College football Week 0 officially opens the 2025 season in less than three weeks, and excitement is already at a fever pitch. Five games and 10 teams will grace the field on Saturday, August 23, but who are the best quarterbacks you’ll witness in action? We turned to our PFSN College QB+ metric to rank the potential starting quarterbacks from worst to first.
PFSN’s College QB+ assigns a letter grade to a quarterback’s performance. We arrive at the grade by considering a quarterback’s passing and rushing performance. Certain more stable factors, like clean pocket performance and designed rushing success, are weighted more than less stable ones, like pressure performance and scrambling.
We also add a “clutch” component that gives extra weight to how quarterbacks perform in high-leverage situations. To qualify for the season leaderboard, a quarterback must average at least 15 plays per game (dropbacks or designed runs) while playing in at least half his team’s games that season.
To qualify for the single-game leaderboard, a quarterback must have participated in at least 15 plays that game.
12) Elijah Brown, Stanford
2024 PFSN College QB+ Grade: N/A
The 2024 quarterback situation for the Stanford Cardinal was suboptimal, with three different passers seeing the field and Ashton Daniels leading the ACC in interceptions. Elijah Brown was the shining light of the program’s 2024 recruiting class as a four-star passer (per 247 Sports) out of the prestigious Mater Dei High School, but failed to elevate the offense when called upon.
Pushed into action earlier than the program would have perhaps preferred, he saw substantial playing time against the SMU Mustangs, completing just 50% of his passes for 153 yards, with two interceptions to just one score. Although he can be forgiven for wilting against a solid defense, he barely fared much better against a Wake Forest unit that ranked 114th in scoring defense.
The true freshman had the highest interception percentage of any Stanford quarterback a year ago (6.3%) while logging the lowest yards per attempt (5.7), adjusted yards per attempt (3.73), and yards per completion (9.8) of the three passers to make over 40 attempts. While he didn’t earn a season grade for 2024, his outing against SMU resulted in a 65.4 (D) marker.
While new head coach Frank Reich has yet to name a starter for the college football Week 0 clash against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, the general consensus is that Brown will earn the starting gig. However, he recorded the worst single-game clean pass EPA (-0.85) and second-worst clutch sum (-1.37) of any quarterback on the Stanford roster for the 2025 season.
11) E.J. Warner, Fresno State
2024 PFSN College QB+ Grade: 68.4 (D+)
After taking flight with the Temple Owls in 2022 and 2023 but having his wings clipped in a single season spent with the Rice Owls in 2024, E.J. Warner (the son of NFL Hall of Famer Kurt Warner) has transferred to the Fresno State Bulldogs for the 2025 campaign. He is currently projected to be the starter for the Mountain West team against Kansas in college football Week 0.
Warner enters the upcoming campaign off the most difficult of his career. Having thrown for over 3,000 yards in both seasons at Temple, he translated 439 attempts into 2,710 passing yards and 17 touchdowns. Both were the worst markers of his career, as was his 3.9% touchdown percentage, 3.0% interception percentage, 13 interceptions, and 6.2 yards per attempt.
Although Warner set a career high by completing 62% of his pass attempts, his 68.4 PFSN College QB+ grade was the worst of his three seasons as a starter. Subsequently, he slipped outside the top 100 single-season graded quarterbacks for the first time in his career. He had previously logged 75.1 (2023) and 74.5 (2022) grades during his two seasons in the AAC with Temple.
Furthermore, Warner has led the AAC in interceptions in each of the last three seasons. Perhaps a move to the Mountain West and an offense under new head coach Matt Entz that will place a premium on the ground game will rejuvenate his game. For now, he enters college football Week 0 with the lowest season grade of any returning quarterback in action on opening weekend.
10) Anthony Colandrea, UNLV
2024 PFSN College QB+ Grade: 68.8 (D+)
The UNLV Rebels have one of the most exciting quarterback battles yet to be resolved as we barrel towards college football Week 0. New head coach Dan Mullen reached into the transfer portal to find himself a starter and picked out two entertaining but significantly different passers to lead an offense with high expectations of providing Mountain West success in 2025.
Anthony Colandrea heads to Las Vegas after two seasons that were as entertaining as they were frustrating for Virginia Cavaliers fans. On his day, the third-year passer looks capable of ripping apart any defense with a live arm and no shortage of confidence. However, those occasions didn’t come around anywhere near as often as you’d like to see.
