Ranking The Best College Quarterbacks: AAC

Even though Cincinnati, UCF, and Houston have moved on, some good quarterbacks will still be playing in the American Athletic Conference in 2023.

Here’s a ranking of the best signal callers in the AAC.

Best AAC Quarterbacks, Ranked

1. Frank Harris, UTSA

With UTSA moving to the AAC, so does quarterback Frank Harris. The Conference USA MVP in 2022 was the catalyst for UTSA’s offense as the Roadrunners beat North Texas in the C-USA Championship.

Harris was second in Conference USA last season, behind only national passing yards leader Austin Reed of Western Kentucky, with 4,063 yards to go with 32 touchdowns while throwing just nine interceptions.

Harris is a true dual-threat passer, as he was tied for second in C-USA in 2022 with nine touchdowns on the ground. He ran for 602 yards, which was 13th in the conference.

Harris, a 6-foot, 205-pound redshirt senior, will have a chance to test himself in the AAC. But his past performances should indicate he’ll continue to thrive until the end of this college career.

2. Michael Pratt, Tulane

Among returning AAC quarterbacks, Pratt was the leader with 27 touchdown passes.

Pratt also totaled 3,010 yards while completing 64% of his passes and throwing just five picks, helping him earn All-AAC second-team honors. He helped Tulane win the AAC Championship over UCF and then beat Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams and USC in the Cotton Bowl.

Pratt, at 6-3, 220 pounds, will be a junior this upcoming season. He led all true freshmen with 20 touchdown passes in 2020, and a year later, he made the All-AAC honorable mention list as he totaled 2,544 all-purpose yards and 26 touchdowns.

Pratt’s career clearly has an upward trajectory, so there’s plenty of reason to believe he’ll continue to be even better in 2023.

3. Seth Henigan, Memphis

Similar to Pratt, Henigan has continuously made great strides after playing significant time right away at Memphis. Henigan might even have an argument for the top spot on this list after the upcoming season.

The 6-3, 210-pound upcoming junior was first among returning AAC quarterbacks with 3,571 passing yards, which was 16th in the nation. He added 22 touchdowns compared to just eight interceptions while completing 64% of his passes.

A former three-star prospect, Henigan became the first true freshman quarterback to start a season opener at Memphis in 2021. He was 11th in the country with 302 passing yards per game and 12th in total offense with 315.4 yards per game, helping him earn Freshman All-American accolades.

With two years of experience now, Henigan should have a great 2023 season ahead of him.

4. J.T. Daniels, Rice

Daniels has jumped around schools during his college career, but he’s enjoyed moments of success.

Daniels has thrown for 6,947 yards and 45 touchdowns in his career at Power Five schools. The 6-2, 226-pound graduate student totaled 2,107 yards, 13 touchdowns, and nine interceptions at West Virginia last year.

Daniels’ best statistical season was when he was a freshman at USC in 2018. He threw for 2,672 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 10 picks. He played for the Trojans in 2019 and then went to Georgia for two seasons, playing in nine games and totaling 1,953 yards, 17 touchdowns, and five interceptions through the air.

Daniels could end up being a key addition as Rice moves from Conference USA to the AAC.

5. E.J. Warner, Temple

It’s tough to rank Warner any higher here over the more established and experienced players, but he was still dazzling last year.

Warner was fifth in the conference as a freshman last season with 3,028 yards, the second-most ever at Temple, to go with 18 touchdowns and 12 picks with a 61% completion rate. That helped him earn the AAC Rookie of the Year Award and other Freshman All-American honors.

The 6-foot, 190-pound quarterback from Phoenix whose father is Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner still needs to clean up his mistakes. But he’s in a great situation to make those improvements in Year 2 at the collegiate level.