Talent Tracker: Can Class of 2022’s top QBs Drew Allar, Cade Klubnik, Conner Weigman rise to the occasion?

Your weekly serving of college football roster acquisition thoughts — recruiting, transfer portal, you name it — from 247Sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins. 

Can the Class of 2022’s top QBs deliver on the promise?

With the college football season here, there is no shortage of storylines, but I’m here to offer another one because we should be eager to see what’s going to happen with three five-star quarterbacks from the Class of 2022.

Let’s be honest: College football junkies (and NFL scouts) have been a bit spoiled in recent years. After Bryce Young and Caleb Williams won the Heisman Trophy as sophomores, third-year quarterbacks like J.J. McCarthy, Quinn Ewers, Drake Maye, Jalen Milroe and Shedeur Sanders all took major steps forward in 2023.

It would be easy to assume that the next wave of young talent is ready to take the sport by storm, but as we get ready for this weekend’s loaded slate of games, it’s still a bit unclear as to what Penn State’s Drew Allar, Clemson’s Cade Klubnik and Texas A&M’s Conner Weigman can be.

Yes, there have been some flashes here and there from all three at various points over the past two years, but the group in large part has underperformed as they are a combined 4-6 against top-25 teams and a startling 1-4 against top-10 opponents.

Of course, plenty of time remains, and Saturday provides a prime opportunity for all three to silence critics, with No. 8 Penn State and its new-look offense traveling to rival West Virginia, Clemson meeting No. 1 Georgia and its vaunted defense in Atlanta, and No. 20 Texas A&M playing host to No. 7 Notre Dame in Mike Elko’s debut in College Station.

Drew Allar (No. 1 QB in 2022, No. 3 overall)

No. 8 Penn State at West Virginia (Noon ET)

• 25 pass TD, two INT last season (second-best TD/INT ratio in FBS)
• 325 pass yds vs. WVU last season in first career start are his career-high and lone career 300-plus yardage game

Cade Klubnik (No. 2 QB in 2022, No. 13 overall)

No. 14 Clemson vs. No. 1 Georgia in Atlanta (Noon ET)

• Third-most pass yards (2,844) in ACC last season
• 5-6 TD-INT in road/neutral games last season (14-3 at home)
• Has won five consecutive starts, third-longest among active FBS QBs

Conner Weigman (No. 3 QB in 2022, No. 22 overall)

No. 20 Texas A&M vs. No. 7 Notre Dame (7:30 p.m. ET)

• Injured for the season in his fourth game last year (foot)
• Completed 69% of his passes for 979 yards, 8 pass TD, and two INT in 2023
• His 5 pass TDs against New Mexico marked the most touchdown passes in regulation by an Aggie QB since Johnny Manziel in 2013

Will Allar, Klubnik and Weigman live up to the blue-chip billing? My fingers are crossed, but even if they struggle, a look back at the quarterback rankings for the class of 2022 suggests that they aren’t the only ones a bit behind schedule. The other signal caller that we ranked as a five-star in that class, Ty Simpson, is the backup to Milroe at Alabama. 

According to our research, of the top 100 quarterbacks for the 2022 cycle, only seven are for-sure Week 1 starters at Power Four programs: Allar, Klubnik, Weigman, Maalik Murphy at Duke, Noah Fifita at Arizona, Josh Hoover at TCU, and Rocco Becht at Iowa State.

Class of 2022 three-star Alex Orji is likely to take the first snap for Michigan, while MJ Morris at Maryland and Conner Harrell at North Carolina seem to have fallen behind in their respective quarterback races with just a few days to go. 

Why has the class not broken through? 

That’s something I have been pondering the past few days, and it appears that one of the biggest culprits might be the global pandemic, as a majority of quarterbacks in the class of 2022 had their junior years — a key period of development — impacted in one way or another by government shutdowns. The NCAA’s decision to grant student-athletes an extra year of eligibility has also flooded the market with veteran quarterbacks.

A simpler reality is that 2022 was just a down year for the position, especially after the aforementioned Ewers elected to reclassify and skip his senior season of high school.

The WR-to-RB conversion trend that has my attention

Week 0 might have had only four games featuring FBS teams, but it did reveal what could be an interesting personnel trend as both Georgia Tech and SMU started former wide receivers at running back.

In the Yellow Jackets’ 24-21 upset of Florida State, it was Jamal Haynes running for a game-high 75 yards and two touchdowns. A few hours later Brashard Smith helped the Mustangs eke out a 29-24 come-from-behind win at Nevada with 67 yards and a score on the ground.

Haynes saw 35 snaps from the backfield, two out wide and one in the slot. His rushing success mostly came running outside the tight ends (11.8 yards per carry to the right, 7.5 to the left, per TruMedia). 

Smith was exclusively used in the backfield. He averaged an absurd 5.9 yards per carry and popped for over six yards per carry through the A gap, which suggests a few things about both SMU and Nevada, including that the Mustangs might have a bonafide, every-down running back in Smith (and here we were thinking Jaylan Knighton and LJ Johnson may be the team’s two work horses). 

Both Haynes and Smith were uber-productive pass catchers in high school who were known for their lateral burst and ability to make defenders miss in space. One might chalk it up as a coincidence that they both have found a home in the backfield, but a number of NFL teams have also started to give wide receivers looks at running back.