As a result, Colandrea has tallied just 4,083 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions in two seasons. His yards per attempt (6.6) and completion percentage (61.9%) took a dip from 2023 to 2024, while lower clean EPA (0.05), pressured EPA (-0.37), and “money down” conversion (28.2%), resulted in a drop from a 74.4 (C) grade to a 68.6 (D+) grade last season.
Of the seven quarterbacks who could potentially start in college football Week 0, who played enough to earn a PFSN College QB+ season grade, Colandrea finished last for third/fourth down conversion and rush EPA (-0.02). At the same time, only one passer had a worse clean EPA, pressured EPA, and scramble EPA (0.37) in 2024.
9) Alex Orji, UNLV
2024 PFSN College QB+ Grade: N/A
While Colandrea does most of his damage through the air, UNLV added a ground game threat with former Michigan Wolverines dual-threat Alex Orji, who ranked 13th in Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freak List” ahead of the 2024 season due to his 41-inch vertical, 4.06-second short shuttle, and overall elite athletic profile. The contrasting styles make for an intriguing situation in Las Vegas.
While he boasts an appetising profile, the talent has never translated to tangible results. Expected to be the de facto starter for the reigning national champions last fall, Orji never really got a grasp of the Michigan offense. He made 11 appearances, but only attempted 47 passes, threw for just 150 yards and three scores, while only contributing 269 yards on the ground.
Subsequently, he didn’t qualify for a PFSN College QB+ season grade and only took the requisite number of single-game snaps to earn a grade in two games. Of those, his outing against the Minnesota Golden Gophers earned a 75.8 (C) grade, while his 69.6 (D+) against the USC Trojans ranked outside the top 1,300 graded games during the 2024 college football season.
Despite boasting the athleticism that should allow him to escape from attention in the pocket, Orji logged a negative pressured EPA in both his grade-eligible outings, with a -0.74 EPA against USC that ranked 1,289th out of 1,687 single-game grades last fall. Nonetheless, he ended his time at Michigan by helping milk the clock in a ReliaQuest Bowl win over Alabama.
8) Ben Gulbranson, Stanford
2024 PFSN College QB+ Grade: N/A
After spending five seasons with the Oregon State Beavers, Ben Gulbranson transferred to Stanford this offseason, adding an experienced passer to the Cardinal’s quarterback competition. Although he redshirted the 2021 season and was a bit-part player in three of his four playing seasons in Corvallis, he played an instrumental role in the success of the 2022 Beavers.
During that campaign, Gulbranson completed 62.4% of his 194 pass attempts, throwing for 1,455 yards and nine touchdowns with a 2.6% interception rate. While he’s never been a dual-threat by any stretch of the traditional meaning, he added five rushing touchdowns and was credited with a 7-1 record as the starter while earning a 75.0 (C) PFSN College QB+ grade.
However, in sporadic action over the last two seasons, Gulbranson has never completed more than 60.9% of his passes or surpassed 1,000 passing yards. His touchdown percentage has also not outstripped his interception percentage in his last seven appearances, with five scores to five picks across the 2023 and 2024 campaigns, while failing to meet the requirements to earn a PFSN College QB+ season grade in either year.
That said, Gulbranson went toe-to-toe with the highly rated John Mateer to deliver the Beavers a marquee win over the Washington State Cougars last fall, earning an 83.1 (B) single-game grade that was a top-150 mark in college football a year ago. It was also the second-best game grade of his career, with his 1.21 pressured EPA ranking second among all quarterbacks involved in the Stanford quarterback battle this fall.
7) Hunter Watson, Sam Houston
2024 PFSN College QB+ Grade: 72.1 (C-)
The Sam Houston Bearkats were one of the feel-good stories of the 2024 college football season. They were a true turnaround team that went from a 3-9 outfit in their FBS debut to a 10-3 program within touching distance of the CUSA Championship Game and a New Orleans Bowl win on their resume. Key to their success was the performance of quarterback Hunter Watson.
When healthy, he was one of the most energetic and electric Group of Five quarterbacks in 2024, a dual-threat who could change the tide of a game with his dynamic playmaking ability with his legs. He ran the rock to the tune of 646 yards and nine touchdowns last year, recording a season scramble EPA per play of 0.63, ranking third among eligible college football Week 0 QBs.
Hunter Watson for the DUB and a happy ✈️ back to Huntsville!#EatEmUpKats pic.twitter.com/XwTASi1Fqe
— Sam Houston Football (@BearkatsFB) November 16, 2024
Watson also showcased some alluring arm talent at times, completing 62.3% of his pass attempts for 1,811 yards and 12 touchdowns while recording a clean EPA per dropback of 0.21, on par or comparable to some of the top passers on display during the opening weekend of the 2025 season. His return to Sam Houston is a rarity for CUSA teams and a boost for the Bearkats.
