Pre-spring QB rankings for all 68 Power 4 teams

January's transfer window has long since closed, and college football rosters are as stable as they'll ever be as spring football gets started across the country. It feels like a good time to start looking toward the fall.

We'll get to SP+ projections and infinite preview material soon enough, but let's start, as we always seem to do, with the quarterbacks. On a couple of different occasions during the 2025 season, I ranked all 68 power-conference quarterbacks based on stats, trends and recent performances. Let's do that again. We have at least a reasonable idea of who will start for most of the teams on the current power-conference rosters, so let's take the next logical step. There they are, Nos. 1-68, heading into spring ball.

1. CJ Carr, Notre Dame Fighting Irish

2025 stat line: 83.4 QBR, 2,741 passing yards, 24 TDs, six INTs, 66.6% completion rate, 14.1 yards per completion; 134 non-sack rushing yards, three TDs

He sort of looked like a redshirt freshman against Miami in Week 1 of last season, but that was about it. He fell just short of leading a comeback win against the Hurricanes, then pretty much torched all other opposition. Sure, he had a spectacular run game at his disposal -- Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price combined for 2,046 yards and 29 touchdowns (and are both gone now) -- but Notre Dame ranked first nationally in third-and-long success rate (7 or more yards to go). When Carr had to make a throw, he did so.

Carr isn't exactly your modern dual-threat guy; he doesn't scramble much, and he's not a threat to punish defenses for turning their backs on the QB in man coverage. But he also doesn't take sacks, both because of quick decision-making and the fact that he might have the best offensive line in the country protecting him. He's accurate, he has a big arm, and by the end of 2025 he was one of the most reliable passers in the sport.

While three of last year's four main wideouts are gone, the return of Jordan Faison, plus 2024 playoff hero Jaden Greathouse (back from an injury redshirt) will help, as will the addition of two recent blue-chippers from Ohio State (Mylan Graham, Quincy Porter). Carr should have most of what he needs, and even if the run game regresses a bit, there's no reason to think he won't continue to come through on third down.

2. Julian Sayin, Ohio State Buckeyes

2025 stat line: 88.4 QBR, 3,610 passing yards, 32 TDs, eight INTs, 77.0% completion rate, 12.0 yards per completion

Ohio State spent most of 2025 on easy mode. The Buckeyes outlasted Texas in a defensive slugfest in Week 1, then won 11 straight games by an average of 39-8. Sayin was excellent, as can be attested from his numbers, but he never faced a must-score situation, and he never had to take major risks. Ohio State played with the slowest tempo in the country and never had to show urgency. That ended up backfiring. The Buckeyes went scoreless on two key, late red zone chances in the Big Ten championship loss to Indiana, and when they trailed Miami by 14 points in the CFP quarterfinals, they never raised the tempo or did anything out of the ordinary. (Case in point: a seven-play, four-minute drive in the fourth quarter that ended in a punt and eventually allowed Miami to put the game away.)

In 2026, the training wheels must come off. Sayin is absurdly accurate, and he still has Jeremiah Smith, probably the single-most talented player in the country, out wide to catch his passes. His line is experienced, his run game should be good -- which is good because, like Carr, he doesn't contribute much with his legs -- and Ohio State is going to win tons of games again. Will they win the right ones this time? Maybe a rough schedule will help the Buckeyes out a bit; they travel to Texas and Indiana, then welcome Oregon (and, of course, Michigan) in November, so maybe they'll actually get a bit more close-game experience this fall. It's the only thing Sayin lacks.

3. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss Rebels

2025 stat line: 86.5 QBR, 3,937 passing yards, 22 TDs, three INTs, 66.1% completion rate, 13.4 yards per completion; 600 non-sack rushing yards, eight TDs

After what we saw in the CFP, as he ran circles around Georgia and came within inches of a spot in the national title game, it felt like the Trinidad Chambliss Story should have one more act to it. And thanks to a judge in Mississippi, it gets one despite the NCAA's protestations.

Chambliss was hard to pigeonhole in 2025. He's not the statuesque NFL prototype like Carr or Arch Manning, and he's far more willing to use his legs than Sayin, but he still looks to throw -- not including sacks, he averaged fewer rushing yards per game than Manning -- and he's great at it: He averaged slightly more yards per dropback, with fewer sacks and interceptions, than Sayin. It might be difficult for him to replicate last year's success with his offensive line losing three starters and, perhaps even more importantly, his receiving corps losing five of last year's top six. But then again, he's dealing with far less change than he did a year ago when he moved up from Division II. Maybe he's so good that the turnover around him doesn't matter.

4. Arch Manning, Texas Longhorns

2025 stat line: 78.0 QBR, 3,163 passing yards, 26 TDs, seven INTs, 61.4% completion rate, 12.8 yards per completion; 537 non-sack rushing yards, 10 TDs

College football has a painfully short season. You're only guaranteed 12 Saturdays to make an impression. And yet, somehow this tiny sample still offers time for plot twists and redemption tales. Manning now knows this as well as anyone.

Manning is not yet a finished product; he runs himself into trouble at times, and for someone with such strong overall athleticism, he is woefully inaccurate throwing on the run. (Among QBR-eligible passers, his 49.2% completion rate outside the pocket ranked just 82nd in the country, and his 66.7% catchable ball rate ranked 58th.) But he figured out how to make the most of what he had late in 2025. He ranked first in QBR after October, ahead of even Fernando Mendoza. His decision-making sped up immensely, and he learned to use his legs to great effect, rushing for 225 yards (not including sacks) and three touchdowns in his last two games.

Texas appears to be one of this year's all-in teams, spending big to add stars such as receiver Cam Coleman (Auburn) and running backs Raleek Brown (Arizona State) and Hollywood Smothers (NC State) to Manning's skill corps. I'm going to keep worrying about Manning's on-the-run accuracy until he proves it's not a hindrance, but his improvement was obvious, and his supporting cast is better. He should be more worthy of (and ready for) the hype this time around.

5. Jayden Maiava, USC Trojans

2025 stat line: 89.9 QBR, 3,711 passing yards, 24 TDs, 10 INTs, 65.8% completion rate, 14.0 yards per completion; 258 non-sack rushing yards, six TDs

It took a brilliant set of postseason performances for Fernando Mendoza to pass Maiava and finish the season No. 1 in QBR. Maiava was comfortably the most statistically superior passer in the country in September, and he finished the year having produced an 87.0 QBR or higher in 11 of 13 games. (USC lost three of those 11, thanks in part to a defense that allowed 36.7 points per game in the losses.)

