The beautiful thing about college football is that, even when you think you’re sure, there’s still time to be surprised. That’s perhaps best exemplified when it comes to college football quarterbacks. Coming into the 2026 season, our own Nick Villano ranked the 25 best quarterbacks in the country. While you can nitpick and gripe with various rankings and decisions, the truth is that those rankings were not at all out of line. That doesn’t, however, mean that those 25 quarterbacks have lived up to the hype.
It’s caught most people by surprise just how good Alabama’s Keelon Russell and Mississippi State’s Kamario Taylor have been this season, especially considering they weren’t ranked in the Top 25 coming into the season (they would clearly get A+ grades, for what it’s worth). And to that point, many players on this list haven’t looked like the best quarterbacks in the country. But we’re here to grade them all after one month of the regular season and as the calendar flips to October. Let’s do it.
25. Dylan Raiola, Oregon Ducks – Grade: A
The inclusion of Dylan Raiola on the initial rankings might’ve been curious to some given that he’s a backup, but it’d be more apt to say that Oregon has the best backup quarterback in the country. We haven’t seen much of the Ducks, but he took over for Dante Moore against USC after the starter’s head injury and performed beautifully, helping Oregon pull away for the win. As Moore recovers, we’ll get a better look at Raiola, but he passed his only real test this season with flying colors.
24. Malik Washington, Maryland Terrapins – Grade: D+
After a terrific freshman season with the Terps, the hopes were high for Malik Washington — and hopes might not have been higher for anyone than Maryland head coach Mike Locksley trying to save his job. Unfortunately, the breakout season hasn’t come. Washington has thrown for 1,000+ yards in four games, but has four picks to just six touchdown passes. The eye test has been even worse, unfortunately, and it’s led to the Terps now facing an uphill battle, as well as Locksley being unlikely to retain his post.
23. DJ Lagway, Baylor Bears – Grade: C
DJ Lagway might be one of the most difficult evaluations in this group. On one hand, it’s difficult to be but so harsh to the Baylor signal-caller given that he’s missed two games due to an ankle injury suffered against Auburn — and he was affected in that game by the injury as well. He’s also been inconsistent in the two games we have seen him. However, the wow flashes have still been present as well. Now that he’s healthy, Lagway has plenty of room for improvement, but hasn’t been a huge problem either in limited action.
22. Conner Weigman, Houston Cougars – Grade: A-
The loss to Texas Tech not withstanding, Conner Weigman has been the exact quarterback that Houston was hoping for this season, that being a veteran who can not only throw but use his legs a bit. He leads the Big 12 with 11 touchdown passes and just one interception, while adding three more scores on the ground. Even against the Red Raiders, he was good, but the Cougars just barely got clipped. Still, he’s been more than good enough to deserve the country’s respect.
21. Devon Dampier, Utah Utes – Grade: B+
I don’t feel comfortable dipping into the “A” range for Devon Dampier just yet, simply because of the lack of competition that the veteran quarterback and Utah have faced to this point. That being said, he’s continued to look like one of the most fun players in the country, throwing for 896 yards with nine touchdowns and only one pick while rushing for 135 yards and two touchdowns as well. That’s also come while not playing entire games. You still want to see it as the competition ramps up, but there’s not been anything to deny Dampier to this point.
20. Bryce Underwood, Michigan Wolverines – Grade: D
Bryce Underwood looks a lot like the same quarterback we saw a year ago. Unfortunately, that’s not a compliment to the Michigan quarterback. His ability to propel the offense with his arm just simply hasn’t been there, despite an upgrade at wide receiver, throwing for just 780 yards with five touchdowns and two picks through four games. The only reason he doesn’t receive a failing grade is simply because it’s been nice to see his mobility shown off a bit more this year, but that only helps him and the Wolverines but so much.
19. Rocco Becht, Penn State Nittany Lions – Grade: C
Perhaps there’s some recency bias here because Rocco Becht played probably the worst game of his life in the upset loss to Wisconsin in Week 4. However, I’m also just looking at that plus the level of competition that Penn State faced prior to that, and there’s really not much to write home about for the Iowa State transfer. He’s been fine, but overall his 61.3 percent completion rate has been inefficient and he’s not lighting the world on fire. When you add in the dismal performance against the best defense he’s seen all year, average is the best you can say about him.
18. Demond Williams Jr., Washington Huskies – Grade: C-
The hype behind Washington coming into the season was largely predicated upon the Huskies getting Demond Williams Jr. to return this season. Unfortunately, he and the rest of Jedd Fisch’s team haven’t lived up to that billing. If you look at the numbers, Williams hasn’t necessarily been bad. However, he has been a bit erratic and, more importantly, his size limitations have shown up in a way that has negatively affected his playmaking ability. That’s made him and Washington look a bit sub-average too often this season.