That said, Watson’s overall PFSN College QB+ grade for last season places him just seventh among college football Week 0 starters. Our metric adjusts for strength of schedule, and the Sam Houston quarterback enjoyed the easiest slate of games of everyone on this list. His grade suffered due to difficulties under pressure, with a -0.65 pressured EPA per dropback last fall.
6) Dylan Rizk, Stanford
2024 PFSN College QB+ Grade: 73.1 (C)
While Brown is currently the leading contender to start for Stanford in college football Week 0, Dylan Rizk should be considered the best option for the Cardinal. The young quarterback, a three-star recruit in the 2023 class, saw minimal action as a true freshman but was impressive when called into action for a disappointing UCF Knights offense last fall.
Rizk largely outplayed renowned quarterback transfer K.J. Jefferson, outstripping the former Arkansas Razorback star for interception percentage (1.7%) and completion percentage (61.5%). Although Jefferson offered a more dangerous threat on the ground, Rizk’s single-game PFSN College QB+ grade of 86.3 against Arizona was better than his teammate’s best (80.1).
Rizk boasts excellent arm talent, an alluring combination of strength and placement that should put Stanford receivers in a position to succeed. Although his exposure to pressure last fall was significantly less than that of other college football Week 0 starters due to only playing six games, he recorded the highest pressured EPA per dropback (0.09) of passers with a season grade.
He also leads all college football Week 0 starters with a 0.46 close game EPA, 0.64 clutch sum, and converted 40.0% of his third/fourth down conversion attempts last fall. Although he won’t catch the eye as a mobile quarterback, he has enough athleticism and awareness to keep the play alive when the pocket begins to collapse on him. No Rizk? No reward for Stanford.
5) Maverick McIvor, Western Kentucky
2024 PFSN College QB+ Grade: N/A
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers have a real wildcard among starting quarterbacks for college football Week 0, a real maverick, if you will. After losing Caden Veltkamp to the FAU Owls via the transfer portal, Tyson Helton dipped into the talent pool. He reeled in a substantial FCS catch in former Abilene Christian standout Maverick McIvor, a second-team FCS All-American.
A former Texas Tech Red Raiders recruit who has spent the last three seasons with ACU, McIvor ranked fourth in the FCS last fall for total passing yards (3,828), sixth in passing touchdowns (30), and fifth in passing yards per game (294.5). A former three-star passer, he left Abilene Christian having completed 60.1% of his passes for 8,012 yards and a 3:1 touchdown to interception rate.
Now, here’s the fun part. Although PFSN College QB+ doesn’t include FCS quarterbacks, we ran McIvor’s 2024 advanced statistics through our metric to produce an unadjusted grade. His 85.5 grade would have ranked ninth in the FBS last year, sliding in between Shedeur Sanders (86.0) and Jordan McCloud (85.1). His 49.7% “money down” conversion would tie Garrett Nussmeier for the national lead among returning quarterbacks.
While it’s impossible to replicate the competition level to fairly adjust McIvor’s grade in line with other FBS quarterbacks, it indicates why there is so much excitement around the new Western Kentucky quarterback heading into college football Week 0. The all-CUSA clash against Sam Houston is comfortably one of the best games to catch on Saturday, August 23.
4) Micah Alejado, Hawaii
2024 PFSN College QB+ Grade: N/A
It’s important not to get carried away by a minimal sample size when discussing quarterback potential, but that isn’t easy when it comes to Hawaii Rainbow Warriors passer Micah Alejado. The former Bishop Gorman standout, who was a Gatorade Player of the Year in Nevada, earned a start late in the 2024 season and put together one of the more sublime single-game performances.
Having completed 91.7% of his pass attempts against the Utah State Aggies, Alejado started for the season finale against the New Mexico Lobos and proceeded to put on a clinic of quarterback play. Showcasing his arm talent under a heavy workload, he threw for 469 yards and five touchdowns, leading the Warriors to a win that denied New Mexico bowl eligibility.
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In four appearances for Hawaii last fall, Alejado averaged 9.0 air yards per attempt, threw for a touchdown on 8.6% of his attempts, and never threw an interception. By contrast, teammate Brayden Schager led the Mountain West in interceptions (13) while throwing a pick on 3.2% of his pass attempts in Timmy Chang’s high-volume passing attack.
