• Liberty's Kaidon Salter leads the way: Salter is the clear choice for the top spot after leading Liberty to an undefeated regular season and a Conference USA championship last season. He also enters 2024 as the highest-graded returning Group of Five quarterback.
• UNLV's Matthew Sluka is the guy to watch: Sluka’s single-game statistics are ridiculous, especially his rushing totals. His athleticism and speed are real problems for defenses, and he can excel as a passer when given space in the pocket to operate. He threw to an excellent receiver at Holy Cross in Jalen Coker. He’ll have an even better target in Las Vegas in Ricky White.
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Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes
With the 12-team playoff structure in place and the Group of Five securing an automatic playoff spot, these teams will be under more scrutiny than ever.
Given the increased attention, the focus will naturally turn to each team's starting quarterback. With that in mind, we’ll rank the top 15 Group of Five passers, several of whom could be in contention for a playoff spot in 2024.
1. Kaidon Salter, Liberty Flames
Salter is the clear choice for the top spot after leading Liberty to an undefeated regular season and a Conference USA championship last season. He also enters 2024 as the highest-graded returning Group of Five quarterback.
The 6-foot-1 junior is a true dual threat with a big arm and dangerous feet. He placed third in the FBS last season with an 8.3% big-time throw rate and 1,117 rushing yards. He also led all quarterbacks with 57 forced missed tackles. While the Flames face uncertainty on the perimeter with the departure of top receiver CJ Daniels, Salter and his backfield partner Quinton Cooley are expected to continue dominating Conference USA.
2. Seth Henigan, Memphis Tigers
Henigan is as consistent as it gets. He’s entering his fourth year as the Tigers' starter, coming off a 2023 season where he set career highs in passing yards and touchdowns. His advanced metrics across his last three seasons, including a 5.0% big-time throw rate, give him a pretty high floor entering the 2024 campaign.
The spotlight will be on him in the team’s bigger games, namely road contests at Florida State, USF and Tulane. Four of his five lowest-graded games last season came in road games. If Henigan has another gear to his game, though, we could see them representing the Group of Five in the playoffs.
3. Byrum Brown, USF Bulls
Brown's overall statistics might not immediately justify his high ranking on this list, but once he got through some bumps over his first three games, he went on a tear last season.
After Week 3 (when the Bulls lost a low-scoring contest against Alabama), Brown ranked 10th in the FBS in passing yards, ninth in rushing yards, 11th in big-time throws, and 20th in overall grade.
He and the Bulls capped the season with a dominant 45-0 win over Syracuse, securing their first winning season since 2018. While the Bulls still have some defensive flaws, Brown is an ideal fit to run Alex Golesh’s Tennessee-esque offense. If he can improve his ball security, he could very well claim the top spot on this list by season's end.
4. Jordan McCloud, Texas State Bobcats
After three years of bouncing between USF and Arizona, McCloud finally lived up to his potential, leading James Madison to an impressive season. If not for a late-season upset by Appalachian State, the Dukes likely would have represented the Group of Five in a New Year’s Six bowl instead of Liberty.
McCloud now heads to Texas State to lead G.J. Kinne’s high-flying offense. He finished last season with an 84.0 overall grade and ranked inside the top 20 in the FBS in clean pocket passing grade, play-action passing grade and passing grade on throws of 10-plus yards. The Bobcats were the highest-scoring team in the Sun Belt last season, and that trend should continue with McCloud at the helm.
5. Mikey Keene, Fresno State Bulldogs
Keene is a high-floor player who is efficient at moving the chains. He caught fire early last season, leading the team to wins over Purdue and Arizona State before cooling off a bit late in the season. He makes quick decisions and is particularly effective at dissecting zone coverages.
However, he must overcome his conservative tendencies and adapt to a sudden coaching change. Despite these challenges, Keene's solid track record at UCF and performance last season make him a safe bet to produce at a high level again this season.
6. Brayden Schager, Hawaii Warriors
Schager is a gunslinger who loves to throw the deep ball. He led the Mountain West in big-time throws last season with 28, a mark that ranked sixth in the FBS. He also threw 14 interceptions, but his 2.2% turnover-worthy play rate was actually one of the 20 best marks in the country.
Schager's game is characterized by high volume and high variance. If the Rainbow Warriors can establish a more reliable defense this season, Schager's talents will have the opportunity to shine, leading to more victories and potentially his first career bowl game.
7. Chandler Morris, North Texas Mean Green
Morris started TCU’s first six games last season before a knee injury sidelined him during the contest at Iowa State. He performed reasonably well, finishing the year with a 79.4 overall grade. Now, he’s transferred to North Texas, a program known for its high-powered passing attack.
As an athletic passer who excelled in play-action last season, Morris should be a strong fit in the Mean Green offense. He also posted an 83.6 rushing grade, which could add a new dimension to their scheme. North Texas often finds itself in high-scoring shootouts, and that trend is likely to continue with Morris under center.
8. Brett Gabbert, Miami (OH) RedHawks
Brett Gabbert, the younger brother of NFL QB Blaine Gabbert, enters his sixth season in Miami. He performed well in 2023 before a brutal leg injury forced him to exit the RedHawks’ game against Toledo. His healthy return should be a key factor in Miami being favored to repeat as MAC champions.
