CFB QB Rankings

There was a time last year that then-true freshman Mason Heintschel looked like Pitt's savior. He tossed six of his 16 touchdowns in that two-game span against Boston College and Florida State, finding his receivers at will to every level of the field and in every quadrant. Heintschel hit his receivers in stride and with great anticipation, leading to a ton of yards after the catch and a heap of big plays. However, as the schedule wore on, so did some more mistakes, noticeably his five red-zone turnovers that felt like they were the doom of the Panthers in each of their games last year. Still, at 6'2" and 215 pounds, Heintschel has great size, great arm talent, and the knack for making a big play when his team needed him to in some stretches a year ago; he'll just need to avoid the costly turnover when he trusts his arm or playmaking ability a bit too much to keep his growth up.

There might be a world where Drake Lindsey is a better NFL quarterback than he ever will be a college football quarterback, but that really doesn't matter: The big-armed, big-framed quarterback can flat-out play. Your prototypical pocket passer (from a college QB standpoint), Lindsey brings forth an incredible accuracy to the short and middle ranges of the field and plenty of juice to get the ball downfield at will. Reading zone defenses proved a bit taxing for Lindsey (cut to the Iowa tape) but what followed the game against the Hawkeyes in 2025 were five relatively solid outings. Fans will want to see Lindsey push the ball downfield a bit more in 2026, perhaps elevating the talent around him in the process, as the wins will likely follow. One thing is for sure: There is plenty of talent in Lindsey's game.

Without Brad Jackson in the fold, Nick Minicucci would be our clear-cut No. 1 G6 quarterback entering the 2026 season. Instead, Minicucci will have his work cut out for him to battle to the top of the Group of 6 QBs, despite some dominant play in 2025. Minicucci led the nation in air yards last year, something most casual fans likely didn't have the pleasure of watching as he consistently pushed the ball downfield and found his receivers open at every level. He was incredible in the deep portion of the field (just ask Liberty) and seemed to play better against better competition. Minicucci has no problem maximizing what the defenses give him with his arm, or breaking contain and finding receivers downfield on the move. When push comes to shove -- his 10 touchdowns on the ground attest to this -- he'll also go the extra mile and give the Blue Hens exactly what they need with his legs all the same. Minicucci is your prototypical Group of 6 quarterback who needs more national respect. But in the meantime, we'll enjoy watching his brand of football, because it doesn't come around often.

Jaden Craig put forth video-game-like numbers at Harvard over the past two seasons -- throwing for nearly 5,300 yards and 48 touchdowns in just 20 games the past two years. Craig can sling it all over the field and had no issue dominating the inferior secondaries of the Ivy League routinely in 2025. He was brilliant on throws downfield and his highlight tapes are rightfully littered with downfield dimes to streaking receivers that he perfectly places in the proverbial bread basket on the way to six points. In fact, he had 12 touchdowns last year on throws targeted 20 or more yards downfield, leading the FCS in the category. When all was said and done after four years at Harvard, he had compiled a 20-4 record as a starter during his career. Craig headed to Fort Worth as what felt like a flier to some fans, but those who had seen his level of dominance on the field with the Crimson knew better. He can flat-out play and should be viewed as a potential NFL Draft QB, proving doubters wrong who said a kid from the Ivy couldn't make it to Sundays.

The Maddux Madsen that made his triumphant return against UNLV in the Mountain West Championship Game is far more indicative of the level of play we've become accustomed to than what we saw in his 1.25 games prior to an injury sustained last year. And that level of play was good for nearly 10 yards per throw and 3 touchdowns against 0 interceptions. Madsen, at his best, is a dynamic athlete with a pass-first mentality but a dangerous 'will-do-anything' attitude for his offense. Madsen carves up the short area of the field but can also litter the deep range with accurate shots and throw open his receivers at the boundary. Despite being a bit small in stature (at least to "quarterback size guidelines"), Madsen has elevated the talent around him for two seasons now as the full-time starter -- and that includes sharing a backfield with Ashton Jeanty in 2024. He's among the most clutch quarterbacks in the country when it comes to the first 80 yards of the field, but a handful of red-zone turnovers certainly need to be cleaned up moving forward to reach that next echelon of quarterbacking that he has the talent for.

There are quarterbacks with size and then there is Caden Veltkamp. The Air Raid offense suits his skill set far better than most, but Veltkamp can diagnose defenses, make progressive reads, doing far more than the 'Air Raid QB' label of the past suggests. Veltkamp stands at 6'5" and 245 pounds, playing up to every inch and every pound in the pocket. Despite playing in an Air Raid offense, Veltkamp ranked 11th in the country last season in air yards, finishing with incredibly respectable grades in our QB Pass, QB Clutch, and QB Impact grades. This came after a 3,600-yard season through the air and another 20+ touchdown campaign. Interceptions are his lone bugaboo (17 in 2025 is cause for concern), but tidying up some of those ill-fated decisions and turnover-worthy plays should come in time. Let it be known, though, Veltkamp shines when pushing the ball down the field and some of the 'yolo' balls that he throws are a nasty but necessary byproduct of that. Fortunately, it yields positive results far more than it does negative.

Mr. Yolo himself looked like an incredibly different quarterback in 2025 as Anthony Colandrea took something off his throws, yielding incredible results. Those results led to Colandrea's transfer to Nebraska and winning the job outright for Matt Rhule and Co. with the Cornhuskers. The argument could now be made, with the level of football that Colandrea played last season with UNLV, is he the best quarterback that Rhule has ever had play for him .. at any level? Colandrea had an incredible debut with the Virginia Cavaliers back in 2023, earning our fun nickname of Mr. Yolo, but since then, it's clear he's grown into the quarterback we all wished he could be, and then some. He possesses keen backfield navigation skills, able to keep himself upright in the pocket more than most, and has no issue with pushing the ball into tight windows to every level of the field. No play is ever over with Colandrea at the helm, and since that 2023 debut as a true freshman, he's quietly and successfully improved in nearly every metric. Ultimately, his landing spot with Dan Mullen and UNLV did wonders for his game as he put forth his best season yet as a junior in 2025, giving 'Huskers fans everywhere hope for a greater tomorrow with him at the helm. Watch this kid under pressure, because again, no play is ever over, and he'll constantly turn nothing into something.

The expectations were set so sky high for Nico Iamaleava at Tennessee that it felt like he could never reach his proverbial ceiling with the Volunteers. With the proverbial limelight off him (that sounds funny to say, with him in LA now), the 2025 season was a bit of a setback in terms of statistical output, but not in his general quarterbacking skills and his mechanics. Sure, the 2025 season was a lost cause, but if you isolate what Iamaleava was able to do when he was given the time to do so, it feels like we're scratching the surface of a potential breakout with Bob Chesney at the helm. Iamaleava's prototypical size and incredible arm talent lend hope of a potential breakout season for the entire Bruins offense, not just his own game, but one will have to follow the other for this duo to be successful.

For a player like Kamario Taylor, we're banking on pure athleticism and "traits" at his ranking here. He started the final two games for Mississippi State a year ago, and in looking at those two games alone, there were certainly some throws he'd want back, and some moments that gave hope. Against Ole Miss, he was dominant on the ground, rushing for nearly 200 yards and two scores. Against Wake Forest, he flashed the arm talent, throwing for an average of 11.0 yards per completion and this was despite having multiple dropped passes on his throws. Taylor is a potential headache for defenses this season with the Bulldogs, especially if he can stay healthy and live to play another down, instead of risking his body on every play. The two-game sample size is pretty scarce and relatively scary to rank a quarterback this high, but Taylor's body of work and athletic traits lead us to believe the staff at Mississippi State has a special talent on their hands.

It didn't take long for Malik Washington to win over the staff at Maryland nor the fans of the Terps after he flashed what he's capable of in Week 1 against FAU a year ago. Washington flashed right out of the gate with eight touchdowns in his first four games and a pretty dominant display of athleticism given his massive frame and nimble feet. As the season wore on, however, it felt like the defenses got a bit tougher and his passing game took a step back, hence his rushing attempts went UP. Sure, that is nice for short-term gains, but for Washington to be considered a true dominant quarterback in the Big Ten, he'll have to match that prowess with his arm AND his legs, rather than just with his ground game. Still, when all was said and done, Washington ranks among the top 10 quarterbacks in returning air yards AND in yards after the catch, indicating he can find his receivers in space and in stride, allowing them to make plenty of plays with the ball in their hands. When all else fails, we'll hope to see him buy time in the pocket or break contain and maintain vision downfield before taking off to run with the ball in what Maryland fans can hope is a breakout sophomore season.

By far the top quarterback in the MAC, Broc Lowry is every bit of a dual-threat signal-caller that you haven't heard enough about. The former Indiana quarterback finished his first season as the full-time starter with WMU in 2025 by throwing for over 1,800 yards and rushing for another 1,000 yards on the ground. Though he never really pushed the ball downfield or was a true "threat" with his passing attack, his rushing game gave defensive coordinators fits all season long. And even though he wasn't ever a said 'threat' to throw the ball all over defenses (just two games with over 200 passing yards), he was also never a threat to turn the ball over or make costly mistakes that would change the outcome for the Broncos. As such, his pass success and rush success rates combined to be one of the best figures in the country. If Lowry can take that next step with his passing skills, we'll be talking about him contending as the top G6 quarterback this fall.

It has certainly felt like there is a lot more to Aidan Chiles than meets the eye, or at least the final results, throughout his time under Jonathan Smith -- both in 2023 with Oregon State and then 2024-25 at Michigan State. Chiles has always flashed the potential brilliance that is his game, whether it was with the Beavers (there was a handful of moments when he was inserted into the games, winning or losing, that he brought forth a unique challenge for defenses to contend with) or as the clear-cut starter for Michigan State. But it certainly felt like there was far more to be unlocked with Chiles. Those flashes at Oregon State could largely look like what his game could present at Northwestern with all the pressure in the world removed from his game. Chiles is a dynamic athlete with terrific size, though his accuracy does take a hit when he targets the ball further and further downfield. He finished seventh in QB Run grade last year despite middling success all over the field. Importantly, he led the nation with a 64.1% red zone success rate on all his dropbacks. Get into the red zone and there are few better in the country. The only question for Northwestern this year: How often will they get to the red zone?

While some quarterbacks who take the step up in competition have limited reps or pause for concern about their skillsets translating over, Colton Joseph is the opposite. We know just how good he can be against top-tier competition, playing well above his season-long level of play against Indiana and Virginia Tech a season ago with ODU. However, Joseph's struggles came during the middle of the season against top-notch defenses at the Sun Belt level where he looked like a completely different quarterback, at times lost, and struggled to find any down-to-down consistency against the likes of JMU and App State. Is Joseph more the quarterback who gave the eventual national champ Indiana defense fits? Or is he the one who struggled to find anything -- with his legs or with his arm -- against Sun Belt defenses in the middle of the season? For Wisconsin fans, you better believe the former is true and he can be a dominant, potential 3,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard rusher in the process. It's a different era of football for Wisconsin and Joseph is the perfect quarterback to usher in that new era. He'll just have to erase that midseason lull in performance in 2026, especially given he'll be playing some pretty tough Big Ten defenses during that time this year.

What the staff at Kansas State hoped they were getting with Avery Johnson back in 2023 was shown in flashes in 2024 and 2025; just ask Iowa State, Army, and Kansas. However, despite his best performances of the year, the Wildcats went 1-2 in those contests. Johnson was not to blame, though, as he still put forth strong efforts in most of Kansas State's contests a season ago, and even as far back as the 2024 season as well. He's far more dynamic as a rusher than he is a passer after three seasons with the program and he finished with his career-best 51.4% offensive rush success rate a season ago. Surprisingly, he struggles under pressure despite his athletic ability, but was a complete opposite quarterback when he was kept clean in the pocket. With what hopes to be an improved offensive line in 2026, the sky should be the limit for Johnson, if his downfield passing can catch up to his rushing ability.

