NCAAF · 19 minutes ago

Ranking The Top 15 College Quarterbacks with Huge Upside in 2026

Bo Marchionte

Host · Writer

15) LaNorris Sellars
LaNorris Sellers College Football Profile
- Height: 6’3”
- Weight: 240 lbs.
- School: South Carolina
- Class: Redshirt Junior
His stock has slipped since last season. Sellars was among the top names mentioned at quarterback entering the 2025 season.

Few quarterbacks look more imposing getting off the bus. Sellers possesses legitimate power-runner dimensions while retaining the arm strength to attack every level of the field.

His presence changes defensive arithmetic because somebody has to account for the quarterback as a runner.

Another quarterback that could easily climb up the charts.
1) Julian Sayin
Julian Sayin College Football Profile
- Height: 6’1”
- Weight: 208 lbs.
- School: Ohio State
- Class: Junior
My number quarterback prospect heading into the 2026 college season, Sayin operates with the kind of efficiency that makes quarterback play look easier than it actually is.

His compact delivery, accuracy and ability to distribute on schedule fit beautifully within Ohio State’s offensive structure. The deeper evaluation comes when structure disappears.

NFL scouts will want to see him create answers against pressure, attack tighter windows and manufacture offense when the defense wins the initial call. Sayin already possesses precision.
2) Dante Moore
Dante Moore College Football Profile
- Height: 6’3”
- Weight: 206 lbs.
- School: Oregon
- Class: Senior
Moore could have cashed in his NFL Draft stock but instead returned to Eugene with unfinished business. After completing 71.8% of his passes for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2025, Moore enters the season with the arm talent, anticipation and pocket temperament to make a legitimate run at being college football’s best quarterback.

There is an increasingly mature feel to his game.

Moore can win before the football leaves his hand, manipulating coverage with his eyes and trusting timing rather than waiting for receivers to uncover.
3) C.J. Carr
C.J. Carr College Football Profile
- Height: 6’3”
- Weight: 210 lbs.
- School: Notre Dame
- Class: Redshirt Sophomore
Talent to be number one overall when the dust settles in Washington D.C. for the 2027 NFL Draft.

Carr has that type of talent.

The throwing motion is clean, his feet generally marry with his eyes, and the football comes out without unnecessary mechanical clutter. He possesses arm to attack vertically while showing the touch required to layer throws between defenders. Now comes the graduate-level material.

Notre Dame will require Carr to handle protections, diagnose disguised coverage and deliver when obvious passing situations remove the element of surprise. The natural passing ability is there. Complete command is the next frontier.
4) Drew Mestemaker
Drew Mestemaker College Football Profile
- Height: 6’4”
- Weight: 211 lbs.
- School: Oklahoma State
- Class: Junior
His first year in Stillwater, Oklahoma could put Mestemaker on the map. After two stellar seasons at North Texas Mestemaker puts his resume to the test in 2026.

His path lacks the traditional collection of varsity starts, but the physical ingredients are difficult to ignore.

He has size, arm talent and considerable developmental runway. Oklahoma State now gives him the laboratory to turn projection into production.

How quickly he processes coverage, handles pressure and responds once opponents have enough tape to attack his tendencies will tell us considerably more than any workout ever could.
5) Arch Manning
Arch Manning College Football Profile
- Height: 6’4”
- Weight: 219 lbs.
- School: Texas
- Class: Senior
Manning’s last name creates noise, but his physical toolbox creates intrigue.

No player in college football has more hype and lofty expectations to live up to than the 22-year-old from New Orleans, Louisiana.

He has NFL size, legitimate arm strength and great mobility to punish defenses when structure breaks down. The next step is consistency. Manning needs to play faster mentally, eliminate empty possessions and become more decisive when defenses muddy the picture after the snap.

The ceiling remains enormous, but this season becomes less about the Manning name and more about proving the quarterback underneath it belongs among college football’s elite.
6) Darian Mensah
Darian Mensah College Football Profile
- Height: 6’3”
- Weight: 205–220 lbs.
- School: Miami (FL)
- Class: Junior
Thinking of the ceiling for a player like Mensah helps illustrate how deep this quarterback class is in college football.

He is a sensational prospect.

Mensah brings an aggressive vertical component to the quarterback position. He has enough arm to force safeties to respect the entire field and isn't afraid to make defenses defend grass behind them.

The development comes in learning when not to hunt the knockout punch. Becoming more patient through progressions, improving pocket movement and consistently identifying disguised pressure would make his arm considerably more dangerous.
7) Trinidad Chambliss
Trinidad Chambliss College Football Profile
- Height: 6’0”
- Weight: 210 lbs.
- School: Ole Miss
- Class: Redshirt Senior
His road from Division II Ferris State to the SEC hardly resembles the five-star assembly line, yet his game translated because he can create answers when structure disappears.

Chambliss threw for 3,937 yards while adding 527 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground in 2025. He's undersized by traditional NFL standards, but his mobility, toughness and second-reaction ability make him difficult to defend.

