Amid a Big Ten quarterback club defined by fresh faces and incoming transfers, Drew Allar is one major reason why Penn State may be poised to leap ahead of Oregon and Ohio State and deliver the program’s first national championship in almost 40 years.
While there are several newcomers with starting experience – including UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava and Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza – Allar is one of only five returning starters in the conference, joining Luke Altmyer at Illinois, Dylan Raiola at Nebraska, Aidan Chiles at Michigan State and Athan Kaliakmanis at Rutgers.
That experience could be a major edge for Penn State. In comparison, Ohio State is leaning heavily toward sophomore Julian Sayin and Oregon will tap redshirt sophomore Dante Moore, who previously started five games at UCLA.
While Sayin and Moore are pegged as future stars, Allar has 29 games of starting experience and is range of every passing record in Nittany Lions program history. That makes him the safest bet in the Big Ten and one of the top players at his position in the Bowl Subdivision.
Beginning with Allar, here’s how Big Ten quarterback stack up:
1. Drew Allar, Penn State
Allar won’t struggle for motivation after his junior year ended with a devastating interception in the team’s CFP semifinal game against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. He’ll be in his second season with offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and surrounded by a top-notch offensive line and one of the nation’s top collections of skill talent, especially in the backfield. Look for Allar to have a hugely productive year and contend for the Heisman Trophy.
2. Luke Altmyer, Illinois
The former Mississippi transfer had 26 total touchdowns against six interceptions in a breakout 2024 season that saw the Fighting Illini win 10 games. Like Allar, Altmyer is a multiple-year starter at the same program amid a Big Ten quarterback crop that’s otherwise defined by youth, inexperience and first-year transfers.
BIG REGRET: Big Ten bullying SEC on schedule will backfire
3. Dylan Raiola, Nebraska
There are three reasons why Raiola is set for a sophomore surge. The first is the experience gained from an uneven freshman year that skidded to a finish after a very solid start. The second is the stronger supporting cast, especially at receiver. And the third is Nebraska offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, one of the best in the country.
4. Dante Moore, Oregon
Moore started at UCLA in 2023 and then spent last season learning the Ducks’ system behind Dillon Gabriel. Look for the former five-star recruit to grab this opportunity and run with it to become the next super-productive Oregon starter.
5. Julian Sayin, Ohio State
Sayin is still expected to grab the starting job, though Lincoln Kienholz made things interesting with a strong performance in the spring. As with Moore, he’s extremely gifted and set to benefit from playing alongside stars such as Jeremiah Smith, among others. Unlike Moore, though, Sayin has no starting experience and could take some time to steady himself.
6. Nico Iamaleava, UCLA
Iamaleava will be one of this season’s most-watched players after his dramatic exit from Tennessee. He’ll have a harder time at UCLA, which showed improvement in the second half of its first year under coach Deshaun Foster but is not anywhere near the Volunteers’ level. But Iamaleava has led an SEC team to the playoff and is viewed in some circles as one of the top four or five quarterback prospects in the FBS.
7. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Mendoza takes over for Kurtis Rourke as Indiana looks to follow up on last year’s shocking playoff berth. The former California starter threw for over 3,000 yards with 18 scores last season and should flourish in Curt Cignetti’s explosive offense.
8. Jayden Maiava, Southern California
Maiava is the unquestioned starter for the Trojans after Miller Moss transferred to Louisville. Formerly of UNLV, Maiava went 3-1 after taking over last November but really struggled with turnovers, tossing five across the Trojans’ loss to Notre Dame and bowl win against Texas A&M.
9. Bryce Underwood, Michigan
After enrolling in time for spring practice, Underwood has steadily climbed Michigan’s depth chart to become the odds-on starter as a true freshman. The five-star prospect has a uniquely stacked skill set and the complementary pieces to shine as a rookie, though it’s obvious that he’ll also need time and patience to crack his full potential.
10. Mark Gronkowski, Iowa
Gronkowski is one of the most intriguing new starters in the Power Four. The former South Dakota State transfer was a star on the Championship Subdivision level, leading the Jackrabbits to a pair of national championships and winning the Walter Payton Award in 2023 as the best overall player on the FCS ranks. How that production translates to the Big Ten will determine where Iowa falls in the playoff race.
11. Demond Williams Jr., Washington
Williams is more than ready to take over for the Huskies based on his play as a freshman. A backup for most of the year, he ascended to the starting job in late November and played well enough to ratchet up expectations heading into September. Williams completed 82.7% of his attempts for 575 yards and five touchdowns with one interception in losses to Oregon and Louisville.
12. Aidan Chiles, Michigan State
Things didn’t exactly go smoothly for Chiles after following former Oregon State coach Johnathan Smith to East Lansing. But the junior did cut down on his turnovers in the second half of the season after a rough start and showed flashes of the dual-threat athleticism that makes him such an interesting prospect, most notably in totaling over 300 yards of total offense in a win against Iowa.
13. Athan Kaliakmanis, Rutgers
Kaliakmanis is a high-floor starter who has a command of the scheme and the clear trust of the coaching staff after leading Rutgers into bowl play last season. To take the next step, Kaliakmanis and the Scarlet Knights have to improve on third down and in the fourth quarter after dropping four games by a possession in 2024.
14. Billy Edwards Jr., Wisconsin
Edwards brings to Wisconsin plenty of experience after making nearly 500 attempts across his three years at Maryland. As the starter last season, Edwards threw for 2,881 yards on 6.9 yards per attempt with 15 touchdowns. He’s not really a difference-maker and won’t contend for all-conference accolades, but Edwards is a serviceable starter in the Big Ten – and that would be a big improvement over what the Badgers have drawn from the position in coach Luke Fickell’s first two years.
15. Preston Stone, Northwestern
Stone is the latest quarterback transfer to take the job at Northwestern after starting for SMU in 2023 and mostly playing backup last season to Kevin Jennings. The former four-star prospect threw for 33 scores and only seven interceptions across these two years, and that ability to limit mistakes will be a big positive for a passing game that managed just seven touchdowns with 11 interceptions in 2024.
16. Drake Lindsey, Minnesota
Lindsey has already drawn raves from coach P.J. Fleck after taking command of Minnesota’s offseason competition to replace a one-year rental in Max Brosmer. To ease his transition, the Gophers need to get their offensive line in order and establish a tone-setting ground game behind running back Darius Taylor.
17. Ryan Browne, Purdue
Browne left Purdue in December for North Carolina but then reversed course in April to return to the Boilermakers. After all that, he’s in position to start under new coach Barry Odom. Browne made two starts in his first two seasons, losing both games, and has four touchdowns and four interceptions in 92 career attempts.
18. Malik Washington, Maryland
There is plenty of hype around Washington, the current favorite to grab the job for the Terrapins and conceivably start a multiple-year run in the lineup. If so, look for the freshman to take his lumps on one of the weaker teams in the Big Ten but gain valuable experience to lean on moving forward.