Maiava should get excellent support from a run game that returns its top two backs and 78% of last year's offensive line snaps. USC's success, however, will be driven by how well Maiava meshes with a new set of targets -- only three players who caught more than five passes return, and two are running backs -- and how well veteran coordinator Gary Patterson can spruce up a defense that couldn't deliver in many big games. Regardless, Maiava has exceeded expectations since arriving from UNLV, and his final act should be fun to follow.

6. Dante Moore, Oregon Ducks

2025 stat line: 78.5 QBR, 3,565 passing yards, 30 TDs, 10 INTs, 71.8% completion rate, 12.0 yards per completion; 284 non-sack rushing yards, two TDs

When you're receiving top-five draft hype, it's hard to say no to the NFL whether you're actually ready or not. That Moore knew he wasn't ready and returned for one more year was pretty impressive.

To be sure, Moore is almost ready. He finished 2025 ranked fifth in completion rate, sixth in touchdown passes (30) and 10th in catchable ball rate (83.3%), and for the second straight season Oregon lost only to the team that eventually won the national title. But against the best defenses he faced -- Indiana (twice), Texas Tech and Iowa -- he struggled mightily, throwing more picks (five) than touchdowns (three), averaging only 9.7 yards per completion and taking 11 sacks. It didn't help that his receiving corps was a revolving door with no single wideout starting more than nine games; simply having a more experienced and stable set of options at his disposal will help. So will pure experience. He was a first-year starter, after all. His return gives Oregon a better shot at breaking down its one remaining barrier and winning a national title.

7. Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State Cowboys

2025 stat line (North Texas): 74.8 QBR, 4,379 passing yards, 34 TDs, nine INTs, 68.9% completion rate, 13.7 yards per completion; 224 non-sack rushing yards, five TDs

What happens when you graft the country's most prolific mid-major offense onto the country's worst power-conference roster? We're going to find out! Mestemaker and North Texas ranked first nationally in offensive SP+ last season, scoring at least 45 points nine times despite starting true freshman Caleb Hawkins at running back and, in Mestemaker, a redshirt freshman and former walk-on and high school backup at quarterback. Mestemaker was learning lessons in real time and still thriving, finishing with the nation's most passing yards and second-most TDs. And even in the Mean Green's two losses -- in which he threw six interceptions and took seven sacks against USF and Tulane -- he finished strong after early- or midgame glitches.

Mestemaker and Hawkins are two of eight UNT transfers on offense alone, and it would be a surprise if at least six of them don't start. I'm guessing they will immediately create one of the Big 12's better offenses, and there's a chance they'll do even more than that. We live in an age of giant, roster-building thought experiments. Here's the latest one.

8. Gunner Stockton, Georgia Bulldogs

2025 stat line: 84.9 QBR, 2,894 passing yards, 24 TDs, five INTs, 69.7% completion rate, 10.8 yards per completion; 532 non-sack rushing yards, 10 TDs

In 1986-87, UNLV's Mark Wade averaged 10.7 assists and only 4.7 points per game. He attempted a shot only once every eight minutes or so; he was the most point guard-ish of all point guards, distributing the ball ruthlessly with the least risk imaginable.

We've seen lots of college football offenses called "basketball on grass" through the years, and we've seen quarterbacks referred to as point guards even more. But Stockton is a damn point guard. A whopping 38.6% of his passes were thrown at or behind the line of scrimmage, and only 13.7%, about 1 in 7, were 20-yarders. He distributes the ball quickly and accurately, over and over again, and Georgia won a second straight SEC title in 2025 despite ranking 131st nationally in yards per successful play.

Stockton basically operates the elite-team version of a service academy offense, always staying on schedule and rarely moving quickly. And he occasionally seeks contact in the run game like a service academy, too. He's great at what he does and infuriating to defend. (It's also sometimes infuriating watching Georgia nibble so much despite having 14 million former blue-chip recruits, but that's another story.)

9. Brendan Sorsby, Texas Tech Red Raiders

2025 stat line (Cincinnati): 81.5 QBR, 2,800 passing yards, 27 TDs, five INTs, 61.6% completion rate, 13.5 yards per completion; 616 non-sack rushing yards, nine TDs

After using the transfer portal to turn a poor defense into an elite one, Tech ran aground into the CFP, in part because of quarterback play. Naturally, then, Joey Maguire went out and grabbed just about the most proven QB in the portal. Sorsby was pretty all-or-nothing in 2025 -- he averaged 9.5 yards per dropback with 20 TDs and no INTs in wins, and he averaged 6.5 yards per dropback with a 7-to-5 TDs-to-INT ratio in losses -- and his team ran out of steam late in the year. But he has shown every skill you want a QB to have at some point, he's a good runner when he needs to be, and he's an upgrade over Behren Morton.

10. Byrum Brown, Auburn Tigers

2025 stat line (USF): 77.8 QBR, 3,158 passing yards, 28 TDs, seven INTs, 66.3% completion rate, 14.0 yards per completion; 1,121 non-sack rushing yards, 14 TDs

In three years with new Auburn head coach Alex Golesh at USF, Brown twice topped 3,000 passing yards and 1,000 non-sack rushing yards; in fact, the only other QB in the 2020s to top 3,100 and 1,100, respectively, was Jayden Daniels in his 2023 Heisman campaign. He both threw and rushed for more yards last year than John Mateer had before his move from Washington State to Oklahoma. I'm not going to tell you that means he's going to be part of a CFP push as Mateer was, but it's OK to set the bar pretty high here. He's really good, and he knows the offense.

11. Darian Mensah, Miami Hurricanes

2025 stat line (Duke): 76.6 QBR, 3,973 passing yards, 34 TDs, six INTs, 66.8% completion rate, 11.9 yards per completion; 156 non-sack rushing yards, one TD

He certainly didn't do his old team any favors in entering the portal in mid-January, but Mensah now lands with the defending national runner-up, where he'll have a chance to team with Malachi Toney, Mark Fletcher Jr. & Co.

Few QBs do a better job of buying time to make throws without risking tons of sacks or hits (or interceptions). That offers some interesting potential tweaks for Shannon Dawson after calling plays for Carson Beck, who got the ball out of his hands faster than almost any QB in the country.

