Ranking the top 5 backup quarterbacks in the Big Ten

There is nothing like quarterback depth in college football. When teams possess backup options with which they are comfortable, offensive coaching staffs breathe easier.

National college football analyst Clint Brewster of 247Sports ranked the best backup quarterbacks in the nation and teams which have a No. 2 or No. 3 signal-caller who can step in and rock if needed.

247Sports published a list of the top backup QBs in college football this year, ranking USC backup Jayden Maiava in the top 10. It will be fascinating to see if Lincoln Riley uses Maiava in high-leverage game situations, or if he limits him to late-game garbage-time mop-up duty behind Miller Moss. It is worth wondering if Riley and USC will give Maiava maybe an occasional scripted play to run in an important spot against LSU, or if Moss gets 100 percent of the high-stress snaps versus LSU and every other USC opponent this season (Utah State being the one exception).

Brewster reminds us that Tua Tagovailoa of Alabama, Sam Darnold of USC, and Cardale Jones of Ohio State were once ranked as top backups at the quarterback position. All three eventually became starters at their respective schools and went on to get drafted in the National Football League.

We are ranking the top five best backup quarterbacks in the Big Ten this season:

5. Beau Pribula (Penn State)

Beau Pribula’s numbers were pedestrian (5-of-10, 25 yards, INT, 11 carries for 16 yards) in the Penn State Blue vs White spring game.

The redshirt sohopmore and dual-threat quarterback will be behind potential dark-horse Heisman contender Drew Allar. He ran for for six touchdowns and 329 yards last fall in backup duty.

4. Jayden Maiava (USC)

UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava had a stellar redshirt freshman season as the Rebels’ starting quarterback. He completed 63.5% of his attempts for 3,085 yards with 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 277 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Maiva has three years of eligibility remaining. He will back up redshirt junior Miller Moss this season for the USC Trojans.

3. Devin Brown (Ohio State)

Devin Brown is entering his redshirt sophomore year at Ohio State. He will be important for the Buckeyes this season, since he has the most experience in the Ryan Day offense.

The former USC commit ultimately committed to Ohio State on Dec. 1 of 2021 and enrolled in January of 2022.

He completed 16 of 28 pass attempts for 217 yards with two touchdowns an an interception. He also added 23 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on 22 carries in six games last season, backing up Kyle McCord, who is now the starting QB at Syracuse.

2. Julian Sayin (Ohio State)

Julian Sayin is a five-star recruit from San Diego who transferred from Alabama to Ohio State in January. Sayin is one of five scholarship quarterbacks on the Buckeyes’ roster along with starter Will Howard, Devin Brown (mentioned above), Lincoln Keinholz and Air Noland.

Ohio State and Ryan Day have the most loaded quarterback room in the nation. True freshman Sayin should get some reps this season behind Kansas State transfer Howard.

Sayin was the Gatorade Player of the Year in California as a senior. He threw for 2,347 yards, 24 touchdowns and one interception. He added four rushing touchdowns.

1. Dante Moore (Oregon)

Former five-star recuit Dante Moore started five games at UCLA in 2023. He played in nine total games, throwing for 11 touchdowns before transferring to Oregon.

He will be behind incoming transfer and Heisman hopeful Dillion Gabriel, who is coming to Eugene from Oklahoma.

Now an Oregon sophomore quarterback, Moore previously spent most of the 2022 college football season committed to the Ducks before flipping to the UCLA Bruins on national signing day.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Ranking the top 5 backup quarterbacks in the Big Ten