LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Cam Ward has emerged as the prime quarterback in the Atlantic Coast Conference, a legitimate dual threat who is in the front row of Heisman Trophy candidates.
If you're voting for the top quarterback in the Southeastern Conference, the call should go to Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss, who has completed better than 73% of his throws with 13 touchdowns and two picks.
Indiana's Kurtis Rourke is the headliner in the Big Ten. Twice Rourke has been named Big Ten offensive player of the week. Like Dart, Rourke has completed better than 73% of his attempts with 14 TDs and two interceptions.
Three leagues. Three guys. One piece of connective tissue: All three arrived at their current campus address via the transfer portal.
Everybody (with the possible exception of Clemson coach Dabo Swinney) knows how dramatically the instant-on availability of the transfer portal has reshaped college football. Five-star recruiting rankings still light up message board discussions. But when I look at the Who's Who of quarterbacks in the ACC, SEC and Big Ten, it's portal here, portal there, portal everywhere. The influence of the portal is the biggest story in the game.
The leading quarterback in average passing yards in ACC, SEC and Big Ten is a portal guy. Quarterbacks rule. And portal quarterbacks rule the quarterback discussion.
Tyler Shough is Louisville's second straight QB from the portal. Brock Vandagriff is the third straight for UK. Rourke has been a revelation at IU.
According to the statistics at cfbstats.com, eight of the top 11 guys nationally in passing yards per game are transfer quarterbacks. The exceptions are Josh Hoover of TCU (who originally committed to Indiana but flipped to the Horned Frogs on signing day), Garrett Nussmeier of LSU and Joey Aguilar of Appalachian State.
The statistical leaderboard shows that quarterback is generally the sweet spot for the portal. Ten of the 25 teams ranked in the current Associated Press college football poll are led by portal quarterbacks.
In the ACC, seven of the top 10 quarterbacks in passing yards are portal guys. For running backs, it's four of the top 10. Just three of the top 10 receivers as well as three of the top 10 tacklers.
In the Big Ten, it's six of the top 10. For running backs, three of the top 10. Only three of the top 10 receivers and three of the top 10 tacklers.
In the SEC, it's four of the top 10 quarterbacks. For running backs, five of the top 10. It's six of the top 10 receivers and four of the top 10 tacklers.
But let's return to the position that matters.
Ward, the nation's top passer and perhaps top player, is a former zero-star recruit who chose an offer from Incarnate Word over an opportunity from Texas Southern as a high school senior four years ago. He's made two moves, bolting for Washington State in 2022. His NIL valuation ranged from $1 million to $2 million when he relocated from Pullman, Washington, to Coral Gables, Florida, last winter.
Considering Miami is 6-0, ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press poll and on track to make the 12-team national playoff, Ward is a bargain.
Dart took a different path. Ranked the 13th-best quarterback prospect in the Class of 2021 after a spectacular high school career in Draper, Utah, Dart had a solid true freshman season at USC before leaving for Ole Miss as Caleb Williams took over as the Trojans' quarterback.
Rourke's odyssey was closer to Ward's. He was rated the No. 1 high school quarterback prospect in Canada but the No. 97 prospect overall by 247Sports in 2019. Sorry, Canada.
That landed Rourke at Ohio University, primarily because his older Nathan played for the Bobcats. After redshirting in 2019, Rourke started three games in 2020, eight in 2021, 11 in 2022 and 11 more last season.
Voted the Mid-American Conference offensive player of the year in 2022, Rourke was not as dynamic last season. That led him to commit to another year of college football, perhaps to improve his draft stock (for the NFL or CFL).
Mission accomplished. Teaming with IU head coach Curt Cignetti, offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri, Rourke has passed the ball better than any IU quarterback since ... Michael Penix Jr. ... Nate Sudfeld ... Antwaan Randle-El ... Trent Green?
Or maybe Harry Gonso. He was the Hoosiers' quarterback in 1967, which was the last time Indiana started 6-0.
Gonso did it the old-fashioned way. He played with the freshmen his first year on campus, ineligible for varsity competition and then won the job as a true sophomore.
That's not the path in 2024.
Related Stories:
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- BOZICH | Louisville losing ground in ACC football power rankings
- Kentucky upsets No. 6 Mississippi 20-17 with late TD and missed FG by Rebels in final minute
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