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Predicting Starting Quarterbacks for All 138 College Football Teams in 2026
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- Predicting Starting Quarterbacks for All 138 College Football Teams in 2026
College football's 2026 season is less than 100 days away, which means it's never too early to start looking at quarterbacks and how all 138 teams stack up at the position. With this being the most important position on the field, how a team develops, recruits or attracts transfers can have a significant impact on a team's outlook for the upcoming year. Since the rule change allowing immediate eligibility as a transfer, along with the creation of the portal, major movement in the quarterback ranks has been a hallmark of the offseason. Instead of waiting for the starter to graduate or depart to the NFL and take over after learning a couple of years in the system, quarterbacks can transfer to find a place to play right away.
The quarterback position is especially loaded in 2026 with Texas' Arch Manning , Notre Dame 's CJ Carr, Oregon's Dante Moore , Ohio State 's Julian Sayin, Ole Miss ' Trinidad Chambliss, and Miami's Darian Mensah headlining some of the top options. Additionally, Michigan's Bryce Underwood, Alabama's Keelon Russell, and Mississippi State 's Kamario Taylor lead a strong collection of breakout candidates.
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With spring practice completed and transfer portal movement finished, the quarterback depth charts for all 138 teams should be settled. With fall practice up next, it's all about the competition for the No. 1 spot.
Which quarterbacks are expected to start in 2026? And how will each conference be impacted by transfers next year? Athlon Sports takes a way-too-early look at the projected starters heading into fall practice:
Note: These projections will be updated throughout the offseason.
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Predicting Starting QBs for All 138 College Football Teams in 2026
Power 4 Conferences
ACC
Sep 27, 2025; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; California Golden Bears quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (3) throws the ball for an interception by the Boston College Eagles during the first half at Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
| * | * | * |
| * | Projected Starter |
Notable Backup |
| Boston College |
Mason McKenzie |
Grayson Wilson |
| California |
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele |
Jackson Brousseau |
| Clemson |
Christopher Vizzina |
Tait Reynolds |
| Duke |
Walker Eget |
Dan Mahan |
| Florida State |
Ashton Daniels |
Kevin Sperry/Malachi Marshall |
| Georgia Tech |
Alberto Mendoza |
Grady Adamson |
| Louisville |
Lincoln Kienholz |
Davin Wydner |
| Miami |
Darian Mensah |
* |
| NC State |
CJ Bailey |
Will Wilson |
| North Carolina |
Billy Edwards Jr. |
Miles O'Neill |
| Pitt |
Mason Heintschel |
Holden Geriner |
| SMU |
Kevin Jennings |
* |
| Stanford |
Davis Warren |
Mike Mitchell Jr. |
| Syracuse |
Steve Angeli |
Amari Odom/Malachi Nelson |
| Virginia |
Beau Pribula |
Eli Holstein |
| Virginia Tech |
Ethan Grunkemeyer |
Bryce Baker |
| Wake Forest |
Gio Lopez |
* |
Big 12
Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita after scoring a touchdown.Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images
| * | * | * |
| * | Projected Starter |
Notable Backup |
| Arizona |
Noah Fifita |
* |
| Arizona State |
Cutter Boley |
Jake Fette/Mikey Keene |
| Baylor |
DJ Lagway |
* |
| BYU |
Bear Bachmeier |
* |
| Cincinnati |
JC French IV |
Samaj Jones/Liam O'Brien |
| Colorado |
Julian Lewis |
Isaac Wilson |
| Houston |
Keisean Henderson |
|
| Iowa State |
Jaylen Raynor |
Zane Flores |
| Kansas |
Cole Ballard |
Isaiah Marshall/Chase Jenkins |
