By Alex Blackburn
The Big 12 Conference has long since been a shining example of offensive prowess in football. From punishing, hard-nosed run games like the Arizona State Sun Devils, Kansas Jayhawks and West Virginia Mountaineers to air-it-out, fast-paced passing attacks like the Colorado Buffaloes, TCU Horned Frogs and Texas Tech Red Raiders, last year was proof enough that the Big 12 has some of the strongest offenses in the nation from top to bottom.
This year, though, the strengths lie mainly in the arm talent this conference has to offer, which will prove themselves to be this season’s best.
Big 12, Big Arms
While it could be a bold claim to say that the Big 12 will be home to the nation’s best quarterbacks from top to bottom this season, it’s not entirely off the rails. Keep in mind that a quarterback from the Big 12 took home the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and just barely missed out on the Davey O’Brien Award in 2024. This year, however, it can be argued that the conference’s quarterbacks are even better than they were last year.
First and foremost, the returning talent for each team speaks for itself. Ten of the Big 12’s 16 teams return their starting quarterback from last season, while 14 of 16 teams have a quarterback that has started a full season at the FBS level. The veteran talent is plentiful in the conference, but even the younger talent in this conference shows ample promise.
© John David Mercer-Imagn Images
Names like Hauss Hejny, Julian Lewis, and others have strong upside that could make a run at some of the conference’s best signal callers when all is said and done, if not this year then in years to come. Lewis, the class of 2025’s No. 2 quarterback recruit in the ESPN 300, has a strong case to be a household name sooner rather than later, with more than 11,000 yards passing and 144 touchdown passes throughout his high school career.
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The Top Contenders
With this abundance of both veteran and underclassmen talent, it’s tough to pick out who will stick out above the rest. However, it’s certainly not impossible, as there are players that have shown they have what it takes to be among the best in the nation already. A potential top three have been widely agreed upon among overall discourse, however, that doesn’t mean this will be the top three when all is said and done.
© Scott Sewell-Imagn Images
First, Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt led an unlikely run to a Big 12 title in 2024. While a decent portion of that was due to the rushing efforts of Cam Skattebo, Leavitt’s achievements cannot be overlooked. Leavitt threw for 2,885 yards, 24 touchdowns to six interceptions, a 62 percent completion rate and had an overall quarterback rating of 80. He also rushed for 443 yards and five touchdowns. He was a key piece in that conference championship run and College Football Playoff berth and will have an even bigger role in the Sun Devil offense with Skattebo’s departure.
Second, we have Baylor Bears quarterback Sawyer Robertson. Robertson may not have led the Bears to a conference title and playoff berth, however that may change this season. Robertson showed he has the tools to be a potential All-American talent, racking up 3,071 passing yards, 28 touchdowns to eight interceptions, a 62 percent completion percentage and a quarterback rating of 82.9, ranking him seventh among all FBS quarterbacks. With nine returning starters on offense as well as a few strong transfer portal additions, Robertson will have a strong cast around him to make a case for the nation’s best signal caller.
Sawyer Robertson has some juice 👀
One of several intriguing QB prospects with a chance to take a leap for the 2026 NFL Draft pic.twitter.com/SV93cPyFpQ
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) May 14, 2025
Finally, we have Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson. Johnson returns to the Wildcats after two productive underclassmen seasons. Johnson threw for 2,712 yards, 25 touchdowns to 10 interceptions, a 58 percent completion percentage and a quarterback rating of 69.7. He also ran for 605 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 5.4 yards per carry. With a strong returning cast and transfer class coming in as well, the Wildcats are the favorites for the Big 12 title.
ESPN Lists Kansas State Football with Best Big 12 Odds to Win National Championship #kstate #kansasstate https://t.co/sAx3rk4mzM
— Wildcats Fandom (@WildcatsFandom) June 6, 2025
These three are the consensus preseason picks, but if anything was learned from last year’s Big 12 race, it’s that nothing is written until it is written. Quarterbacks like Behren Morton, Josh Hoover, Jalon Daniels and others could make a strong case for being among the Big 12’s and nation’s best. With the amount of depth the Big 12 has, it can be stated that the Big 12 has the nation’s best quarterbacks from top to bottom in their conference.
What Sets the Big 12 Apart
Quarterbacks from other conferences will make themselves known. Names like Garrett Nussmeier, Drew Allar, Carson Beck and a few others will be among the nation’s best. However, no other conference has the depth and breadth of quarterbacks that the Big 12 has. The Big 12 just has more talent, experience, ceiling and depth than any other conference.
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“Year of the Big 12 Quarterback” ⏳ https://t.co/mbE0EqwMvV
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) June 6, 2025
The SEC is the only conference that comes close. A top-heavy group that has players with little to no starting experience, in newer territory and/or lower ceilings than those in the Big 12 though shows that the Big 12, from top to bottom, has the better group of quarterbacks.
Time will obviously tell which quarterbacks will lead their teams to glory, but you can bet on the Big 12 quarterbacks to give themselves and their teams the best chances at postseason success.
