nebraska dylan raiola taylor Martinez tommy armstrong

We went back through all the stats and rosters of the Big Ten era to rank the top six overall QBs since 2011. We recalled all of the starters, the spot duty guys and the players who never appeared, too.

Before Dylan Raiola gets his first crack at playing QB at NU, here’s a look at who already has in the last 13 seasons.

His most interesting season — 2010 — belongs to Nebraska’s last year in the Big 12, so Martinez is judged on the 2 1/2 years he played in the Big Ten.

The middle season — 2012 — was truly special. He compiled a school-record 3,890 total yards and was the Big Ten Coaches All-Big Ten first-team selection.

Martinez’s 2013 got cut short by a foot injury that opened the door to No. 2 on this list, but no Husker QB since Eric Crouch had more memorable signature plays.

A true dual-threat who threw a great deep ball and barreled over opponents like a running back, Armstrong is perhaps best remembered for delivering huge comeback wins. Michigan in 2013. Iowa in 2014. Michigan State in 2015. Oregon in 2016.

The definition of a gamer, Armstrong nearly made No. 1 on this list.

What kept him No. 2? His best season, 2014, wasn’t quite as good as Martinez’s 2012, and there’s no two ways about it: Costly errors in 2015 cost NU a better season.

Perhaps the most purely gifted of all 21st Century Nebraska quarterbacks, Adrian Martinez had an extraordinary freshman year, followed up by a curious sophomore year, a COVID-shaped junior year and a senior season defined by his toughness — he played with a broken jaw — and Nebraska’s inability to close in the fourth quarter.

Martinez threw for 2,863 yards, rushed for 525, and accounted for 27 total touchdowns in 2021.

He played really, really hard — and didn’t have a bowl to show for it.

Easily NU’s best pure passer of the Big Ten era, Lee threw for 3,143 yards and 23 touchdowns.

He didn’t miss a start, either — the last Husker quarterback to do so.

His interceptions in the Northern Illinois and Northwestern games cost Nebraska a bowl berth, and, to some degree, contributed to the end of Mike Riley’s tenure. (Though an awful defense was a much larger culprit.)

The 2022 Husker football season was a mess, but little of it had to do with Thompson, who threw for 2,407 yards and 14 touchdowns.

He had one of the best receivers in Husker history — Trey Palmer — catching his passes, but, when healthy, Thompson gave Nebraska a chance. He beat Iowa. He also continued his history of weird injuries that kept him out of 2 1/2 games.

He threw the most famous pass in Husker history — the Hail Mary pass to Jordan Westerkamp to beat Northwestern in 2013.

Splitting time with Tommy Armstrong — after Taylor Martinez got hurt in early 2013 — Kellogg also delivered a key road win at Penn State in wintry conditions.

Tough guy, smart guy, and, along with Lee and Thompson, one of Nebraska’s purer passers.

Ryker Fyfe: Armstrong’s three-year backup, the Grand Island graduate got the spotlight on Senior Day 2016, when he beat Maryland. He threw for 407 yards and four touchdowns — plus four interceptions — at Purdue in 2015 and dealt with a ferocious Tennessee pass rush in the 2016 Music City Bowl.

Heinrich Haarberg: Won five games as NU’s starter in 2023, mostly on athleticism and grit. Dismissed as a quarterback by one offensive coordinator (Mark Whipple), Haarberg stuck around, appeared as a tight end in the 2023 season opener, and, if Dylan Raiola is the starter this season, may well have a special role in 2024.

Noah Vedral: Bishop Neumann graduate transferred from UCF back to Nebraska before the 2018 season, sat for weeks due to UCF’s resistance to immediate eligibility and didn’t start until the 2019 Minnesota game. He struggled there, shined against Indiana — while losing 38-31 — and returned to the bench once Adrian Martinez got healthy again. Vedral effectively won the 2019 Northwestern game with a back shoulder throw to Wan’Dale Robinson, a play that set up the Huskers’ game-winning field goal. He transferred to Rutgers and started two seasons there.

Luke McCaffrey: From the famed McCaffrey family, Luke first got on the field at Nebraska as a receiver. He’d end his career at Rice as a receiver. He’ll play in the NFL as a receiver. He should have been a receiver at NU. But he wasn’t ready to embrace that reality in Lincoln. In 2020, neither were the Husker coaches, who inserted him into the Northwestern game, and then started him against Penn State. McCaffrey won his first start. He lost his last start against Illinois, collapsing with a sea of turnovers. By season’s end, he would head to Rutgers, suit up for warmups, but not participate. By early 2021, he’d transferred to Louisville. He left there without playing a down and found his position at Rice.

Logan Smothers: Started — and nearly won — the 2021 Iowa game. He was otherwise a spot guy for much of his career. He landed at Jacksonville State and had a nice season in 2023 under Rich Rodriguez.

Andrew Bunch: Started against and lost to Troy in 2018.

Chubba Purdy: Started four games at NU, lost them all, and probably needed a fresh start after throwing interceptions to end the Maryland, Wisconsin and Iowa games in 2023. He played a heck of a game at Wisconsin, though.

Jeff Sims: Good guy who committed way too many turnovers in his two starts — losses to Minnesota and Colorado.

Brion Carnes: Some segments of the fan base clamored for him to start over Taylor Martinez in 2011. He later transferred to Northern Iowa.

Rex Burkhead: Occasionally lined up in the RexCat and even under center at 2011 Penn State. He attempted three passes in the Big Ten era.

Johnny Stanton: Much-ballyhooed recruit who wasn’t going to beat out Armstrong — or Fyfe, for that matter — and so transferred to UNLV, where he started two seasons. In the NFL, he played as a fullback.

Tyson Broekemeier: Spent four years as a backup QB before moving to punter in 2015. He booted five punts that season, his last with the program.

Zack Darlington: A concussion suffered midway through his high school senior season set back Darlington considerably, but he still chose to play at NU, which honored his scholarship. He appeared in the 2016 Music City Bowl and later in the 2017 loss to Iowa, where he completed one pass for a five-yard loss.

Patrick O’Brien: The “POB” entered the second half of the 2017 Minnesota game for Lee, who sustained a head injury. When Scott Frost took over, he transferred out to Colorado State, started there for 1½ seasons, then spent one year in 2021 at Washington.

Matt Masker: Kearney Catholic graduate threw three passes in the 2021 season.

Jarrett Synek: Hastings graduate who ran a few plays at the end of the 2022 Michigan game. 

AJ Bush: Nebraska opted to sign the Atlanta star over Creighton Prep’s Easton Stick, who had a storied career at North Dakota State. Bush did not play NU, transferring to Iowa Western, then Virginia Tech and finally Illinois. In 2018, he returned to Memorial Stadium and ran for 187 yards in a 54-35 loss.

Tristan Gebbia: The four-game redshirt rule didn’t exist in 2017, so Gebbia sat while O’Brien backed up Lee. He transferred just one week before the 2018 opener because Adrian Martinez got the job. He had modest success at Oregon State before leaving there, as well.

Richard Torres: Scholarship signee in 2022 class who left after the 2023 spring camp for FCS Incarnate Word. How hard did NU try to retain Torres? He has potential.

Bronson Marsh, Evan Williams, Brayden Miller, Spencer Arceneaux, Richie Torres, Mikey Pauley, Luke Longval, Jack Woche: Walk-ons who did not or have not yet appeared in a game.