| Kansas State |
Avery Johnson |
* |
| Oklahoma State |
Drew Mestemaker |
* |
| TCU |
Jaden Craig |
* |
| Texas Tech |
Will Hammond |
Kirk Francis/Lloyd Jones III |
| UCF |
Alonza Barnett III |
Keyone Jenkins |
| Utah |
Devon Dampier |
Byrd Ficklin |
| West Virginia |
Michael Hawkins |
Scotty Fox Jr. |
Big Ten
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore. Ben Lonergan / Imagn Images
| * | * | * |
| * | Projected Starter |
Notable Backup |
| Illinois |
Katin Houser |
* |
| Indiana |
Josh Hoover |
Tyler Cherry |
| Iowa |
Jeremy Hecklinski |
Hank Brown |
| Maryland |
Devin Kargman |
|
| Michigan |
Bryce Underwood |
Tommy Carr/Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi |
| Michigan State |
Alessio Milivojevic |
Cam Fancher |
| Minnesota |
Drake Lindsey |
* |
| Nebraska |
Anthony Colandrea |
TJ Lateef |
| Northwestern |
Aidan Chiles |
Ryan Boe |
| Ohio State |
Julian Sayin |
Tavien St. Clair |
| Oregon |
||
| Penn State |
Rocco Becht |
Alex Manske |
| Purdue |
Ryan Browne |
Evans Chuba |
| Rutgers |
AJ Surace |
Dylan Lonergan |
| UCLA |
Nico Iamaleava |
Madden Iamaleava |
| USC |
Jayden Maiava |
* |
| Washington |
Desmond Williams Jr. |
* |
| Wisconsin |
Colton Joseph |
Deuce Adams |
SEC
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning throws a pass during the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
| * | * | * |
| * | Projected Starter |
Notable Backup |
| Alabama |
Keelon Russell |
Austin Mack |
| Arkansas |
KJ Jackson |
AJ Hill |
| Auburn |
Byrum Brown |
* |
| Florida |
Aaron Philo |
Tramell Jones Jr. |
| Georgia |
Gunner Stockton |
Ryan Puglisi/Ryan Montgomery |
| Kentucky |
Kenny Minchey |
* |
| LSU |
Sam Leavitt |
Husan Longstreet |
| Mississippi State |
Kamario Taylor |
AJ Swann/Jaden Rashada |
| Missouri |
Austin Simmons |
Matt Zollers |
| Oklahoma |
John Mateer |
* |
| Ole Miss |
Trinidad Chambliss |
Deuce Knight |
| South Carolina |
LaNorris Sellers |
* |
| Tennessee |
George MacIntyre |
Faizon Brandon/Ryan Staub |
| Texas |
KJ Lacey/Dia Bell |
|
| Texas A&M |
Marcel Reed |
Brady Hart |
| Vanderbilt |
Jared Curtis |
Blaze Berlowitz |
Independents
Aug 31, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr (13) drops back to pass against the Miami Hurricanes during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images© Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
| * | * | * |
| * | Projected Starter |
Notable Backup |
| Notre Dame |
CJ Carr |
Noah Grubbs |
| UConn |
Jake Merklinger |
Tucker McDonald/Kalieb Osborne |
Group of 6
American
© Danny Wild-Imagn Images
| * | * | * |
| * | Projected Starter |
Notable Backup |
| Army |
Cale Hellums |
* |
| Charlotte |
Cole Gonzales |
Conner Harrell/Grayson Loftis |
| East Carolina |
Mitch Griffis |
Emory Williams |
| Florida Atlantic |
Caden Veltkamp |
Drew Devillier |
| Memphis |
Marcus Stokes |
Air Noland |
| Navy |
Braxton Woodson |
Jackson Gutierrez |
| North Texas |
Chris Jimerson Jr. |
Tom von Grote/Tayven Jackson |
| Rice |
Jacurri Brown |
Gael Ochoa |
| South Florida |
Michael Van Buren |
Luke Kromenhoek |
| Temple |
Jaxon Smolik |
Ajani Sheppard |
| Tulane |
Zeon Chriss-Gremillion |
Kadin Semonza/Dagan Bruno |
| Tulsa |
Baylor Hayes |
|
| UAB |
Ryder Burton |
* |
| UTSA |
Owen McCown |
* |
Conference USA
Delaware Blue Hens quarterback Nick Minicucci (4) winds up for a pass against Western Kentucky during Delaware's first home CUSA football game, which was nationally televised, at Delaware Stadium in Newark on Oct. 3, 2025. Western Kentucky won 27-24.© Benjamin Chambers/Delaware News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
| * | * | * |
| * | Projected Starter |
Notable Backup |
| Delaware |
Nick Minicucci |
* |
| FIU |
JJ Kohl |
Zach Marker |
| Jacksonville State |
Caden Creel |
* |
| Kennesaw State |
Rickie Collins |
Landon Varnes |
| Liberty |
Deshawn Purdie |