Perhaps you lived under a rock the past two seasons, or perhaps you just didn't care. Well, perhaps you missed out on some downright fine examples of quarterback play if you missed the Georgia Southern passing attack from 2024 onward. JC French IV finished the 2025 season with nearly 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns, rushing for another 440+ yards and six scores, putting forth a quietly successful season that led to his transfer to Cincinnati. French isn't the biggest guy on the football field, but it doesn't matter with the way he plays football. He'll stand tall in the pocket and dish accurate shots all over the field, mainly spending time carving the middle of the field against lesser-matched defenses, ideally the latter of which should translate over for the Bearcats in 2026. He's experienced and has a great ability of finding his receivers in stride or throwing them open, working very well with a less-than-star-studded cast of receivers around him at Georgia Southern the past few years. With a much improved roster around him, don't be surprised if you start to hear much more from French (and Cincinnati in the process).

A 'hard-fought battle' ended two weeks prior to the start of the season when Keelon Russell was officially named the starter over Austin Mack in Tuscaloosa. As many may indicate, however, this feels very much like it was a pre-determined outcome with one of the highest-recruited athletes in the recent QB recruiting pipeline. Russell ranked as the No. 2 overall prospect behind only Bryce Underwood, and the Crimson Tide plucked him right out of Texas to bring him to Alabama. In the new era of the transfer portal, playing time means more than ever, and Russell absolutely needs to see the field. Even still, when you look at the limited sample size in which we saw him a year ago, the predetermined outcome seems even more legit. On just 17 dropbacks a year ago, Russell was downright impressive with his arm. He dissected the starters of UL-Monroe to the etune of 2 TDs and a ridiculous 10.8 yards per attempt, while he was able to showcase a more methodical approach to his more extended time against Eastern Illinois during Cupcake Week. Russell is a dynamic thrower and an incredible athlete. He has a knack for the big play but also understands -- at the level of high school football he played -- when to risk the biscuit, and when to take what the defenses give him. The NFL will love what they see, but fortunately for college football fans, if all goes to plan, we get to watch him for two seasons with the Crimson Tide. Again, that's if all goes to plan. And you better believe this is the lowest we'd ever find him if that does happen.

What a frustrating two-year experiment at Florida it was for DJ Lagway (and viewers/fans). He never truly felt comfortable in two seasons as the starter, and though we have enough throws to go off of for a complete evaluation, it almost feels like for a quarterback like Lagway, you have to bring in some of his incredible high school tape to round out his game. Lagway is a massive 6'3" and throws like it. Though his throwing motion can feel a bit cumbersome at times, Lagway does have the sound ability to hit every level of the field and hit it with haste. Can he improve his accuracy, though? Because that's what seemed to struggle at Florida despite being one of the hallmarks of his dominant high school days. When push comes to shove, Lagway has all the talent in the world to be a top-10 quarterback in the country, but will a change of scenery and staff pay off as quickly as one season? Baylor fans will hope so, Lagway fans will hope so, but until then, it's Florida fans who will remain happiest that he's in the Big 12 now.

What started out as a halfway decent year in Dublin to open the 2025 campaign, Rocco Becht's season quickly unraveled (as did Iowa State's) around the Week 7 mark against Colorado before completely falling off the rails in Week 9 against BYU. Unlike Iowa State as a whole, however, Becht was able to rebound and make amends for some midseason mistakes and questions about his game with a solid two-game stretch to end the season. In that two-game stretch against Kansas and Oklahoma State, he gave early 2023 vibes and some strong growth-from-2024 vibes all the same. He's a strong-armed passer with some accuracy concerns downfield, but his vision has seemingly improved with every season, even if the success didn't follow for his team. Now with Penn State, in friendly confines in terms of a staff and roster makeup around him, Becht has one last go to prove his worth. If he plays like he did to close out the season, we'll be talking about happy times in Happy Valley this season (something the university desperately needs at this time).

Carlos Del Rio-Wilson likely could've jumped ship to the Power Four this past offseason but it feels very much like he's found a home with the Thundering Herd. After two years of middling success that showcased some brilliant flashes, Del Rio-Wilson made the move from Syracuse to Marshall and put forth the best season of his young career. He's much bigger than you'd think for 6'2" and 225 pounds, playing like it with his ground game and pocket presence, possessing plenty of arm talent to hit every level of the field. Del Rio-Wilson caught fire early last season and capped his dominance through the middle of the year with a brilliant showing against Georgia State in which he completed over 80% of his passes with 300 yards and 3 touchdowns to his name. That's the pinnacle of what he can bring to the table, and in that game, he elevated the talent around him, something Marshall will need more of in 2026.

The left-handed, fleet of foot Micah Alejado was downright awesome in 2025 -- after a rough start to the year. Yes, they got the highlight-reel win over Stanford in Week 0, but a lackluster performance against Mountain West powerhouse Fresno State gave cause for concern that he was the right man for the job under Timmy Chang and Co. However, following that stinker against Fresno State, Alejado threw three touchdowns in four consecutive games to announce his place among the top G6 signal-callers, routinely dotting the football all over the field with accuracy and touch. He has plenty of creation capacity to make things happen if the pocket collapses, allowing him to play to his size a bit better than most in his shoes. He'll make things happen that aren't there and when he does break contain, he's a tough cookie to bring down. The thing with Alejado, though, is that he doesn't have to break contain very often because he's a fast reader and gets the ball out extremely quickly when he's kept clean from pressure. Alejado is no stranger to strong play under pressure, either, and his 3,000 yards showcase that very well. Without those first three games, Alejado's national reputation is much stronger than it is right now -- which would only be right in this day and age.

Gone are the days of the Service Academies running the ball on every play with only the occasional pop pass out of the backfield or trick throw from a running back. The new-age triple-option attack has downfield passing baked right in, and Liam Szarka ushered that 2025 version in so well, the Falcons almost lived up to their name: Air Force. Szarka threw for 1,294 yards and 9 touchdowns a season ago, throwing multiple touchdowns in three outings, giving Mountain West defenses a newfound wrinkle to address in their game prep for Air Force. He was accurate with the ball when tasked with throwing downfield and, surprisingly, they utilized a standard dropback passing attack more than they did play action a season ago. That speaks volumes to Szarka's downfield throwing ability, even if he did benefit greatly from the play fakes. On the ground, Szarka is exactly who you'd think he is: A dominant athlete with the ball in his hands, a cerebral brain who orchestrates a great offense, and a nimble ball carrier with plenty of juice to make defenders miss or bowl them over in tight corridors. Szarka ran for nearly 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns last year, and though the wins didn't follow (most not his fault if we're pointing fingers), he made the Air Force offense tick with brilliant precision. The future is bright for the Falcons with him at the helm, either on the ground or through the air.

There is a lot of hope in Corvallis entering the 2026 season and the majority of that is thanks to Braden Atkinson, the baller from Mercer. Atkinson threw for nearly 3,600 yards a season ago with Mercer, tossing 34 touchdowns and lighting up the field against almost every opponent. Atkinson even showed out against Auburn in Week 13 a season ago before things got out of hand (no thanks to Mercer's defense in that one). At his best, Atkinson is a dominant deep passer with accuracy and touch. He's no stranger to pushing the limits of his throws to the outside, but thrives over the middle of the field where his vision is among the best in the entire transfer portal class. The only hesitation to having Atkinson much higher in our initial rankings is the delay in seeing how much his skills correlate to the step up in competition right out of the gate with Oregon State. Still, the throws he's made, the accuracy he possesses, and the zip on his passes that he can make, we have no doubt that we'll see him rise pretty healthily in 2026.

With Cale Hellums running point at quarterback, this Army team will be a force to be reckoned with. Hellums was dominant on the ground a year ago, adding in a nice wrinkle with his downfield passing. Unlike Liam Szarka at Air Force, however, Hellums' top weapon in his arsenal is his work on the ground. Last year, Hellums ranked 16th in the country in rush success rate, torching defenses left and right to the tune of 1,215 yards and 18 touchdowns. With Hellums leading the show, the Army offense was nearly impossible to get off the field. In fact, his combined third- and fourth-down conversion rate ranked third in the country a season ago and second among returning quarterbacks (only behind Jayden Maiava). When he did take to the air, Hellums was remarkably accurate most of the time. He was sharp on rollouts and plays in which he found open throwing lanes with his legs, ranking first in EPA per pressured dropback. The Black Knights were hardly out of any contest with Hellums' combined abilities, but mainly because pressure clearly didn't faze him.

There is so much to like about the left-handed Owen McCown after four years of meaningful football at the collegiate level. McCown clearly found his home at UTSA and has now thrown for back-to-back 3,000-yard seasons with at least 25 touchdowns in each of the past two years. All told, however, the 2025 season felt a bit like a step back in terms of his downfield accuracy and progressive read game, as he was a bit more inconsistent than he showcased in 2024 with the Roadrunners. Still, McCown is a big-armed quarterback who plays bigger than his listed frame. He's no stranger to creating with his legs, but unlike his 2024 season, seems like he acutely tried to avoid taking off with the ball in 2025. McCown has a strong ability when working from left to right, but showed some troubles when working the opposite direction, or just simply: to the right. Improving his down-to-down consistency and maybe being given the freedom to create a bit more could behoove his game, but we know his floor at this point. And that's a good thing for UTSA.

It's hard to believe that KJ Jackson didn't flash more a season ago and that it took him three years in the Arkansas program to earn the right to be the starter. But playing behind someone like Taylen Green should have its benefits when all is said and done. In his limited action to date, the big-armed and big-framed quarterback has shown to have through-the-roof potential both on the ground and through the air. Jackson threw for 441 yards and three touchdowns -- seeing extended action against Texas and Missouri to end the season. In those outings specifically, save for one bad fumble, the future could be bright for the Razorbacks if what they saw has been improved and brought to life consistently. With a full offseason camp as the QB1 (yes, they had to 'announce he was the starter' but, let's face it, he was the guy this offseason), the future could be very bright in Fayetteville. With improved mechanics, a slowed-down pace of play, and some improvements to his reads to the outside of the field, Jackson could impress -- too bad their schedule didn't do them a whole lot of favors to start the year.

Once upon a time, the Syracuse offense looked pretty dominant in 2025. That was clearly when Steve Angeli was in the lineup and on the field. Despite playing in just four games, Angeli threw for 1,317 yards and 10 touchdowns, lighting up the field with his ability to spray the field with accurate and powerful shots. We're left to wonder what would've been for the Orange in 2025 had Angeli stayed healthy, and now left to wonder at what capacity we'll see him to start the year following the Achilles injury. Will he be the same driver of the football? Can he muster the same level of creative nature to his pocket presence that he maintained in the first three games? Hopefully the answers to all of those are 'yes' and he also doesn't play with any timidity in the pocket.

Lest we all forget, Austin Simmons once beat out Trinidad Chambliss for the starting role at Ole Miss to start the season a year ago. But, we all certainly can't forget that he lost the job to Chambliss all the same. While the latter looks less meaningful after Chambliss' explosion onto the scene and his successes, the calls mounting for Simmons' benching during the Kentucky game in Week 2 give pause for much success past that Week 1 outing now at Missouri. However, the system with the Tigers may fit Simmons' strengths a bit more, so taking into consideration his whole body of work to date and not just two starts last year, Simmons is set up for a potential breakout year. He's a solid quarterback in terms of mechanics and has no issue with driving the ball into tight windows, but the Missouri system sets him up to take something off his throws and allow his receivers to do a lot of the work after the catch. That will certainly be of great benefit to a quarterback who struggled with accuracy and pushing the ball to the boundary a season ago.