12. Devon Dampier, Utah Utes

2025 stat line: 84.4 QBR, 2,490 passing yards, 24 TDs, five INTs, 63.5% completion rate, 11.8 yard per completion; 899 non-sack passing yards, 10 TDs

Dampier moved with offensive coordinator Jason Beck from New Mexico to Utah and, despite the upgrade in competition, became a better passer and all-around QB. Utah leaped to sixth in offensive SP+ and lost to only Texas Tech and BYU. But with Beck following Kyle Whittingham to Michigan, we'll find out whether Dampier can thrive under a new OC. Kevin McGiven helped to bring plenty of dual-threat production out of Bryson Barnes at Utah State last season, so this could work out great. But the change provides at least a twinge of concern.

13. Josh Hoover, Indiana Hoosiers

2025 stat line (TCU): 73.6 QBR, 3,472 passing yards, 29 TDs, 13 INTs, 65.9% completion rate, 12.8 yards per completion; 136 non-sack rushing yards, two TDs

Hoover has an impossible act to follow in succeeding Fernando Mendoza, but he proved more in his pre-Bloomington career than Mendoza had. That's not to say another Heisman and title campaign are guaranteed, but Hoover is a high-level veteran who could lead another strong campaign. In 31 career starts, he has produced a QBR over 80 on 13 occasions and topped 300 yards 16 times. With 9,629 yards and 71 TDs in his career, he'll also have a chance at finishing his career with 13,000 yards and 100 TDs. Not bad.

14. Sam Leavitt, LSU Tigers

2025 stat line (Arizona State): 65.8 QBR, 1,628 passing yards, 10 TDs, three INTs, 60.7% completion rate, 11.2 yards per completion; 420 non-sack rushing yards, five TDs

To understand why Lane Kiffin was desperate to bring Leavitt to Baton Rouge, let's share a different stat line.

2024 stat line (Arizona State): 80.0 QBR, 2,885 passing yards, 24 TDs, six INTs, 61.7% completion rate, 13.4 yards per completion; 574 non-sack rushing yards, five TDs

Injuries derailed Leavitt's 2025 campaign, and he appeared to burn plenty of bridges on his way out of Tempe, but maybe that makes him a good fit with a bridge-burning head coach. Regardless, he's dynamite when healthy, and almost no one more consistently coaxes epic upside out of their QBs than Kiffin. It's easy to see this move working out beautifully for LSU.

15. Bear Bachmeier, BYU Cougars

2025 stat line: 78.2 QBR, 3,033 passing yards, 15 TDs, seven INTs, 64.9% completion rate, 12.1 yards per completion; 624 non-sack rushing yards, 11 TDs

Sure, he benefited from a strong defense and a ruthlessly physical offensive line, but Bachmeier was a true freshman in 2025, and he spent the spring at Stanford before transferring following a coaching change. There was no reason to expect huge things from him in 2025, and all he did was throw for 3,000 yards, beat everyone but Texas Tech, defeat Utah with a manly touchdown run and indirectly kill a Pop-Tart. It was honestly one of the best true freshman seasons we've seen in a while, and you could tell that offensive coordinator ​​Aaron Roderick still had some guardrails in place. What might he be capable of now that he actually knows what he's doing?

16. CJ Bailey, NC State Wolfpack

2025 stat line: 79.4 QBR, 3,105 passing yards, 25 TDs, nine INTs, 68.8% completion rate, 11.4 yards per completion; 377 non-sack rushing yards, six TDs

First, the bad: Bailey suffered absolute duds against Notre Dame and Miami -- the two best defenses he faced in 2025 -- throwing five picks and generating just 14 total points.

Now, the good: He torched Virginia's defense (19th in defensive SP+) and Wake Forest's (34th) and produced seven games with a QBR of 86.0 or higher. (QBR is opponent-adjusted.) His upside is otherworldly, and if Dave Doeren made the right moves in the transfer portal this offseason -- honestly, I'm not sure he did -- then Bailey could be a top-10 QB in 2026.

17. Bryce Underwood, Michigan Wolverines

2025 stat line: 72.6 QBR, 2,428 passing yards, 11 TDs, nine INTs, 60.3% completion rate, 12.0 yards per completion; 506 non-sack rushing yards, six TDs

One of the more interesting new QB-coordinator marriages in the country this season is happening in Ann Arbor. Jason Beck runs a super-creative offense that finds a million different ways to run the football; a lot of that involves the QB, and Underwood was brilliant running the ball at times last year. But he still came to Ann Arbor to run a pro-style attack and become a future No. 1 pick, not to run over 10 times per game (as Devon Dampier did last year at Utah). Can this combination work in a way that doesn't dampen either Underwood's potential or Beck's? I'm honestly not sure. Still, the upside is clear, as Underwood showed all the leadership and high ceiling you would hope for from a five-star freshman.

18. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M Aggies

2025 stat line: 75.6 QBR, 3,169 passing yards, 25 TDs, 12 INTs, 62.1% completion rate, 13.5 yards per completion; 593 non-sack rushing yards, six TDs

When Reed is good, he's otherworldly. He did, after all, lead A&M to an 11-0 start last season, with the Aggies' offense scoring at least 31 points 10 times. But more than other potentially elite QBs, he seems to let one mistake drive another one, and the errors added up late in the season: He threw eight interceptions in his last six games, and A&M scored a total of 20 points in the last two. Few QBs bring more big-play potential to the table. Let's see whether Reed can finish the drill a bit better this time.

19. John Mateer, Oklahoma Sooners

2025 stat line: 65.1 QBR, 2,885 passing yards, 14 TDs, 11 INTs, 62.2% completion rate, 11.7 yards per completion; 575 non-sack rushing yards, eight TDs

Only four quarterbacks attempted more than 440 dropbacks and more than 120 non-sack rushes in 2025; only Mateer did it in 12 games. He took a physical pounding in Norman, and the correlation between what he thought he could get away with and what he actually got away with wasn't always as strong as it could have been. (Translation: He had a few extremely mistake-prone games.) But while OU's playoff run was heavily driven by defense, he still made some big plays and could do so again in 2026 now that he knows the SEC landscape a bit better. And even if he doesn't improve, he's super fun, and that's all that matters if you're a neutral, right?

20. Demond Williams Jr., Washington Huskies

2025 stat line: 75.7 QBR, 3,065 passing yards, 25 TDs, eight INTs, 69.5% completion rate, 12.5 yards per completion; 818 non-sack rushing yards, six TDs

Williams showed epic potential as a first-year starter in 2025, and he has two tasks for going even bigger in 2026. First, he'll have to win the dressing room back after briefly entering the transfer portal following "really bad advice." Second, he'll have to figure out how to raise his game against great defenses. His overall stat line was great (UW averaged 45.1 points per game in nine wins), but against the four best defenses he faced last fall -- Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Oregon -- the Huskies offense averaged a dire 9.3 points per game and went 0-4. Time to learn some new tricks.

