If you like to keep up with the quarterbacks, this will be a fun year for you at the FCS level.
Yes, quality players like Reese Poffenbarger (UAlbany to Miami, Fla.), Max Brosmer (New Hampshire to Minnesota), Sam Huard (Cal Poly to Utah), and Matthew Sluka (Holy Cross to UNLV) have moved on to FBS schools after having dominant 2023 seasons at the FCS level, just to name a few.
But there are still several studs returning this fall.
Take a look, conference by conference:
RELATED: Top 25 Returning FCS QBs Nationally
BIG SKY
Tommy Mellott, Montana State, Sr.
2023 STAT LINE: (9 games) 1,059 yards passing, 10 TDs, 2 INT; 690 yards rushing, 5 TDs
When Mellott gets a full season to show what he can do, he is a true game-changer – as he proved in 2022 when he rushed for 1,071 yards and 13 TDs while throwing for 1,698 yards and 10 more scores, even while missing time due to injury. He’s a homegrown leader and talent. Even with several great returning QBs in the Big Sky (Portland State’s Dante Chachere, Sacramento State’s Kaiden Bennett, etc.), Mellott jumps off the page.
BIG SOUTH-OVC
Kinkead Dent, UT Martin, Grad.
2023 STAT LINE: 2,295 yards passing, 25 TDs, 8 INTs; 351 yards rushing, 3 TDs
First of all, we see you Pierce Holley (Eastern Illinois). Like Dent, Holley returns as a graduate student and had an impressive 2023 season. Dent, a previous Ole Miss quarterback, exploded during his first true chance to play college football. He accounted for 175 yards of total offense in his game against Georgia last year, throwing the lone TD (no INTs) for the Skyhawks.
CAA
Connor Watkins, Villanova, Grad.
2023 STAT LINE: 2,681 yards passing, 20 TDs, 10 INTs; 10 rushing TDs
Watkins is back for a grad year, and Villanova couldn’t be happier. The 6-foot-3 signal caller will be starting for his third straight season with the Wildcats.
IVY
Jake Willcox, Brown, Grad.
2023 STAT LINE: 2,924 yards passing, 18 TDs, 9 INTs
Willcox couldn’t participate in spring drills as a fifth-year player, but is expected to be under center this fall – the top QB returner in the Ivy League in 2024. Another good candidate is Cornell’s Jameson Wang.
MEAC
Walker Harris, North Carolina Central, Jr.
2023 STAT LINE: 37/56 passing for 439 yards and 5 TDs
The MEAC lost some awesome quarterbacking talent after 2023 – starting with Harris’ teammate Davius Richard. He threw for 114 yards in his team’s blowout loss to UCLA, coming in late. Harris also went 17/28 for 263 yards and five TDs the next week against Mississippi Valley State. We think that’s a taste of what’s to come.
MVFC
Mark Gronowski, South Dakota State, Sr.
2023 STAT LINE: 3,058 passing yards, 29 TDs, 5 INTs; 402 rushing yards, 8 TDs
What else can you say? Gronowski has led the Jackrabbits to two consecutive national titles and is aiming for a third this fall. He should surpass 10,000 career passing yards and potentially 100 TDs if all goes well, and he’s also rushed for 1,387 career yards and 27 TDs coming into 2024. There are always good quarterbacks in the MVFC (NDSU’s returning duo, USD’s Aidan Bouman, etc.), but this choice was a no-brainer.
NEC
Anthony Chiccitt, Robert Morris, Jr.
2023 STAT LINE: 1,650 yards passing, 16 TDs, 4 INTs
This former walk-on has beaten Stage IV Hodgkin’s Lymphoma twice and is one of the most resilient players in college football. Expect great things.
PATRIOT
CJ Montes, Fordham, Jr.
2023 STAT LINE: 3,000 passing yards, 26 TDs, 1 INTs; 3 rushing TDs
In his first year at Fordham after transferring from New Mexico, Montes was a 2023 Walter Payton Award finalist. With recent Patriot League power Holy Cross going through some transition with a coaching change and some key players moving on, Montes might be the kind of talent that pushes Fordham to the past levels of the Chase Edmonds days.
PIONEER
Luke Bailey, Drake, Grad.
2023 STAT LINE: 2,557 yards passing, 16 TDs, 9 INTs
Bailey is back and ready to play for Drake after the Bulldogs captured the Pioneer League championship last fall. He started in Drake’s first-ever FCS playoff game against North Dakota State.
SOCON
Cole Gonzales, Western Carolina, Jr.
2023 STAT LINE: 2,803 yards passing, 28 TDs, 7 INTs
This was a tough decision, as Gonzales and Chattanooga senior Chase Artopoeus were both outstanding in 2023. The nod goes to Gonzales for a couple of reasons. First, WCU beat Chattanooga, and his production was slightly ahead of Artopoeus. On the flip side, Artopoeus did lead the Mocs to the postseason for the first time in several years. You really can’t go wrong, either way.
SOUTHLAND
Zach Calzada, Incarnate Word, Grad.
2023 STAT LINE: 2,353 passing yards, 18 TDs, 8 INTs; 5 rushing TDs
Calzada started 10 games at Texas A&M in 2021 and didn’t play a game in 2022 after transferring to Auburn. He seemed to find his happy place with UIW last fall, and in his first game, he threw for 245 yards and a TD against FBS UTEP.
SWAC
Myles Crawley, Grambling State, Sr.
2023 STAT LINE: 2,313 passing yards, 16 TDs
Crawley’s Tigers went 5-6, but three of those losses were by less than a touchdown, and another was to LSU. He will be a key leader as he returns under center. Crawley will be a part of the prestigious Manning Passing Academy this summer.
UAC
Will McElvain, Central Arkansas, Sr
2023 STAT LINE: 2,477 passing yards, 24 TDs, 5 INTs
McElvain played well when he played at Northern Iowa, and he’s been eye-popping since transferring to Central Arkansas before 2022. How good is he? Ask Oklahoma State, as he threw for 268 yards and 2 TDs against it last fall. McElvain will be a counselor at the prestigious Manning Passing Academy this summer.