For the first time in Cameran Brown's career, he's staying put at the same university for consecutive seasons. That's after a season at West Georgia, a transfer to Texas Tech, and then a subsequent transfer 'down' to Georgia State. In 2025, Brown finally found his footing with the Panthers, throwing for nearly 1,300 yards and 13 touchdowns. He took great care of the football with just 1 interception but he did play a safer brand of football than most. On the ground, Brown rushed the ball for an average of nearly 6.0 yards per run, scoring another four touchdowns, but it felt a bit like the offense was stuck in the mud against some stout interior and defensive fronts. When at his best, Brown is able to sit in the pocket and allow his receivers to open up downfield, using his accuracy and touch to loft the ball downfield for big plays. He was fifth in the nation last season in clean-pocket EPA per dropback, one of those ever-fun stable metrics that lend hope to potentially bigger things to come in 2026. Head coach Dell McGee will certainly like if that remains true because that likely means more wins will come this fall than they did last year. Unfortunately, Brown's improved play may not be the end-all for this team, but it's certainly a must-watch moment whenever Brown takes the field.

Even when you adjust for strength of opponent (and yes, we do that, but we don't just stop there, we figure the strength of the opponent at the time in which they played their opponents), Bryce Underwood underperformed a year ago. Yes, the No. 1 overall high school player was not going to be able to live up to the lofty expectations set by some massive figure that was thrown around in terms of his NIL, but even with those lofty expectations and not living up to those, it felt like Underwood struggled at every turn. There is a lot to like about his overall game, his frame, and his skillset that he possesses, but he just simply didn't turn any of those into promising aspects for future growth as a true freshman a season ago. The further he pushed the ball downfield, the worse his accuracy was. The more he stood tall in the pocket (even clean ones!), the slower his reads got. Unless Underwood was rolling out to his right side, the throwing lanes just didn't appear for him or the Michigan offense with him at the helm. As it stands right now, the 54th overall rank here is the ceiling for Underwood, until he unlocks another dimension in his game.

In what some may have seen as a shocker, Michael Van Buren Jr. won the starting job at USF under first-year head coach Brian Hartline. Van Buren, a two-time transfer, comes in from LSU after starting his college career at Mississippi State. Though he threw for 1,012 yards and eight scores with four starts at LSU a season ago, it still feels like the majority of the reps that indicate who he is as a quarterback belong to that 2024 season at MSU. In that season, he tossed 11 touchdowns, with a majority of potential highlight-reel throws to his credit. He also flashed some dominance on the ground, despite the offense really not asking him to. Van Buren proved in 2025, however, that he has some clutch moments in his genes and plenty of creative capacity to maintain his vision downfield and still unleash accurate passes on the move. We'll patiently await his further development after winning the job, but it feels very much like Van Buren is the perfect quarterback for this Hartline offense: one who can open up defenses with his legs before pushing the ball downfield with his arm.

Ashton Daniels is arguably one of the most frustrating quarterback evaluations on the market today. There is SO much to like about his game and SO much talent in his right arm. But there are a handful of boneheaded decisions that literally make you scratch your head. For FSU fans, at his best, Daniels can remind some of a bigger, more powerful, more accurate Jordan Travis. But also for FSU fans, at his worst, he can remind them of James Blackman lofting throws into double coverage (or even like EJ Manuel's lackluster ball security in the pocket; if you know, you know). Seminole fans will certainly hope that Daniels' game is more like Travis' than Blackman's, but odds are, we'll see both versions of him in 2026. During his best season at Stanford, Daniels pushed the envelope to the outside, finding his receivers in stride deep down the field seemingly at will. With elite speed and size on the outside this season in Tallahassee, the sky could be the limit for Daniels and this offense if all goes right.

In a small sample size back in 2024, Beau Pribula looked like quite the pick-up for Missouri in the transfer portal. He flashed behind Drew Allar and even opened up his Mizzou career with a bang, throwing for seven touchdowns in his first three games and rushing for another three. But those solid performances were soon marred by a forgettable SEC stretch in which he logged four fumbles on the ground and eight picks. Both zone and man-heavy defenses really confused him as the season went along, ultimately leading to his jump to the ACC with Virginia. With the Hoos, Pribula should look to hone in on his downfield accuracy, over-the-middle touch, and utilize his legs to his advantage when necessary. The Cavaliers roster is set up with a talented running back room to aid him, but before defenses start keying on the run game, Pribula will have to make them fear the passing attack, and that's where they could get in trouble in Charlottesville this season.

The arrow is pointing up for the Kentucky Wildcats with Kenny Minchey at the helm. So long as you read the good reports out of camp that is. And to be fair, that's all that we really have to go on despite his three seasons at Notre Dame that saw him throw a total of 29 passes -- 26 of which came in 2025 during mop-up duty for the Fighting Irish. Minchey, however, does present as a potential problem for SEC defenses this fall with Kentucky, looking like a much bigger and potentially rocked-up 6'2" and 211 pounds with plenty of arm talent to boot. Minchey's proverbial ceiling will be that of what once made him a four-star recruit and a prized commitment for the Irish back in the class of 2023. Minchey's high school tape was littered with plenty of strong moments. Even if he's more of a pocket passer, he's certainly capable of making things happen on the move, with his legs, outside of the pocket. Can he be the piece that makes this new-look Kentucky offense GO that Will Stein will institute this season? Wildcats' fans certainly hope so.

Back to the Big Ten he goes as Katin Houser returns to the midwest after a two-year stint with ECU. That two-year stint was certainly worth the time for Houser as he honed his craft and broke out during the 2025 season with the Pirates. A year ago, Houser threw for 3,323 yards and 19 touchdowns, doing the majority of his damage against inferior defenses with lackluster cornerbacks. When he did match up against a strong defense on the back-end (notably BYU and Tulane), Houser struggled to find his accuracy and his receivers altogether. But, those were two games out of 12 a year ago, and he was a pretty solid quarterback in every other facet in those 10 games for ECU. With Illinois, however, it's a bigger and much more difficult ask as each defense they'll play has a potential lockdown cornerback. Can Houser shake the ills that plagued his final season at Michigan State and the early stages of his ECU career or will he be the quarterback that lit up the field with his arm against Coastal, Tulsa, and Memphis a year ago?

My vote for best quarterback name entering the season is Lunch Winfield who emerged on the scene against Marshall in Week 5 last year. After three seasons with the program, Winfield finally broke into the starting lineup after a dramatic in-game insertion against the Thundering Herd last season. In that game, he threw for nearly 10.0 yards an attempt and threw two touchdowns. He followed that up with a near-scare for JMU and ultimately went on to throw for 11 touchdowns and 1,554 yards. Making matters even more difficult for Sun Belt defensive coordinators to contend with, Winfield also ran for 743 yards and nine touchdowns last year. He's a big-bodied quarterback at 6'2" and 225 pounds, who looks to pass first despite being a gifted athlete on the ground. Winfield is elusive in the open field and in the pocket all the same. The next step in his development will be increasing his accuracy and his pace of play from the pocket, something that seemed to struggle and drag on as the season played out last year.

The North Carolina tenure for Gio Lopez started off rocky, ended OK, and had a handful of questionable decisions in between. Was that the situation at UNC or was that Lopez is the real question as we enter 2026 at Wake Forest. Lopez -- at least at South Alabama -- was dominant with his legs and added a subsequent dimension with his arm talent for the most part. A runner first with the Jaguars, his passing really took a step back with UNC in 2025, giving some pause for concern as he joins the fray at Wake for the 2026 season. Jake Dickert knows how to utilize his quarterbacks, however, meaning he should hopefully have more of a South Alabama gameplan for Lopez than what the Tar Heels trotted him out to do in 2025. If that's the case, and Lopez pulls off more of a John Mateer-type role for this offense (something that would behoove him and his skillset), then the lowest we'll see him on these rankings is right here and right now.

Bishop Davenport is a fun evaluation due to his career trajectory and career arc, transferring in from Utah State, fighting for the starting role in a QB battle all season long in 2024 before ultimately earning the nod in 2025 for the Jaguars. The fun doesn't end there because it felt like he improved as the season went along (except for that Texas State performance to end the year), as Davenport threw for over 2,000 yards and 12 touchdowns to go with nearly 500 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. He's a nimble man on the ground but lacks true elusiveness once he breaks contain, however, the mainstay of his game is his power in his arm. Can he add a tracking system to his throws, or is he going to continue to try and get by on arm strength alone in 2026? If he's taken something off his throws and figures out how to push the ball into more open spaces, his game will certainly improve from power passer to actual dual-threat quarterback in no time.

It should come as absolutely no surprise that Aaron Philo won the starting job with the Gators after he followed his former offensive coordinator down to Gainesville. Philo presents as a potential high-floor type of quarterback after he led the nation (if you took away sample sizes and snap counts) in multiple EPA metrics, mostly due to a ridiculous one-game outing against Gardner-Webb in Week 2 last year. But if that's the game and overall ability that UF fans can expect to see, the quick-footed Philo will certainly raise his place here. Philo threw for 373 yards against Gardner-Webb last year, dissecting the defense from inside the pocket at will. He threw multiple downfield shots in that game that made you wonder if the future of the Georgia Tech program was indeed his. Instead, he follows Buster Faulkner down I-75 in hopes of giving the Gators their first real passing threat as a quarterback in some time.

What a career it's been for Jaylen Raynor so far. After three years as the starter at Arkansas State, Raynor nearly maximized everything he could possibly maximize during his time with the Red Wolves. Raynor threw for over 2,500 yards in each season as the starter, throwing for 8,693 yards and 52 touchdowns in three years. His last season was certainly his best by a statistical measure, but it felt like he actually took a step back with his accuracy downfield and his decision-making. He got away with some questionable throws and some bad decisions a year ago, all mostly products of his vision seemingly waning as the season opened. What gives a bit more concern for his growth are his struggles against top-rated defenses a season ago despite his statistical output. He threw a combined seven interceptions in his Power Four contests + Southern Miss -- all three opponents who put defensive back talent into the 2026 NFL Draft. With the Cyclones this fall, it's likely that he'll play even more talented defenses, on a weekly basis, and hope to rattle off some better decisions and bring his accuracy back up. No more 'yolo' balls at Iowa State will also go a long way for Raynor.

It felt like an automatic for Ethan Grunkemeyer to follow his head coach to Virginia Tech as the former highly-rated high school recruit takes his talents to Blacksburg with James Franklin. Though he played in the majority of games for Penn State last year, it was without a clear-cut identity nor coaching staff in the fold that really gives much hope or much to rely on in terms of evaluation. The end of the season at Penn State last year felt like a lost cause for all involved, so if you rewind the clocks back, this is the same quarterback who dominated the Elite 11 in a class with Julian Sayin, DJ Lagway, Dylan Raiola, CJ Carr, and a cast of other incredibly talented high school quarterbacks. Grunkemeyer's size and frame match his potential accuracy, and as long as his decision-making looks more like the game he played against Clemson, Hokie fans will be proud to call him their own.

It's the Christopher Vizzina show at Clemson -- and it's about time. Sure, Cade Klubnik had his moments, but it felt like this Clemson offense has been held back by their quarterback situation for some time now. Is Vizzina the answer that unlocks all of the potential this Tigers' offense has, though? To answer that, you must first go back to who he was as a recruit and why head coach Dabo Swinney made such efforts to bring him to Clemson in the first place. A four-star recruit in the talented 2023 class, Vizzina drew comparisons to former No. 2 overall pick Mitchell Trubisky. Say what you will about that comparison now, the fact remains, Trubisky had all the talent in the world, and it appears so does Vizzina. Can he put it all together after two years of development? In limited college action, he has shown that he can -- notably in his lone start last year against SMU where he threw for three touchdowns and over 300 yards, despite a lot of those coming after the catch. He'll need to improve his pocket presence and his downfield accuracy from the limited samples as we do have, before we can crown him anything other than a mid-tier ACC QB.

