Clemson football will face off against some pretty good quarterbacks in 2020.
The good news for Clemson football is the best player and the best quarterback in the country will wear orange and purple this fall, so they don’t have to prepare to face a guy like Trevor Lawrence. However, when you prepare with a guy like Trevor Lawrence during the week, it makes the person you face on game days a little more manageable.
That is not to say that the quarterbacks on the Tigers radar in 2020 aren’t players the Tigers can or should overlook. The ACC is loaded with quarterback talent in 2020 and Clemson will face many of them.
To help out, we have decided to rank the 11 starting quarterbacks from best to worst. Keep in mind, these are the quarterbacks that even either been named the starter publicly or are picked to win the job when the season begins in 10 days.
1. Kenny Pickett – Senior – Pittsburgh
Notre Dame is being given a lot of love as the team that has the best chance at knocking off the number one ranked Tigers in 2020. However, it would be best to not sleep on the Pittsburgh Panthers.
Head coach Pat Narduzzi is one of the better coaches in college football and we know they will be ready to play Clemson the last Saturday in November.
Like Clemson football, the Panthers are led by a very capable talented quarterback in Kenny Pickett. Last season, Pickett threw for almost 3,100 yards and with 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Don’t let his final numbers fool you, he had just one interception in his final four games as he started to come on late in the season.
His last four games of 2019 saw him throw for at least 320 yards in three of them. The senior quarterback will be ready to go and there could be a spot in the ACC title game on the line when these two teams meet.
2. D’Eriq King – Graduate – Miami
The newest member to the ACC is D’Eriq King and he impressed the coaching staff so much he won the job almost as soon as he stepped on campus in Miami.
King spent four years at Houston before announcing last season that he was only going to play four games so that he could still redshirt and transfer to a Power 5 program and play in 2020. In his four years in Houston, he appeared in 34 games for the Cougars.
During his those 34 games, King accounted for nearly 5,000 yards, 50 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions through the air while also adding 1,400 yards and 28 touchdowns rushing. If Miami can’t find success with D’Eriq King at quarterback, they may never get back to the top.
3. James Blackman – RS Junior – FSU
James Blackman has been a victim of the circumstances in Tallahassee and more than likely would have thrived nearly anywhere else. He has spent more time picking himself off the ground than attempting passes.
He has taken some devastating hits from Clemson defenders over the years and more than likely has had a concussion or two playing behind the atrocity known as the FSU offensive line. If they can get things together at FSU, his last two seasons could be special.
4. Tommy Devito – RS Junior – Syracuse
The Orange love them some of Tommy Devito. You couldn’t tell their fan base anything after Eric Dungey left – everyone thought Devito was the savior who was going to build on Dungey started. While Devito was not bad in his first year as a starter, he was not elite either.
He accounted for 2,360 yards, 19 touchdowns, and five interceptions in his first year as the starter. Going 5-7 is obviously not what Devito or Dino Babers had in mind for 2019 but they should bounce back in 2020 and will be among the upper-echelon teams in the ACC.
5. Ian Book – RS Senior – Notre Dame
We get it, people love Ian Book. However, that love affair is because he plays for Notre Dame. He had a major regression from his sophomore to junior seasons when he went from completing 68 percent of his attempts to just 60 percent in 2019.
He did throw 34 touchdowns a year ago to just six interceptions but he leaves a lot to be desired in games against ranked opponents.
6. Brandon Rainey – Senior – Citadel
There will be a lot of people that overlook Brandon Rainey because he plays at the Citadel, however, I watched his high school career up close and know that this kid can ball. You don’t win state championships in the state of Georgia and not be good.
He was named a third-team All-American last season and was named a preseason All-American this year as well. He accounted for 40 touchdowns last year for the Bulldogs and helped them upset Georgia Tech.
While he is not Devlin Hodges, he is a Taysom Hill-type player and will get a couple of opportunities should he want to pursue them.
7. Hendon Hooker – Junior – Virginia Tech
During fall camp, Hendon Hooker has been splitting reps with backups Quincy Patterson and Braxton Burmeister but Mike Barber of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, expects Hooker to be the starter for the Hokies when they kick off in a few weeks.
Some would argue that Hooker is the best dual-threat QB in the league and with another offseason under his belt, he should take another big step forward in 2020.
Quarterbacks eight through 11 on this list are guys that don’t have a lot of experience and attempted less than 220 passes for their careers or haven’t seen enough playing time to be consistent. Not to say that these guys won’t be good for their respective teams this season, but they certainly are not as talented as the seven listed above.
8. Brennan Armstrong – RS Sophomore – UVA
- 25 career passing attempts
- Two career touchdowns
- Two career interceptions
9. James Graham – RS Sophomore – Georgia Tech
- 193 career passing attempts
- 12 career touchdowns
- Seven career interceptions
10. Sam Hartman – RS Sophomore – Wake Forest
- 388 career passing attempts
- 20 career touchdowns
- 10 career interceptions
11. Dennis Grosel – Junior – Boston College
- 155 career passing attempts
- Nine career touchdowns
- Three career interceptions