The topic is the elite college quarterback, and names are tumbling out of Mel Kiper's mouth like marbles from a jar.

"Rex Grossman, Byron Leftwich, Dave Ragone, Ken Dorsey, Chris Simms," Kiper says. "Carson Palmer, Seneca Wallace, Jason Thomas, Kliff Kingsbury, Brian St. Pierre ..."

Kiper's not finished. The longtime college football and NFL draft analyst for ESPN goes on ... and on ... and on. He has no choice. This college football season could be dominated by quarterbacks like no other in recent history. Who do you leave out?

Not these guys:

"Eli Manning, Casey Clausen, Jared Lorenzen, Marquel Blackwell," Kiper says. "Jeff Smoker, Luke McCown, Cody Pickett, Chris Rix ..."

	Florida's Rex Grossman threw for 3,896 yards, 34 TDs finished second in the Heisman last year.

Try picking a preseason All-American quarterback. Marshall's Leftwich is coming off a PlayStation-like season in 2001 when he threw for 4,132 yards and 38 touchdowns. But what about Louisville's Ragone, who passed for 3,056 yards and 23 TDs or Miami's Dorsey, who had 2,652 yards and 23 TDs?

Forget All-American. How about the preseason All-SEC first-teamer? You've got Florida's Grossman (3,896 yards, 34 TDs), but also Ole Miss' Manning (2,948, 31), and Tennessee's Clausen (2,969, 22), and Georgia's David Greene (2,789, 17).

College football's year of the quarterback occurs on the 20th anniversary of The Year Of The Quarterback. The class of 1982 dominated the NFL draft the following spring, six quarterbacks going in the first round, including three certain Hall of Famers: Dan Marino, John Elway, Jim Kelly. Also going in the first round were Tony Eason, Ken O'Brien and Todd Blackledge.

Since then, Blackledge has watched quarterback classes come and go, looking for -- but not expecting to see -- a class to rival his from 1982. And if you ask him, he's still looking.

"I don't know that there will ever be another class quite like that," says Blackledge, a college football announcer for CBS. "The closest I thought a class came was a couple years ago with Couch, Culpepper, McNown and McNabb."

That indeed was a fine class, the 1998 group that featured the first three overall picks of the '99 NFL draft -- Tim Couch, Donovan McNabb and Akili Smith -- plus first-rounders Daunte Culpepper and Cade McNown.

Six potential first-round picks in 2003, plus a handful of No. 1s down the road, will ply their trade in college football this season. Still, Blackledge wants to see the 2003 draft before he proclaims 2002's quarterbacks as the No. 1 challenger to 1982.

	The Jags hope Byron Leftwich can learn the West Coast offense.

"I wouldn't immediately look at this class and say, 'Wow,'" he says. "I don't think this class is closer than that (1998) class I mentioned before."

Kiper says three quarterbacks are "locks" to go in the first round next year: Leftwich, Ragone and Grossman, assuming he skips his final year of eligibility. Also having a chance, Kiper says, are Dorsey, Simms of Texas and Palmer of Southern Cal.

In future years, Kiper believes Manning will go in the first round, and the following also have No. 1 potential: Clausen, Pickett (Washington), Smoker (Michigan State), McCown (Louisiana Tech) and Lorenzen (Kentucky).

"This is an unprecedented year for quarterbacks," Kiper says. "You just don't see this very often."

Where all these guys coming from? Fabulous gene pools, for one thing. Simms is the son of former NFL quarterback Phil Simms. Manning has a famous father (Archie) and brother (Peyton).

Additionally, high school offenses are becoming increasingly sophisticated, teaching schoolboy quarterbacks across the country how to read defenses and throw downfield.

"The high school game has adopted a lot of the college game," says Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis. "You're seeing quarterbacks coming out of high school better prepared than ever."

Additionally, high school quarterbacks are spending more time in the offseason playing football rather than pickup basketball or American Legion baseball.

"In Texas, they used to never throw in the summer," Davis says. "Now, they have these 7-on-7 passing tournaments. It's offense against defense without the down linemen, and they have passing tournaments all over the state. You've got kids playing 35 games every year -- in addition to their high school schedule."

And size no longer matters. That big kid who looks like a lineman doesn't necessarily have to be one anymore. Now he's in the pocket, taking hits, keeping his feet and throwing the ball a long way.

"Maybe at another time I'd be a linebacker," says NC State quarterback Philip Rivers, who goes 6-5, 240. "Now, I'm just another quarterback. I'm no bigger than a lot of guys."

Kiper, meanwhile, has something to add to the discussion.

"Jason Gesser," he says. "Corey Paus, Kyle Boller, Ryan Dinwiddie, Timmy Chang ..."

Gregg Doyel covers college football for The Charlotte Observer and is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.