Camps open across the college football landscape as the start of August approaches. The state of Texas experienced a mass exodus of starting quarterbacks following the 2022 season. A few experienced, proven signal callers remain, but most programs in the Lone Star State are banking on potential rather than proven results. DCTF begins a series ranking the position groups at the FBS level in Texas with the quarterbacks. There are 13 FBS programs in Texas thanks to the addition of Sam Houston to start the 2023 season. 

TOP FIVE 

1. TEXAS LONGHORNS 

Players: Quinn Ewers, Maalik Murphy, Arch Manning 

Forget the Lone Star State, the Longhorns might boast the best quarterback room in the country. Ewers, a former five-star recruit from Southlake Carroll, played in 10 games as a redshirt freshman. He was inconsistent at times, but that was expected from a guy who hadn’t thrown a pass in a football game since he was a junior in high school. Murphy looked so good in the spring that SEC teams came calling with six-figure enticements. And then there’s Arch Manning. 

2. TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS 

Players: Tyler Shough, Behren Morton 

Great quarterback play is a staple of the Zach Kittley offense entering its second season in Lubbock. Shough, while injured for big swaths of his first two seasons at Texas Tech, was 4-0 in games he started and finished in 2023. Morton, a former four-star recruit, has the tools to help the Red Raiders reach new heights in 2024 and beyond. Shough will start this year when healthy, but there aren’t many better backup options than Morton. 

3. UTSA ROADRUNNERS 

Players: Frank Harris, Owen McCown, Eddie Lee Marburger

Harris is the most productive and reliable quarterback in the state of Texas. The super super senior has 98 total touchdowns, a school record, in his back pocket entering the 2023 season. He passed for 4,063 yards and 32 touchdowns last season. If he stays healthy, UTSA might win a third consecutive conference crown. The depth isn’t as proven behind him, so the Roadrunners check in at No. 3 despite Harris’ claim to best quarterback in Texas. 

4. TEXAS A&M AGGIES 

Players: Conner Weigman, Max Johnson 

Weigman, a former five-star recruit from Cypress Bridgeland, looked like a future star in the second half of the 2022 season – his first in college. He threw for 896 yards and eight touchdowns on 55.3 percent completions on 132 attempts in the five games he played in last year. The most impressive stat of all, however, was that he didn’t throw a single interception. A new offensive scheme should only help him find his explosive weapons on the outside. Johnson, a former LSU transfer, is a solid backup with SEC experience. 

5. TCU HORNED FROGS 

Players: Chandler Morris, Chance Nolan, Josh Hoover 

Morris won the job for TCU heading into 2022, but an injury in Week 1 allowed Max Duggan another chance to lead the Horned Frogs. And he did exactly that, taking TCU to the championship game while finishing runner-up in the Heisman Trophy voting. Morris is a big-play passer with a lot of potential, as we saw in a win over Baylor in 2021. Hoover is no slouch. The Rockwall-Heath native is a capable backup with a high upside. Nolan, a transfer from Oregon State, is a proven commodity at the P5 level and could make a case to start if Morris faulters or is injured. 

BEST OF THE REST

6. SMU MUSTANGS 
7. BAYLOR BEARS 
8. HOUSTON COUGARS
9. RICE OWLS 
10. TEXAS STATE BOBCATS 
11. NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN
12. UTEP MINERS 
13. SAM HOUSTON BEARKATS