2022 College Football: Hottest QBs of September

The 2022 college football season is roughly two weeks away from its midway point, and there’s been plenty of shake-up in team standings and position rankings between the preseason and present day.

The quarterback position has certainly been one to watch, with this shaping up to be the deepest quarterback class in recent history and perhaps among the deepest ever in the sport’s history.

Several quarterbacks have experienced a rise or caught national attention after receiving little buzz ahead of the fall, while several of those who were projected to be in the top five have held true.

Here’s a look into the quarterbacks who stood out the most in September. Statistics do matter for inclusion, but entry into this group is based on excelling in pure passing ability, decision-making and how much of a difference-maker the quarterback is for his team.

BYU had one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Zach Wilson, who was a meteoric riser who went from somewhat unknown to a first-round draft pick. Now, the Cougars have a quarterback who bears a lot of similarities to Wilson in his game and could have the same type of ascension.

Jaren Hall has completed 70.2 percent of his passes for 1,438 yards with 12 touchdowns and one interception in 2022, recently recording a head-turning performance in the 38-24 win over Wyoming. Hall completed 26 of 32 passes for 337 yards with four touchdowns in that game, and his accuracy and strong decision-making have been on display as the fifth-year junior has now thrown 142 consecutive passes without an interception.

Hall’s playmaking ability and improvisation skills have also kept this offense churning as BYU has come out on top in three of its September matchups.

The year is 2022 and the Tennessee Volunteers have the No. 1 total offense in the nation. That’s not something many saw coming, and a lot of the success the team has had boils down to Hendon Hooker, who has made an impact both through the air and on the ground. There was talk of how Hooker could potentially rise to be a first-round NFL draft selection, and he’s on pace to do so with the new heights he’s played a large role in propelling the Vols to.

He had a career performance against the Florida Gators, tossing for 349 passing yards with 112 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a 38-33 victory in which he was certainly the MVP. There were concerns about Hooker as a passer when he transferred from Virginia Tech, but his strides have been notable, and it’s easy to argue his passing ability is on par with his rushing ability now.

Through four games, Hooker has completed 71.7 percent of his passes for 1,193 yards with eight touchdowns.

The season started off with a projected neck-and-neck race for the Heisman Trophy between C.J. Stroud and Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, and so far that prediction has held up. The two still are and have been very close in the position rankings since the beginning of the season, though Stroud projects as the most NFL-ready pure passer by a little bit.

He has the athleticism that helps open up an offense and helps him to extend plays, but he is first and foremost a precise passer from the pocket with a high level of mental processing.

All of that has shown up on the field in a big way as Stroud has completed 70.5 percent of his passes for 1,222 yards with 16 touchdowns and one interception in the season.

Plenty of Air Raid quarterbacks get knocked because of how simplistic the system is and the (often incorrect) notion that their numbers are inflated. While that can be the case at times when a team is consistently utilizing the short passing game, especially with targets who have a knack for getting substantial yardage after the catch, it takes a well-refined passer who is put-together mentally to reach that level of production.

That’s what Rogers has done here.

Rogers has completed 73.7 percent of his passing attempts for 1,386 yards with 16 touchdowns and three interceptions through the first four games of action. While the negative rushing stat line doesn’t reflect it, Rogers has also done a great job using his mobility to evade pressure, make throws on the run and make plays with his legs.

It’s not unreasonable to believe that trait—which isn’t frequently highlighted in the Air Raid because of how dropback pass-happy the system is—will show itself more when Rogers takes the next step and goes on to the NFL.

The notion that Georgia may be the new Alabama in terms of being the most dominant team in the nation gained some ground when the Crimson Tide narrowly avoided an upset against the Texas Longhorns in the 20-19 victory on Sept. 10.

The primary difference-maker in that game for Alabama was Young, who has come up clutch in several situations when the team has needed it, like last year’s overtime game against Auburn. Young is among the most mechanically polished passers in the country and uses his legs to make things happen in seemingly the most impossible instances.

In the Texas game, he led the Crimson Tide down the field in the fourth quarter twice in drives that culminated in a touchdown with eight-and-a-half minutes to go and Will Reichard's game-winning field goal with 10 seconds left, respectively.

The game-winner couldn't have happened if not for Young, who escaped what looked like a certain sack with under 35 seconds left and took off to put the team in field-goal range. It’s hard to ask for much more from the leader of your team. On the season, Young has completed 68.6 percent of his passes for 1,029 yards with 13 touchdowns and two interceptions.

