We have spent some of the Spring and early part of Summer looking at the best-returning players, by position, by conference. We have even already looked at the best returning Pac-12 running backs. To qualify for the list, you have to be returning to the conference. Transferring from one school to another within the conference still gets you qualified. Coming from outside the conference does not work for the purposes of this list. So as we venture on the best-returning quarterbacks in the Pac-12, there are some obvious choices, and some less so.
5. Cam Ward; Washington State Cougars
Ward squeezes onto this spot because, well, frankly the competition for the spot allowed it to be so. Look at the conference quarterbacks. We consider Jayden De Laura (transfer from WAZZU to Arizona) too unproven to make the cut. Guys like Drew Pyne, Shedeur Sanders, and DJ Uiagalelei all came from outside the conference, so they are out for our purposes. That gets us to Ward.
He did throw for 3,232 yards last year in his debut season in Pullman. But it was a safe passing attack as he averaged just six-and-a-half yards per completion. Ball security was also an issue for him last season. Cougars fans are waiting to see the Ward who threw for 4,648 yards and completed 384 of 590 passes (65%) with 47 touchdowns compared to just 10 interceptions in 13 games in 2021 while at FCS Incarnate Word.
4. Cam Rising; Utah Utes
We tinkered with putting him a spot higher. The nation needs to see more of him. They would be as impressed as we have been the last two seasons. Rising has thrown for more than 5,500 yards over the last two seasons in Salt Lake City for a Kyle Whittingham offense that is not known for opening it up. Not so coincidentally, the Utes have won the Pac-12 championship the last two seasons.
He has a 64% completion rate as a starter to go with 46 touchdown throws and only 13 interceptions. Not a lot to question about any of that. The issue is his health. Commentators like to call him gritty. Translated, that means he will tuck and run when need be and takes a lot of physical hits. He is also coming off-season knee surgery. As long as he is upright and in the pocket, he is exciting to watch, and more of the national college football fan base needs to do just that.
3. Michael Penix; Washington Huskies
Penix transferred from Indiana prior to the 2022 season. While he had some fun performances in Bloomington, with his redshirt year, and the 2020 Covid season, he played a grand total of 20 games in four seasons. Any stats from his time with the Hoosiers suffer from a low sample size.
Last year, he and new Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer teamed up for their second season together. Yes, second. DeBoer was the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach at Indiana in 2019. Penix had a “mere” 69% completion mark that year. In Seattle in 2022, the magic between the two was undeniable. Penix threw for 4,641 yards, and 31 touchdowns, while completing 65% of his passes. He led the nation in passing yards until the final moments of the 2022 season. He has the arm strength and the physical skills with the ball to do pretty much anything DeBoer asks of him.
2. Bo Nix; Oregon Ducks
Confession time. We have not always been high on Nix. His publicity for a handful of nice performances at Auburn was blown out of proportion because it was the SEC. Then he went to Oregon and played for new head coach Dan Lanning and offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham. The results leave no doubt.
Nix threw for 3,593 yards. That was a thousand more than any of his years at Auburn. He threw for 29 touchdowns which was more than of his two years combined with the Tigers. And he had a 71% completion rate, a full 10 points higher than any year at Auburn. He also had another 14 touchdowns on the ground. The consistency answered all doubters including us.
The offense as a whole averaged 38.8 points and 500.5 yards per game. The Ducks went 10-3 with a win against North Carolina in the Holiday Bowl
He has more changes in front of him for 2023. Dillingham is the new head coach at conference rival Arizona State. Will Stein leaves behind his high-powered offense at UT-San Antonio where he was offensive coordinator for one year, and will join Nix in Eugene.
1. Caleb Williams; USC Trojans
Pretty much a no-brainer, right? I mean who else were we going to put there? All Williams did was lead the nation in passing touchdowns with 42 against just five interceptions. He threw for 4,500+ yards with a 66% completion rate. And oh yeah, he ran away with the Heisman voting in just his second season of college football.
He is an elite-level dual-threat quarterback who also had 10 rushing touchdowns and 382 yards on the ground last year.
The hype will be hard to live up to. We are not convinced anyone will ever win two Heismans again. He is already the presumptive #1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft. The comparisons to Patrick Mahomes are a bit over the top for us at this point in his college career. But if he comes even close to last year’s performance, it will be impossible to stop the PR train as he leaves USC for the NFL.
Photo courtesy: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
