Lincoln Riley has made a name for himself in the football coaching industry. He has become the quarterback whisperer, the man who can coach up quarterbacks like no one else. At USC and Oklahoma, Riley has established a track record as an elite developer of quarterback prospects. He has coached Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks. He has coached No. 1 NFL draft picks. Caleb Williams checks each of those two boxes, having won the 2022 Heisman and now becoming the likely 2024 No. 1 pick for the Chicago Bears.
Lincoln Riley will be mentioned a great deal on draft night. With that in mind, here’s a ranking of his best quarterbacks. Keep in mind, as you read this, Riley isn’t even 41 years old. Yet, he already has this deep body of work as a quarterback guru:
1. Baker Mayfield
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Baker Mayfield passed for 12,292 yards, 119 touchdowns and 21 interceptions in three seasons under Riley, who was the Sooners’ offensive coordinator in 2015 and 2016 and head coach beginning in 2017. Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy as a senior and was the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL draft, taken by the Cleveland Browns. He is the starting QB for the Tampa Bay Bucs, whom he led to the second round of the NFL playoffs this past season.
2. Caleb Williams
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Williams was named the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner. He was selected No. 1 by the Chicago Bears in the 2024 NFL draft. He was a recipient of the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and numerous other honors: the 2022 AP Player of the Year, the 2022 Maxwell Award winner and the 2022 Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year. Williams had 10,082 yards, 93 touchdowns and 14 interceptions to go along with 27 TDs on the ground and over 900 rushing yards in his career under Riley in two-and-a-half seasons.
3. Kyler Murray
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Kyler Murray won the 2018 Heisman Trophy, O’Brien Award and Manning Award. He was the AP Player of the Year and the No. 1 selection in the 2019 NFL draft. In Murray’s Heisman season, he had 5,362 yards combined through the air and ground, along with 54 total touchdowns. Murray is the starting QB for the Arizona Cardnials.
4. Jalen Hurts
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Hurts bounced back in a big way after losing his job to Tua Tagovailoa at Alabama. In his senior season at Oklahoma under Riley, he threw for more than 3,800 yards and 32 touchdowns with eight interceptions while rushing for 1,298 yards and 20 TDs. He was named a Heisman finalist in 2019, finishing second behind Joe Burrow (LSU). Hurts is the starting QB for the Philadephia Eagles, who drafted Hurts in the second round.
5. Shane Carden
Shane Carden of Eastern Carolina passed for an ECU record 4,736 yards in 2014 and a completion percentage of 70.5 in 2013. He was the Conference USA MVP in 2013 and the American Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2014 under Lincoln Riley. After his college career at ECU, he was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2015.
6. Dominique Davis
East Carolina quarterback Dominique Davis was the 2010 Conference USA Newcomer of the Year. He set school records for career completions and TD passes. He completed an NCAA record 36 consecutive passes in 2011. Davis signed a deal with the Atlanta Falcons after going undrafted in 2013. He played in the CFL for 10 years with multiple teams.
7. Spencer Rattler
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After backing up Jalen Hurts in 2019, Ratler had a good 2020 season under Riley. The former five-star QB threw for 3,031 yards, 28 touchdowns, 7 interceptions and ran for 6 touchdowns, winning Big 12 Freshman of the Year and was named first-team All-Big 12. Rattler was eventually benched by Riley for Caleb Williams and he transferred to South Carolina. Rattler is a projected third-round pick after winning the 2024 Senior Bowl Offensive MVP.
8. Miller Moss
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In his three-year career at USC, the former four-star recuit is 66-for-92 (71.7%) for 914 yards with 9 TDs. He has rushed for 27 yards on 10 attempts in 12 games under Lincoln Riley. He holds the record for most TD passes thrown in a Holiday Bowl (6) and the most TD passes thrown in a USC bowl game. He is the projected starter at QB for USC in 2024.
