If the starting quarterbacks at the three Utah FBS schools are any indication, it’s going to be another good year for Utah, BYU and Utah State.
All three programs return an experienced quarterback and have high expectations — Utah’s Cam Rising, BYU’s Jaren Hall and Utah State’s Logan Bonner frequently were included in preseason watch lists this summer.
Who’s the best college quarterback among the trio, though?
Let’s have the national media weigh in. For this exercise, the Deseret News looked at how five different national publications ranked college football quarterbacks at the FBS level.
That included rankings from Pro Football Network’s Cam Mellor, Athlon Sports’ Steve Lassan, Pro Football Focus’ Anthony Treash, 247 Sports’ Will Backus and ESPN’s David M. Hale.
All but one ranked all 131 expected starting quarterbacks, while Pro Football Focus ranked the top 50.
Here’s how they ranked Rising, Hall and Bonner.
Where media rank Utah FBS quarterbacks nationally in 2022
| Player | Pro Football Network | Athlon Sports | Pro Football Focus (top 50) | 247 Sports | ESPN (by tiers) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cam Rising, Utah | No. 8 | No. 15 | No. 24 | No. 19 | Tier 2: The Heisman waiting room |
| Jaren Hall, BYU | No. 7 | No. 21 | No. 17 | No. 25 | Tier 8: Best from outside the Power 5 |
| Logan Bonner, Utah State | No. 31 | No. 34 | N/A | No. 42 | Tier 12: The best of the rest in the Group of 5 |
What others are saying about Utah’s Cam Rising
“His arm talent is terrific and seemed to get better as his confidence grew throughout the season. He spotted receivers open in the smallest of gaps, and his quick decision-making led to big gains more often than not.” — Cam Mellor, Pro Football Network.
“The junior doesn’t make many mistakes, can extend plays as needed, and is a perfect fit for Utah’s offense. With a full offseason to work as the No. 1 quarterback, look for Rising to take a step forward in his second year as the starter.” — Steve Lassan, Athlon Sports.
“Rising didn’t open the year as Utah’s starter, but once he took over, he was superb, finishing just shy of 3,000 total yards with 26 touchdowns while going 9-2 as the starter. The Utes scored 79 points in those two losses, by the way.” — ESPN’s David M. Hale.
What others are saying about BYU’s Jaren Hall
“His pocket presence took an incredible step forward at the tail end of the season as well, proving he could navigate defenders to find open lanes and standing tall in the face of pressure.” — Cam Mellor, Pro Football Network.
“Hall thrived in his first year as BYU’s full-time starter, throwing for 2,583 yards and 20 touchdowns and running for 307 yards and three scores over 10 appearances. Hall averaged 289 overall yards a game, which ranked 19th nationally among total offense leaders.” — Steve Lassan, Athlon Sports.
“(Coastal Carolina’s Grayson) McCall, Hall and (Western Kentucky’s Bailey) Zappe were the only quarterbacks outside the Power 5 to post a higher Total QBR last season than (UTSA’s Frank) Harris. ... Hall’s Total QBR of 78.0 put him just a tick behind Zappe and ahead of (Tennessee’s Hendon) Hooker, (Kentucky’s Will) Levis and (Virginia’s Brennan) Armstrong.” — ESPN’s David M. Hale.
What others are saying about Utah State’s Logan Bonner
“Bonner has a big arm for his size and uses it incredibly well in the system under (coach Blake) Anderson. He’ll work the field from left to right and dish out accurate passes to receivers with pace and timing.” — Cam Mellor, Pro Football Network.
“Just how important was Bonner’s arrival to Utah State’s offense? Consider this: The Aggies ranked last in the Mountain West in scoring (15.5) in ‘20. However, this unit jumped to 32.6 last fall.” — Steve Lassan, Athlon Sports.
“Utah State’s Bonner is one of just nine QBs returning who had at least 36 touchdowns and 3,600 yards last season.” — ESPN’s David M. Hale.