The evaluation now becomes whether another year of high-level production can turn an incredible college football story into a legitimate NFL one.
8) D.J. Lagway
D.J. Lagway College Football Profile
- Height: 6’3”
- Weight: 241–247 lbs.
- School: Baylor
- Class: Junior
This is the freakish prospect that creates mind games for NFL scouting departments when taking a deeper look at D.J. Lagway.

He is thickly built, athletic and possesses the arm strength to challenge virtually every blade of grass. He can survive contact, extend plays and manufacture throws that aren't available to ordinary quarterbacks.

Anticipation, intermediate placement and faster answers against pressure need to catch up with the extraordinary toolbox.
9) Jayden Maiava
Jayden Maiava College Football Profile
- Height: 6’4”
- Weight: 230 lbs.
- School: USC
- Class: Senior
Lincoln Riley needs Maiava to play extremely well in 2026 in order to recapture some magic for the Trojans. Riley’s tenure at USC hasn’t lived up the expectations.

Maiava checks enough physical boxes to demand attention. He owns NFL size, plenty of arm and enough movement ability to extend downs when protection deteriorates. USC gives him opportunities to showcase all three, but his evaluation should extend beyond the highlight reel.

Scouts will watch his feet when the first read disappears, how quickly he recognizes pressure and whether he can avoid forcing the football when the defense wins.
10) Sam Leavitt
Sam Leavitt College Football Profile
- Height: 6’2”
- Weight: 205 lbs.
- School: LSU
- Class: Junior
Lane Kiffin adds another level of confidence that Leavitt can take his game to another level.

He can escape pressure, reset his platform and turn a busted protection into an explosive play without immediately abandoning the passing concept. That ability makes him difficult to defend because rushers must remain disciplined even after seemingly winning their rep.

Leavitt must provide better decisions inside structure and fewer unnecessary risks would allow his athletic creativity to become a weapon rather than something the offense needs to survive.
11) C.J. Bailey
C.J. Bailey College Football Profile
- Height: 6’6”
- Weight: 210 lbs.
- School: NC State
- Class: Junior
Bailey brings rare dimensions to the position. At 6-foot-6, he combines exceptional length with a powerful arm and enough athleticism to become a legitimate problem once he escapes the pocket.

Those long levers can create spectacular throws, but they also make consistent mechanics especially important. His base, release timing and ability to remain compact under pressure will receive plenty of attention.
12) Drake Lindsey
Drake Lindsey College Football Profile
- Height: 6’4”
- Weight: 230 lbs.
- School: Minnesota
- Class: Junior
Lindsey possesses the frame NFL evaluators have traditionally loved at quarterback.

At 6-foot-4 and roughly 230 pounds, he has the size to operate comfortably inside crowded pockets while bringing enough mobility to avoid becoming a stationary target. The developmental work comes from speeding everything up mentally. Quicker coverage identification, cleaner decisions and more consistent placement can turn an intriguing physical prospect into a legitimate NFL conversation. The Big Ten will provide plenty of opportunities to see how his game responds when the pocket gets dirty.
13) Josh Hoover
Josh Hoover College Football Profile
- Height: 6’1”
- Weight: 200 lbs.
- School: Indiana
- Class: Senior
Not too much pressure on Josh Hoover in Indiana. First duplicate Fernando Mendoza’s Cinderella season along with the Hoosiers winning another National Championship.

Hoover enters this group with something scouts appreciate: mileage.

He has experienced high-volume passing games, obvious passing situations and stretches where the offense required the quarterback to carry the load.

His arm gives him access to multiple levels of the field, while his movement skills can buy additional time when needed.
14) Marcel Reed
Marcel Reed College Football Profile
- Height: 6’1”
- Weight: 185 lbs.
- School: Texas A&M
- Class: Junior
If Reed becomes more consistent with anticipation, intermediate accuracy and progression speed, defenses will have to worry about far more than simply keeping him inside the pocket.

Reed possesses the athletic ability to turn a defense's good call into a bad result. His acceleration changes pursuit angles, stresses contain defenders and creates explosive opportunities after the original play has disappeared.

There is enough arm talent here to prevent defenses from simply crowding the line and daring him to throw. The next layer is pocket command. Size will hurt him around draft time.
15) LaNorris Sellars
LaNorris Sellers College Football Profile
- Height: 6’3”
- Weight: 240 lbs.
- School: South Carolina
- Class: Redshirt Junior
His stock has slipped since last season. Sellars was among the top names mentioned at quarterback entering the 2025 season.

Few quarterbacks look more imposing getting off the bus. Sellers possesses legitimate power-runner dimensions while retaining the arm strength to attack every level of the field.

His presence changes defensive arithmetic because somebody has to account for the quarterback as a runner.

Another quarterback that could easily climb up the charts.
1) Julian Sayin
Julian Sayin College Football Profile
- Height: 6’1”
- Weight: 208 lbs.
- School: Ohio State
- Class: Junior
My number quarterback prospect heading into the 2026 college season, Sayin operates with the kind of efficiency that makes quarterback play look easier than it actually is.

His compact delivery, accuracy and ability to distribute on schedule fit beautifully within Ohio State’s offensive structure. The deeper evaluation comes when structure disappears.

NFL scouts will want to see him create answers against pressure, attack tighter windows and manufacture offense when the defense wins the initial call. Sayin already possesses precision.