17. CJ Bailey, NC State Wolfpack – Grade: F
Because NC State got blown out by Virginia immediately this season, there’s a world where we’ve not thought much about CJ Bailey or the Wolfpack. That hasn’t been the case, however, because Bailey is responsible for one of the most mind-numbing mistakes of the young season. The sack-fumble he took in the waning seconds against Vanderbilt cost NC State the game — and what’s worse is that Bailey has looked nothing like the high-end prospect people were hoping to see in Raleigh.
16. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M Aggies – Grade: F
Marcel Reed is certainly not the only problem with Texas A&M right now, but he’s most definitely also not the solution in College Station. The departure of Colin Klein as his offensive coordinator has exposed his warts as a thrower even more prominently this season, and it seems as if his decision-making has further deteriorated as a result. It’s frankly just been tough to watch with him quarterbacking the Aggies, to the point where he should probably be benched.
15. Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State Cowboys – Grade: B
Sure, the Tulsa game to open the season was an abject disaster. I’m not going to argue that point. But can we appreciate the fact that Drew Mestemaker has looked like the player we all hoped he would in transferring from North Texas in the three games since, including the upset win over Oregon? Not only has he continued to show off his prolific arm, but an improved ability to use his legs as well, even if that’s not his first order of business. I think the best is yet to come for him in Stillwater.
14. John Mateer, Oklahoma Sooners – Grade: F
Much in the same vein as Marcel Reed, I don’t think it’s outlandish to say that John Mateer has been one of the biggest disappointments all season. Mateer’s hand injury last season was used as an excuse for his poor play down the stretch. He then bulked up this offseason and hoped to start anew and healthy. Instead, he looks even worse with no pocket presence, no sense of poise and just one boneheaded mistake after another. The Oklahoma offense has barely been functional, and he’s at the core of that.
13. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina Gamecocks – Grade: D
Admittedly, I won’t ever be able to quit LaNorris Sellers. The talent of the South Carolina quarterback is still immensely tantalizing. But the truth of the matter is that he’s the same player he was two years ago, which is both a damning of the Gamecocks and Shane Beamer as well as a disappointment in Sellers. He doesn’t have the luxury of having his team help him out, that’s true, but we were still hoping for more from the dynamic passer, and he’s come far from delivering it this season.
12. Noah Fifita, Arizona Wildcats – Grade: B-
On the whole, Noah Fifita has looked the part of one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the country. Through four games and a 3-1 record for Arizona, he’s completed 75.6 percent of his passes for 1,131 yards and 11 touchdowns with only two interceptions and with two rushing touchdowns. The problem is that the Wildcats have played against three far lesser teams and BYU, their one loss. That was Fifita’s worst game of the year with only 230 yards, one passing touchdown, one rushing score and an interception, but also his lowest yards per attempt as well. If Arizona is going to cause Big 12 chaos, they need Fifita to be at his best against the best.
11. Byrum Brown, Auburn Tigers – Grade: C-
If you just look at the raw numbers for Byrum Brown this season, there’s a lot to like from the Auburn quarterback. He’s completed 65.1 percent of his throws for 896 yards with six touchdowns, though with five picks, and has three rushing touchdowns with 237 yards on the ground. He’s even caught a touchdown pass as well. However, his two worst games of the season came against Baylor (three interceptions) and Florida (one pick, 57.1 percent completion). When you then factor in how frantic and frenetic he’s looked in the pocket, it’s really been an inauspicious showing from Brown.
10. Gunner Stockton, Georgia Bulldogs – Grade: B
Basically the only thing I’m taking away from Gunner Stockton and Georgia’s wins over Tennessee State, Western Kentucky and Arkansas is the stats — and Stockton has thrown for 10 touchdowns this season while completing 74.3 percent of his throws. But his performance in a rout of Oklahoma does mean something. For all the Sooners’ problems, the defense is still legit. While he did throw his first pick of the season, he still moved the ball well and took what was there. Perhaps most notably, he showed poise in not just defaulting to his legs. I’m excited to see more from Stockton moving forward.
9. Josh Hoover, Indiana Hoosiers – Grade: B
Suffice it to say that Josh Hoover is not Fernando Mendoza. But the TCU transfer walked into Bloomington as a completely different type of passer and appears to still be fully coming into his own with Indiana. He has 11 touchdowns with, surprisingly, no interceptions on the year and has completed 70 percent of his throws thus far, but the offense has also still been a bit stop-and-go at times with him at the helm. That’s not all on him — the run game has been lackluster at times — but he may have to step up and elevate the Hoosiers, which will be his truest test this season.
