Quarterbacks are always the centerpiece of a recruiting class. Even in today’s landscape — where nearly 40 percent of FBS teams started a transfer at the position in Week 1 — many programs would prefer to find a long-term answer from the high school ranks.

The Class of 2026 quarterbacks are almost halfway through their senior seasons of high school. The class consists of five five-star prospects and 29 blue-chippers in the 247Sports Composite. Only two of the top 50 remain uncommitted. There likely will be a few flips before it all becomes official in December, but for the most part, we know who is going where.

To get a better understanding of this group of quarterbacks, The Athletic spoke to personnel evaluators around the sport to find out who they like the best, who is underrated and who is the best leader. They were granted anonymity for their candor.

And one Group of 5 staffer was especially honest, politely declining to partake in the survey. “I won’t waste your time,” he said. “I’d be talking out of my ass if I commented. … I don’t even bother wasting my time watching things I can’t have.”

Note: Staffers were not allowed to answer with quarterbacks committed to their own programs.

Power 4 director of player personnel 1
Power 4 offensive coordinator
Power 4 director of player personnel 2
Power 4 director of player personnel 3
Power 4 assistant director of player personnel 1
Group of 5 director of player personnel 1
Power 4 director of player personnel 4
Power 4 recruiting coordinator 1
Power 4 director of player personnel 5
Power 4 director of player personnel 6
Power 4 general manager
Who is your favorite QB in the class?

P4 director of player personnel 1: Bowe Bentley (Oklahoma commit). Undefeated state champion. Kid is a winner. Kid’s got confidence, but he’s also got this humility to him. He’s a super smart, cerebral kid, and I think he’s got enough athleticism to thrive in the modern era of college football. I wouldn’t say he’s John Mateer’s level of athleticism, but he’s got some (stuff) to his game that reminds you of John Mateer — the moxie, the swagger.

P4 offensive coordinator: Bowe Bentley. He’s an absolute freak. He’s mature. He’s smart. The ball comes out of his hands (well). He’s extremely competitive. He can run. He’s kind of got all of it.

P4 director of player personnel 2: I really liked the (Matt) Ponatoski kid (Kentucky). I think he’s a really good one. He is smooth. I think he’s pretty much college-ready. I guess the question will be what he does with baseball. (Note: Ponatoski is also a top baseball prospect and is a potential first-round pick in the 2026 MLB Draft.)

P4 director of player personnel 3: I’ve always loved Ryder Lyons (BYU). I always thought he was a really good one. Keisean Henderson (Houston) has special athletic ability, and I think the throwing tools will get there.

P4 assistant director of player personnel 1: Jonas Williams (USC). He’s elite. I feel like he fits that (Caleb Williams/Patrick Mahomes) mold the best. He’s a really dynamic player, elite prospect.

USC QB commit Jonas Williams balled out this week for 358 yards, 4 TDs, and some unreal throws👀✌🏻🔥#FightOn✌🏻 pic.twitter.com/seRuWT7XZk

— Arrogant Nation✌🏻 (@FightOnRusty) August 31, 2025

Group of 5 director of player personnel 1: Kane Archer from Arkansas. He’s committed to UCF — 13-0 as a starter, 57 touchdowns, two interceptions (as a junior). Really accurate. He’s got good size. Can run as well. I mean, the kid’s a winner. He’s one of the most talented quarterbacks I’ve seen. He ran for 800 yards and 10 touchdowns, too.

P4 director of player personnel 4: The problem is my favorite quarterback is (in the Class of 2025), Brady Hart (current Texas A&M freshman). Landon Duckworth (South Carolina) is obviously up there, but it would have been Brady for me (before he reclassified). And then my third one would be Dia Bell (Texas).

P4 recruiting coordinator: I love Dia (Bell). Obviously, he can do everything on the football field. That’s evident. But he’s such a good kid. I (also) love Landon Duckworth. Freak athlete, he can throw the ball. He’s nowhere near close to scratching the surface of being a quarterback.

P4 director of player personnel 5: The guy that I really liked was Jake Fette (Arizona State). We were kind of on him early, really liked him, dual-threat guy. He was just kind of a man amongst boys in the league that he’s playing in. Very accurate. He’s just super efficient. And then had good feel, knew when to take off with his feet. He was pretty talented.

P4 director of player personnel 6: I would say my favorite one in the class is probably Faizon Brandon (Tennessee). I just think that talent-wise, he’s the best. I don’t know the kid, but just from a football ability standpoint, it’s really hard to find something that he’s not good at on tape, and I can see why he’s ranked as high as he is. Sometimes with those quarterbacks, they’re ranked super high off of upside, but for him, I see a really high floor. It’s just really hard for me to find something on tape that he can’t do well. Even on the game tape, too. There’s not much of a difference between the game tape and the highlight (reel), which is certainly what you want.