21. Avery Johnson, Kansas State Wildcats

2025 stat line: 69.3 QBR, 2,385 passing yards, 18 TDs, six INTs, 59.8% completion rate, 11.7 yards per completion; 555 non-sack rushing yards, eight TDs

Johnson began the 2025 season playing like some other quarterback. He wasn't running much, he was getting the ball out of his hands faster, and he generally seemed to be trying to play more pro-style ball. It didn't fit him, and K-State began the year 1-3. But beginning in Week 5, we saw Johnson again. He produced a top-20 QBR from that point forward. He ran more frequently, he generated more big plays, and though the Wildcats still lost three more games, they averaged 34 points per game in those losses.

All of this is a long way of saying I cannot wait to see what a Collin Klein influence might do for Johnson. The new K-State head coach knows what to do with a mobile QB (he was a human third-and-3 conversion back in his own K-State playing days), and with buy-in Johnson could be in for a huge senior season.

22. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, California Golden Bears

2025 stat line: 58.5 QBR, 3,454 passing yards, 18 TDs, nine INTs, 64.2% completion rate, 10.9 yards per completion

He was a true freshman, he got no support from his run game, he averaged over 40 dropbacks per game, and he had only one receiver he trusted (slot man Jacob De Jesus, targeted 158 times). JKS played at All-Madden level difficulty in 2025, and he certainly didn't thrive consistently, but the bright moments were awfully bright and they became more frequent late in the season.

From Week 11 onward, JKS ranked 14th nationally in QBR, between Julian Sayin (13th) and Dante Moore (15th). New Cal coach Tosh Lupoi kept JKS in Berkeley and added quite a few exciting new skill corps weapons. If his line holds up, Sagapolutele could throw for 4,000-plus yards.

23. Kevin Jennings, SMU Mustangs

2025 stat line: 71.4 QBR, 3,641 passing yards, 26 TDs, 13 INTs, 66.1% completion rate, 12.1 yards per completion; 239 non-sack rushing yards, four TDs

Jennings began the 2025 season in a bit of a funk following his collapse in the 2024 CFP. He threw five interceptions in his first four games as SMU started 2-2, but he was excellent over the next two months, producing a 75.1 QBR and throwing only five more picks during a 6-2 finish that almost brought the Mustangs back to the ACC championship game. He was particularly good in key wins over Miami and Louisville, and if that's the Jennings we see for most of 2026, look out. But the mistakes -- including another three-interception game in a bowl loss to Arizona -- remain worrisome.

24. Colton Joseph, Wisconsin Badgers

2025 stat line (Old Dominion): 69.2 QBR, 2,624 passing yards, 21 TDs, 10 INTs, 59.7% completion rate, 15.2 yards per completion; 1,100 non-sack rushing yards, 13 TDs

The 2025 ODU offense was one of the most delightful surprises of the season, aiming for and frequently uncorking big plays via run and pass. It seems like decades since Wisconsin's offense has boasted any sort of explosive threat, and there's no guaranteeing that Joseph will have the skill corps that he needs in Madison -- or that he'll withstand a season's worth of hits to provide the same level of rushing threat in the Big Ten. But he earned this promotion of sorts and should turn around three straight years of horrid offensive regression for the Badgers.

25. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina Gamecocks

2025 stat line: 61.0 QBR, 2,437 passing yards, 13 TDs, eight INTs, 60.8% completion rate, 13.7 yards per completion; 610 non-sack rushing yards, five TDs

In 2024, Sellers rode random big plays and a strong supporting cast to a great season despite terribly sack-prone tendencies. In 2025, the supporting cast disappeared (translation: no run game whatsoever), the sack-prone tendencies remained, and the Gamecocks plummeted from 9-4 to 4-8. Sellers' upside is undeniable -- he's going to get massive 2027 NFL draft hype whether he succeeds this fall or not -- but 2025 was a waste. Can he rebound?

26. Ethan Grunkemeyer, Virginia Tech Hokies

2025 stat line (Penn State): 75.0 QBR, 1,339 passing yards, eight TDs, four INTs, 69.1% completion rate, 10.9 yards per completion

When Grunkemeyer took over as Penn State's QB last season as a true freshman, the team had just lost Drew Allar to injury and had fired James Franklin after a devastating three-game losing streak. There was no reason to think this was going to go well, but he nearly led upsets of Iowa and Indiana, then managed a four-game winning streak to finish the season. He doesn't stand out either physically or statistically, but he's an excellent, quick decision-maker, and in his last three starts he produced an 85.2 QBR and 76% completion rate. Now he follows Franklin to Blacksburg.

27. Noah Fifita, Arizona Wildcats

2025 stat line: 71.2 QBR, 3,228 passing yards, 29 TDs, six INTs, 64.3% completion rate, 11.7 yards per completion; 425 non-sack rushing yards, three TDs

We don't see many long tenures for QBs at a given school anymore, and that's a shame because it means fewer redemption arcs like the one we saw from Fifita in 2025. After an incredible 2023 debut (10-3 record, ninth in offensive SP+) and a dire 2024 collapse following coach Jedd Fisch's departure (4-8, 90th), Fifita led a nine-win rebound last fall. Granted, a drastically improved defense helped with that, but the offense still jumped back to 29th thanks to Fifita's controlled, mistake-free passing. The UA offense is facing quite a bit of turnover, but Fifita's return helps.

28. Keelon Russell or Austin Mack, Alabama Crimson Tide

2025 stat line: Russell -- 72.7 QBR, 143 passing yards, two TDs, zero INTs, 73.3% completion rate, 13.0 yards per completion; Mack -- 82.5 QBR, 228 passing yards, two TDs, zero INTs, 75.0% completion rate, 9.5 yards per completion

Heading into a make-or-break 2026 campaign, Kalen DeBoer chose to stay in-house to find Ty Simpson's replacement, and the competition between last year's second-stringer (Mack) and the No. 1 QB in the 2025 class (Russell) could run deep into August. The statuesque Mack has spent three years with DeBoer at Washington and Bama and very much looks the part at 6-foot-6, 235 pounds, but the scouting report on Russell coming out of high school was basically "elite at everything." My bet is that Russell wins the job, but last we saw, Mack had the lead on the depth chart (and he certainly didn't look worse than Simpson against Indiana in the CFP).