Over the past few weeks during preseason action, Velus Jones Jr. worked at running back for the Chicago Bears, KJ Hamler got carries from a running back position for the Buffalo Bills (he was cut earlier this week), and Kadarius Toney was tried at running back before he was released by the Kansas City Chiefs. This year’s NFL Draft also saw Iowa wide receiver-turned-Purdue running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. selected in the fifth round by the Indianapolis Colts.

My working theory as to why multiple wide receivers are all of a sudden getting touches at running back is that they have the speed to not only reach the perimeter but also the agility to slash upfield and generate chunk plays. With more and more offenses utilizing pre-snap eye candy, it makes sense to give home-run hitters more at-bats. 

Keep an eye on Kevin Concepcion in NC State‘s opener on Thursday. The 2023 ACC Rookie of the Year is another wide receiver who has moonlighted as a running back.

Win vs. Miami would lift Florida’s 2025 recruiting class

The NCAA’s summer dead period lifts this weekend, which means that recruits can attend games around the country. No school has more at stake than Florida with rival Miami coming to town on Saturday.

A few months ago, the Gators were pacing to sign what would be the program’s worst class in the recruiting modern era, but a pair of well-timed announcements from legacies Vernell Brown III and Ben Hanks Jr. has UF sitting No. 24 overall in the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings.

While Billy Napier’s seat might be scorching-hot, some of the nation’s top recruits appear to still be interested in Florida, and a win could do wonders for the Gators on the recruiting front, as Auburn five-star defensive line commit Malik Autry, LSU five-star defensive back commit DJ Pickett, Oregon four-star wide receiver commit Dallas Wilson, FSU four-star defensive line commit Javion Hilson, and Ohio State four-star edge rusher commit London Merritt are all expected to be inside The Swamp.

Another fun subplot to the game is the bevy of recruiting battles taking place between Florida and Miami.

Aggies hosting 100-plus players for Notre Dame game

Yes, you read that right. Texas A&M is dialing up a monster recruiting weekend as the Aggies play host to Notre Dame in Mike Elko’s debut. Over 100 prospects will hear the 12th Man roar and by far the biggest name set to be in attendance is uncommitted five-star wide receiver Jerome Myles, who turned heads last week with his three-touchdown performance against powerhouse IMG Academy.

It wasn’t too long ago that Texas A&M signed the highest-ranked recruiting class ever. Elko wasn’t tabbed as Jimbo Fisher’s replacement because of his chops as a recruiter, but his first full class currently ranks No. 8 overall and it’s not just top heavy as the back end of the group is a bunch of prospects with NFL traits and developmental upside.

Is Notre Dame’s prized QB commit on flip watch? 

It’s a huge weekend for the Fighting Irish, for a variety of reasons. Notre Dame quarterback commit Deuce Knight‘s trip to Auburn is something I’m tracking. One of the biggest rankings risers this offseason, Knight is a freak athlete who throws one of the best out-breaking balls in the class. He’s been committed to the Irish for almost a year now, but could be dangerous in Hugh Freeze’s run-pass-option offense.

A change of heart for Knight and a flip to Auburn could be part of what 247Sports’ Tom Loy is forecasting as a fall wave of quarterback dominoes. Loy already has his Crystal Ball projection in for the Tigers. 

‘Freak’ of the week

QB Malik Washington, Maryland commit

No. 31 on my Freaks List for the 2025 Class, Washington engineered one of the bigger upsets we’ll see this season as Archbishop Spalding of Maryland, took down the No. 3-ranked team in Ohio, Archbisohp Hoban (rankings via MaxPreps), by a score of 28-14 last week.

Washington was excellent in the win as he completed 23 of 27 for 239 yards and three touchdowns while adding 68 yards and another score on the ground. Maryland’s quarterback room seems unsettled at best headed into Week 1, but I feel confident in saying Washington is the next dude for coach Mike Locksley. 

Here’s what I wrote about him last week: 

Mixtapes full of high-flying dunks are always going to warrant strong consideration from the Freaks List committee. A windmill off a self-pass to win a dunk contest at a holiday tournament featuring multi mid-major basketball recruits, however, is going to ensure you have a spot on the list.

Malik Washington is a 6-foot-4 signal caller with a high-powered arm who has done nothing but win the past two years at Archbishop Spalding.

He likes to beat defenses from the pocket, but can produce plenty of “wow” moments with his plus athleticism. At this year’s Elite 11 Finals, the No. 10-ranked quarterback recreated a signature trick from No. 1 pick Caleb Williams, hitting a goal post from 50 yards out.

Sneaky-good commit of the week 

EDGE Epi Sitanilei to UCLA 

With the season pretty much here, there is slim pickings when it comes to recent commitments, so we’re going to spotlight what I think is a “sneaky-good get” for UCLA. This past weekend, some of the nation’s top high school programs traveled to the Sunshine State for the annual Broward Showcase. By far the biggest eye-catcher was Epi Sitanilei, who had two quarterback hits and a tackle for loss during the first four plays of Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco’s defeat of Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna Prep. 

A two-point edge player with a rugby background, Sitanilei is an elite combine tester with a very projectable frame. He racked up just three sacks as a junior, but things are starting to click as he embarks on his senior campaign. The Bruins had plenty of success last season with another former rugby player in Laiatu Latu, who was selected in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. Sitanilei committed to the Bruins in June. No, it’s not recent, but he’s proving to be a sneaky-good get!