Coaches weigh in on top 2023 college football quarterbacks - ESPN

Every August, returning quarterbacks around college football generate unparalleled interest, and the 2023 collection is no exception.

Although the NFL draft claimed three quarterbacks in the first four picks — Alabama's Bryce Young (No. 1, Carolina), Ohio State's C.J. Stroud (No. 2, Houston) and Florida's Anthony Richardson (No. 4, Indianapolis) — plenty of star power returns to the college ranks. Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, the projected No. 1 pick for the 2024 draft, is back at USC. Also returning is North Carolina's Drake Maye, pegged to fall no lower than No. 3 next spring.

Williams headlines a Pac-12 quarterback class that might be the most accomplished in league history and includes Washington's Michael Penix Jr., Oregon's Bo Nix and Utah's Cam Rising. The ACC's quarterback collection might not jump out as much as its predecessor, but Maye and Florida State's Jordan Travis lead a group that includes intriguing intraconference transfers such as Brennan Armstrong (Virginia to NC State) and Phil Jurkovec (Boston College to Pitt).

The overall transfer market might not have popped as much as the one heading into the 2022 season, but Notre Dame's Sam Hartman (Wake Forest) and Kentucky's Devin Leary (NC State) are among the ones generating buzz entering the fall.

During the spring and summer, I spoke with more than 20 head coaches and assistants from across the country to break down the strengths and weaknesses of the top returning quarterbacks. Here's what they had to say.

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Caleb Williams, USC: The 2022 Heisman winner drew high marks — unsurprisingly — from coaches, who noted that his athleticism helped USC handle a new scheme under coach Lincoln Riley and