchdown passes against 8 interceptions. He will be one of the nation’s best next year.
Purdue: Malachi Singleton
New Purdue head coach Barry Odom has quite the rebuild on his hands in West Lafayette. He’s hoping that Arkansas transfer Malachi Singleton can jumpstart it. He was awfully impressive in limited action for the Hogs in 2024, completing 75% of his passes for 358 yards and a touchdown and adding three more scores on the ground.
Rutgers: Athan Kaliakmanis
The Minnesota transfer had a solid first season for Greg Schiano at Rutgers. He threw for just under 2,700 yards and had 18 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Kaliakmanis is set to provide some stability at the quarterback position for the first time in a long time for Rutgers.
USC: Jayden Maiava
Lincoln Riley made the switch midseason from Miller Moss to Jayden Maiava. Maiava took his lumps at times. But, a stellar performance in the Las Vegas Bowl win against Texas A&M has cemented himself as the starting quarterback for next season. If anyone can unlock his enormous potential, it’s Lincoln Riley.
UCLA: Joey Aguilar
I’m not going to mince words here. The UCLA quarterback situation is really bleak. The favorite to win the job is probably Joey Aguilar. The Appalachian State transfer threw for just over 3000 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2024. But, he threw 14 interceptions, too. This might be the worst quarterback situation in the Big Ten.
Washington: Demond Williams Jr.
Williams got a ton of playing time late in the season, and showed off huge potential. The former four-star recruit completed 78% of his passes for 944 yards and 8 touchdowns against just one interception. He’s dynamic on the ground, too. Williams could be one of college football’s breakout stars in 2025.
Wisconsin: Billy Edwards Jr.
Braeden Locke was not good for the Badgers in 2024, and was a huge reason why they had such a disappointing season. Edwards Jr., the Maryland transfer, should be an upgrade for head coach Luke Fickell. Despite terrible offensive line play, Edwards threw for 2,881 yards and 15 touchdowns against 9 interceptions in 2024.