Spring practice is underway at a few schools across the country. In just a few days, almost every program will be in full swing. It’s the latest step in the college football offseason before kicking things off in the fall.
As usual, quarterbacks are going to be a huge talking point during the springtime. Not just battles at the position, either. ESPN has put together a ranking of every quarterback in a power conference. Let’s check out the full thing here, starting with the lone quarterback without a conference affiliation.
Notre Dame just missed out on the College Football Playoff in Carr’s first season as the starter in South Bend. Many are going to predict Notre Dame to get in the 12-team field this year and then some. Expectations are going to be high for the Irish and Carr.
ESPN – “Carr isn’t exactly your modern dual-threat guy; he doesn’t scramble much, and he’s not a threat to punish defenses for turning their backs on the QB in man coverage. But he also doesn’t take sacks, both because of quick decision-making and the fact that he might have the best offensive line in the country protecting him.”
Ohio State QB Julian Sayin (Birm/Lettermen Row)
Another play entering his second year as the starter, ESPN says Ohio State needs to let Sayin loose. Ryan Day has shown what he can do with multi-season quarterbacks in the past. All of this without considering who Sayin is throwing to.
ESPN – “In 2026, the training wheels must come off. Sayin is absurdly accurate, and he still has Jeremiah Smith, probably the single-most talented player in the country, out wide to catch his passes.”
Ole Miss fought in court to have Chambliss back for the 2026 season. Their efforts seemingly paid off, getting him another year of eligibility. Now, Chambliss gets a full offseason in the program as the guy running the offense.
ESPN – “It might be difficult for him to replicate last year’s success with his offensive line losing three starters and, perhaps even more importantly, his receiving corps losing five of last year’s top six. But then again, he’s dealing with far less change than he did a year ago when he moved up from Division II.”
Manning’s struggles at the beginning of 2025 are well-documented. As are his flourishes down the stretch, capping things off with a solid Citrus Bowl performance. Texas has to feel as if they put together a better talent pool around Manning, meaning only improvements can come.
ESPN – “Manning is not yet a finished product; he runs himself into trouble at times… But he figured out how to make the most of what he had late in 2025.”
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
According to ESPN, Mendoza just etched out Maiava for the top QBR spot, needing the CFP in order to get there. USC should feel as if they have a top quarterback in college football, coming in at No. 5 pre-spring.
ESPN – “Maiava has exceeded expectations since arriving from UNLV, and his final act should be fun to follow.”
In a different world, Moore is preparing for the NFL Draft. Maybe he would have been the second quarterback off the board behind Fernando Mendoza. Instead, Moore returns to Eugene, hoping for another deep run with the Ducks.
ESPN – “When you’re receiving top-five draft hype, it’s hard to say no to the NFL whether you’re actually ready or not. That Moore knew he wasn’t ready and returned for one more year was pretty impressive.”
Mestemaker is the first transfer from the offseason to appear on the list. His story is an incredible one, breaking out at North Texas despite being a backup quarterback in high school. Oklahoma State is hoping Mestemaker can make the jump into a power conference program.
ESPN – “Mestemaker was learning lessons in real time and still thriving, finishing with the nation’s most passing yards and second-most TDs. And even in the Mean Green’s two losses… he finished strong after early- or midgame glitches.”
Gunner Stockton. Photo by Brett Davis-Imagn Images
ESPN places Stockton inside the top 10, comparing him to what we see from service academies. Efficiency is the name of the game there, something Georgia thrived on. Stockton possesses dual-threat ability, possibly raising him in the rankings.
ESPN – “Stockton basically operates the elite-team version of a service academy offense, always staying on schedule and rarely moving quickly. And he occasionally seeks contact in the run game like a service academy, too.”
Texas Tech landed, arguably, the crown jewel of the NCAA transfer portal class. Sorsby was a wanted man out there, eventually landing in Lubbock.
ESPN – “After using the transfer portal to turn a poor defense into an elite one, Tech ran aground into the CFP, in part because of quarterback play. Naturally, then, Joey Maguire went out and grabbed just about the most proven QB in the portal.”
Auburn searched for consistency at quarterback under Hugh Freeze. And while Brown might be a new face on the Plains, he is incredibly familiar with what Alex Golesh is looking for. Some might take time to adjust to the new regime but Brown will not be one of them.
ESPN – “In three years with new Auburn head coach Alex Golesh at USF, Brown twice topped 3,000 passing yards and 1,000 non-sack rushing yards… He’s really good, and he knows the offense.”
ESPN ranks Power 4 quarterbacks entering spring: No. 11-68
11. Darian Mensah, Miami
12. Devon Dampier, Utah
13. Josh Hoover, Indiana
14. Sam Leavitt, LSU
15. Bear Bachmeier, BYU
16. CJ Bailey, NC State
17. Bryce Underwood, Michigan
18. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M
19. John Mateer, Oklahoma
20. Demond Williams, Washington
21. Avery Johnson, Kansas State
22. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, Cal
23. Kevin Jennings, SMU
24. Colton Joseph, Wisconsin
25. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
26. Ethan Grunkemeyer, Virginia Tech
27. Noah Fifita, Arizona
28. Keelon Russell or Austin Mack, Alabama
29. Beau Pribula, Virginia
30. Anthony Colandrea, Nebraska
31. Alonza Barnett, UCF
32. Steve Angeli, Syracuse
33. Katin Houser, Illinois
34. Rocco Becht, Penn State
35. Cutter Boley, Arizona State
36. Conner Weigman, Houston
37. Malik Washington, Maryland
38. Ashton Daniels, Florida State
39. Nico Iamaleava, UCLA
40. DJ Lagway, Baylor
41. Alberto Mendoza, Georgia Tech
42. Walker Eget, Duke
43. Aaron Philo, Florida
44. Austin Simmons, Missouri
45. Drake Lindsey, Minnesota
46. Mason Heintschel, Pitt
47. Kenny Minchey, Kentucky
48. Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State
49. George MacIntyre, Tennessee
50. Michael Hawkins Jr., West Virginia
51. Jaylen Raynor, Iowa State
52. Christopher Vizzina, Clemson
53. Lincoln Kienholz, Louisville
54. JC French IV, Cincinnati
55. Jaden Craig, TCU
56. Billy Edwards, North Carolina
57. Aidan Chiles, Northwestern
58. KJ Jackson or AJ Hill, Arkansas
59. Jared Curtis, Vanderbilt
60. Dylan Longergan, Rutgers
61. Gio Lopez, Wake Forest
62. Julian Lewis, Colorado
63. Mason MacKenzie, Boston College
64. Alessio Milivojevic, Michigan State
65. Jeremy Hecklinski or Hank Brown, Iowa
66. Cole Ballard, Kansas
67. Ryan Browne, Purdue
68. Davis Warren, Stanford