Jaylen Henderson |
| Middle Tennessee |
Roman Gagliano |
* |
| Missouri State |
Henry Belin IV |
Skyler Locklear |
| New Mexico State |
Trey Hedden |
Adam Damante |
| Sam Houston |
Landyn Locke |
* |
| Western Kentucky |
Rodney Tisdale Jr. |
Brock Glenn |
MAC
Western Michigan sophomore Broc Lowry throws a pass during the home-opening game against North Texas at Western Michigan University on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025.© Becca Mahon/Battle Creek Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
| * | * | * |
| * | Projected Starter |
Notable Backup |
| Akron |
Reese Poffenbarger |
* |
| Ball State |
Tyler Mizzell |
Keldric Luster |
| Bowling Green |
Austin Novosad |
Jay Kastantin |
| Buffalo |
Jason Wright |
Elijah Holmes |
| Central Michigan |
Angel Flores |
Jadyn Glasser |
| Eastern Michigan |
Noah Kim |
* |
| Kent State |
Dru DeShields |
* |
| Miami (Ohio) |
Thomas Gotkowski |
David McComb/Caleb Heavner |
| Ohio |
Nick Poulos |
Matt Vezza |
| Sacramento State |
Carson Conklin |
* |
| Toledo |
John Alan Richter |
Khamoni Robinson |
| UMass |
Pop Watson |
* |
| Western Michigan |
Broc Lowry |
Trey Petty |
Mountain West
Oct 18, 2025; Fort Collins, Colorado, USA; Hawaii Rainbow Warriors quarterback Micah Alejado (12) is pressured by Colorado State Rams linebacker Paul Tangelo (52) in the first quarter at Sonny Lubick Field at Canvas Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images© Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
| * | * | * |
| * | Projected Starter |
Notable Backup |
| Air Force |
Liam Szarka |
* |
| Hawaii |
Micah Alejado |
* |
| Nevada |
Carter Jones |
Luke Duncan |
| New Mexico |
Jack Layne |
Luke Moga/James Laubstein |
| North Dakota State |
Nathan Hayes |
* |
| Northern Illinois |
Jalen Macon |
Brady Davidson/Ean Hamric |
| San Jose State |
Luke Weaver |
Robert McDaniel/Daniel Rolovich |
| UNLV |
Alex Orji |
|
| UTEP |
EJ Colson |
Raymond Moore III |
| Wyoming |
Tyler Hughes |
Mason Drube |
Pac-12
Boise State Broncos quarterback Maddux Madsen (4).Michael Caterina-Imagn Images
| * | * | * |
| * | Projected Starter |
Notable Backup |
| Boise State |
Maddux Madsen |
* |
| Colorado State |
Hauss Hejny |
K'saan Farrar |
| Fresno State |
Khristian Martin |
Jayden Mandal |
| Oregon State |
Maalik Murphy |
Braden Atkinson/Brady Jones |
| San Diego State |
Jayden Denegal |
Stone Saunders |
| Texas State |
Brad Jackson |
* |
| Utah State |
McCae Hillstead |
Grady Brosterhous |
| Washington State |
Caden Pinnick |
Owen Eshelman/Julian Dugger |
Sun Belt
Louisiana Tech quarterback Trey Kukuk throws a pass against Washington State at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium on Nov. 15, 2025, in Pullman, Washington.© James Snook-Imagn Images
| * | * | * |
| * | Projected Starter |
Notable Backup |
| Appalachian State |
Malachi Singleton |
Henry Hasselbeck |
| Arkansas State |
Trey Owens |
Ethan Crawford/Drew Dickey |
| Coastal Carolina |
Deuce Bailey |
Osiris Lopez/Trever Jackson |
| Georgia Southern |
Max Johnson |
Weston Bryan |
| Georgia State |
Cameran Brown |
* |
| James Madison |
Camden Coleman |
Arrington Maiden/JC Evans |
| Louisiana |
Lunch Winfield |
* |
| Louisiana Tech |
Blake Baker |
Trey Kukuk |
| Marshall |
Carlos Del Rio-Wilson |
Zion Turner |
| Old Dominion |
Quinn Henicle |
Jaxon Potter |
| South Alabama |
Bishop Davenport |
Jared Hollins |
| Southern Miss |
Ethan Hampton |
Landry Lyddy/John White |
| Troy |
Goose Crowder |
Tucker Kilcrease |
| ULM |
Aidan Armenta |
* |
Related: Athlon Sports 2026 College Football Preview Magazine Available Now
Related: College Football Rankings: Projecting the Top 25 Teams for 2026
Related: 7 Teams With Best Chance to Make College Football Playoff for First Time in 2026
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jun 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