It's a shame that Will Hammond couldn't finish what he started last season and that the injury will mar the start of his 2026. That is why, after all, the Red Raiders went out and got Brendan Sorsby (before that fell apart) and Tommy Castellanos (for however long that lasts) in the portal this offseason. Still, when Hammond is healthy, his high-level play is pretty special. He lit up the field against Utah, accurately dropping passes to every level of the field and playing a brand of cerebral football that stymied the Utes defense. Hammond followed that up, sadly, with some troubling performances before ultimately sustaining his ACL injury against Oklahoma State in Week 9. If Hammond is more of the guy we saw against Utah (cool, calm in the pocket with dominant accuracy and power to every level), the Red Raiders have their answer at quarterback and we'll see him rise in these rankings quickly. Unfortunately, with how aggressive TTU has been in the portal for a quarterback, all signs are pointing toward Hammond being a bit behind in his recovery before he puts up some impressive performances on the field.

The ultimate career arc of the transfer portal era belongs to Noah Kim. After two years at Michigan State that saw some great success as a freshman, led to him being essentially ousted as a sophomore, landing at Coastal Carolina in 2024 before ultimately finding his proverbial forever home with Eastern Michigan, Kim is back and hopefully better than ever with the Eagles this season. Again, after such a traveled career to date, staying put in the same system with EMU should behoove him and improve his and Eastern Michigan's offensive successes in 2026. Although, after such promise with Michigan State in 2022, the following season in the same surroundings, Kim was a shell of that quarterback. But this should be different for Kim and EMU as he's older and got to start every game a year ago with some halfway decent success. In 2025, Kim threw for 2,822 yards and 18 touchdowns, but did receive some interception luck down the stretch of the season that could've seen his interception totals surpass where they ended up. Kim is no stranger to keeping things interesting in the pocket but he really struggled under pressure a season ago, something he'll have to improve upon unless the EMU offensive line miraculously gets better.

It's a big world out there and JJ Kohl is a big quarterback. From Iowa State to App State to FIU in three seasons, it could be said that the offense that FIU wants to run more suits Kohl's passing style than any scenario he's been in to date in college. Kohl is a pocket passer by trade and his massive 6'7", 250-pound frame gives him the advantage to see over any collapsing line and present as a bigger target than even the most talented defensive ends he'll face in the CUSA this season. Kohl is dominant when throwing over the middle of the field, but surprisingly struggled to find his No. 1 receivers on the outside -- and not just to his left, but also to his right. If he can maintain his accuracy and his vision to the outside portions of the field, or even if those can catch up to half of what his successes are over the middle of the field, then the FIU offense will once again hum. At the very least, Kohl makes this offense an intriguing passing attack to watch due to his arm strength and over-the-middle prowess.

What goes around comes around, and for Utah State, what comes back around is McCae Hillstead. The former starting quarterback from 2023 is back and ready for more as the starting quarterback in Logan once again. Hillstead transferred out after that 2023 season, landing at BYU before seeing the field for just five dropbacks as a passer and seven carries over his time in Provo. When you look back at his level of play in 2023, there was a lot to like for the Aggies moving forward. Back in that 2023 season, Hillstead played with a bit of a 'yolo', peppering the balls downfield with ease, including some dominant showings to the deep portion of the field. He elevated the talent around him that season and made the Utah State offense fun to watch to open the season. That JMU outing was one for the ages in fact. Can that be the QB he is now with Utah State, three years removed? Or has the game proverbially passed him by? Aggie fans will certainly hope it's the former and not the latter here.

It's hard to judge Braxton Woodson on his lone start from a season ago given it was against Notre Dame, so we won't hold that too much against him as he enters the year as Navy's starting man. Woodson has played plenty of ball to make a more accurate judgement of his potential with the Midshipmen and his flashes have certainly given hints of some terrific potential and a much higher ceiling than what he enters the year with. Even Woodson's game against Notre Dame had it's bright moments (115 yards on the ground and 1 TD), but it was his outing against USF in a more extended capacity that showcased his full skillset and what the nation can likely see more of this fall. At 6'3" and 215 pounds, he's not your typical triple-option Navy QB; in fact, he's far from it. Yet, despite his size and stature, Woodson rushes well and actually showed more weakness in the passing attack than he did on the ground. On 43 carries last year, he averaged 9.9 yards per run and scored six times, giving him 10 rushing touchdowns over his three seasons. But through the air, he hasn't thrown a TD since Week 14 of the 2024 season and has mimicked his TD and INT totals through three seasons. If he can use his size to his advantage, some passing lanes should open up and he should be able to improve in aerial game while relying on his legs to start. Navy would certainly win some games if he did so as well.

Yes, we're banking on the athletic traits and the former high-floor recruiting platform that Jackson Arnold once had, not the most recent body of work that indicates he'll still split time with Alex Orji at UNLV this fall. Arnold, at his best, is a dynamic athlete and brings to the table a terrific set of off-script ability. What he lacks is the down-to-down consistency that plagued his time at Oklahoma and his 2025 season with the Rebels. When all is said and done, he was likely brought to UNLV to be the pass-first quarterback that Orji isn't, but Arnold must not have sold himself as the guy either. That is, of course, unless he takes that next step and showcases some of the flashes that we saw as a true freshman in Norman when he threw four touchdowns early on in his career and looked every bit the part of a dynamic dual-threat quarterback with solid fundamentals as a QB. When Orji's on the field, you better believe it's to run the ball as he struggled mightily with the Michigan Wolverines to throw the ball with any consistency five yards past the line of scrimmage. Orji is a very talented runner with a massive frame and if the plan is to have a two-headed rushing attack at quarterback, the Rebels have it. Otherwise, this may be a long season for their receivers.

Jack Layne may not start the season as the team's quarterback, but that is not indicative of his talent, instead it's due to a nagging injury that he sustained over the summer apparently. Layne, however, has proven to look the part for New Mexico, even more so than he ever did at Idaho over his first three seasons with the Vandals. In his first season with the Lobos, Layne threw for nearly 2,500 yards but struggled to find the end zone or convert on money downs. All this led to a solid passing attack but a low grade in clutch situations. He has great size and is incredibly nimble for his frame, as he can routinely make some things happen that aren't there, either by throwing on the run or taking off on a scramble. With a clean bill of health, he gives the Lobos a chance in every game, and that's a far cry from recent memory in Albuquerque.

The 2025 season at Boston College didn't quite go the way .. well .. anyone thought it should or could. Given the way Dylan Lonergan started his BC career (8 touchdowns in his first two games), it looked like the Eagles were ready to fly high and contend for the ACC once again. However, Lonergan threw just four touchdowns after Week 2 and finished the season with a lowly mark across all our facets. So, why is there promise for him at Rutgers? You have to bank on the traits and go back to what made him such a highly sought-after recruit once upon a time, and why he ultimately landed at Alabama out of high school. Lonergan has prototypical tools and skills. He's likely a better NFL Draft prospect than he has shown to be a college QB at this point of his career because his game bodes well for an NFL offense rather than a college one. That is, of course, until he landed at Rutgers, essentially the slowest-paced, most NFL-ready offense that lacks NFL-level talent in the country. While we can likely expect Lonergan to give some life to the Scarlet Knights' offense in 2026, the rigors of their schedule and the way their Big Ten foes align likely means they'll struggle to compete. That doesn't mean we can't expect big things from Lonergan himself as he brings to the table a great throwing motion, strong mechanics, and an ability to hit every level of the field (even if he only pushed the ball in spurts last season with BC, it was still there). More downfield passing and less underneath dinking-and-dunking should behoove his game as well as Rutgers' offensive prowess this fall.

From Tennessee to Indiana to UCF to North Texas, the life of a quarterback in college football can surely be a well-traveled one, just ask Tayven Jackson. After a year in Central Florida with UCF, Jackson finally found his footing and grasped the starting role by Week 2 with the Knights. He struggled in Big 12 play, however, except for strong showings against West Virginia and Oklahoma State. Outside of those two strong showings, Jackson showed exactly what kept him from earning him much playing time at Tennessee or his second season at Indiana in 2024, showcasing inconsistent accuracy and a slow ability to read defenses post-snap. Despite a 10-8 TD to INT ratio, it felt like Jackson actually put the ball in harm's way more often than he threw his receivers open with UCF in 2025, he just got the benefit of the doubt of a strong few showings that helped buoy his numbers positively. He earned the job to start at North Texas as Neal Brown tabbed him as his guy in his first season at the helm, so he certainly did enough right in camp to land the role. The jury is still out, though, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the same inconsistencies kick right back up, especially against better secondaries.

Just when it looked like Goose Crowder was going to take the starting role and run with it for the first time in his collegiate career, he went down against Memphis in Week 3 and didn't return until Week 12 against ODU. This was after two seasons with Troy and two seasons prior to that with West Virginia where he logged a handful of snaps in the backfield. Crowder, who plays a much bigger and less agile game than you'd almost prefer, still made it work early on in 2025 before the injury, and he returned with a vengeance. He threw for seven touchdowns in his first two starts after returning, lighting up the scoreboard against Georgia State and Southern Miss. The reality came back down to Earth, however, for the Trojans when they lost in the title game to JMU and looked a shell of themselves against Jacksonville State in the bowl game. How much of that is on Crowder or the cast around him remains to be seen, but despite those two/three strong outings last year, there was a lot left to be desired. Perhaps a full clean bill of health all season long will avoid those highs and lows and instead give Troy a better chance of making it back to the Sun Belt title game and actually competing.

Despite landing at his third school in as many seasons, Malachi Singleton has put forth a decent sample size in terms of evaluatable quarterback play. In 2025 with Purdue, Singleton played lackluster meaningful minutes against a Northwestern team that was void of much talent but played better against a much better Washington secondary in Week 12. Back with Arkansas in 2024, Singleton cleaned up against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, but flashed some serious potential with his dual-threat abilities against Ole Miss. However, that was Week 10 of the 2024 season and we really haven't seen that Singleton since. He's a run-first type quarterback with decent arm talent, begging the question about whether the step down in competition will take his game to the next level or will he play down to those around him. Time will tell, but he does have the glimmer of hope for this App State team in need of a jolt of lightning at the quarterback position.

So what exactly do we know about Blaze Berlowitz and just how long will he keep Jared Curtis out of the lineup at Vandy? In the new era of college football, you better believe he must have done something right this fall camp to keep Curtis from getting the nod, so we look at the snaps he has played during his career at New Mexico State or with the Commodores so far. And the rough part is, there aren't a lot of them. Berlowitz has played just sparingly in two different seasons -- 2023 with the Aggies and 2025 with the 'Dores. In fairness to him, in those mop-up situations, he's been consistent, but certainly leaving more to be desired and learned. At 6'3" and 200 pounds, he has the size with his frame to add a bit more mass to his game, and against Georgia State showcased he at least has the willingness to throw the ball downfield, but will the accuracy match that willingness? Again I say it, if he beat out Curtis, then that's one thing and kudos to him, if not, you have to think this will be a short leash for him as the starter in Nashville.

We're getting to the first of the true freshman starters for major programs -- or, well, the only true freshman starter for a major Power Four program it appears. Faizon Brandon will take the reins for the Volunteers from Week 1 and hopefully for Vols' fans, until he leaves to go pro. College football fans know how lofty QB expectations have been the bane of Tennessee fans' existence over the past few seasons but it does feel different with Brandon. The No. 3 overall QB and No. 3 overall player in this last year's class of 2026, Brandon is already equipped with the size and frame of a seasoned veteran at the position. His high school tape is littered with accurate dots all over the field and strong decision-making. Despite missing a large portion of his senior season, Brandon lost just one game as a starter, finishing with a 35-1 record for Grimsley HS. A dual-sport athlete, Brandon also showcase some incredible athleticism in testing drills, leading one to believe he'll have plenty of creation capacity and the ability to make something out of nothing on a routine basis. He finds himself near the bottom of the P4 starters and at the SEC barrel, but that's solely because we haven't seen him take a college snap before. Better believe if the hype is real, he's one to quickly move up here.

