Frisco, Texas \u2022 Rocco Becht remembers how it was back in the day.<\/p>\n
He was only 12 years old when he watched Baker Mayfield and Patrick Mahomes duel in Lubbock, Texas, combining for 125 points, 1,279 passing yards and 12 touchdown passes in a 66-59 Oklahoma victory over Texas Tech in 2016. To hear Becht, Iowa State\u2019s starting quarterback, tell it, you would think the halcyon days of black and white television broadcast the contest.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the craziest things I\u2019ve ever seen,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Big 12 built its reputation in its proudest eras on the strength of its quarterbacks. Before Mayfield and Mahomes, Texas\u2019 Colt McCoy and Oklahoma\u2019s Sam Bradford dueled for national titles, Texas Tech\u2019s Graham Harrell took Mike Leach\u2019s offense to new heights and Heisman contention, and Missouri\u2019s Chase Daniel and Kansas\u2019 Todd Reesing redefined what was possible at their programs. Baylor\u2019s Robert Griffin III won a Heisman Trophy and Oklahoma State\u2019s Brandon Weeden led his program to its first Big 12 title, both setting passing records along the way.<\/p>\n
Now, in a rebuilt version of the league, the Big 12 looks poised in 2025 to call back to the conference\u2019s heyday. Nine of the league\u2019s 16 teams bring back a productive, experienced starting quarterback, headlined by Sam Leavitt, who helped lead Arizona State to the College Football Playoff as a freshman last season.<\/p>\n
FILE – Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) rns out of the pocket against Texas during the first half in the quarterfinals of a College Football Playoff, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo\/Brynn Anderson, File)<\/p>\n
In The Athletic\u2019s quarterback tiers<\/a>, a ranking of all 136 FBS quarterbacks released this week, four Big 12 quarterbacks ranked in the top 14: Leavitt, TCU\u2019s Josh Hoover, Baylor\u2019s Sawyer Robertson and Becht. Eight are in the top 27.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s gonna go back to how it was, those high-powered offenses back in the day,\u201d Becht said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019re going to be able to start seeing in the Big 12: High-scoring games.\u201d<\/p>\n Mahomes, a respected, wildly talented but relatively unheralded Big 12 quarterback in his day, has blossomed into arguably the NFL\u2019s best player. He\u2019s also an icon and a through line for the deepest class of Big 12 quarterbacks since even before Mahomes\u2019 time.<\/p>\n Mahomes is mentoring current Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton.<\/p>\n Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson bought (on sale, he noted) a Sleep Number bed because Mahomes uses it and represents the brand.<\/p>\n Hoover can see Mahomes occasionally work out at TCU\u2019s facility, which is located near his private coach Jeff Christensen\u2019s home.<\/p>\n \u201cI give him tips and stuff,\u201d Hoover said with a laugh.<\/p>\n Baylor coach Dave Aranda, who watched Robertson break out midseason in 2024, spent a decade as a defensive coordinator at four programs before being hired by the Bears.<\/p>\n When he was preparing for opposing offenses, he knew if they had inexperience at quarterback, he could spend less time game-planning for certain plays because he knew an offensive coach would be hesitant to call them if they asked a lot from the player under center.<\/p>\n He sees the opposite in this year\u2019s Big 12.<\/p>\n \u201cRight out of the gate, you\u2019re gonna get the shots to the heart,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have all these explosive offenses run by quarterbacks with a lot of savvy. Some of these guys are sawed-off dudes, but are smart, can see everything, get in the right play, and they have this innovative scheme. And then it\u2019s like you\u2019re playing Army or Navy because they\u2019re gonna go for it on all these fourth downs. \u2026 It becomes a difficult proposition.\u201d<\/p>\n It all adds up to a nightmare for defensive coaches across the league.<\/p>\n Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby is in the group of established returners, throwing for more than 2,800 yards and accounting for 27 total touchdowns in 2024. Sorsby ranked 20th in The Athletic\u2019s recent QB tiers and fifth in the Big 12.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw someone put out their top quarterbacks (in the Big 12), and Sorsby was like ninth. What? But I started looking, and I\u2019m thinking, Well, OK, that guy is pretty good. He\u2019s pretty good. He\u2019s pretty good,\u201d Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield said. \u201cI can see why. I think Sorsby could be right up there at the top. I think he\u2019s got that kind of talent. But there are a lot of great quarterbacks in this league.\u201d<\/p>\n Outside of the top eight QBs in the conference, there are even more intriguing talents. Colorado added Kaidon Salter, a two-year starter who led Liberty to an undefeated regular season in 2023, to help replace Shedeur Sanders. Salter threw for 32 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2023, along with 12 rushing touchdowns.<\/p>\n Jalon Daniels at Kansas threw for 18 touchdowns and four picks in 2022. Injuries shortened his 2023 season, and he struggled for much of 2024 before helping the Jayhawks rally to beat three ranked teams in consecutive games late in the season.<\/p>\n Arizona\u2019s Noah Fifita threw for 25 touchdowns and six interceptions under Jedd Fisch in 2023 before taking a slight step back under new coach Brent Brennan in 2024.<\/p>\n All three are hopeful for rebound seasons in 2025 and give their programs proven, experienced options at the team\u2019s most important position. The most unsettled quarterback situations in the league are at BYU, which saw Jake Retzlaff withdraw from the university<\/a> following reports he could face a suspension for violating the school\u2019s honor code, and Oklahoma State, where none of the quarterbacks have started a game.<\/p>\n \u201cMy guess is whoever is gonna win the league is going to keep their quarterback healthy,\u201d TCU head coach Sonny Dykes said.<\/p>\n Dykes lived it in 2022. At one point, TCU\u2019s top six skill players were injured, but quarterback Max Duggan stayed healthy. TCU won its way into the College Football Playoff and played for a national title after beating Michigan.<\/p>\n Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham, meanwhile, lived what he called a \u201cnightmare\u201d the past two seasons, juggling quarterback Cam Rising\u2019s health on a near-weekly basis.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen he was healthy, we won two Pac-12 championships back to back. Had he been healthy the last couple years, woulda, coulda, shoulda, but I\u2019m telling you we would have been a whole different football team entirely,\u201d Whittingham said.<\/p>\n Utah will now put Devon Dampier, who threw for 2,768 yards and ran for 1,166 yards and 19 touchdowns at New Mexico last season, behind one of the nation\u2019s best offensive lines.<\/p>\n The vibrant crop should make for must-see TV.<\/p>\n The one prerequisite for any team hoping to hoist the Big 12 title trophy and book a ticket into the Playoff is simple: Score.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a deadly conference to be in,\u201d said BYU coach Kalani Sitake, another former defensive coordinator. \u201cAnd it\u2019s gonna be a lot of fun this year.\u201d<\/p>\n