College Football QB Power Rankings: USC's Caleb Williams rises as North Carolina's Drake Maye flies up board

Quinn Ewers is not yet in the top 10, but it's only a matter of time for Texas' signal caller

By Tom Fornelli

Sep 14, 2022 at 3:57 pm ET • 5 min read

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Texas' Quinn Ewers was not among the names featured in the preseason edition of these Quarterback Power Rankings given the choice was made not to include signal callers who had yet to take snaps in college football games. Also true is that I was skeptical about Ewers as a prospect. The Ewers videos most shared before the season began were of him making those cool off-platform throws everybody loves that play well on social media.

The throws were cool. The mechanics, however, were off-putting. There were concerns here about how Ewers' arm talent would translate in real games, and while Ewers played well in his first start against Louisiana-Monroe, well, that was Louisiana-Monroe. I didn't want to put too much stock in it. At the same time, I wasn't planning to hold it against him if he struggled against then-No. 1 Alabama. Going up against a Nick Saban defense with one college game under your belt is a lot to ask of any quarterback.

While not anticipated, it didn't take long to fall in love with what Ewers showed on the field. While I maintain that there is still something about Ewers' movement that throws me off -- it looks like he's moving at half-speed -- once that ball is in the air, it's beautiful. He was taking shots and making throws against Alabama that not many other quarterbacks in the country are capable of making.

In less than one half of football, all the skepticism was out the window. Consider me firmly onboard the Quinn Ewers bandwagon ... just in time for him to be out a significant period of time with a shoulder injury. And it's that injury that is keeping him out of the second edition of this Quarterback Power Rankings. When he does return, it'll only be a matter of time before he's among the top 10 here because the kid is legit.

Quarterback Power Rankings

1	Bryce Young Alabama Crimson Tide QB
A good 10-15 seconds of consideration was given to knocking Young from the No. 1 spot, but I thought better. He's not off to an incredible start, but that's more about the players around him and his playcaller than Young himself. There's no way in the world Alabama avoids a loss to Texas without him leading late scoring drives to keep the Crimson Tide undefeated. (Previous ranking: 1)
2	C.J. Stroud Ohio State Buckeyes QB
Stroud struggled without Jaxson Smith-Njigba and Julian Fleming for the first half of the Notre Dame game, but he's been his typical self since. He's completing nearly 70% of his passes and averaging 10 yards per attempt with six touchdowns and no interceptions through two games. (2)
3	Caleb Williams USC Trojans QB
Listen, it's not going to be as easy as it has been all year for Williams, but he's made it look even easier through two games. Williams has thrown six touchdowns with no interceptions while completing 79.6% of his passes for 12 yards per attempt. More challenging games await, but it's hard to argue that USC hasn't been the best team in the Pac-12 so far, thanks largely to their transfer QB. (4)
4	Drake Maye North Carolina Tar Heels QB
That breeze you felt was Maye flying up NFL Draft boards. I was concerned about how North Carolina would replace Sam Howell, but it turns out the Tar Heels have upgraded. Maye is balling. He's thrown 11 touchdowns and rushed for another, and his team has needed every single one of them because that North Carolina defense is cheeks. (NR)
5	Grayson McCall Coastal Carolina Chanticleers QB
McCall dips a bit because he hasn't run the ball well so far, and that's a big part of his game. Gardner-Webb kept him in check, and Gardner-Webb should not be keeping Grayson McCall in check. I hope to see him get on track these next few weeks because I love Grayson, and it hurts me to move him down the board. (3)
6	Dillon Gabriel Oklahoma Sooners QB
We haven't seen the eye-popping touchdown numbers from Gabriel that one would like, but that's more a volume issue than a performance problem. He's only thrown 51 passes through two games, completing over 70% with 10.4 yards per attempt. The question now is how many second-half snaps Gabriel will get to play against Nebraska. (7)
7	Garrett Shrader Syracuse Orange QB
Ladies and gentlemen, meet 2022's answer to 2021's Brennan Armstrong. Last year, Virginia's Armstrong burst onto the scene and lit up box scores. Robert Anae was Armstrong's offensive coordinator, and now he's up north at Syracuse with Shrader. Guess what? Shrader is shredding. He has 646 total yards and eight total touchdowns through two games, and Syracuse suddenly looks feisty. The Orange are a fun watch this year. (NR)
8	Stetson Bennett Georgia Bulldogs QB
The Mailman has delivered the goods so far. Bennett came out against Oregon, threw for 368 yards and two touchdowns, and followed it up with 300 yards against Samford. Now, the haters -- of which there are many -- will point out that Stetson isn't pushing the ball down the field much. There's truth to that, but he is the conductor of the offensive symphony, and Bennett's got Georgia's offense humming. Besides, whether air yards or yards after the catch, they all count the same in the game. It doesn't matter how you get them; what matters is you get them at all. (10)
9	Tyler Van Dyke Miami (FL) Hurricanes QB
There are probably other quarterbacks who deserve to be ranked over Van Dyke, but I'm a fan of his play and these are my rankings, so I'm keeping him the top 10. Besides, it's not like he's played poorly. Van Dyke has completed 74% of his passes for 9.7 per attempt. I would like to see him up those touchdown numbers, though. Three in two games simply isn't Heisman Trophy material. (8)
10	Todd Centeio James Madison Dukes QB
You might recognize Centeio's name from his time at Colorado State, but he's moved on to James Madison, and he's slinging it for th eDukes. Centeio has thrown nine touchdowns in two games, including six against Middle Tennessee. The competition gets tougher in a couple of weeks against Appalachian State, but the Dukes already look like a threat in the Sun Beast, and Centeio deserves recognition here. (NR)