You can't help but watch Cutter Boley and want .. more .. from him. At 6'5" and 215 pounds, Boley has the size of a big-armed signal-caller who pushes the ball downfield with ease. Yet, at Kentucky last season, his release felt laborsome and his drive on the football felt lazy. Many errant throws left viewers wanting more and far too many ill-fated decisions left a sour taste in the mouths of those watching or in attendance. Even in the games in which he had a solid or well above-average completion percentage, he rarely pushed the ball downfield and if felt like he started telegraphing his throws. Boley is at his best when he's able to stand tall -- literally -- in the pocket and diagnose defenses on the fly, throwing to in-breaking routes over the middle of the field. He struggles when he has to make something happen on his own or drive on the ball outside the hashes. Can he fix that with a shortened release? Or are Arizona State fans doomed to wanting more from the big quarterback? Time will tell -- and sure, coach talk out of camp is coach talk -- the proof will be in the pudding on Saturdays.

If Colton Joseph was a dual-threat quarterback that lit up the scoreboard and stat sheets for ODU, then Quinn Henicle is a threat himself, just not a dual-threat (yet). What we know about Henicle is that he's fast. Like fast-fast. Henicle dominated on the ground against USF last year, his only start after Joseph hit the portal, rushing for two touchdowns and 144 yards but he showcased his weakness at the same time. He's a run-first quarterback who uses his legs when he can't get the ball to his first or second read. Was that just the bowl game and a short window of preparation that led to the struggles in the passing game, or was that just who Henicle is? Either way, he's going to make ODU very exciting when he's on the field, but can he make them compete by adding in some much-needed improvements to his passing game is the real question.

It's been a while since Kent State had an answer at quarterback. In fact, it's been since Dustin Crum lit up the field with his arm and legs that the Golden Flashes even had someone worthy of the name: quarterback. That is, of course, until Dru DeShields came into the fray. Starting as a redshirt-sophomore last season following two injury-marred seasons with Kent State, DeShields took his time to get acclimated but finished the season strong. His shining moment: a 5-TD game against Akron in midweek MACtion with the country watching that showcased who he is at his best. Unfortunately, despite some solid plays in crunch time (sixth-highest EPA in close-game situations in the country), he was far too inconsistent on a down-for-down basis to really drive any fear in opposing defensive coordinators last year. He can sling it, don't get me wrong -- just look at his downfield passing numbers -- but the inconsistencies that come from starting your first action after three years with a program showed up big time last year. Hopefully in 2026, he's wiped that clean and he's ready for his proverbial sophomore leap, even if it is his junior season.

Who knows what would have happened to A) Oklahoma State's 2025 season had Hauss Hejny not gotten hurt in Week 1 and B) to Hejny himself had he not gotten hurt. He looked every bit the part against UT-Martin in Week 1 last year, earning the starting role for Oklahoma State after transferring in from TCU. But a broken foot sidelined him for the rest of the season and the rest is history after the terrible season for Oklahoma State a year ago. With the whole new regime entering the picture, Hejny opted for the portal before Eric Morris and Co. came to town, landing with Colorado State and coach Jim Mora's new era of football for the Rams. Hejny has plenty to like about his game, presenting as a uniquely capable dual-threat despite lacking a bit in the size arena. That first half against UT-Martin seemed like it was ready to showcase what he was capable of truly as he ran for a score and threw for another, but it was never meant to be. His former recruiting platform indicates the same, and hopefully for Colorado State and Rams' fans, the broken foot is healed and won't hinder his game at all moving forward.

It's dire times for the Tar Heels if they're taking to Billy Edwards Jr. as their starting quarterback in Ireland to open the year. Edwards, who took three years to crack the lineup at Maryland in any starting capacity, transferred to Wisconsin for 2025 and that failed miserably. Where Edwards lacks is certainly not in the size department, it's in the department that watches him wither when faced against strong defenses. Though relatively nimble with his feet and a decent runner, Edwards has nine fumbles to his credit despite numerous goal-line carries. He struggles on throws to his right side, his dominant side, and has a bit of boom-or-bust to his game where he'll either drop a perfect pass into his receiver's streaking hands, or he'll underthrow his receiver so badly that even the defenders can't make a play on the ball. The decision-making has also largely been in question, even during his 'breakout' season in 2024, leading one to believe that the ceiling has been reached for Edwards. Just how high he can carry UNC this season remains a mystery. And one that leads us to believe it's not very high.

Ah yes, just as all thought would be the case: CUSA QB Deshawn Purdie. After his time at Charlotte and then his time with Wake Forest, Purdie returned to the friendly confines of the Group of 6 with his transfer to Liberty ahead of the 2026 season in the new-look Conference USA. Purdie has struggled during his time as a collegiate starter, there are no two ways around it. He's an inaccurate thrower of the football and found himself in plenty of hot water at each stop because of it. Purdie struggles to find his receivers open, struggles to spot them quickly, and can't get out of his own way with his footwork at times. But, when he is on, Purdie has a beautiful deep ball and some of the best mechanics on throws targeted downfield. If he can stand tall in the pocket and deliver shots downfield, the Flames will be better off.

After two seasons as the starting quarterback for San Jose State and four years in total, Walker Eget made the proverbial step up in competition when Duke was pressed for a new QB. Eget played well to start the season for SJSU last year, throwing 15 touchdowns in his first seven games but just two over his last four outings. At his best, Eget has the talent to push the ball downfield, as evidenced by his success in doing so back in 2024 and in spurts in 2025. He's a big-armed, big-framed quarterback that presents as a different and unique challenge for Duke to block for as he lacks all creative capacity to make things happen on his own. When pressure is applied, Eget withered more than most, so keeping him upright will be of the utmost importance for the Blue Devils in 2026.

What's the deal with Caden Creel? Ball security is the biggest issue with Creel in his first season as the starter a year ago, fumbling eight times and throwing four interceptions. Creel also struggled with converting on money downs, noticeably ranking 70th in the country in third-down conversion rate. So, why rank him as the fourth-best QB in the CUSA? Well, the dude simply gives it his all on every play. You can't measure heart (just ask Gene Hackman and Keanu Reeves) and Creel has a ton of it. That led to his 1,152 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground, even if the team did become incredibly one-sided and predictable as the season went along. If Creel can add some layering to his passes or even some more touch to the intermediate and deep portions of the field, his rushing prowess will open up some easy passing lanes or quick-to-fill linebacker gaps over the middle, and he can exploit those to an even bigger and more prosperous season in 2026.

It's clear that Skyler Locklear could've likely landed elsewhere to start following a solid two-year stint as the starting quarterback at UTEP. This came after two seasons at Austin Peay, but Locklear's finest moments have come in CUSA play with the Miners. He threw for 13 touchdowns in just seven starts last year for UTEP, flashing a solid ability to dish the ball all over the field to his talented receivers. At Missouri State now, Locklear will have plenty of these talented skill players to find in space and convert regular first downs, something that didn't come as easy with UTEP. When all else fails, though, Locklear is also a more talented rusher than he's given credit for. He scored eight touchdowns on the ground a year ago, rushing for 5.5 yards per carry and putting forth some solid tape of elusiveness. Can he improve his down-to-down consistency in terms of his passing, or will he have to rely on his 21st-graded QB Run Grade to get by at Missouri State? Bears' fans are certainly hoping he can round out into a true dual-threat this fall.

Despite a solid base and a great set of athletic traits, the footing never seemed to find its way for Michael Hawkins Jr. at Oklahoma. He was certainly given his shots to take the reins -- a handful of starts in 2024 and even a start in relief of John Mateer in 2025 -- but it just wasn't to be. Hawkins is a dynamic athlete, perhaps a much better runner than he is passer at this stage of his career, but the talent appears to be there. He's got a decent arm with poor decisions. He's got strong footwork but a bad base when he goes to push the ball downfield. There is a lot to work on, but if there's one situation that can likely unlock his full potential, it's Rich Rod at WVU. Such familiarities will draw unfair comparisons for any quarterback, but an incredibly nimble and quick dual-threat quarterback certainly conjures up fun, fun times for Mountaineer fans. But Hawkins is not that quarterback of old that Rich Rod had, or at least not yet. If Rodriguez can unlock that potential in Hawkins, the WVU offense becomes must-watch TV real quick.

So much could be said for what Deion Sanders has and hasn't done for the Colorado Buffaloes program since joining the fray. One of the biggest wins -- at least on the recruiting trail -- was landing the services of Julian Lewis, one of the top-ranked signal-callers of the class of 2025. Lewis, however, struggled out of the gates for Colorado in his first action against Delaware, and it wasn't until the West Virginia game (his first start) that he showcased some of the potentially elite-level traits that made him a sought-after recruit. When his true freshman season was all said and done, however, a lot was left to be desired around Lewis' game and his quarterback skills. His mechanics and mental game seemed off, his progressive reads diminished, and his creation capacity wavered. There wasn't a lot to like about his early action in 2025, so you'd hope that with a year under that coaching staff, they worked closely with him to maximize his talent so he can elevate those around him. If not, it's another lowlight, another ho-hum season in Boulder that will have some clamoring for change and some transferring out to greener pastures. Lewis could certainly be in that latter grouping.

Well, playing behind your brother during his Heisman Trophy-winning season must have been something special, and now Alberto Mendoza is ready to forge his own path. He was so ready that he transferred away from Indiana and down to Georgia Tech following their loss of Aaron Philo and offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner. Mendoza, who isn't quite as big as his brother, still brings plenty to the table in terms of intriguing quarterback play. He showcased he could make plenty of throws all over the field in mop-up duty last year for Indiana, most notable against Indiana State when he threw for 2 touchdowns and a career-high in passing yards. He's got the frame; he's got the mechanics; can he be the man to turn it all around given the turnover on the Georgia Tech staff and roster this past season?

What if I told you, the starting quarterback at Northern Illinois threw for nearly 3,500 yards, 38 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions a year ago -- would you believe me? Well that's just exactly who Taron Dickens is and just exactly what Taron Dickens did last year. The crazy part is that he did that in just nine starts, averaging a ridiculous 388 yards and over 4 touchdowns per game. The only trouble is that he did this against some of the worst defenses we've seen in the FCS in some time, playing for Western Carolina and legendary head coach Kerwin Bell. The offense fit Dickens' strength brilliantly and despite being undersized for the position, Dickens still exploited defenses left and right. When he was left to stand in the pocket without pressure, Dickens was miraculous. Odds are, however, that the numbers he put forth at WCU last year will be hard-pressed to come by with FBS defenses crashing down upon him. If there was one thing Dickens struggled with a year ago -- it was pressure. And at NIU, and in the Mountain West this year, he should face a lot of very good pass defenses. We can only hope his skills translate.

There are times nowadays that a transfer just simply makes sense, and Zeon Chriss-Gremillion to Tulane is one of those. After two seasons with Louisiana, Chriss-Gremillion transferred to Willie Fritz's Houston squad where he started a handful of games in 2024 before backing up Conner Weigman in 2025. However, after we've watched his career unfold, Chriss-Gremillion was much more comfortable in the state of Louisiana and in the Sun Belt than he ever was at Houston or in the Big 12. Ball security issues plagued his last two seasons as he had fumble issues, both in the pocket and on the ground game, even on designed carries, and interceptions certainly took their toll on his time in 2024 as well. When all was said and done, before his transfer back into the state of Louisiana, Chriss-Gremillion finished his Houston career with more interceptions than touchdowns (5 to 9). He's a dynamic athlete who struggles with accuracy and decision-making. Can lessening the strength of opponent help his game? Green Wave fans will certainly hope so, but we're not sold. At least he has his legs to lean on during the season.. if he can just hold on to the football as well, all may be OK.