29. Beau Pribula, Virginia Cavaliers

2025 stat line (Missouri): 66.7 QBR, 1,941 passing yards, 11 TD, nine INTs, 67.4% completion rate, 10.7 yards per completion; 416 non-sack rushing yards, six TDs

Pribula proved his toughness but hurt his stats in 2025. Heading into Week 9, Missouri was 6-1, and Pribula had produced a 74.1 QBR with a 70% completion rate. His explosiveness numbers weren't great, and the interception totals were picking up, but he had performed well. Then he dislocated an ankle against Vandy, and though he rushed back to return to the field within a month, his final three starts (41.6 QBR, 58% completion rate, zero TD passes) were dismal. Still, a healthy Pribula can move the football.

30. Anthony Colandrea, Nebraska Cornhuskers

2025 stat line (UNLV): 69.6 QBR, 3,459 passing yards, 23 TDs, nine INTs, 65.9% completion rate, 12.6 yards per completion; 834 non-sack passing yards, 10 TDs

No one plays with their hair on fire or projects a vibe of "Hell yeah, I can make that play" more than Colandrea. Can he always make the play? Not necessarily. But he's incredibly fun to watch, and he brings energy to whatever offense he's piloting. He also makes more big plays and takes fewer sacks than former golden boy Dylan Raiola did in Lincoln.

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Alonza Barnett III rips free for a JMU TD

Alonza Barnett III keeps it on 26-yard touchdown rush for James Madison.

31. Alonza Barnett III, UCF Knights

2025 stat line (JMU): 61.6 QBR, 2,806 passing yards, 23 TDs, eight INTs, 58.4% completion rate, 13.0 yards per completion; 729 non-sack rushing yards, 15 TDs

The UCF offense never got on track in Scott Frost's first season back in Orlando, falling to 98th in offensive SP+, the Knights' worst ranking in 10 years. But adding Barnett should help. He was all over the map in two seasons at JMU -- seven starts with a QBR over 80.0, eight under 30.0 -- but he's a big-play hunter and could allow UCF to actually pick up the tempo a bit in 2026.

32. Steve Angeli, Syracuse Orange

2025 stat line: 63.0 QBR, 1,317 passing yards, 10 TDs, two INTs, 62.8% completion rate, 13.4 yards per completion

When Angeli went down with an Achilles tear in September, Syracuse was on its way to a 3-1 start and an upset of Clemson. Without him, the Orange lost eight straight games by an average score of 39-11. He might have been the single most valuable player of the 2025 season. Coach Fran Brown took no chances, bringing in both Kennesaw State transfer Amari Odom and former five-star Malachi Nelson (UTEP) to compete if Angeli isn't 100%. But a 100% Angeli is awfully good.

33. Katin Houser, Illinois Fighting Illini

2025 stat line (East Carolina): 64.2 QBR, 3,300 passing yards, 19 TDs, six INTs; 65.9% completion rate, 12.3 yards per completion; 282 non-sack rushing yards, nine TDs

Houser's two years at ECU were a roller coaster: He produced a QBR higher than 83.0 five times and lower than 34.0 four times, but when he was on, the Pirates were nearly unstoppable. He cut the interceptions down in 2025 while learning to scramble a bit more effectively, and if that evolution continues, Illinois could end up near the offensive SP+ top 30 again for the second straight year.

34. Rocco Becht, Penn State Nittany Lions

2025 stat line (Iowa State): 64.3 QBR, 2,584 passing yards, 16 TDs, nine INTs, 60.5% completion rate, 12.6 yards per completion; 261 non-sack rushing yards, eight TDs

Becht will lead the Penn State Cyclones in 2026 as one of what felt like 100 ISU-to-PSU transfers. At this point, we have a pretty good idea of how good he is: In three years starting in Ames, he produced QBRs of 69.1, 69.4 and 64.3, respectively, with completion rates that were always around 61% and interception rates that were always around 2.2%. The ultimate high-floor, not-so-high-ceiling guy.

35. Cutter Boley, Arizona State Sun Devils

2025 stat line (Kentucky): 63.2 QBR, 2,160 passing yards, 15 TDs, 12 INTs, 65.8% completion rate, 10.9 yards per completion; 252 non-sack passing yards, two TDs

Considering the degree of difficulty involved in piloting a mostly disastrous Kentucky offense, Boley's best moments were absolutely dynamite in 2025. He torched Tennessee for 330 yards and five touchdowns, and he dragged the Wildcats over the 30-point mark three times in a four-game before trailing off at the end of the season. And if nothing else, he has proved more than Sam Leavitt had when arriving in Tempe in 2024 to become a two-year ASU starter.

36. Conner Weigman, Houston Cougars

2025 stat line: 69.9 QBR, 2,705 passing yards, 25 TDs, nine INTs, 65.2% completion rate, 11.7 yards per completion; 795 non-sack rushing yards, 11 TDs

The fifth-year senior has almost proved more with his legs than his arm, and it seems like he's more of a high-floor guy than high-ceiling (despite once being a top-30 prospect), but his return, along with that of slot receiver Amare Thomas and an experienced line -- plus the arrival of running back Makhi Hughes, a onetime star for Willie Fritz at Tulane -- certainly boosts Houston's stock as a 2026 sleeper.

37. Malik Washington, Maryland Terrapins

2025 stat line: 57.6 QBR, 2,963 passing yards, 17 TDs, nine INTs, 57.7% completion rate, 10.9 yards per completion; 375 non-sack rushing yards, four TDs

Washington moved straight into the deep end of the pool, starting as a true freshman for a Maryland offense that just didn't provide him much help. The Terrapins' run game stunk, so anything good had to come from Washington's arm or, as the season progressed, his legs. The potential is there, but the portal didn't bring many offensive upgrades, so it's hard to feel too good about how Washington will perform in 2026.

38. Ashton Daniels, Florida State Seminoles

2025 stat line (Auburn): 67.9 QBR, 797 passing yards, three TDs, two INTs, 57.1% completion rate, 11.7 yards per completion; 336 non-sack passing yards, two TDs

Daniels deserves a good situation. He has produced a QBR over 70 in six career starts at Stanford and Auburn, and his teams went 0-6 in those games. I have no idea why he wasn't starting at Auburn from the beginning of 2025, but he performed well in late-season losses to Vanderbilt and Alabama, and he should be favorite to land the FSU job in a competition with Lafayette transfer Dean DeNobile, juco star Malachi Marshall and 2025 backup Kevin Sperry.

39. Nico Iamaleava, UCLA Bruins

2025 stat line: 60.8 QBR, 1,928 passing yards, 13 TDs, seven INTs, 64.4% completion rate, 9.3 yards per completion; 664 non-sack rushing yards, nine TDs

In two years, Iamaleava has learned everything you need to know about supporting casts. He rode a great run game and near-elite defense to a CFP bid at Tennessee in 2024, then found little support and crashed on a 3-9 UCLA team. The former five-star prospect runs well when he chooses to (and will always take far too many sacks), and new Bruins coach Bob Chesney has drastically improved the skill corps around him. That should mean Iamaleava improves as well.

40. DJ Lagway, Baylor Bears

2025 stat line (Florida): 59.3 QBR, 2,264 passing yards, 16 TDs, 14 INTs, 63.2% completion rate, 10.6 yards per completion; 232 non-sack rushing yards, one TD

After two scattershot seasons at Florida, Lagway gets a fresh start in the Big 12. He was all-or-nothing as a freshman and just never really got rolling in 2025 after missing the offseason with injury. Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital has coaxed yards and points out of all sorts of quarterbacks, and offense certainly wasn't an issue for the Bears last fall, but Lagway will be working with a terribly unproven receiving corps.

41. Alberto Mendoza, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

2025 stat line (Indiana): 99.4 QBR, 286 passing yards, five TDs, one INT, 75.0% completion rate, 15.9 yards per completion; 190 non-sack rushing yards, one TD

He's smaller and faster than his Heisman- and championship-winning brother Fernando, and he absolutely shined in garbage time for Indiana last season. (A particularly hilarious example: Against Purdue, he was 2-for-2 for 76 yards and a touchdown and rushed twice for 59 yards.) We don't know for sure what upside he brings to the table, but he certainly makes loads of sense as a Haynes King successor.

42. Walker Eget, Duke Blue Devils

2025 stat line (San Jose State): 62.0 QBR, 3,047 passing yards, 17 TDs, nine INTs, 59.0% completion rate, 13.1 yards per completion

Considering the degree of difficulty in finding a replacement for Darian Mensah super late in the transfer window, landing Eget from San Jose State was a magic act. He has thrown for 5,555 yards over the past two seasons, and he managed to improve his numbers slightly in 2025 despite losing All-American receiver Nick Nash. Eget avoids sacks and gets the ball out of his hands pretty quickly, and he should be a safe presence for the Blue Devils, though we don't know if he has a particularly high ceiling.

43. Aaron Philo, Florida Gators

2025 stat line (Georgia Tech): 73.1 QBR, 373 passing yards, one TD, one INT, 75.0% completion rate, 17.8 yards per completion

Another small-sample god, Philo showed loads of potential in two years backing up Haynes King, but his only start was against Gardner-Webb; now, if he beats out a couple of four-star youngsters (namely, redshirt freshman Tramell Jones Jr.), he'll take on Georgia, Ole Miss, Texas, Oklahoma and quite a few other high-level defenses. He could be great, but there are no guarantees.

44. Austin Simmons, Missouri Tigers

2025 stat line (Ole Miss): 63.6 QBR, 744 passing yards, four TDs, five INTs, 60.0% completion rate, 16.5 yards per completion; 96 non-sack rushing yards, one TD

Simmons was still learning what throws he could and couldn't get away with when he went down with injury in September and got Wally Pipp'd by Trinidad Chambliss. In just 84 dropbacks, he managed to complete 15 passes of 20-plus yards while taking five sacks and throwing five picks. His arm strength is spectacular, and he'll have explosive receivers such as Cayden Lee (Ole Miss), Caleb Goodie (Cincy) and blue-chip sophomore Donovan Olugbode at his disposal, but we'll see if new Mizzou coordinator Chip Lindsey is able to speed up that learning curve (and if Simmons can hold off sophomore Matt Zollers to win the job).

45. Drake Lindsey, Minnesota Golden Gophers

2025 stat line: 61.3 QBR, 2,382 passing yards, 18 TDs, six INTs, 63.2% completion rate, 9.7 yards per completion

Minnesota frequently seems as if it's trying to win games without asking for anything from its QB, and the Gophers managed to win with Lindsey throwing for 90, 147, 139 and 153 yards. He throws a nice ball, and his best performances -- such as a 264-yard, four-TD performance against Northwestern -- were strong. But UM scored a total of 19 points in losses to Ohio State, Iowa and Oregon. He still bears the burden of proof.

46. Mason Heintschel, Pittsburgh Panthers

2025 stat line: 57.6 QBR, 2,354 passing yards, 16 TDs, eight INTs, 63.6% completion rate, 11.7 yards per completion; 348 non-sack rushing yards, two TDs

In his first five career starts, Heintschel averaged 302 passing yards per game and 7.4 yards per dropback with a QBR of 70.4 (which is excellent for a freshman). Pitt averaged 40 points per game and went 5-0, too. Then came the freshman wall. His last four starts: 202 yards per game, 4.5 yards per dropback, 38.2 QBR, 20.3 points per game and a 1-3 record. His ceiling is high, his floor is low, and in 2026 his receiving corps will be awfully new. You could justify ranking him in the 20s or 60s here, and I guess I'm just splitting the difference.

47. Kenny Minchey, Kentucky Wildcats

2025 stat line (Notre Dame): 97.6 QBR, 196 passing yards, zero TDs, zero INTs, 76.9% completion rate, 9.8 yards per completion; 84 non-sack rushing yards, one TD

As it turned out, there was no great shame in losing a QB competition to CJ Carr. Minchey heads to Lexington to work with new coach (and QB whisperer) Will Stein, and while there's no promise that he'll have the skill corps he needs, he should have a sturdy line in front of him: Stein had to rebuild it from scratch but spent big. I like Minchey's potential quite a bit, and considering UK ranked 89th and 81st in offensive SP+ the past two seasons, respectively, the bar is nice and low.

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Kamario Taylor revives Bulldogs with fantastic rushing TD

Kamario Taylor takes it himself and slaloms through the Ole Miss defense for a crowd-pleasing 35-yard touchdown.

48. Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State Bulldogs

2025 stat line: 82.3 QBR, 629 passing yards, five TDs, one INT, 55.8% completion rate, 14.6 yards per completion; 489 non-sack rushing yards, eight TDs

Taylor started the past two games of 2025 for MSU and flashed all the upside and inconsistency you would expect from a blue-chip freshman. He completed five passes of 20-plus yards while nearly leading a fun bowl comeback against Wake Forest, and he uncorked four rushes of 20-plus yards against Ole Miss in his first Egg Bowl. He'll have a veteran receiving corps, too, with seniors Anthony Evans III and Ayden Williams returning and big-plays-only Missouri transfer Marquis Johnson coming aboard. We won't know Taylor can be consistent until he proves it, but he's going to be fun to watch.

