Preseason awards season is nearly wrapped up and next up is the prestigious quarterback award, the Davey O’Brien Award. This year, 36 quarterbacks made the preseason watchlist with just four Big Ten honorees. The quartet is the fewest among Power 4 conferences.
The Davey O’Brien Award is presented annually to college football’s best quarterback. This year marks the 48th season of the award and it often coincides with the Heisman. There have been 26 quarterbacks to win the Heisman since 1981. 22 of them also won the Davey O’Brien the same season.
Last week, the Maxwell Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Outland Trophy, Jim Thorpe Award, Paul Hornung Award, Wuerffel Trophy, Ray Gay Award, and Lou Groza Awards were all previewed. This week, the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, Doak Walker Award, and Biletnikoff Award watchlists have already dropped.
Four Big Ten Quarterbacks Land on Davey O’Brien Award Watchlist
Drew Allar, Penn State
To start, quarterback Drew Allar is back to take another step forward in his development. Last year was his first as a starter for Penn State and while he may have struggled here and there, he finished with 2,631 yards and 25 touchdowns in an offense that prioritizes running the football. Speaking of running the ball, Allar ran the ball 76 times for 206 yards and four scores last year.
Allar took care of the football. On his 389 passing attempts, he only threw two interceptions. He will be asked to do a bit more for the Nittany Lions this year. While he threw for over 200 yards seven times (including a 325-yard Week 1 game), he was held under 100 yards twice. In the two biggest games, Ohio State and Michigan, Allar went 28-for-65 (43%) for 261 yards and two scores.
With the expanded College Football Playoff the goal for Penn State, Allar will have to shoulder more responsibility and win games with his arm this year.
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
The Oregon Ducks come to the Big Ten ready to compete for not just the conference but the whole thing. They landed a pair of players on the Maxwell Award shortlist. First is transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel. For the past few years, Gabriel has been one of the more productive quarterbacks in the nation. He’s thrown for over 3,100 yards four times already, totally a mind-boggling 14,865 yards and 125 touchdowns between three years at UCF and two at Oklahoma.
Gabriel is entering 2024 as the Heisman Trophy favorite after already putting together a handful of prolific seasons. Now that he joins one of the best teams in not only the Big Ten but the nation, the sky seems to be the limit for the lefty. He has two of the best receivers in the conference and will take over a team whose only losses last year were by three to the eventual National Championship runners-up, Washington.
Will Howard, Ohio State
While no official announcement has been made, it sure looks like Will Howard is set to take over at quarterback for the Buckeyes. This is after spending the last four seasons with the Kansas State Wildcats. In his time, he finished with 5,786 yards and 48 touchdowns with KSU and helped lead his team to the Big 12 Championship two years ago.
Of the four Big Ten quarterbacks on the Davey O’Brien Award watchlist, he may the biggest unknown. While it was evident that he was a Power 4 quarterback at Kansas State, Ohio State is a different animal. He is a willing and able runner which is a trait Ohio State hasn’t had from its quarterbacks since 2020. Additionally, he has a powerful arm and has been working on his deep-ball efficiency with the new Buckeye receivers.
Defenses are going to need to decide what aspect of Howard’s game they’ll want to take away. With impressive weapons all able to hit a home run anywhere on the field paired with his ability to pull it down and take the free yardage, Ohio State’s offense is going to put defenses in binds.
Will Rogers, Washington
Will Rogers is going to be an interesting addition to the Jedd Fisch offense up in Washington. Rogers’ name is all over the history books for his time at Mississippi State. He led the nation with 505 completions in 2021 and 415 in 2022. His 73.9 completion percentage led the way in 2021 as well. Rogers leaves MSU with three SEC career records: completions (1,301), attempts (1,876), and completion percentage (69.3). With 246 completions in 2024, he can surpass Case Keenum as the all-time leader.
The Huskies are going to look quite a bit different with Rogers at the helm and a brand-new head coach. His decision to go to the Pacific Northwest was not without drama. He initially committed to Kalen DeBoer. Then, when DeBoer took the Alabama job, Rogers hopped back into the transfer portal. New coach Jedd Fisch convinced him to stay home and 12 days later, he withdrew his name.
Washington is going to be different in 2024. However, with Fisch and Rogers, the Huskies will still be competitive and can make a run for the Big Ten.