Caden Pinnick doesn't quite feel like the John Mateer situation all over, but we can't help but shake the fact that a dominant dual-threat quarterback who is relatively unknown earned the starting nod in camp and is set to dominate over lesser competition this season. Pinnick lacks size for the position, but he ran for over 600 yards while throwing for over 3,200 yards for UC Davis a season ago, indicating he can play much larger than his frame indicates. When you watch the UC Davis tape, you see a quarterback who is unafraid of testing the waters and pushing the ball into any tight window he sees. He got away with some throws in 2025 with UC Davis, and was the beneficiary of a lot of plays made after the catch from his receivers, but that's fine, we can't discredit him on the latter. Only time will tell whether or not those skills will translate as he takes the step up in competition, but he did dominate a Rhode Island secondary that had a ton of talent on it a year ago.

It's hard to look at the body of work Marcus Stokes put in at West Florida and not have a ton of hope for the Memphis offense in 2026. Stokes threw for 3,297 yards and 30 touchdowns a season ago, rushing for another 367 yards and 10 scores. He was remarkably efficient with the ball in his hands, routinely showcasing a new set of moves in the pocket or dishing out accurate throws all over the field. Stokes' highlight tape was littered with dominant downfield passing and solid play to the boundary. Can Stokes be the answer Charles Huff has been looking for? If his fall camp and preseason practice showing (and glowing comments from the staff) are any indicator, he certainly is the real deal. Stokes kept former top-rated recruit and Ohio State/South Carolina transfer Air Noland at bay after all.

Blake Baker took over for Louisiana Tech as the starting quarterback following their LSU shellacking in Week 2 and was set to not look back. He got knocked around against UTEP and Kennesaw State, ultimately missing some time before returning and suffering a torn ACL against Delaware in November. At his size and with his frame, the concern is that the ACL injury will be significant for his return to play at the level he once did for the Bulldogs, a level that saw him light up the Western Kentucky and Sam Houston defenses. At his best, Baker was able to stand tall in the pocket and drive the football downfield with ease. He was also a bit more agile than you'd expect from a guy his size, routinely making something from a pressured dropback. If his knee is healthy and he's able to play free like he did during the solid stretch a year ago, Louisiana Tech should have their answer at QB.

Once upon a time, Lincoln Kienholz found himself as a near-top-10 quarterback in a recruiting class of Arch Manning, Dante Moore, Sam Leavitt, and Marcel Reed. He committed to a stacked quarterback room in Columbus with Ohio State and could never quite crack the top of the lineup. Now at Louisville, Kienholz will hope to rekindle that top-ranked magic that once was under head coach Jeff Brohm. Kienholz has great size for the position and a strong frame to stand tall in the pocket to deliver strikes. He's had just 36 career dropbacks in two seasons, however, so he hasn't really gotten to showcase a lot of what made him a highly-ranked recruit. But he also hasn't been able to show any mistakes. The jury is still truly out on Kienholz, but if he can live up to the billing that once sent him to Columbus, Louisville might've got something with Kienholz.

Look, if there's one person in college football I trust to unlock the potential in a quarterback, it almost surely should be Andrew Luck, right? With Davis Warren, however, how much more potential is there to unlock? What we saw in 2024 with the Michigan Wolverines was a patient disaster, like watching a slow car crash in even slower motion. Warren never tested the deep waters, hardly pushed it to the intermediate range, and when he did either, it felt like you had time to take a deep breath and pray for something to happen if you were a Michigan fan. The majority of this throws came at or before the first-down sticks, and despite that, it felt like he was slow to read and even slower to dish the ball. Warren has good size and was able to put some zip on a throw here or there, but the Stanford offense may be stuck in waiting for another season if Warren is truly the best they got. This is, of course, unless Luck can work some magic with him.

Remember when John Alan Richter came into the game against Buffalo in 2024 and lit up the scoreboard? I do. And I still have fond memories of such a thing. Unfortunately, Richter hasn't quite been able to match that performance in relief of Tucker Gleason since, starting just one game after that and appearing in relief duty a season ago. He'll enter the 2026 season hoping to rekindle that luster he had back in 2024 when he threw the ball all over the field with great success. He's a pocket passer by every sense of the word but has shown he can move around and rebuild pockets if necessary, albeit on a smaller sample size. Will that correlate to success in 2026 as the starter? Possibly. Are there some incredibly positive moments in his game previously that we can hold on to hope with? Absolutely.

Luke Weaver transferred stateside and won the starting job for San Jose State after starting two games for Hawaii a season ago. Weaver, who appeared in relief of an injured Micah Alejado against Arizona, started games against Sam Houston and Portland State, throwing five touchdowns in his two starts against just one interception. He's a gifted athlete and flashed his abilities with his legs, despite Hawaii's pass-first offense, leading some to believe Weaver should be able to take the position vacated by Walker Eget (who left for Duke) and run with it, literally. Prior to Hawaii, Weaver had starred at Modesto College and found himself ranked as the third-best JUCO QB in 2025. With his downfield passing abilities combining with his rushing, it's no surprise he won the job for coach Ken Niumatalolo.

For those who didn't know, Reese Poffenbarger is one talented dude. Don't let his lack of finding the field be any indication of his lack of talent because it's just simply not true. Poffenbarger just found himself behind No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward at Miami, and behind No. 1 transfer portal QB Drew Mestemaker at North Texas. That's some serious bad luck for a guy who dominated the hardcourt and the football field all the same. With some ridiculous athletic ability, Poffenbarger is set to take over at Akron and give the Zips a real chance at quarterback, their first time having a real dual-threat in some time -- think a more athletic and passing-centric Kato Nelson perhaps. In his two seasons at Albany, Poffenbarger threw for 6,597 yards and 60 touchdowns. He also ran for 791 yards and another seven touchdowns, making defenders miss routinely. He's got a ton of throws in his arsenal and a ton of moves in his pocket in terms of creating things if pressure gets to him. Can Poffenbarger rekindle that luster that he had in 2022-23 with Albany, because if he can, this Akron offense will be worthy of watching all season long, not just their first drive of the season against Robert Morris.

Named a team captain, Alessio Milivojevic is the main guy for the Spartans as they embark on the Pat Fitzgerald era of football. Milivojevic started the final four games of the 2025 season following the dismissal of Jonathan Smith and the lackluster play/nagging injuries to Aidan Chiles, throwing for 1,267 yards and 10 touchdowns a year ago. He has great size, but save for a solid performance against Maryland to close out the year, Milivojevic really didn't strike fear into opposing defenses with his arm talent. There are some aspects of his game to like, but Milivojevic has some growth needed in terms of his down-to-down consistency. Maybe that will come with repeated reps and time spent as the starter all offseason long, but if he wasn't targeting passes at the sticks, he was inaccurate and inconsistent a season ago.

It sounds crazy to say that going from JC French to a multi-year Power Four starter is a downgrade for Georgia Southern, but that's just exactly what it is as the Eagles are landing with Max Johnson as their signal-caller. Owner of far too many 'what are you thinking' moments in his career, Johnson's tape is littered with head-scratching decisions and boneheaded mistakes that even a coach like Clay Helton may have trouble cleaning up. Given the fact that he's been playing college football since 2020 for LSU, Texas A&M, and North Carolina, we should have hope that his "P4 skills" can translate down and he'll improve his game playing in the Sun Belt, but I am not convinced. The left-handed Johnson is absolutely the cerebral quarterback that you'd think he is at his best, given his father is a Super Bowl Champion, but the logic that is displayed on a down-to-down basis is befuddling with Johnson at times. There is a lot of talent in his left arm, but he's never truly been healthy enough to showcase it for a full season it's felt like. Even his 2,809-yard, 27-TD season at LSU in 2021 feels like it was the benefit of a star-studded receiver class rather than Johnson dishing the rock because it was marred by some ill-fated decisions and inability to elevate the talent around him. Hopefully, for his sake and Georgia Southern's, those ill-fated throws are few and far between this season.

If you're a North Dakota State fan, you'd really wish their transition to the FBS was happening with a more experienced quarterback like a Cole Payton or Cam Miller, and that really isn't a slight to Nathan Hayes, more so praise for his predecessors. Hayes has played some meaningful snaps during his time with the Bison, but they've come in mop-up duty against lesser-matched FCS teams. Starting the season in a Week 0 contest against a Jacksonville State team may not only be a wake-up call, it could be a punch in the mouth all the same. The Bison have plenty of talent at the offensive line to keep Hayes upright, which would behoove their overall team morale given Hayes' lack of skills shown with his legs. Whether the latter is just a lack of snaps is up for debate, however.

Will Jake Merklinger pick up where Joe Fagnano left off? Is Merklinger actually the right fit for Jason Candle / Nunzio Campanile's offense? The former Tennessee quarterback absolutely has the talent to be the guy at a program like UConn, but as of a week out, he hadn't outright won the job, at least publicly. Merklinger battled with Kalieb Osborne for the job all summer and preseason practices, even provoking Candle to announce that the 'competition is tight' just nine days before their opener. Again, as the old adage goes, if you have 2 QBs, you have 0 QBs. Well, that's my adage and I'm sticking to it. To look at what Merklinger could bring to the table, you have to look at what sent him to Tennessee in the first place: He was once a four-star prospect and a top-15 quarterback in the class of 2024. He played multiple sports and proved his athleticism time and time again at Calvary Day School. He utilized his legs well and had plenty of skill with his arm with quick reads to run a great RPO-style offense. But did he separate himself enough from a UConn backfield to give us much promise, at least in the immediate future, of growth this fall? We're not so sure about that one yet.

You'll read it a lot down here in the lower-half of our QB rankings: "if you have 2 QBs, you have 0 QBs." And that's true of the Kansas Jayhawks. Despite naming Cole Ballard as a captain, the Jayhawks named Isaiah Marshall the starter for the season-opener. This, of course, brings back memories of head coach Lance Leipold naming Jason Bean the captain but Miles Kendrick getting the start back in 2021. Unfortunately for Jayhawk fans, this backfield is a bit diminished in terms of talent from that 2021 season that had Bean, Kendrick, and Jalon Daniels. This year, they get to figure out Ballard and Marshall as the starters, after Marshall threw all of three passes against Wagner last year and Ballard being pressed into duty in relief of Daniels the past three years. Despite standing 6'2" and 220 pounds, Ballard plays a smaller brand of football while Marshall stands even smaller. This is not your average offense to run and it will be interesting to see where Leipold lands with his decision, even if he named Marshall the starter to open the year. One thing is for sure, though, and that's either quarterback will have an uphill battle to impress Kansas fans following the career Daniels had with the program and just how talented the Big 12 is at the position this season.

Ryan Browne took over at the helm of the Boilermakers in 2025 after biding his time for two seasons prior. The big-framed and athletic quarterback performed very well to start the season -- throwing four touchdowns in his first two starts before ultimately falling off a proverbial cliff. Browne threw just five touchdowns during his next 10 starts, limping his way to an incredibly lackluster season that led to Barry Odom and Co. looking for another viable option in the portal. Even still, it appears the job is Browne's, for now, and the 6'4", 225-pound quarterback should look at what he did well against Ball State and Southern Illinois as opposed to anything from the rest of his season. His accuracy fell off down the stretch, mainly because this team was playing from behind more often than not, and forcing the issue was not his friend. Browne's down-to-down consistency also took a hit when pressured, but worse yet, he was lackluster from a clean pocket, one metric you really don't want to perform poorly in. At least he has some rushing ability baked into his large frame, but that will only get you so far with the talented Big Ten defenses they'll face this season. It may not be long before Purdue fans are clamoring for a change.

