Other recruits may carry a higher billing, but a quarterback is often viewed as the most important signing in a recruiting class.

Generally speaking, visions of an immediate impact are not based in reality. Very few true freshmen end up earning the starting job during fall camp or even the opening month of the college football season.

But it's not impossible, either.

Within the 2024 class, five programs appear to have the strongest possibility of that happening. The list is focused on the highest-ranked players who are most likely to outright win a competition.

One important note: The choices do not consider the possibility of an injury (or multiple) pushing a freshman into a starting job. That will likely happen somewhere, but we're not predicting injuries.

First, a Word on Ohio State

Ohio State brought in Kansas State transfer Will Howard to replace Kyle McCord, who left for Syracuse. There is absolutely no denying that Howard is Plan A for the Buckeyes in 2024.

Still, this competition must be mentioned.

After signing Air Noland—who long held a 5-star billing during the cycle in December—OSU capitalized on an expected opportunity in January. Nick Saban's retirement led to 5-star Julian Sayin, the No. 6 overall player in the class and Alabama's prized commitment, entering the portal. He ended up landing in Columbus.

Noland and Sayin join a stacked depth chart that also includes recent blue-chip prospects Devin Brown and Lincoln Kienholz. Ryan Day has assembled the most talented QB room in the country.

I'm not expecting Noland or Sayin to snag the starting job, but discounting the possibility feels unwise.

Elijah Brown, Stanford

Stanford brings back Ashton Daniels, who started 10 games last season. However, he didn't exactly lock in the QB1 spot while averaging 6.9 yards per pass attempt with 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Justin Lamson also returns, but the Cardinal tended to rely on him more for his mobility than his arm.

At the very least, 4-star Elijah Brown has a place in the competition.

Brown, a product of California powerhouse Mater Dei, enrolled early and will be a part of spring practice. Offseason reps are crucial for anyone, of course, but especially so for a young quarterback.

While the most likely conclusion is that Brown isn't starting in 2024, he'll be worth monitoring in the spring and fall.

Jadyn Davis, Michigan

Even if Jim Harbaugh had stayed at Michigan, the offense faced a transition if J.J. McCarthy entered the 2024 NFL draft. The quarterback's departure has created a major hole in Ann Arbor.

Among the returning options, there is little experience. Alex Orji received a few snaps on designed runs in 2023 but didn't throw a pass. Jayden Denegal and Davis Warren each notched five attempts in minimal action. Jack Tuttle, who previously started five games at Indiana, is a wild card as he seeks a seventh year of eligibility.

That's the long version of saying Jadyn Davis arrived with as good a chance as anyone to succeed McCarthy.

During his last two high school seasons, the 4-star threw for nearly 7,000 yards with 86 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. While not a traditional dual-threat QB, he's a capable runner in scattered moments.

New coach Sherrone Moore and a new-look staff have a challenging decision ahead, and Davis may wind up as the solution.

Walker White, Auburn

If you listened to Auburn coach Hugh Freeze in December, there was no panic about the team's personnel for 2024. He expressed confidence in the QB room, as noted by Justin Ferguson of the Auburn Observer.

The juxtaposition, however, is what followed the bowl loss to Maryland.

"It's wide open," Freeze said of the position after Payton Thorne trudged to an ugly 13-of-27 mark for a ghastly 84 yards.

Robby Ashford has since transferred to South Carolina, leaving Holden Geriner and Hank Brown as the backups to Thorne. But there's no reason to say Thorne has firm control of the QB1 label, and that presents an opportunity for 4-star addition Walker White.

White impressed at the All-American Bowl in January before enrolling at Auburn and beginning to make his case for immediate snaps.

DJ Lagway, Florida

In all likelihood, Graham Mertz will begin the season as Florida's signal-caller. What could be a make-or-break season for head coach Billy Napier may lead to a bold decision, however.

DJ Lagway ended the cycle as the nation's No. 7 prospect and, theoretically, is the future of the program.

Napier and the Gators might need him now.

The opening half of UF's slate includes Miami, Texas A&M, UCF and Tennessee. For most teams, that would be a formidable schedule—but it doesn't even include the five-team finish of Georgia, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State. Even if the Gators lose several of those contests, encouraging performances from Lagway would be more forgivable than noncompetitive games with Mertz.

As a senior in high school, Lagway put up some pretty ridiculous stats. He threw for 4,605 yards, rushed for 953 yards and totaled 75 touchdowns compared to eight interceptions.

Dylan Raiola, Nebraska

Not coincidentally, a 5-star prospect also holds the greatest opportunity to earn a starting job.

That's not always a guarantee, though.

In fact, the perception only exists because Dylan Raiola flipped from Georgia to Nebraska at the last minute. Had he gone to UGA, Raiola would've sat behind Carson Beck in 2024. Instead, he enrolled at Nebraska and became a top option for the Cornhuskers.

During his first season in Lincoln, coach Matt Rhule moved from Jeff Sims to Heinrich Haarberg to Chubba Purdy. Since then, both Sims and Purdy have transferred out.

Raiola, an early enrollee, will likely draw the most attention among freshman quarterbacks during the offseason.