Rankings Roundtable: Who is the most underrated QB in the 2023 class?

With recent updates to the 2023, 2024, and 2025 class rankings, the Rivals national analyst team will address major rankings related questions in a weekly roundtable.

Today, the Rivals national analyst team takes a closer look at the quarterback rankings in the 2023 recruiting class. National recruiting analysts Clint Cosgrove, Adam Friedman, Adam Gorney, Nick Harris and Ryan Wright offer their opinions below on the most underrated QB.

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MAKING THE CASE: Five-star WR Hykeem Williams

CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State

CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State

CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals100

TRANSFER PORTAL: Stories/coverage | Message board

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Cosgrove's take: Lincoln Kienholz. The Washington commit isn't even ranked nationally or at the position, but I love what I see from Kienholz on film and it is hard to find a weakness in his game. He is an extremely accurate passer with the mobility and arm talent to be a great player in coach Kalen DeBoer's offense. His numbers through four games speak for themselves as he is 74 of 105 for 1,280 yards passing with 19 touchdowns and only one interception. He has done damage with his feet as well by carrying the ball 35 times for 302 yards and four touchdowns with 193 yards rushing during his last game alone.

Friedman's take: Avery Johnson. Kenny Minchey will be a popular answer here so I'm going with Johnson, a very talented quarterback heading to Kansas State next year. The in-state signal caller possesses plenty of natural athletic gifts that should make him a success at the next level. Johnson's skillset is a great fit for what he'll be asked to do at Kansas State and there is a possibility he'll see the field early in his career. Johnson is already No. 164 in the Rivals250 but there are a few quarterbacks ranked ahead of him that I could see him jumping in the next rankings update.

Gorney's take: Kenny Minchey. Minchey moved up after a strong performance at the Elite 11 this summer but it wasn't enough and he could go even higher after his senior season. The Pitt commit is off to an excellent start in his senior season, he throws a beautiful, catchable ball and Notre Dame among others is trying to flip him with no luck yet. Right now, Minchey is No. 14 among pro-style quarterbacks and while that's still a very respectable position in a deep QB class, there's no reason why he shouldn't be closer to the top 10 and it could happen if his senior year keeps going well.

Harris' take: Aidan Chiles. Chiles immediately comes to mind when I think of underrated prospects at the position. The Oregon State commit hasn’t had the benefit of a full season after his sophomore season was abbreviated due to the shortened COVID-19 season in California in 2021 and his junior season being cut short due to injury.

However, in the limited time on the field he has impressed on film and has the numbers to back it up both through the air and on the ground. His 75-percent completion rate combined with his 10-plus yards per passing attempt and per rushing attempt make him one of the more statistically productive signal-callers in the country given his limited sample size. He has a keen ability to create outside of the pocket on the run, but on the 7-on-7 circuit this past offseason, Chiles displayed his ability to create opportunities downfield with his arm talent and adequate size despite being underaged for his class (16). I like Chiles as a late riser with the potential of getting snatched up by a major program closer to signing day.

Wright's take: Earl Woods: Purely based on production on the field, few do as much or mean more to their team than Woods. During Woods’ junior campaign, he guided Alabama’s Hueytown High School to a 14-2 record going against 6A defenses. The stats were amazing, throwing for 3,072 yards while rushing for 2,123 with 68 total touchdowns.

Not being the prototypical pocket QB with height, teams have missed out on Woods. The 2023 field general is announcing his commitment on Oct. 1 with a final four of Middle Tennessee State, North Alabama, Grambling State and Jacksonville State.