Quarterback Rankings: Who is the No. 1 pivot heading into OK Tire Labour Day Weekend?

Quarterback Rankings is a bi-weekly series that breaks down the top signal-callers in the CFL. The ranking of starters heading into each week reflects recent performance, statistical indicators, team success, and overall on-field evaluation.

Let me say off the top: these rankings are all about taking the temperature of what is going on right now in the CFL.

Obviously, I weigh season-long accomplishments. However, this bi-weekly piece is a snapshot of the current moment in the league, which is why you will sometimes see wild fluctuations.

This is not about pedigree, though I will admit it is hard to completely shut out the entire resume of some of the incredible quarterbacks in our league.

Did I write these past three sentences to assuage any negativity that may be coming my way after you glance down at the new number one? It’s possible. I’m not asking you to 100 per cent agree with my selections, but here’s hoping you can at least understand the reasons behind how I got here.

1. (6) NICK ARBUCKLE | TORONTO ARGONAUTS

This ranking has more to do with the overall context than just the fact that Nick Arbuckle leads the league in passing yards and is second in touchdowns thrown.

Find me a quarterback with a greater degree of difficulty than Arbuckle. Injuries have decimated the offensive tackle position, he doesn’t have the benefit of a strong running game to balance out the offence, and he has the added pressure of knowing if he cannot find a way to produce 30 points his team will not come away with a victory.

To be fair and balanced, his poor red zone production was a big reason why the Argonauts lost 28-20 to the Edmonton Elks in Week 11. However, he did put up 430 yards and three touchdowns against a BC Lions pass defence that is ranked first in yards allowed.

2. (2) TREVOR HARRIS | SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

There were some tough moments for Trevor Harris in the Saskatchewan Roughriders 32-15 loss to the Calgary Stampeders. Notably, the first interception that was thrown to Sheldon II Arnold, where I’m convinced Harris had no idea Arnold was lurking. Trevor was also the victim of a bad drop by KeeSean Johnson early on that should have led to a 20-yard touchdown.

One week earlier, Harris put on a show in the team’s 29-9 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The two highlights were his deep shot, 58-yard touchdown to Dohnte Meyers, who had gotten behind Hamilton’s defence, and his 26-yard dart to Tommy Nield in tight coverage as the pocket was collapsing late in the first half.

3. (3) NATHAN ROURKE | BC LIONS

NATHAN ROURKE TURNS ON THE JETS ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE 15!#CFLGameday
📅: @BCLions vs. Argonauts LIVE NOW
🇨🇦: TSN, CTV
🌎: CFL+ pic.twitter.com/fYGbjGyQxR

— CFL (@CFL) August 23, 2025

Hard to blame Nathan Rourke for the 52-34 loss to the Argonauts as the Lions offence did amass 442 total yards while the BC secondary looked like they had loaded up on deep fried butter at the food pavilion at the CNE before the game.

Hey, did you know Rourke is not only leading all quarterbacks in rushing yards, but he is also averaging over 10 yards a carry? Against the Argonauts, he turned what looked like a fourth quarter sack into a 47-yard run. Plus, a week earlier, his 27-yard sprint in the second quarter set up a short touchdown pass to Justin McInnis and a double-digit lead they would not relinquish against the Montreal Alouettes.

4. (1) BO LEVI MITCHELL | HAMILTON TIGER-CATS

SPIN CYCLE!

Bo Levi Mitchell evades pressure for a first down! #CFLGameDay
🗓️: @Ticats vs. Roughriders LIVE NOW
🇨🇦: TSN, CTV
🇺🇸: CBSSN
🌎: CFL+ pic.twitter.com/1tStfkrF4Z

— CFL (@CFL) August 16, 2025

Before Tiger-Cats fans get on me, yes, if I had to choose one quarterback to win one game in 2025, I would select Bo Levi Mitchell over the Argonauts’ signal caller.

However, the last time we saw Mitchell he served up two ugly interceptions in the third quarter to the Roughriders. The first, a ball intended for Shemar Bridges just hung up in the air for Tevaughn Campbell to easily pick off. Soon after, with Hamilton only down by 12, Bo overthrew his target at the goal line right to Rolan Milligan Jr. to extinguish any scoring threat.

Good news for those who adorn the Gold and Black, Mitchell will be going up against a Toronto defence that saw him throw more touchdown passes (five) than incompletions (four) the last time these teams met.

5. (5) VERNON ADAMS JR. | CALGARY STAMPEDERS

You can certainly make the case for Calgary’s quarterback to be higher, but he does benefit from a defence that is first in points allowed and a top-3 running game.

Vernon Adams Jr. was solid in the team’s victory over the Stampeders, one of his interceptions was the result of a deflected ball while the other did end up in the hands of Rolan Milligan Jr., who has picked up right where he left off last season.

His best moment was a well-placed corner pass to Daylen Baldwin that gave the Stamps a 21-15 lead in the third quarter.

6. (8) CODY FAJARDO | EDMONTON ELKS

Cody Fajardo connects with KGJ for a huge gain.

Elks vs. REDBLACKS is Live Now.
🇨🇦: TSN, RDS
🌎: CFL+ pic.twitter.com/CTkanYJGdx

— CFL (@CFL) August 23, 2025

Cody Fajardo may be the most “boring” but impressive quarterback in the league.

Since taking over the starting job, you can count on him to throw for around 275 yards, a solid touchdown to interception ratio, and to usually make the right decision.

His best moment over these past two weeks came in that clock-killing, field goal drive that boosted the Elks’ lead to 30-20 in their win over the Ottawa REDBLACKS. There was nothing boring about his 38-yard strike to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. on second-and-seven or his 12-yard run to convert a second and nine.

7. (7) ZACH COLLAROS | WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

The best sign for Zach Collaros and the Blue Bombers offence was that they played a clean game against Montreal, ending the day with zero turnovers.

It feels weird to have Collaros so low, but he does have five multi-interception games in his eight starts. That being said, against the Alouettes he finished the day with just four incompletions on 31 pass attempts.

Though the first star of this win was certainly Brady Oliveira, Zach had his best game since Week 4.

8. (-) DUSTIN CRUM | OTTAWA REDBLACKS

Dustin Crum touchdown! Ottawa is back in it! #CFL

Elks vs. @REDBLACKS LIVE NOW
🇨🇦: TSN, RDS
🌎: CFL+ pic.twitter.com/Yvvx10uLjV

— CFL (@CFL) August 23, 2025

Dustin Crum’s numbers in Ottawa’s Friday night loss to Edmonton were quite good considering the constant quarterback upheaval going on in our nation’s capital.

What killed the REDBLACKS late were a pair of fourth quarter drives that ended in field goals instead of touchdowns when the game was still up for grabs.

9. (-) JAMES MORGAN | MONTREAL ALOUETTES

The best pass of the night for the Alouettes was a 44-yarder by Tyler Snead to Alexander Hollins.

Jokes aside, give James Morgan credit; it was a 16-13 game with just over 10 minutes left against the Blue Bombers. James’ first interception was the result of a defender hitting his arm as he released the ball and his second was late in the game with his team down by 13.

I’m not going to fault this young man, who was thrust into such a difficult situation, as he tried to make a play downfield with his team down by nearly two touchdowns.

Quarterback Rankings: Who is the No. 1 pivot heading into OK Tire Labour Day Weekend?

Tags: