theathleticuk
The 2026 college football season opens on August 29.
With training camp starting a month before that, were closing in on the start of practice.
This is a good time to take stock of where every Power 4 program stands at quarterback as returning starters look to take a leap, new starters hope to elevate themselves and transfers try to find their footing.
Advertisement ACC Boston College: Mason McKenzie, a transfer from Division II Saginaw Valley State, is the projected starter.
Theres a bit of Anthony Colandrea in his game, with scrambling and playmaking.
Personnel folks in college football are really high on true freshman Femi Babalola, so keep an eye on the Tennessee native for the long term.
Cal: Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is one of the countrys most exciting young quarterbacks, and the Golden Bears stepped up to retain him.
How good can he be in 2026 with a beefed-up supporting cast? Clemson: Coach Dabo Swinney typically favors his veterans at least initially so Christopher Vizzina is in line to start after three years as Cade Klubniks backup.
True freshman Tait Reynolds made things interesting in the spring.
Duke: Walker Eget, a San Jose State transfer, is a veteran with two years of experience as a starter who will step in after Darian Mensah left the Blue Devils in a bind late in the portal window.
Florida State: The Seminoles transfer quarterback decisions have been underwhelming under coach Mike Norvell.
Auburn transfer Ashton Daniels, a former starter at Stanford, is the unquestioned No.
1 option for a staff in dire need of a rebound season.
Georgia Tech: All signs point to Alberto Mendoza, an Indiana transfer and Fernando Mendozas younger brother, as the frontrunner for the starting role.
He brings legitimate mobility and should boost a run game that also added Michigan transfer Justice Haynes.
Louisville: Coach Jeff Brohm will start a transfer quarterback for the fourth consecutive season at Louisville, with the inexperienced Lincoln Kienholz (Ohio State) expected to get the nod in 2026.
Miami: Cam Ward went on to be the No.
1 pick in the NFL Draft, and Carson Beck led the Hurricanes to the College Football Playoff title game.
Darian Mensah is next in line, and he will have a star-studded skill group to work with.
Advertisement NC State: Nothing new here as CJ Bailey, one of the ACCs top QBs, enters his third season as the Wolfpacks starter.
North Carolina: Wisconsin transfer Billy Edwards Jr.
has a clear path to the starting role since Western Carolina transfer Taron Dickens, who had a prolific season at the FCS level last year, never enrolled after initially announcing that he would transfer to UNC (hes now at Northern Illinois).
Four-star true freshman Travis Burgess will be worth tracking.
Pittsburgh: Mason Heintschel took over the starting role midway through last season and produced at a high clip.
He should take another step forward now that he has some experience.
SMU: Kevin Jennings has won 20 games over the past two years as the starter and took the program to the College Football Playoff in 2024.
Freshman Cole Leinart, son of 2004 Heisman Trophy winner and USC national champion Matt Leinart, is an intriguing addition.
Stanford: Coach Tavita Pritchard is rolling the dice with Michigan transfer Davis Warren, who wasnt particularly impressive as the Wolverines starter in 2024.
True freshman Mike Mitchell Jr.
could be a compelling option down the road.
Syracuse: Steve Angeli will be the starter if healthy.
The Orange protected themselves in case hes not by adding Kennesaw State transfer Amari Odom and UTEP transfer Malachi Nelson, a former five-star recruit.
Virginia: The Cavs announced last week that Beau Pribula, who started 10 games at Missouri last year, will get the start to open the season.
Pribula did some good things with his legs but struggled in the passing game.
Eli Holstein, who opened last season as Pitts starter but was benched in favor of Mason Heintschel, is the backup.
Virginia Tech: Ethan Grunkemeyer followed James Franklin from Penn State and is in position to be the starter.
Former Penn State commit Troy Huhn and North Carolina transfer Bryce Baker will provide depth.
Advertisement Wake Forest: Gio Lopez wasnt successful in a bad offensive setup at North Carolina last year, but the hope is he will be more productive at Wake Forest, where he will reunite with Rob Ezell, his former offensive coordinator at South Alabama.
Big 12 Arizona: Its Noah Fifitas program as he enters his fourth season as the starter.
The long-term storyline to watch is whether four-star freshman Oscar Rios can demonstrate enough to establish himself as the frontrunner for the job in 2027.
Arizona State: Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley has the edge over Michigan transfer Mikey Keene, who has two years of starting experience at Fresno State.
The development of top-150 prospect Jake Fette will be something to monitor.
Baylor: All eyes will be on former five-star prospect DJ Lagway, who was frustratingly inconsistent at Florida.
Can offensive coordinator Jake Spavital unlock that potential and turn Lagway into an all-conference-caliber player? BYU: Bear Bachmeier started as a true freshman and has that job locked down for the next few seasons.
