The 2026 NFL Draft has come and gone, and with it went several of college football’s biggest-name quarterbacks. That has left this upcoming season with a very different feel than recent campaigns. There is no Caleb Williams-type certainty sitting at the top of the sport right now. Instead, the quarterback landscape feels crowded, unsettled, and completely up for grabs.
Many early rankings are still leaning heavily on what happened last fall. But college football changes fast. Transfers are reshaping the map once again, several major programs handed the keys to new quarterbacks, and a handful of former blue-chip names now enter the year under real pressure to finally deliver.
That uncertainty is part of what has made the conversation so heated. Ari Wasserman’s recent rankings of the top returning players in college football sparked immediate backlash online, especially after quarterbacks like Ohio State’s Julian Sayin and Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss were left off entirely.
With the first kickoff still a few months away and plenty left to unfold, here’s a look at the top quarterbacks entering 2026.
1. Dante Moore, Oregon Ducks
Moore surprised a lot of people by passing on the NFL Draft last offseason, especially after most viewed him as one of the top quarterback prospects behind eventual No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza. Instead, he returned to Oregon and now enters 2026 as the early favorite to sit atop the college football quarterback landscape.
After completing 72 percent of his passes and throwing 32 touchdowns a year ago, Moore appears far more settled running the Ducks’ offense. The talent has always been obvious. Now the command and confidence are catching up to it. If that continues, Moore could easily end up as the 2026 Heisman winner and the NFL’s No. 1 overall pick.
2. Sam Leavitt, LSU Tigers
Few quarterback-program pairings this offseason generated more intrigue than Leavitt teaming up with Lane Kiffin at LSU.
Leavitt brings the kind of skill set Kiffin loves to weaponize. He can escape collapsing pockets, create outside structure, and punish defenses once plays start breaking down. That naturally brings comparisons to Trinidad Chambliss, Kiffin’s former quarterback at Ole Miss, who consistently turned chaos into chunk gains and momentum swings.
Leavitt was quieter statistically last fall than he was during his breakout 2024 campaign, but the explosiveness never disappeared. Now he steps into an LSU offense loaded with talent and built to stretch defenses in every direction. If it all comes together quickly, this could become one of the most entertaining offenses in college football.
3. Arch Manning, Texas Longhorns
The early hype surrounding Manning last year got crazy fast. For a while, it seemed like the weight that came with the hysteria affected him as he struggled to settle in during the opening stretch of the schedule.
But by the second half of the season, the game started slowing down mentally. Over his final six appearances, Manning averaged roughly 300 passing yards while operating Texas’ offense with far more confidence and control.
He may have simply needed reps before things started clicking into place. Once that happened, the flashes turned into sustained production.
Manning’s game is difficult to defend because he can hurt teams in so many different ways. He moves like a modern spread quarterback but still throws with the powerful arm strength that can punish defenses vertically.
The expectations are already massive. This year feels like his chance to fully justify them.
4. Julian Sayin, Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State looked unstoppable entering the Big Ten Championship before everything unraveled quickly. The Buckeyes fell to Indiana, then followed it up with another disappointing performance against Miami in the playoff. Fair or not, those losses negatively impact how Sayin is currently perceived.
Still, there is context worth remembering. Indiana and Miami both fielded elite defenses, and Sayin was far from the only quarterback who struggled against those units throughout the year.
The ability is undeniable. The release is lightning fast, the processing before the snap is advanced, and when Ohio State starts finding rhythm offensively, his confidence grows. The bigger issue was how much pressure seemed to speed things up for him during those biggest moments.
That is what makes this upcoming year so important.
The ceiling remains enormous, especially with the amount of talent surrounding him. Ohio State enters the fall carrying a lot of frustration after the way 2025 ended, which makes the Buckeyes one of the most dangerous teams entering the season.
5. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss Rebels
Chambliss getting cleared for another season instantly changed Ole Miss’ outlook.
He accounted for nearly 4,000 total yards last year while maintaining an excellent touchdown-to-interception ratio, and what makes him difficult to defend is how much stress he creates after the play breaks down. He is not just mobile. He is exhausting.
Defenses can cover perfectly for four seconds and still give up a backbreaking conversion because Chambliss escaped contain to produce a highlight-reel moment.
There is also an edge to him entering this year after Lane Kiffin’s departure. Quarterbacks often take those things personally, and Chambliss feels like somebody carrying a grudge.
6. Josh Hoover, Indiana Hoosiers
Hoover walks into one of the strangest quarterback situations in the country.
Replacing Fernando Mendoza at Indiana is not a subtle ask. Mendoza became a program-defining figure during Indiana’s championship run, and now Hoover inherits the controls of a team expecting to stay nationally relevant.
The good news for Indiana is Hoover can flat-out throw.
He may not bring Mendoza’s mobility, but his arm talent is high level, especially when attacking intermediate windows. Hoover’s biggest issue in the past has been handling pressure, particularly when protection starts leaking early.
Behind Indiana’s offensive line, though, this should be the cleanest environment he has played in, and I expect the Hoosiers to be just fine with Hoover under center.
7. Darian Mensah, Miami Hurricanes
Mensah broke the hearts of many Blue Devil football fans when he left Duke for Miami immediately after the Hurricanes’ playoff run.
Mensah led the Power Four in passing yards last year and has more than enough arm talent to keep Miami’s offense explosive after Carson Beck’s departure. He throws aggressively, attacks vertically, and seems completely comfortable challenging tight coverage repeatedly.
Unlike some quarterbacks who changed schools searching for a reset, like the Nico Iamaleava disaster a year ago, Mensah arrives at Miami looking far more equipped to thrive immediately. If everything clicks as I believe it will, another deep CFP run is absolutely within reach for the Hurricanes.
8. CJ Carr, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Carr might be the most polarizing quarterback on this list.
The raw numbers could become enormous. Notre Dame’s schedule sets up favorably, and Carr will likely have opportunities to stack production quickly. That alone explains why his Heisman odds have generated so much recent traction.
Still, there are legitimate concerns.
When Notre Dame faced better competition last year, Carr often appeared hesitant and sluggish, especially when forced to move after the snap. The physical tools are there, but there were stretches where he played more like a developing quarterback than a future superstar.
That is what makes projecting him so tricky.
Statistically, the season could be huge. Whether that translates into genuine playoff-level results remains the big question.
9. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M Aggies
Reed quietly feels like one of the SEC’s most dangerous sleepers entering 2026.
What stands out most with the dual-threat gunslinger is the electricity he brings. The acceleration, the pocket escapes, the ability to turn a broken run concept into a 40-yard gain, it all happens fast.
Texas A&M also aggressively upgraded the support around him this offseason, particularly along the offensive line.
If the Aggies make another jump this year, Reed will certainly be the reason why.
10. Desmond Williams Jr., Washington Huskies
Williams Jr. nearly left Washington this offseason before ultimately reversing course and staying with the Huskies.
That decision could end up mattering enormously in the Big Ten race.
Williams is one of the more entertaining quarterbacks in the country because of how many different ways he can hurt defenses. He threw for over 3,000 yards last season, added roughly 600 more on the ground, and consistently looked comfortable operating both inside and outside structure.
There is a looseness to his game that makes Washington difficult to defend. He can sit in rhythm and distribute, or completely change the shape of a drive once he starts improvising.
He may not carry the same preseason buzz as some of the quarterbacks ranked ahead of him, but don’t be surprised if he is near the top of award lists come November.
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