49. George MacIntyre, Tennessee Volunteers

2025 stat line: 44.1 QBR, 69 passing yards, zero TDs, zero INTs, 77.8% completion rate, 9.9 yards per completion

He'll have to fend off five-star freshman Faizon Brandon, but MacIntyre was a four-star himself and spent the past year learning the ins and outs of the system. The odds are always good that a Josh Heupel QB will produce: Over the past five years, the Vols' starters have averaged 3,015 yards and 24 TDs per year with a 67% completion rate, and the last time they started a freshman (Nico Iamaleava in 2023), they made the CFP.

50. Michael Hawkins Jr., West Virginia Mountaineers

2025 stat line (Oklahoma): 66.3 QBR, 167 passing yards, three TDs, zero INTs, 55.6% completion rate, 11.1 yards per completion; 86 non-sack rushing yards, one TD

In terms of fit, this one's quite intriguing. Hawkins will have to beat out sophomore Scotty Fox Jr. for the job -- Fox had a couple of great games and a couple of horrific ones in six late-2025 starts -- but I love the vision of grabbing Hawkins, a former four-star prospect who didn't prove much with his arm in two years in Norman but could shine if he gets his legs more involved.

51. Jaylen Raynor, Iowa State Cyclones

2025 stat line (Arkansas State): 48.5 QBR, 3,361 passing yards, 19 TDs, 11 INTs, 66.5% completion rate, 10.1 yards per completion; 608 non-sack rushing yards, seven TDs

The Iowa State offense will feature 11 new starters after departing coach Matt Campbell took a massive number of former Cyclones with him to Penn State. I'm not sure new coach Jimmy Rogers brought in enough high-upside pieces to complement Raynor, but I like slot receiver Omari Hayes (Tulane) and wideout Cody Jackson (Tarleton State), and Raynor has enough mobility to maybe help smooth out glitches from a new offensive line.

52. Christopher Vizzina, Clemson Tigers

2025 stat line: 38.6 QBR, 406 passing yards, four TDs, one INT, 63.4% completion rate, 9.0 yards per completion

Vizzina was decent in his only career start -- he threw for 317 yards and three TDs (albeit at just 6.4 yards per dropback) in a 35-24 loss to SMU -- and having receivers T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco Jr. at his disposal will help. But after only one top-40 finish in offensive SP+ in the past five seasons, the Clemson offense no longer gets the benefit of the doubt, and that doesn't change with new/old offensive coordinator Chad Morris taking over -- he hasn't overseen a good college offense since 2017.

53. Lincoln Kienholz, Louisville Cardinals

2025 stat line (Ohio State): 95.0 QBR, 139 passing yards, one TD, zero INTs, 78.6% completion rate, 12.6 yards per completion; 66 non-sack rushing yards, two TDs

Kienholz was a garbage-time delight at Ohio State last season, but if he holds off freshman Briggs Cherry and West Georgia transfer Davin Wydner for the starting job, he'll earn the first real snaps of his career. He's a mobile guy with at least short-range accuracy. There are some fun weapons in Jeff Brohm's latest enormous transfer haul, but we'll see what kind of upside Kienholz can bring to the table.

54. JC French IV, Cincinnati Bearcats

2025 stat line (Georgia Southern): 58.1 QBR, 2,929 passing yards, 20 TDs, eight INTs, 63.8% completion rate, 11.8 yards per completion; 457 non-sack rushing yards, six TDs

Scott Satterfield & Co. were logical in setting up their post-Sorsby succession plan, bringing in the Sun Belt veteran to compete with four-star youngster Samaj Jones. It's not impossible for Jones to win the job, but with 5,760 passing yards over the past two seasons, French is a solid option, at least if he has receivers to throw to. The receiving corps is getting a big reset.

55. Jaden Craig, TCU Horned Frogs

2025 stat line (Harvard): 2,689 passing yards, 25 TDs, seven INTs, 61.5% completion rate, 13.8 yards per completion

He's big (6-3, 230 pounds), he's smart (Harvard, hello), and he has spent the past two seasons running one of the most prolific attacks in the Ivy League. The Crimson ran out of steam at the end of 2025 but scored 31 or more in each of their first nine games. The leap here is massive, obviously, but this could work.

56. Billy Edwards Jr., North Carolina Tar Heels

2024 stat line (Maryland): 58.3 QBR, 2,881 passing yards, 15 TDs, nine INTs, 65.0% completion rate, 10.6 yards per completion; 285 non-sack rushing yards, five TDs

After producing solid numbers at Maryland, Edwards transferred to Wisconsin last season and almost immediately got hurt, finishing the year with only 16 dropbacks. Assuming his left knee is fine in 2026, he should offer far more stability for UNC, at least as long as he gets some semblance of protection from a revamped line. But neither the knee nor the line is a slam-dunk proposition.

57. Aidan Chiles, Northwestern Wildcats

2025 stat line (Michigan State): 66.8 QBR, 1,392 passing yards, 10 TDs, three INTs, 63.1% completion rate, 10.9 yards per completion; 414 non-sack rushing yards, six TDs

At this point, Chiles is what he is: a decent but limited passer with mobility that can frustrate less disciplined defenses but get him into trouble with sacks against good defenses. He took 51 sacks in two seasons at Michigan State, and his ceiling isn't incredibly high, but new Northwestern coordinator Chip Kelly should be able to coax a decent amount out of his skill set, especially with what should be a delightful group of running backs lined up next to him.

58. KJ Jackson or AJ Hill, Arkansas Razorbacks

2025 stat lines: Jackson -- 85.1 QBR, 441 passing yards, three TDs, zero INTs, 61.1% completion rate, 13.4 yards per completion; Hill (Memphis) -- 23.0 QBR, 223 passing yards, one TD, one INT, 59.4% completion rate, 11.7 yards per completion

Hill, a former four-star recruit, has the advantage of having spent the 2025 season redshirting with new Arkansas coach Ryan Silverfield at Memphis. Jackson, however, showed decent poise in late-2025 action against the Missouri and Texas defenses. It's not hard to assume that this competition will continue well into 2026, though I give Jackson a slight edge at the moment.