Five-star signee Ryder Lyons is serving a one-year LDS Church mission and will join the program in 2027.
Cincinnati: The coaching staff brought in Georgia Southern transfer JC French IV to be the starter.
Samaj Jones, now in his third year in the program, remains in a reserve role.
He was a four-star signee in 2024 but has attempted just seven passes over the past two years.
Colorado: Coordinator Brennan Marion was brought in this offseason to jumpstart the offense and to get the most out of Julian Lewis, who is entering his second season with the program.
Utah transfer Isaac Wilson was signed to provide depth.
Houston: Conner Weigman is the starter, but a lot of attention will be on true freshman Keisean Henderson, the No.
1 overall prospect in the 2026 recruiting cycle.
Advertisement Iowa State: The Cyclones are starting over after Matt Campbells departure, and new coach Jimmie Rogers brought in Arkansas State transfer Jaylen Raynor to be the starter.
Oklahoma State transfer Zane Flores provides depth.
Kansas: There are two inexperienced players, Cole Ballard and Isaiah Marshall, competing for the starting role to replace Jalon Daniels.
Kansas State: Avery Johnson is back for his fourth season overall and third as the starter.
Coach Collin Klein has returned after a two-year stint as Texas A&Ms offensive coordinator, and one of his main priorities will be getting Johnson to play up to his potential.
Oklahoma State: Drew Mestemaker is now the face of the program after following coach Eric Morris from North Texas.
The former walk-on led the nation in passing yards last year.
TCU: Theres been some under-the-radar buzz about Harvard transfer Jaden Craig, who was an All-Ivy League selection in 2024 and 2025.
He will be stepping in for Indiana-bound Josh Hoover.
Texas Tech: The focus this preseason will be on Will Hammonds recovery from a torn ACL and whether hell be ready to go in Week 1.
If not, the spotlight will shift to Tulsa transfer Kirk Francis, who will hold the job until Hammonds return.
UCF: Coach Scott Frost didnt seem enamored with last years QB options, so he signed James Madison starter Alonza Barnett III, who brings a wealth of experience and a winning pedigree to the program.
FIU transfer Keyone Jenkins is an experienced backup.
Utah: The Utes have a stable quarterback situation with Devon Dampier as the starter and Byrd Ficklin as a backup with some experience.
The notable change offensively comes with coordinator Kevin McGiven, who spent the 2025 season at Utah State.
West Virginia: The Mountaineers added Oklahoma transfer Michael Hawkins Jr., and while hes not a true threat with his arm, hes dangerous with his legs and could be a good fit in coach Rich Rodriguezs offense.
Scotty Fox Jr.
started five games last year and is competing for the job as well.
Big Ten Illinois: Katin Houser, who began his career at Michigan State, was productive in East Carolinas high-speed attack and now has the keys to a much more deliberate offense with the Illini.
Advertisement Indiana: TCU transfer Josh Hoover is the starter, and hell be under the microscope as he adapts to a new system.
The backup QB situation will be worth monitoring as well, with Grant Wilson and Tyler Cherry competing for the job.
Iowa: Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown battled for the backup job last year and battled for the starting role in the spring a competition that will continue into preseason camp.
Maryland: Everything revolves around Malik Washington, so the emphasis is on his improvement and setting him up to be successful.
Michigan: This is a critical season for Bryce Underwood, who will be working with new OC Jason Beck after an underwhelming freshman year.
Michigan State: Alessio Milivojevic heads into this season atop the depth chart after he started the Spartans final four games of 2025.
Minnesota: Drake Lindsey was a question mark this time last year, but he had a promising first season as a starter and gives the Golden Gophers a solid building block offensively alongside running back Darius Taylor.
Nebraska: It was an eventful QB offseason for the Cornhuskers, who lost Dylan Raiola to the portal, gained a commitment from Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey, only to lose him to Kentucky soon after, then signed UNLV transfer Anthony Colandrea, who is experienced but plays a very wild style of football.
Northwestern: Aidan Chiles and coordinator Chip Kelly are a fascinating partnership in Evanston.
Can Kelly maximize Chiles talent after two years of disappointing play at Michigan State? Ohio State: Julian Sayin is cemented as the starter, but Tavien St.
Clair, a former five-star prospect, is a significant figure for the programs future at the position.
Oregon: We know what the Ducks are getting with Dante Moore, a top Heisman Trophy candidate, but what will this season be like for Dylan Raiola, who was Nebraskas starter but will now be Oregons backup? Advertisement Penn State: Campbell brought established veteran Rocco Becht from Iowa State, so the Nittany Lions will have an experienced QB as they start a new era.
