Which Sophomore QBs are Primed for a Breakout 2024 Season?

5. Noah Fifita - Arizona Wildcats

The remade Big 12 Conference could be the most entertaining league title race in the country this season. That doesn’t mean it will be the best conference (it won’t) and it doesn’t mean there will be a bunch of matchups between elite teams (there won’t be). It means the conference has good teams and solid programs nearly from top to bottom and there are probably nine teams that enter the season with realistic hopes of winning the title belt. One of the teams that fosters championship hopes would be the Arizona Wildcats. Jedd Fisch left for Washington but Arizona hired Brent Brennan and he was able keep star quarterback Noah Fifita in Tucson for his sophomore season. The redshirt sophomore was the Football Writers of America Offensive Freshman of the Year after he took the reigns at quarterback from the injured Jayden de Laura. Fifita ended up starting nine games and completed a remarkable 72.4 percent of his passes. He is only 5’10” and certainly does not have the prototypical frame that high-major stars have but he showed he is big enough to carve up defenses and his top wide receiver is back for the 2024 season. Fifita will have the nation’s attention on September 13 as he battles fellow sophomore Avery Johnson on FOX in primetime on a Friday night.

Arizona Odds to Win Big 12: +1200

2. Jackson Arnold - Oklahoma Sooners

The Oklahoma offense has a ton of weapons and it would be a productive attack regardless of who was playing quarterback. The starter for 2024 just happens to be a former five-star recruit that has a ton of talent. Jackson Arnold will be the gasoline on top of the fire that will really get the Oklahoma offense cooking and he should have a mammoth season. Arnold appeared in seven games as a backup to Dillon Gabriel and completed 44 of his 69 passes for 563 yards with four touchdowns. His lone start came in the Alamo Bowl against Arizona and he threw for 361 yards with two touchdowns. Arnold threw a couple of interceptions and he’ll need to make sure that touchdown to interception ratio increases as his volume increases but there are so many good targets for him to spread it around to. Deion Burks should be a star after transferring in from Purdue and Nic Anderson is a fantastic deep threat. Jackson Arnold will be tested with a brutal SEC schedule but he’s ready to showcase his skills.

Jackson Arnold Heisman Trophy Odds: +3000

3. Aidan Chiles - Michigan State Spartans

Jonathan Smith left the Oregon State Beavers for the Michigan State Spartans and he took his young quarterback with him. Aidan Chiles is the unquestioned QB1 in East Lansing for the 2024 season. Chiles was the number seven quarterback in the class of 2023 (247Sports) and a consensus four-star prospect from Long Beach, California. He was a backup to DJ Uiagalelei as a true freshman in Corvallis and threw four touchdowns with zero interceptions in 35 pass attempts. He added three rushing touchdowns and showcased enough mobility to be a threat to defenses on the ground. Chiles played in enough games to burn his redshirt but he is still inexperienced and the situation with MSU is not as good as those of other sophomore breakout candidates. He doesn’t have a great group of wide receivers and the running back room is bereft of a proven RB1 but Chiles should get a lot of valuable reps this season as the Spartans handle a tough schedule.

Michigan State 2024 Win Total: 4.5

4. Conner Weigman - Texas A&M Aggies

Conner Weigman is a man most college football fans are familiar with. However, there is a pretty decent chance that they have not seen Weigman actually play. He has only appeared in nine games through two seasons and those nine games have offered glimpses of unfulfilled potential just waiting to be unlocked. The actual production though has fallen frustratingly short for the former five-star prospect. Weigman completed only 55.3 percent of his passes as a true freshman in 2022 but threw eight touchdowns and no interceptions. Hopes were high heading into the 2023 campaign but Weigman only played in four games and missed the final nine games of the season. He was not particularly good about Miami, averaging only 6.3 yards per attempt and throwing a pair of critical interceptions as they fell to the Hurricanes. Jimbo Fisher is gone now and Mike Elko has a good history with quarterbacks. He’ll have his chance to get the most out of Weigman and this is a great situation for the redshirt sophomore to flourish.

Texas A&M Win Total: 8.5

5. Noah Fifita - Arizona Wildcats

The remade Big 12 Conference could be the most entertaining league title race in the country this season. That doesn’t mean it will be the best conference (it won’t) and it doesn’t mean there will be a bunch of matchups between elite teams (there won’t be). It means the conference has good teams and solid programs nearly from top to bottom and there are probably nine teams that enter the season with realistic hopes of winning the title belt. One of the teams that fosters championship hopes would be the Arizona Wildcats. Jedd Fisch left for Washington but Arizona hired Brent Brennan and he was able keep star quarterback Noah Fifita in Tucson for his sophomore season. The redshirt sophomore was the Football Writers of America Offensive Freshman of the Year after he took the reigns at quarterback from the injured Jayden de Laura. Fifita ended up starting nine games and completed a remarkable 72.4 percent of his passes. He is only 5’10” and certainly does not have the prototypical frame that high-major stars have but he showed he is big enough to carve up defenses and his top wide receiver is back for the 2024 season. Fifita will have the nation’s attention on September 13 as he battles fellow sophomore Avery Johnson on FOX in primetime on a Friday night.

Arizona Odds to Win Big 12: +1200