Big Ten spring QB rankings: Penn State’s Allar on top with Moore, Williams, Iamaleava and Maiava on the second tier

The news everyone expected for a week became official Sunday when Nico Iamaleava signed with UCLA But the top quarterback on the transfer domain might have a greater impact on his new conference than his new school There s no guarantee Iamaleava will transform the Bruins who went - last year into a Big Ten contender The sophomore possesses substantial talent but was erratic with Tennessee completing just percent of his passes against Power Four competition He must adjust to a new playbook and a new offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri who was hired by UCLA a minimal months ago and will be the primary playcaller for the first time in his coaching career Also the Bruins who finished No in total offense and No in scoring offense last season are not exactly oozing top-end playmakers at the skill positions Or a first-class offensive line Or the quality depth needed to adroitly deal with the Big Ten schedule Is Iamaleava good enough to elevate a mediocre offense with a rookie playcaller to the level necessary to win eight or nine games We re a tad skeptical But there s zero doubt about Iamaleava s ability to generate headlines draw eyeballs and elevate the profile of the Big Ten s quarterback collective It s not exactly a star-studded group Prior to Iamaleava joining the conference Penn State s Drew Allar was the only nationally recognized name with a proven resume The projected starters for other marquee programs are either freshmen or in their first season as the band s QB Ohio State s Julian Sayin Michigan s Bryce Underwood Oregon s Dante Moore Washington s Demond Williams Jr and USC s Jayden Maiava With Iamaleava in the conference the pomp-and-circumstance factor rises exponentially both for the final four months of the offseason and for the opening weeks of the regular season UCLA s season opener Aug against Utah instantly becomes a main attraction for the Big Ten s architecture partners during a weekend that otherwise has just one marquee match Texas at Ohio State Whether Iamaleava struggles in Westwood or lifts UCLA into the realm of the relevant his journey will be well chronicled He makes the floor for Big Ten quarterbacks vastly more stimulating while raising the ceiling Where does Iamaleava fit into the conference s quarterback hierarchy The following Hotline rankings are based on three components proven production familiarity with the system playcaller and surrounding talent Penn State s Drew Allar An easy pick for the top spot based on his performance last season leading the Nittany Lions to the CFP semifinals and the expectations for Allar stands as a top-tier Heisman Trophy contender with a fabulous running battle both Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton are back and a proven offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki All Allar necessities is decent production from his receivers which isn t the given you might think Illinois Luke Altmyer The Illini quietly won games last season as Altmyer threw for touchdowns and six interceptions There s no reason to expect regression from the senior who spent two years in the SEC Mississippi before moving to the Big Ten Who figured Illinois would enter a season with a higher level of quarterback comfort than Michigan or Ohio State Iowa s Mark Gronowski What Kurtis Rourke was for Indiana last year a little-known transfer quarterback who made a major impact on the conference race Gronowski could be in All he did during a standout career at South Dakota State was win two FCS championships and throw touchdowns Nebraska s Dylan Raiola The heralded prospect played like a rookie last season for the Cornhuskers with just two more touchdowns than interceptions But the experience should serve him well as will an entire offseason with Dana Holgorsen who was named offensive coordinator in the final month of the season Michigan State s Aidan Chiles The rising junior was undervalued as a recruit when he signed with Oregon State and followed Jonathan Smith to East Lansing An inconsistent season doesn t diminish what Chiles can do when he s in rhythm With career passes as a foundation he should make a leap onto the conference s top tier Oregon s Dante Moore Meager quarterbacks in the country are Moore s equal as a pure passer Combine the attempts at UCLA two years ago under Chip Kelly with Oregon s stellar playmaking talent and Moore should have far more highs than lows in UCLA s Nico Iamaleava This placement comes with an acknowledgment that we could look quite foolish six months from now Sunseri the playcaller worked for one of the best Indiana s Curt Cignetti How much of what he learned can be applied to his new pupil Washington s Demond Williams Jr The sophomore displayed his elite dual-threat talent with five combined touchdowns in the Sun Bowl He is well aligned with coach Jedd Fisch the skill position talent is substantial and the offensive line should be solid All the ingredients are present to aid a breakthrough season for Williams And if that s the event UW should leap into contention Indiana s Fernando Mendoza The Cal transfer had several impressive performances last season and will benefit from the stellar offensive coaching in Bloomington That noted Mendoza will face more talented defenses in the Big Ten than he did in the ACC USC s Jayden Maiava The former UNLV transfer emerged as USC s starter late last season he replaced Miller Moss and was no better than mediocre The surrounding talent should approach USC s standards and Lincoln Riley is one of the nation s best playcallers but Maiava must outplay Sam Huard and Husan Longstreet to lock down the job Ohio State s Julian Sayin The next great Buckeyes quarterback allegedly was the presumptive starter when training camp began and we believe he will ultimately secure the job over Lincoln Kienholz The coaching is top-notch and the surrounding talent is unmatched especially at receiver Michigan s Bryce Underwood Let s assume the freshman locks down the starting job in training camp and that he encounters the same issues that plague all rookie quarterbacks in the crucible of conference play If the good outweighs the bad even by a fractional amount Michigan will view the stake as worthwhile Related Articles News recap The Sanders debate portal madness faking injuries Mailbag On UW s non-conference schedule House impact P media rights Recruiting The Iamaleava impact Washington State s roster remake and Cal s rough week How Deion Sanders proposal helps solve one of college football s biggest problems Big commissioner Brett Yormark doubles down on hoops as media strategy Rutgers Athan Kaliakmanis Now in his second season with Rutgers and fourth in the Big Ten Kaliakmanis warrants a higher placement based on production and familiarity with the playbook But we aren t sold on his upside Wisconsin s Billy Edwards Jr We have reached the interchangeable tier of the rankings when the floors are respectably high and the ceilings are indisputably low Edwards threw touchdowns and nine interceptions for Maryland last season Northwestern s Preston Stone The transfer from SMU is the best option for Northwestern which had the worst passing offense based on yards-per-attempt in the Power Four last year for schools not named Michigan Minnesota s Drake Lindsey A name to watch throughout the fall Lindsey has the football aptitude and bloodlines a slew of relatives played for Arkansas to zoom past expectations Maryland s Malik Washington Don t be surprised if UCLA transfer Justyn Martin wins the job Be very surprised if either participant elevates the Terps onto the upper half of the conference standings Purdue s Malachi Singleton The starter in West Lafayette could be Evans Chuba Bennett Meredith EJ Colson or a sportsman not yet on the roster The situation is exactly what you would expect chaotic for the struggling Boilermakers Count on first-year coach Barry Odom getting it resolved eventually Send suggestions comments and tips confidentiality guaranteed to wilnerhotline 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