Like his brother, Gabbert is a strong-armed pocket passer who excels in a clean pocket. His 90.8 clean-pocket grade was the fifth-best in the Group of Five, with three of the four players ahead of him having since transferred to Power Five schools. If Gabbert stays healthy and the RedHawks’ pass protection improves, he’s poised for another strong season to close out his career.
9. Joey Aguilar, Appalachian State Mountaineers
In his first season as the Mountaineers’ starter, Joey Aguilar led his team to a Sun Belt title game appearance and led the conference in big-time throws. He started the season on shaky ground but got hot down the stretch and threw 17 touchdowns in his final five regular-season starts, including a big upset over James Madison.
Aguilar is unafraid to take chances with vertical throws, which contributes to his high variance in performance but also raises concerns about ball security. He finished 2023 with the second-most turnover-worthy plays in the FBS and led all players with 17 fumbles. If Aguilar can address his ball security issues, the Mountaineers will be in an even stronger position than they were last season.
10. Jaylen Raynor, Arkansas State Red Wolves
Raynor was one of the best freshman quarterbacks in the country last season. He led the Sun Belt in big-time throw rate and yards per attempt while leading Arkansas State to their first bowl game since 2019. He’s also a useful runner who amassed 535 rushing yards and forced 25 missed tackles.
Raynor’s development in obvious passing situations will be crucial to the Red Wolves’ success. He finished last season with a 90.4 play-action grade, a top-10 mark in the FBS. Without play action, he earned a more modest 64.9 overall grade that ranked outside the top 100.
He’s still incredibly young, though, so the reigning Sun Belt Freshman of the Year has plenty of time to make those improvements.
11. T.J. Finley, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Western Kentucky has a history of fielding highly productive passers, and T.J. Finley appears to be next in line. Although he's officially in competition with Caden Veltkamp, who has just one career start, Finley is expected to have a big year if he secures the job.
Finley’s 2023 season started with a bang as he led Texas State to an upset win over Baylor. The 6-foot-7 quarterback threw for over 3,400 yards and 24 touchdowns, leading the Sun Belt’s highest-scoring offense to their first bowl game in school history. His vertical passing ability should be a perfect fit for the Hilltoppers’ offense.
12. Matthew Sluka, UNLV Rebels
Sluka is the presumed starter for UNLV after three excellent seasons as the starter at FCS-level Holy Cross. He led the Crusaders to the FCS playoffs in two of those seasons and has quite an impressive set of accomplishments, especially over the last two seasons:
- Led all FCS QBs in overall grade and rushing grade
- 7.9% big-time throw rate that ranked ninth in the FCS
- 2,728 rushing yards, first among FCS quarterbacks and third among all FCS players
- Wins over UCONN (2021) and Buffalo (2022)
- 3-point losses at Boston College and Army (both in 2023)
Some of Sluka’s single-game statistics are ridiculous, especially his rushing totals. His athleticism and speed are real problems for defenses, and he can excel as a passer when given space in the pocket to operate. He threw to an excellent receiver at Holy Cross in Jalen Coker. He’ll have an even better target in Las Vegas in Ricky White.
Sluka is the sleeper Group of Five quarterback to watch.
13. Jacob Zeno, UAB Blazers
Former Baylor backup Jacob Zeno got his first real opportunity as a starter in 2023 during Trent Dilfer’s inaugural season as head coach. Dilfer initially had to protect the inexperienced Zeno with conservative playcalling, but the young quarterback eventually found his footing and finished the season strong.
In his final four starts, Zeno made nine of his 14 big-time throws and posted an 88.0 passing grade, the eighth-best in the FBS during that span. As he became more comfortable, Zeno moved away from a screen-heavy approach and became more willing to throw downfield. If he can maintain his late-season production, Zeno is poised for a big year in his second season under Dilfer.
14. Nicholas Vattiato, Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
Vattiato had a solid 2023 in his first full season as the Blue Raiders' starter, throwing multiple touchdowns in eight of his 12 starts. His best performance came in Week 2 against Missouri, where he earned an 86.1 passing grade.
While Vattiato doesn't have any standout physical traits, he is one of the more accurate passers in college football. He finished last season with a 76.6% adjusted completion rate, an impressive feat considering he suffered from the second-most dropped passes of any quarterback in the nation. Improved production from a supporting cast that ranked 117th in receiving grades would likely boost Vattiato’s 2024 stat line significantly compared to 2023.
15. Grant Wilson, Old Dominion Monarchs
Wilson became the entrenched starter for Old Dominion last season after spending three years at FCS-level Fordham, where he threw just 15 passes. Despite those circumstances, Wilson led Old Dominion to a bowl game and posted a top-15 big-time throw rate, making his performance all the more impressive.
Wilson excels at throwing deep balls, though his traditional statistics were hampered by the fact that his receivers dropped or mishandled eight of his big-time throws, the most in the FBS. He’s also a capable runner, having averaged 7.3 yards per carry.
If Wilson can improve his accuracy on underneath throws and receive more support from his cast, he could emerge as an intriguing Day 3 sleeper in next year’s draft.
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