Expert Analysis

7/21/22

4 min read

5 Underrated College Football QBs for 2022

5 Underrated College Football QBs for 2022

With the college football season on the horizon, here we take a moment to highlight five NCAA quarterbacks who we feel are flying a bit under the radar and have high potential.

Seth Henigan – Memphis Tigers

Henigan joined the Tigers in 2021 as a true freshman from Denton, TX where he led his high school program to a 39-2 record during his time as a starter. As a 3-Star Prospect, few would’ve expected the high levels of play that he reached during the 2021 season. He broke Paxton Lynch’s school record for passing yards as a freshman (2,056 yards) by throwing for a whopping 3,322 yards, 25 Touchdowns and only 8 Interceptions. Henigan loses Calvin Austin III and Dylan Parham to the NFL, but the majority of other starters all return in 2022. Another year of experience under his belt, and we could be talking about Henigan being one of the highly sought-after QBs in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Payton Thorne – Michigan State

Payton Thorne led the MSU Spartans to an 11-2 record and a Peach Bowl victory in 2021. He broke the single season passing TD record (25 – Kirk Cousins) by throwing for 27 TDs and threw for 3,232 passing yards and only 10 INTs last season. He had the help of a great OL and running game with Kenneth Walker III as his tailback, and Jayden Reed as his primary receiving target; another criminally underrated player. Thorne is not a player to scramble for first downs and keep an offense rolling with his legs, but he has the ability to evade pressure well, and stand tall to deliver important passes on time, and accurately.

Michael Pratt - Tulane

Despite the Green Wave finishing 2-10 in 2021, it wasn’t all doom and gloom in New Orleans. They pushed Oklahoma close in the first game of the season (35-40), and also had narrow losses against other big programs like Memphis and UCF. Michael Pratt was the catalyst to Tulane’s offense and as mentioned, went toe-to-toe with a very talented Oklahoma team. Pratt finished the season throwing for 2,381 yards, 21 TDs and 8 INTs. He has room to improve on accuracy, especially balls thrown to the sideline and deeper down the field, but Pratt elevated a roster which potentially wasn’t the strongest in the AAC and has a great chance to do so again in 2022.

KJ Jefferson – Arkansas

Jefferson may be the closest to NOT being underrated, but he is still overlooked on many “Top QBs in 2022” lists, and it’s hard to fathom why. Jefferson led the Razorbacks to a 9-4 record, 3rd in the SEC West and an Outback Bowl appearance, where they beat Penn State. Jefferson was a true dual threat, passing for 2,676 yards, 21 TDs and most impressively only 4 INTs, all while throwing at a 67.3% completion rate. He also rushed for 664 yards, 6 TDs at 4.5 yards per carry. Jefferson showed great ability to make off-platform throws and turn pressure into gains downfield with his legs, evading pass rushers. Jefferson perfectly fits today’s mould of dual-threat QBs entering the NFL and gives any Offensive Coordinator freedom to open their playbook up. 

Chase Brice – Appalachian State

Another team who flew under the radar in 2021 was Appalachian State. They finished 10-4, winning the Sun Belt East Division, and pulled off incredible results along the way, only losing to Miami by 2 points, and beating #14 Coastal Carolina. Chase Brice was the man leading the App. State offense with immense success, throwing for 3,337 yards, 27 TDs and 11 INTs. Brice has the poise required to play at the next level and has great accuracy in the short to intermediate areas, he just needs to push the ball out to the sideline more accurately, especially back shoulder throws to take his game to the next level. With Camerun Peoples at RB and a lot of returners, there’s no reason Brice cannot be as successful in 2022.

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