Purdue: Ryan Browne is back for another year as the Boilermakers starter but needs to take a step forward.
Rutgers: Boston College transfer Dylan Lonergan is competing with AJ Surace, who is in his third season with the program.
UCLA: Nico Iamaleava is one of the few foundational pieces that coach Bob Chesney inherited when he took over.
Iamaleava should be put in a better position to succeed with a new staff.
USC: Jayden Maiava can be a Heisman candidate if the Trojans have a big season, but its his last year with the program, so USC has to get blue-chip freshman Jonas Williams up to speed for future opportunities.
Washington: Demond Williams Jr.
attempted to leave but is back for Year 3 with the Huskies.
Washington signed Stanford transfer Elijah Brown, who played a decent amount for the Cardinal the past two years.
Wisconsin: The Badgers have had horrible injury luck, which has led to bad QB play the past few years.
The hope is that dual-threat Old Dominion transfer Colton Joseph provides a spark.
Independent Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish have one of the best QBs in the country, CJ Carr, as their starter.
They also signed two blue-chip freshmen, Teddy Jarrard and Noah Grubbs, and brought back four-star 2025 signee Blake Hebert.
SEC Alabama: Austin Mack was the Crimson Tides backup last year, and this will be his fourth season with Kalen DeBoer.
Keelon Russell was a five-star prospect in the 2025 recruiting cycle.
Theyll compete in the nations most high-profile QB battle.
Arkansas: KJ Jackson and Memphis transfer AJ Hill, who followed coach Ryan Silverfield, are the two contenders in a competition that could go deep into August.
Advertisement Auburn: Coach Alex Golesh brought his star quarterback, Byrum Brown, to Auburn from South Florida, and itll be interesting to see how Browns playmaking translates to the SEC.
Florida: The Gators have a strong receiver group and a talented running back in Jadan Baugh.
The quarterback will either be Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo or holdover Tramell Jones Jr.
Philo has had the perceived advantage because he followed OC Buster Faulkner from Georgia Tech.
Georgia: Gunner Stockton is a gamer and returns as the starter while Ryan Puglisi, a blue-chip prospect in the 2024 recruiting cycle, patiently waits for an opportunity.
Kentucky: First-year coach Will Stein is a well-respected offensive mind, and Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey has plenty of potential.
It should be fun to see how this combo works together.
The Wildcats also signed four-star QB Matt Ponatoski, who announced he will attend Kentucky despite being selected in the 18th round of the recent MLB Draft.
LSU: Sam Leavitt should be a household name playing for coach Lane Kiffin.
He missed spring practice while recovering from a foot injury that cut his 2025 season short at Arizona State.
Hes cleared now, but the Tigers also brought in USC transfer Husan Longstreet, a five-star prospect in the 2025 recruiting cycle, and Elon transfer Landen Clark.
Mississippi State: Kamario Taylor is big, fast, strong and can run.
Hell step into the full-time starting role after showing some positive flashes in 2025.
Missouri: Ole Miss transfer Austin Simmons was named the starter in the spring, which makes the future of Matt Zollers, a top-100 prospect in the 2025 cycle, unclear.
Oklahoma: Can John Mateer be more consistent now that hes further removed from the thumb injury that sidetracked him last year? Four-star true freshman Bowe Bentley drew rave reviews from personnel staffers last recruiting cycle.
Advertisement Ole Miss: Trinidad Chambliss is one of the best QBs in the country, and the Rebels added depth for this season while also prepping for 2027 with the addition of Auburn transfer and former five-star Deuce Knight.
South Carolina: Theres a lot of pressure on the Gamecocks staff this season, starting with improving an offense that struggled in 2025.
LaNorris Sellers is back for his third season as a starter and will be working with new OC Kendal Briles.
Top-150 prospect Landon Duckworth is a noteworthy addition to the position group.
Tennessee: This is an old-school quarterback competition between two players signed by Tennessee out of high school.
Faizon Brandon was the No.
10 overall player in the 2026 recruiting cycle and has the higher ceiling, but George MacIntyre has one year of experience in the offense.
Texas: Arch Manning is the main character in Austin, but five-star freshman Dia Bell is a worthy subplot to follow because he is expected to take over when Manning departs.
Texas A&M: Marcel Reed helped the Aggies reach the College Football Playoff for the first time last year and will be working with new OC Holmon Wiggins.
Two former blue-chip prospects are fighting for positioning on the depth chart Brady Hart (2025) and Helaman Casuga (2026).
Vanderbilt: The assumption is that five-star freshman Jared Curtis, the highest-rated signee in program history, will start at some point this season, but hell have to beat out Blaze Berlowitz, who has spent three years (two at Vanderbilt, one at New Mexico State) with OC Tim Beck.