If there's one team in the country that understands how to deal with change, it's the JMU Dukes. And not just change at the quarterback position, change at every level of their staff and complete roster upheaval. However, this year feels a bit different. This year, there isn't an up-and-coming coach taking over from the FCS ranks or a hot-shot Nick Saban protege at the helm. It's Billy Napier after a failed experiment at Florida and Camden Coleman hoping to rekindle what magic he brought to the table as Richmond's starting quarterback in 2024. Coleman threw for 2,081 yards and 13 touchdowns that season at Richmond, performing well against some less-than-great defenses. For a guy his size at 6'3" and 225 pounds, he fits the bill of a dual-threat Napier QB, rushing for 404 yards and six scores in that same season with the Spiders. But is Coleman the type of quarterback that Napier once had in the Sun Belt, the type of quarterback like a Levi Lewis or Andre Nunez? We can see it in a crystal ball setting, but we need to see it in person before we move him up the rankings here.

What a career trajectory it's been for Jacurri Brown. At least he's out of the state of Florida now after two years at Miami and two years at UCF. Unfortunately for Rice fans, it feels as if Brown has regressed in his overall abilities and was unable to improve in every single season of his college career to date, finishing last season with a disastrous throw and performance for UCF in 2025. Brown has great size for the position and showed solid poise for Miami back in 2022. He delivered some big-time throws when Miami was just finding their footing in the Mario Cristobal era, but his fall from grace has been something to witness. And not in a good way. Brown's best throws seem far behind him and the Rice offense doesn't quite bode well in terms of a plethora of talent for him to find. He's not proven to be the elevator of talent you'd want him to be, but if he can fixate on some of those downfield shots that he peppered in for Miami back in 2022, maybe he can rewind the clock and make people forget about those last three seasons of football in his wake.

Austin Novosad still appears to be a moldable ball of clay at the quarterback position for Bowling Green. He sat for three seasons behind some incredibly talented quarterbacks at Oregon, certainly picking up a thing or two from Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore. Lest we forget he was once a four-star QB from the state of Texas in his recruiting class as well. For Novosad at Bowling Green, however, we have to look at what he's been able to do in an incredibly limited sample size and where his frame and vision could potentially fit in with the Falcons. At 6'3" and 205 pounds, Novosad has the size to stand in the pocket and find his receivers over the middle of the field, and his high school tape backs that up. The bigger question: Will he have any adjustment period needed to acclimate to the speed of real game action? He's a standard pocket passer and will hopefully have a decent line in front of him to allow him to do just that.

Angel Flores looked the part in a small sample size at Northern Arizona during his three-year stint. He wasn't ready for Power Four ball, but he absolutely had the gumption, the arm talent, and the potential to become a dual-threat at the MAC level. However, after a full season with Central Michigan, Flores struggled mightily as a quarterback. In fact, had it not been for the prowess he was able to showcase on the ground, Flores would have likely found himself even lower on these rankings here. Flores rushed for 532 yards and eight touchdowns a year ago, but was incredibly one-dimensional as the Chippewas' signal-caller. Sure, he was just inserted into the action to almost be their wildcat quarterback, but when he was inserted in for passing plays, the level of play seemed to fall off. As such, Jadyn Glasser is expected to also see some time despite Flores' 'winning the job,' after Glasser missed all but the first two games of the season with injury a year ago. Our old adage here is 'if you have 2 quarterbacks, you have 0 quarterbacks' -- and Central Michigan may even have a third who sees action. That can't be good for their future prowess on offense this fall.

Sometimes, the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason. For Ethan Hampton, the step up to Illinois never seemed like the right fit after he waited four seasons to become the starter at Northern Illinois. Now, back at the Group of 6 level with Southern Miss, Hampton will hope to relive that magic that was the 2024 season with the Huskies. Okay, fine, maybe magic is the right term for a season that saw him throw 12 touchdowns and 1,601 yards at just 6.4 yards per attempt. But he was still a very serviceable quarterback through the air and on the ground for the Huskies. He has the size but average arm talent, he has the experience but has a limited ceiling. Maybe he'll find his footing better than ever at Southern Miss, but the odds are stacked against him and the Golden Eagles this fall.

So Keldric Luster finally found his way to social media when he was named the starting quarterback of Ball State, but not because of his play, because of his size. At 5'10" and 250 pounds, Luster isn't your typical quarterback. And yet, he makes it work in ways you wouldn't imagine. He's a gifted creator with the ball in his hands and can make defenders miss with his elusiveness on the ground. He'll have to show us some more with his arm but there was once a complete quarterback who landed at SMU out of high school and Texas State in the portal after he dominated at McKinney in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. He was a dual-sport athlete then, performing well in track and field, showcasing his athleticism and athletic abilities that should make him a feared runner when he takes off with the ball. Can he become a downfield passer that really makes this Ball State offense tick in 2026 is the biggest question mark we have.

It took Baylor Hayes all of two games to crack the starting lineup for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in 2025, earning the nod in Week 3 after a solid performance in relief against New Mexico State. However, it was a rough go of it to start when he had to play against talented secondaries like Oklahoma State, Tulane, and FAU. He got away with some ill-fated decisions in multiple games last season as he seemed to lack the power to drive his footballs into some of the windows he was trying to push into. Still, there were some positive moments in Hayes' game last year -- notably in his ability to make something happen if pressured. However, his consistency and his play from a clean pocket didn't match that pressured passing ability, and the latter is not something you want to bank on repeating from game to game, let alone year to year.

Odds are this UAB team is going to be better off without Trent Dilfer as their head coach. And odds are, Ryder Burton is going to be a better quarterback without Trent Dilfer as his head coach. With Alex Mortensen in as head coach (a hire we're very excited about), Burton has two starts but three games to go off of for his prognosis: Memphis, UConn, and Rice. He threw for seven touchdowns against three interceptions in those two games, but his ball security in the pocket took a real hit after the Memphis outing. In that small sample size, though, he also struggled from a clean pocket. Unfortunately for him and Blazers' fans around the country, the struggles from a clean pocket are persistent with year-to-year stability and it doesn't bode well for predicting future growth. Were those just small sample sizes or were those really what we can expect from Burton as the starter in 2026? With Mortensen as his head coach, we think Burton and the rest of this Blazer team can unlock some more potential, but we'll have to wait and see.

Finishing the season as the starter for Middle Tennessee a season ago, Roman Gagliano put forth some impressive action to close out the year. The Blue Raiders saw Gagliano throw for six touchdowns down the stretch during his three starts and keep the ball out of harm's way during those games all the same. However, when he was forced into action against FIU the week prior, it was a completely different outing. He struggled with ball security and looked like a completely different QB than he was once he took over. He utilizes his legs very well in the MTSU attack, rushing for over 100 yards against Western Kentucky and for two scores against Sam Houston. The lone question on our minds, however, is just how good will Gagliano be against better defenses? Was he the benefit of playing a soft back-half of their schedule (WKU, Sam Houston, New Mexico State) or will the FIU outing be more of what we see in 2026? With his size and athletic ability, we're going to hope that the FIU performance was an anomaly and with weeks of prep work instead of being thrust into action, Gagliano will be the answer for Derek Mason and Co. in Murfreesboro.

Pop Watson is set to be an integral part of the UMass offense after three seasons at Virginia Tech and a heralded high school football career. Despite winning two state championships, Watson never could grasp much in the ways of meaningful action for the Hokies, save for two starts (three full games) in the 2024 season before making just four pass attempts in 2025. When you look at his prolific high school career, however, there is some hope for brighter future with UMass as Watson once was a three-star recruit and held offers from any number of Power Four programs. As a junior in high school, Watson won the Massachusetts high school player of the year award and threw for over 5,000 yards during his career at Springfield Central. The only caveat to that is the fact that he last played those meaningful snaps in 2022 and has made 63 pass attempts in the following four years. Ball security is an issue but there is plenty of athleticism to like if he were to lean into his rushing ability in the meantime. UMass hasn't quite been able to live up to the hype of former highly-rated recruits either, giving long pause to hopes of revival for Watson's career with the Minutemen.

The theme for Conference USA QBs this year is clearly: inconsistency. Rodney Tisdale Jr. treated fans to a delightful 7-TD, 2-game performance midway through the year last year but watched his game completely fall off after playing LSU in Week 13. In total, despite that 7-TD stretch, Tisdale threw just nine touchdowns against seven interceptions a season ago. Tisdale finished with a low-third grade in each of our QB facets and was the beneficiary of a lot of plays made by his receivers after the catch. While the latter isn't the worst thing in the world and you do want your QB to be able to find your playmakers in space, it felt like unless Tisdale was getting some help from his receivers, the WKU offense couldn't move the ball effectively. Both pass and rush success rates took a hit for the Hilltoppers when Tisdale was the starting quarterback, so those numbers and his play will have to improve if they want to compete in the CUSA this fall.

Conference USA is littered with FCS transfer talent at the quarterback position and Trey Hedden is at the top of those talking points. Hedden threw for nearly 3,000 yards at Furman a season ago, finishing with 17 touchdowns but 13 interceptions. He was far too hot and then cold to be considered a consistent threat with his arm, but when he was on, it's clear why New Mexico State is hopeful for the future. Hedden uses his big frame and great size at the position to drive the ball, completing passes at will past the sticks. It's his slowed down, methodical play that seemed to take a hit at Furman a season ago. A true, standard dropback passer, the NMSU offense should do wonders if they can keep him upright and free from pressure as he lacks the creative capacity to make things happen on his own. Still, with his size and his delivery, don't be surprised if you hear his name a lot this year.

In his lone start a season ago for Missouri State, Deuce Bailey .. well .. Deuce Bailey struggled. He completed just barely over 50% of his throws against a lackluster Middle Tennessee defense and dealt with ball security issues, more so fumbles than interceptions. Transferring to Coastal Carolina may do his game wonders, working with head coach Ryan Beard, but it appears that neither Bailey nor Tre Guerra or Trever Jackson were able to pull themselves into the lead for the starting nod even a week out from the start. Given his transfer, however, it feels very much like the job will be Bailey's to lose, unless he just truly was unable to win it. And if that's the case, this may be the highest we see this situation in our rankings knowing what we know of Bailey's game even dating back to his high school days.

EJ Colson didn't begin the season as Incarnate Word's starting signal-caller, but by Week 4, he was the man. The UCF transfer proceeded to throw for 16 touchdowns and over 2,100 yards in 2025, breaking out in a big way against UTSA in Week 3 to earn the job. For Colson, the name of the game is dual-threat, and he's a talented runner with the ball in his hands. Yet, he presents as a solid downfield passer. He hit the deep portion plenty but struggled when he had to land shots in the intermediate range a year ago. Picking up the pace with his delivery and keeping his eyes downfield will greatly improve his game, and with UTEP, Colson should be able to pick up where he left off at Incarnate Word a year ago. He'll be a bit slight to take on defenders like he was able to do at the FCS level now that he's in the CUSA, but Colson has enough elusiveness and pocket maneuverability to stay upright and intact through the season.

The Bobcats are rolling with Poulos in 2026 as Nick Poulos earned the starting nod out of camp. A well-traveled QB, Poulos transferred to Ohio back in 2024 following a stint at El Camino Community College. He played in four games a season ago and made a single start back in 2024. Despite his massive size at 6'6" and 245 pounds, Poulos hasn't had the chance to show much in terms of his passing abilities since he joined the Ohio roster three seasons ago. Still, if you look at what he was able to do in limited action at El Camino, he put up a dominant display in two of his starts and did flash some solid fundamentals for OU in his start back in 2024. The jury is largely out on Poulos as the starting man for John Hauser and Co. at Ohio, but certainly one that we'll have a keen eye on moving forward.

Does it matter who starts at QB for Iowa? No. No it doesn't. As late as Wednesday of the week prior to Week 1, Iowa hadn't settled between Jeremy Hecklinski or Hank Brown, leading most to believe it'll be yet another struggle of a season for the Hawkeyes offense. We know what Brown brings to the table, or better yet, doesn't bring to the table, so it's Hecklinski that may be the potential wild card in this race. According to all reports, however, the battle is set to give this Iowa team an identity crisis and they'll once again have to rely on their rushing game and strong defense to win games in 2026.