Alejado qualified for just one PFSN College QB+ single-game grade a year ago, but boy, was it a good one. His 84.6 (B) was a top-100 marker for the year, even with significant adjustment for the defense it came against. With his natural talent and a tremendous receiving cast at his disposal, the Hawaii quarterback could lead the Rainbow Warriors to great things in 2025.
3) Avery Johnson, Kansas State
2024 PFSN College QB+ Grade: 77.4 (C+)
After taking over the starting role from Will Howard for the 2024 season, Avery Johnson established himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the Big 12 a year ago. Leading the Kansas State Wildcats to a 9-4 record with a Rate Bowl win, he threw for 2,712 yards with an additional 605 on the ground, combining for 32 total touchdowns as a legitimate dual-threat quarterback.
With his exciting arm talent, undeniable game-changing off-script capability, and one of the best heads of hair in the game, there is plenty of reason to be optimistic that Johnson can lead the Wildcats to an even better campaign in 2025. Yet, he remains one of the most divisive quarterbacks in the Big 12, if not all of college football.
Digging into his PFSN College QB+ grade ahead of college football Week 0, it’s easy to see why. When kept clean, only two other quarterbacks have a better EPA per dropback than Johnson (0.23), while no other quarterback in action on the first Saturday of the season can match his 0.83 scramble EPA per attempt. With his feet planted or taking off running, he’s almost unstoppable.
However, his 77.4 (C+) season grade from last fall demonstrates room for improvement. Johnson needs to be better under pressure (-0.06 EPA per dropback), in close games (-0.09 EPA per dropback), and at the end of the half (-0.05 EPA per dropback) in 2025 if he’s to lead the Wildcats to contention in the Big 12, let alone contend for a College Football Playoff berth.
2) Jalon Daniels, Kansas
2024 PFSN College QB+ Grade: 78.1 (C+)
When Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels is in full health, there aren’t many more exciting quarterbacks to watch in college football. He’s back for a sixth year and is comfortably one of the top quarterbacks in action as the Big 12 outfit takes on Fresno State in college football Week 0.
Despite battling a knee injury in 2024, he still let the football fly, leading the Big 12 in yards per completion (14.4) and air yards per pass attempt (11.6), with the latter being a whole 1.5 yards more than his nearest qualifying competition. He achieved this despite being one of the most blitzed quarterbacks in the conference, with five+ pursuers on 32.5% of his dropbacks.
What did Jalon Daniels see? BLURRRRRRRRR🌬️
Break down @KU_Football in the Film Room#Big12FB | @Microsoft pic.twitter.com/dqNw4wm4vR
— Big 12 Studios (@big12studios) August 4, 2025
His 12 interceptions tied with former BYU Cougars quarterback Jake Retzlaff for most in the Big 12 during the 2024 campaign, but that shouldn’t be classed as an indicator of what he’s capable of in 2025. He had 12 interceptions in total across the first four seasons of his career, resulting in a career average interception percentage of just 2.7% compared to a 5.1% touchdown rate.
When kept clean, Daniels is as good as anyone you’ll see in college football Week 0, as evidenced by his 0.33 clean EPA per dropback across the 2024 season. As you’d expect from a quarterback with his athletic makeup, he registered positive EPA on both designed runs and scramble plays. With Devin Neal gone, that dual-threat will be more critical than ever.
1) Rocco Becht, Iowa State
2024 PFSN College QB+ Grade: 81.0 (B-)
The “Farmaggedon” Rivalry travels across the pond to Dublin, Ireland, in college football Week 0. It is comfortably the most high-profile game on the opening slate of five games involving FBS teams. Among multiple storylines in this great Big 12 clash, Iowa State vs. Kansas State features two of the best passers in the country, with Rocco Becht emerging atop these rankings.
Although he only completed 59.4% of his pass attempts a year ago, Becht established himself as one of the most productive passers in the conference, throwing for 3,505 yards and 25 touchdowns (both career highs) as the Cyclones returned to the Big 12 Championship Game. Although he threw nine interceptions, just 2.0% of his attempts resulted in a pick.
Proving his ability to keep the chains moving and carry the offense on his back, no other quarterback in action in college football Week 0 converted more than Becht on “money downs” (46.1%). At the same time, his 0.56 rush EPA per attempt outstripped anyone on this list who was eligible for a season grade, and he ranks third with a 0.19 clutch sum from 2024.
Advanced metrics corroborate what you see with your eyes. Becht is a capable gunslinger with some of the prettiest throws that you’ll see from a quarterback this season. Yet, it’s his leave-it-out-on-the-field mindset and determination, particularly in must-succeed situations, that separates the Iowa State quarterback from most passers we’ll see in the 2025 season.