It wasn’t long ago that Stetson Bennett was being passed off as a game manager or a player that Georgia was able to win in spite of. That’s not the case anymore as Bennett is considered an early Heisman Trophy candidate and has been phenomenal through the first four weeks of the season, helping guide the Bulldogs to a 4-0 record as he has a 74.2 percent completion rate for 1,224 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. Bennett showed a need for improvement as a pure passer last season and seems to have taken the proper steps, especially where decision-making is concerned. Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart spoke to the former walk-on’s need to eliminate “bonehead” mistakes that sometimes put the team in a bad position in the postseason, and Bennett has done that and more.

Bennett listed out the specifics of what he was working on when I spoke with him ahead of the season, and it’s easy to see the improvement in each of those areas.

“My footwork in the pocket is my big focus,” Bennett said. “My consistency in my drops. And then just the timing with the wideouts on timing routes is another thing I’ve really put a lot of work into.”

Coastal Carolina’s spread option offense is nothing short of intriguing and has a complicated run-game element attached to it. McCall has done a beautiful job executing the scheme since he first stepped on the scene and has completed 70.4 percent of his passes for 1,001 yards with 11 touchdowns and one interception.

McCall means a lot to a Coastal Carolina team that isn’t filled with potential NFL talent. He’s shown the ability to do it all himself, rarely putting the ball in harm’s way. And his electric mobility and gritty playstyle make him one of the most entertaining players to watch in college football.

This is a quarterback who will be knocked by the “level of competition” narrative because he plays in a smaller conference, but he hasn't had an issue finding success against everyone he goes up against and it’s also important to consider he doesn’t have the supporting cast of an Alabama or an Ohio State.

One of the other areas of concern that surrounded McCall ahead of the season was arm strength. While he doesn’t have a cannon, he doesn’t fit the “noodle arm” narrative that has emerged, and the film shows he has adequate zip of the ball with each throw and that he’s not lacking in this area.

Every year there is a quarterback who no one was talking about that emerges from the woodwork and experiences a quick rise. For now, at least, that player looks to be Maye.

Over September, the UNC signal-caller has completed 69 percent of his passes for 1,231 yards with 16 touchdowns and just one interception on 129 attempts, which is better than former Tar Heels quarterback Sam Howell, who now plays for the Washington Commanders.

On Tuesday, Maye was named ACC Rookie of the Week for the second time after he flashed once more in the team’s 45-32 loss to Notre Dame. He finished the game with 337 total yards (301 passing yards) and five touchdown passes.

Maye has spoken to how important the mental aspect is to playing quarterback; it’s true that it's the most essential part of playing the position before any of the physical traits. Given his success as a freshman, it’s no secret he’s ahead of schedule in that area and more.

Williams has been praised as one of the best young quarterbacks in the nation for what he’s able to accomplish both on the pass and on the run.

He's been mostly impressive this season, though he and the USC offense did get shut down against Oregon State in the 17-14 win. Williams showed some inconsistencies, completing 44.4 percent of his passes for 180 yards with one touchdown. He led a late rally with a 21-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jordan Addison with just over a minute left in the game to save the team from an upset.

Through September, Williams has completed 65.6 percent of his passes for 1,054 yards with nine touchdowns. There’s no question Williams has a high ceiling and put on performances worthy of Heisman attention, but it’s equally important to remember Williams is still a sophomore and has some adjustments to make after transferring.

Michael Pratt sat out Friday's game against Houston with an injury, but the Tulane signal-caller has consistently been a dual-threat force for the team and made a statement with a solid performance against one of the nation’s most underrated defenses in Kansas State.

The stat line last season (57.6 completion percentage) didn’t tell the full story of who Pratt is as a passer, implying a level of inaccuracy that doesn’t exist. Over four games this season, he’s had few misfires or decision-making issues. There are few quarterbacks in college football who mean more to their team than Pratt, who has always risen to the occasion when called upon to make a play in difficult situations.

Despite the two interceptions he threw, Pratt did still have some big plays through the air against Kansas State and distributed the ball to seven different pass-catchers. This is very much a pass-first quarterback who has shown great accuracy and ball placement this season, but his athleticism is perhaps even more impressive. He’s difficult to tackle, brings legitimate speed to the table and can be a problem if he’s given the opportunity outside of the pocket.

Pratt has completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 905 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions over four games.