8. Sam Leavitt, LSU Tigers – Grade: C
Watching Sam Leavitt play football will leave you sicker than a tilt-a-whirl after housing a handful of corndogs (an official measurement). He’s probably the most volatile quarterback on the country and you don’t know what you’re going to get from him on a down-to-down basis. The good is that he’s thrown for 1,044 yards with five touchdowns while also rushing for 220 yards and six scores. The bad is that he leads all of FBS with six interceptions and suffered an injury against Texas A&M. Who know what happens from here, but if Leavitt has taught us anything, it’s that he’ll keep us guessing.
7. Darian Mensah, Miami Hurricanes – Grade: A+
To this point, I don’t think there’s anything else that the Miami Hurricanes could’ve hoped for than what they’ve gotten from Darian Mensah. He and Malachi Toney have an instant and dynamic rapport, he leads the country in completion rate (88.7%) and touchdown passes while throwing zero interceptions, and he has a rushing touchdown for good measure. While Miami and Mensah have not seen the upper crust of the ACC or college football yet, he’s been as dominant as you could ask against that level of competition.
6. Jayden Maiava, USC Trojans – Grade: A-
Some people will bristle at giving Jayden Maiava such high marks for his work this season, but most of that is based upon the disappointment in USC as a whole. As far as the quarterback goes, he’s not been the issue for the Trojans. He leads the country with 14 touchdown passes and has 1,499 yards on the year with a 70.1 percent completion rate. Even in the loss to Oregon, he threw for 326 yards with two scores, albeit with one pick. He’s not been perfect, but he’s been good enough for USC to win every game they’ve played.
5. Arch Manning, Texas Longhorns – Grade: C+
There are moments when Arch Manning looks like the Prince Who Was Promised in Austin. Some of the throws he’s made this season and some of the clutch moments he’s come up with have been electric, and it’s why he’s had all the hype attached to him, not to mention why I’ve been a staunch supporter. But, man, it’d be so great if he could show more consistency. The rollercoaster with Arch has been frustrating since last season and, if he wants to improve his grade, he’s going to need to be a better down-to-down and week-to-week offensive general.
4. Julian Sayin, Ohio State Buckeyes – Grade: B-
Maybe I’m a bit too harsh on Julian Sayin — I’m open to that criticism if you want to levy it my way. At the same time, it’s felt like the Ohio State passer has been pressing the easy button of “find Jeremiah Smith” an awful lot this season. That’s a good button to press, make no mistake, but it also isn’t exactly a testament to the quarterback’s ability. Moreover, the second half against Texas definitely sticks out in my mind as he looked a bit uncomfortable in those moments. Overall, it’s still been good quality play, but I’ve also been far from blown away.
3. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss Rebels – Grade: A+
Coming down from the high of his expert performance against LSU and the emotional win with the disappointing loss to Florida might make you think that I’m going to dock Trinidad Chambliss. Not the case. He’s been arguably the best quarterback in college football this season. Yes, he has three interception, but has matched that with 12 total touchdowns against sneakily one of the hardest schedules in the country. And in the loss to Florida, he accounted for over 300 yards and three scores. Blame the defense, not Chambliss.
2. CJ Carr, Notre Dame Fighting Irish – Grade: B
There’s some part of me that doesn’t feel like Notre Dame and CJ Carr deserves a ton of credit for their body of work to this point in the season. Yes, they’ve played three Power Four teams, but three of the worst teams in the Big Ten are what comprise that. Carr has looked good throughout, though, and he does receive a bump because the Fighting Irish are putting more on his plate as the run game has been floundering. I’ll reserve an “A” until we see it against a legit opponent who can match Notre Dame, but he’s passed the test thus far.
1. Dante Moore, Oregon Ducks – Grade: C
It’s been a confusing season to say the least for Dante Moore. And I want to be clear that I’m not holding his exit against USC after a dirty hit against him.
At the same time, he returned to Oregon after being a projected Top 5 pick in the NFL Draft with the expectation to be the best quarterback in the country. He certainly wasn’t that in the loss to Oklahoma State, going 14-of-29 for just 191 yards and two touchdowns. And while the numbers overall have been solid outside of that, there has been meat left on the bone as well. I certainly hope he returns healthy, but the fact of the matter is that he looked like a better quarterback last season and, even if unfair, the Oregon offense looked the best it has all season when Raiola took over.
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