59. Jared Curtis, Vanderbilt Commodores

2025 stat line (Nashville Christian School): 2,073 passing yards, 36 TDs, six INTs, 65.9% completion rate, 14.7 yards per completion; 483 rushing yards, seven TDs

A longtime Georgia commit, the five-star prospect flipped to Vandy late in the recruiting cycle, and unless he is completely overwhelmed in fall camp (or longtime backup Blaze Berlowitz absolutely shines), he'll have a chance to start immediately. He showed every trait you want to see in high school -- size, arm strength, pocket awareness, play-extending athleticism, etc. -- and his receiving corps isn't devoid of playmakers. I'd feel better about his chances in 2026, however, if his line weren't taking on a massive rebuild.

60. Dylan Lonergan, Rutgers Scarlet Knights

2025 stat line (Boston College): 56.3 QBR, 2,025 passing yards, 12 TDs, five INTs, 66.9% completion rate, 10.7 yards per completion

In his first three starts at BC last season, Lonergan averaged 330 passing yards per game with a 65.8 QBR. But it was a disaster from there: He topped 200 yards only once more, went four games without a touchdown pass and failed to lead the Eagles to more than 10 points in three straight games. He inherits 1,200-yard rusher Antwan Raymond and 1,000-yard receiver KJ Duff in Piscataway. Offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca tends to make the most of decent but limited QBs, but Rutgers is one of many schools facing a total rebuild on the O-line.

61. Gio Lopez, Wake Forest Demon Deacons

2025 stat line (North Carolina): 51.9 QBR, 1,747 passing yards, 10 TDs, five INTs, 65.1% completion rate, 10.3 yards per completion; 242 non-sack rushing yards, three TDs

It's all about the system for Lopez, who shined at South Alabama while feeding into a strong running game and throwing mostly short, safe passes. As a late addition to the UNC attack, however, he seemed lost from the start. Wake won nine games with the equally limited Robby Ashford at QB last season, and the Demon Deacons' defense could be awesome again, so Lopez won't have to shine to win some games. But we saw an awfully low floor last year, didn't we?

62. Julian Lewis, Colorado Buffaloes

2025 stat line: 33.3 QBR, 589 passing yards, four TDs, zero INTs, 55.3% completion rate, 11.3 yards per completion

Deion Sanders and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur ran their QB room in scattershot fashion in 2025, starting three different guys at one point or another, but the uncertainty is gone in 2026. Two of those three are gone, and Lewis, the blue-chip, redshirt freshman, is the guy for new coordinator Brennan Marion. Lewis was good in one late-season start (a win over WVU) and lost in another (a blowout defeat to Arizona State), but he has tools.

63. Mason McKenzie, Boston College Eagles

2025 stat line (Saginaw Valley State): 2,086 passing yards, 17 TDs, 11 INTs, 59.8% completion rate, 11.6 yards per completion; 942 rushing yards, 10 TDs

Bill O'Brien evidently aimed to find this year's Trinidad Chambliss by grabbing the 6-1, 190-pound McKenzie from SVSU, a typically solid but un-Ferris-like rival in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. He'll be paired with one of last year's best G5 running backs, too, in Liberty's Evan Dickens (1,339 yards, 16 TDs). I love the vision here and root for moves like this to succeed, but obviously McKenzie will have a ton to prove. (Other potential starters: Arkansas transfer Grayson Wilson or incoming freshmen. If McKenzie isn't good, the Eagles are in epic trouble.)

64. Alessio Milivojevic, Michigan State Spartans

2025 stat line: 57.8 QBR, 1,267 passing yards, 10 TDs, three INTs, 64.2% completion rate, 11.4 yards per completion; 59 non-sack rushing yards, one TD

It will likely be either Milivojevic, UCF transfer Cam Fancher or a youngster starting for Pat Fitzgerald's first Spartans team. Milivojevic had a couple of decent games down the stretch in 2025 and helped snap MSU's eight-game losing streak in a season-ending win over Maryland. But with a brand-new skill corps, offensive line and offense in place, we're going to keep the bar pretty low.

65. Jeremy Hecklinski or Hank Brown, Iowa Hawkeyes

Combined 2025 stat line: 115 passing yards, one TD, one INT, 56.5% completion rate, 8.8 yards per completion

Iowa jumped from 69th to 37th in offensive SP+ in 2025 despite QB Mark Gronowski throwing for only 1,741 yards, so whoever wins the starting job in 2026 won't exactly be asked to become the next Chuck Long. But while three of the Hawkeyes' top four RBs return, the line will be less experienced, and new wideouts will have to emerge. This could be tricky, and neither Hecklinski (who started his career at Wake Forest) nor Brown (Auburn) have proven much.

66. Cole Ballard, Kansas Jayhawks

2025 stat line: 38.9 QBR, 108 passing yards, one TD, one INT, 45.5% completion rate, 10.8 yards per completion; 102 non-sack rushing yards

A longtime backup to Jalon Daniels in Lawrence, Ballard has thrown 64 passes in his career, but almost none came outside of garbage time, and he'll have to fend off two delightfully mobile competitors (and unproven passers) in sophomore Isaiah Marshall and Rice transfer Chase Jenkins. With playcaller Andy Kotelnicki back in town, KU could have fun with a multi-QB approach, but Ballard will likely have to take on the obvious passing situations.

67. Ryan Browne, Purdue Boilermakers

2025 stat line: 55.1 QBR, 2,153 passing yards, nine TDs, 10 INTs, 58.9% completion rate, 10.8 yards per completion; 299 non-sack rushing yards, four TDs

Neither Browne nor the Purdue offense played to a Big Ten standard in 2025. In conference play, Browne threw twice as many interceptions (eight) as touchdowns (four) while averaging a dire 5.2 yards per dropback. With backup Malachi Singleton transferring, however, it's either Browne or someone almost completely untested. (Unknown might be preferable to known at this point.)

68. Davis Warren, Stanford Cardinal

2024 stat line (Michigan): 55.9 QBR, 1,199 passing yards, seven TDs, nine INTs, 64.1% completion rate, 9.0 yards per completion

When Jim Harbaugh took over a dire situation at Stanford in 2007, he ended up handing the QB reins to the unproven Tavita Pritchard, who basically ended up serving as a bridge to the Andrew Luck era. Almost 20 years later, Pritchard takes over as coach, and he'll have a bridge of his own. Warren started nine games as bridge between J.J. McCarthy and Bryce Underwood at Michigan and was terribly unimpressive. But if he doesn't start, it'll have to be walk-on Charlie Mirer or former UCF transfer Dylan Rizk.