Just how much can we expect the former GLIAC Player of the Year to bring his skills up multiple levels and compete in the ACC? The answer, sadly for Boston College fans, is not much in terms of expectations. Sure, Mason McKenzie threw for over 4,300 yards and 31 touchdowns across his 25 games at Saginaw Valley State, but that's the rub -- he did this in the GLIAC, against lesser opponents than he'll face in the easiest of contests he'll play at Boston College. At 6'1" and 200 pounds, he's not the biggest quarterback but he does have a complete skillset, coming from DII. He was solid with his legs and knew when to get down to avoid shots in the open field. He's relatively elusive in the open field, but again, how much of this was the competition he played, and how much of that will translate up? Our guess is not as much as some BC fans are hoping.

Pushed into action a season ago for Miami, Thomas Gotkowski did the best with what he had. Unfortunately, despite starting for the RedHawks in the MAC Championship Game with a roster clearly talented enough to make the title game, it felt like Gotkowski had the offense stuck in the proverbial mud. And now, following an injury to Gotkowski, the RedHawks are forced to start redshirt freshman QB David McComb, who transferred in from Kansas. Though he didn't see any action with the Jayhawks last year, McComb was once a three-star recruit with a handful of Power Four offers to his credit. He was a dual-sport athlete who competed in the 100- and 200-meter sprints, so despite his size at 6'4", 220 pounds, could present a unique challenge for defenses to contend with his athleticism. It remains to be seen just how much of a downfield passer he can be for Miami, but winning the camp and hearing the positive things head coach Chuck Martin has had to say about McComb, we're almost certain we're too low on him. But we'll wait to move him up, with a keen eye on his early season performances.

Man, what could've been had Jayden Denegal played the way he played against Colorado State and Nevada across the rest of his 10 starts for San Diego State last year. For some reason, those two outings put forth an incredible display of what Denegal could be at his best, lighting up the field after the SDSU rush game went to town. Unfortunately for Aztec fans, the 10 other outings for Denegal are apparently what we're going to get the majority of, and that's sluggish quarterbacking and inaccurate poor decisions. The year closed with Denegal barely able to complete a forward pass it felt like -- and that's saying something given the lack of sustained solid quarterback play we've seen from San Diego State recently. For a head coach like Sean Lewis, however, you have to think that Denegal got to work and hopefully can harness the reps from those two strong outings into some more sustained success in 2026.

In sort of a good news/bad news situation: UL-Monroe has their quarterback. After what felt like a handful of years without a real answer at QB, the Warhawks enter the season with their full-time starter back for a third season in Aidan Armenta. The bad news about that? They enter the year with Armenta on the heels of a down year, a slump even, in 2025. Armenta barely completed over 57% of his passes and limped to the 82nd-ranked offensive success rate on his passes. He struggled when pressure was applied and, worse yet, was nearly identical in terms of struggle to find his open receivers even from a clean pocket. That's not one that rapidly improves overnight, sadly. As much as there may be to like about having your quarterback embarking on his third year as your starting quarterback, ULM entering with Armenta as their QB gives them arguably one of the lower ceilings of any G6 team this fall.

It's hard to believe that Rickie Collins was once a highly-rated recruit after the play we've seen from him during his first three seasons in college. Collins, who couldn't see the field during his first two seasons at LSU, eventually earned the starting nod at Syracuse by Week 5, thanks in large part to an injury to Steve Angeli, but the results simply didn't follow. Angeli's Syracuse offense hummed like a fine-tuned machine compared to Collins' insertion into the lineup as he couldn't keep the defenses at bay with his legs, struggled when he was kept upright in the pocket, and was brutal on third and fourth downs. The decision-making just simply wasn't there for Collins and he opted to hit the portal this offseason, landing with Kennesaw State. He earned the starting nod for the Owls, so some things must be working in his favor going forward. And there is plenty to like about his frame and his ground game, but even as exciting as those may be, it's just too hard to overlook anything around his lack of passing abilities at this point of his career.

The DMV once had a multi-horse race at who would land the services of Khristian Martin coming out of high school with Mike Locksley and Co. winning the race at Maryland. A three-star recruit from Highland Springs, Virginia, Martin ultimately chose the Terps and saw limited action as a freshman in 2025 behind Malik Washington. Now, he's transferred all the way out west to Fresno State where he was expected to be the future quarterback for second-year head coach Matt Entz. Martin, who stands with prototypical size at 6'4", 230 pounds, has plenty to like about his game from his high school days, but a lot left to prove after being unable to crack meaningful snaps behind Washington at Maryland. Still, he put forth a decent handful of throws for the Terps and with his size and recruiting platform, you have to think this is the lowest that we'll find him in these rankings this season if all goes to plan.

What was is, and what wasn't is not. Sure, that's a made-up expression, but for the case of Carson Conklin, he transferred away from Sacramento State after two seasons only to return to Sac State and usher in their first FBS season as the starting quarterback under a new regime. Starting for the Hornets in 2024, Conklin threw for nearly 3,000 yards and 28 touchdowns before jetting off to Fresno State in 2025. He started three games for the Bulldogs in 2025 for first-year head coach Matt Entz, struggling to find his footing and his accuracy down the stretch against some pretty good Mountain West secondaries (San Diego State, Boise State, Wyoming). Still, if you go back to his previous season as the starting quarterback, Conklin lit up the field with his passing abilities, hitting every level of the field with ease and throwing incredibly well over the middle. Was that a product of easier-to-face defenses and how quickly can he adapt to a third playbook in as many seasons is the real question as far as how quickly he and the Hornets will acclimate to FBS football in 2026.

It's been quite a unique career for Mitch Griffis. The once-heralded recruit from Northern Virginia has come a long way since leading Broad Run to some historic successes as a senior. Griffis bounced around at Wake Forest for three seasons before earning the starting nod during his fourth season with the program, leaving a lot left to be desired in 2023. He then landed at Marshall before landing with Texas Tech and playing in five games for the Red Raiders, notching meaningful action in just two contests due to a variety of injuries to the Red Raiders quarterbacks a year ago. Griffis lacks true size for a signal-caller at the Power Four level and he makes his trek to the G6 for his final collegiate season with the Pirates. Will East Carolina be the resurgence of his career or did he peak back in high school?

It should be stated that Charlotte listed both their quarterbacks as captains to start the year, so odds are we're going to see both Conner Harrell and Cole Gonzales in some capacity this year. For Harrell, we know more of who he is as an FBS quarterback: plays well against inferior foes but struggles as the competition ticks up. For Gonzales, however, he's as experienced as they come at this level of football. Gonzales started three seasons at Western Carolina before transferring from Kerwin Bell's squad to his son Kade Bell's Pittsburgh offense. However, Gonzales didn't see the field for more than mop-up duty as the season went along in 2025, ultimately preferring to transfer out of Pittsburgh and back to the Carolinas to play for Charlotte in what likely amounts to his final college football season. Perhaps the friendly confines of the state of North Carolina will do him wonders, but even still, his proverbial ceiling looks to be pretty low in terms of his last season with the Catamounts in 2024. He's below average in size and was an inconsistent mess during his final season with Western Carolina, spraying the field with inaccurate throws to every level. This season, he'll face easier defenses than those he played against with Pitt in 2025, but significantly better than those units that already gave him fits during his time at WCU.

Tyler Hughes played four seasons with William & Mary, finally cracking the starting role as a senior in 2025. He rewarded the Tribe with a 2,300-yard season in which he threw for 20 touchdowns vs. just 3 interceptions. What Hughes may lack in size, he made up for in his willingness to go the extra mile for his team. He ran for nearly 800 yards and another 11 touchdowns on the ground, but he was very limited to where his arm could push the ball as the full-time starter. If Hughes were to rely on his legs as heavily as he did with William & Mary in 2026 with Wyoming, it could be a very short season for the Cowboys' signal-caller. Hughes struggled with his accuracy when he pushed the ball downfield, but the Wyoming passing attack may not need him to do such a thing this fall, which would ultimately benefit him and the program through their Mountain West schedule.

Once upon a time, Trey Owens was a 6,000-yard passer at a high-level Texas High School Football program. Once upon a time, Owens found himself buried behind a potential NFL Draft QB1 on the Longhorns football roster. And once upon a time, Owens eventually found his way to Jonesboro when it felt like the college football world had passed him by. Owens' last meaningful action as a quarterback came in Week 3 of the 2024 season, throwing four total passes for 19 yards in a victory over UTSA. Since then, Owens had to find greener pastures with Arkansas State in their post-Jaylen Raynor era, leaning into his former high school pedigree that once saw him land a handful of P5 offers (at the time). Can Owens rekindle that long lost TXHSFB luster or is he just a big-bodied quarterback who may have suffered from the immense talent pool that goes to the large in-state schools in Texas? Time will tell, but back at Cy-Fair, Owens certainly had enough game for the likes of Texas, Baylor, Texas Tech, SMU, and Houston to come knocking. Where were they when he hit the portal? That's the real question, but maybe Owens can re-find that talent and eventually make his way back to the P4 ranks -- improving Arkansas State's passing game in the meantime.

Carter Jones has decent size, ableit a slight frame, for a starting quarterback at the Group of 6 level, standing at 6'3" and 197 pounds. But can he be a downfield passer or will he be a liability to the Wolf Pack's successes as he was in all but one of his games a year ago? That sounds harsh, but when you flip on the tape, outside of the San Jose State outing, once Jones earned the starting nod in Week 7 and beyond, Nevada's offense really seemed to lack any luster and could not strike any fear into any opposing defenses. Jones threw eight interceptions against six touchdowns and fielded one of the nation's lowest EPA per clean dropback figures in 2025. That doesn't bode well for the hopes of continued success at the position, nor does the fact that the majority of his successful passes were thrown at or behind the line of scrimmage a season ago. Oh, and four fumbles on the ground won't help matters. Ball security is a must if Nevada and Jones want to see any sort of success this season.

The state of Iowa isn't quite known for producing their quarterback talents, but Dowling Catholic High School certainly has put forth plenty of talent in recent memory. For Jaxon Smolik, after two seasons at Penn State, he takes his talent a bit east to Temple where he can hope to once again battle for starting reps and hopefully wow in the process once again. During his high school days, Smolik battled through a QB competition during his sophomore season, through an injury his junior year, and eventually to the Elite 11 Finals as a senior. However, those better senior days may be a bit behind him after lofty comparisons didn't quite pan out during his two seasons in Happy Valley. Whether that was indicative of his talent or more just his surroundings remains to be seen. Time will tell whether Temple is the place for Smolik to finally break free.

Dominating the South Atlantic Conference is one thing, but moving on up to the MAC is another. Elijah Holmes will hope he can muster enough of that SAC dominance he showcased at Wingate in 2025 as he takes over for the Bulls this season. Holmes has decent size at 6'1" and 215 pounds, and he did throw for over 3,000 yards last season with the Bulldogs. However, dicing up defenses like Emory & Henry is one thing, thinking those skills will convey over to defenses like Toledo's is a different aspect altogether. When faced against a talented defense (like that of Lenoir-Rhyne), Holmes seemed to find his struggles as he threw multiple interceptions against Lenoir-Rhyne and Benedict down the stretch of last season.

It's quite hard to look at this Sam Houston offense and think of much positive. Landyn Locke took over starting for the final three games and completed just 50% of his throws and averaged just 5.6 yards per attempt. Despite what looks like a great frame for a QB, Locke was slow to read, slow to react, and ultimately too slow to get the ball anywhere over the field with pace. Despite playing in Phil Longo's supposedly QB-friendly offense, Locke struggled from a clean pocket and withered under pressure. There isn't much positive to say other than -- it can only get better?