P4 general manager: Keisean Henderson. I just think what he is athletically, talent-wise, he’s very, very special and has every bit the chance to be not only incredibly dominant but also (dominate) in every facet of his game — not only throwing the ball but running the ball. He’s a threat no matter where the ball is in his hand. Let me put it that way.

Who is the most underrated QB in the class?

P4 director of player personnel 1: Luke Fahey (Ohio State) is probably underrated, but he’s just small. Femi Babalola, Boston College’s guy. I think he has the traits.

P4 offensive coordinator: Quinn Murphy (Baylor), without a doubt. He’s got a really, really live arm, especially down the field. He’s extremely intelligent. He has a football mind, so you can talk concepts with him. He’s actually a lot more athletic than people give him credit for. He’s going to be very similar to the Sawyer Robertson kid.

P4 director of player personnel 2: The Femi (Babalola) kid from Nashville. I think he’s got a chance to be — if he figures it all out — a Sunday player. It’s just a matter of if someone takes him and tries to make him a tight end or lets him try to be a quarterback. When you watch him, he’s got a bunch of tools. He’s just got to figure out how to throw the ball with more accuracy, which is a hard thing to improve. But he certainly has tools. I like him a lot.

Take a look at some of Boston College QB commit Femi Babalola’s (@FemiBab2026) best plays from Ravenwood’s 42-10 win over Franklin HS (TN)@BostonCollegeSI pic.twitter.com/H1NoixZJG0

— Mason Woods (@mawoods_) September 24, 2025

P4 director of player personnel 3: Oregon State has done a good job getting their claws in Deagan Rose. He’s not really looked around at all. His baseball background, he’s a good thrower. We were definitely intrigued by him.

P4 assistant director of player personnel 1: Luke Fahey from Mission Viejo. We were really, really high on him. He’s a big-time player. I think the other one would be Michael Mitchell Jr. (Vanderbilt). The ball comes off his hands well. He’s very undersized, though. I think he’ll be a good player as well.

Group of 5 director of player personnel 1: Miles Teodecki from Vandegrift, Texas. (He was) 15-1 as a starter (as a junior), 48 touchdowns, seven interceptions. Kansas State commit, but he snuck into Kansas State and didn’t have any other real big offers. Pretty sure he was a state champion there, and he’s really impressive. (Kansas State) kind of hid him under the radar.

P4 director of player personnel 4: Tristan Zale (uncommitted). He’s got nothing going on (with offers), but he can spin it. His camp tape, holy s—. He has really good film.

P4 recruiting coordinator: I like the Xavier Stearn kid (Rutgers). Years from now, he could be a guy. I think Michael Clayton, the Illinois commit, if he can dial in, he’s got all the talent in the world to be legit. And then that kid from Cincinnati, Matt Ponatoski, I might give him as my answer. I don’t know why Ohio State never went (in) on him.

P4 director of player personnel 5: Michael Mitchell Jr. He was a guy from California, Archbishop Riordan. Came out to camp, and he’s a little dude. We’ve got him at 5-9 and change. But this dude could rip it. Committed to Vanderbilt. I think people were probably a little turned off by his size, but from an arm talent perspective, he can really throw it.

I would roll with Kyden Barker (as my favorite G5 quarterback). I just think he’s a good quarterback. He’s a good player. He’s a confident passer. He improved a ton over the year. He’s committed to Tulsa. Maybe somebody else will come grab him.

P4 director of player personnel 6: The first one is committed to Boston College, Femi Babalola. I like him a lot. I think he’s a really interesting player. We did a lot of background on him, and I really like the kid. I liked what he was about. People in the area said really good things about him. If we didn’t have our guy, he’d certainly be a guy that I think we’d look at. You’ve got a ton of raw ability. He’s not really fully a complete package but totally worth taking the risk on and (has) extremely high upside. Those are the guys that you take your swing at. … I think Ryan Hopkins, who committed to Wisconsin. I’m surprised that a school like UCLA wouldn’t be all over him or a school like Cal or even Washington. I like that guy a lot. He’s not the biggest guy, not the strongest guy in terms of arm talent, but he’s just really well-rounded, high floor. He’s pretty underrated.

And then Nathan Bernhard, who’s committed to App State, I think he’s really good. To me, there’s no way that he’ll sign G5. I’d be just shocked, especially after his senior year. You see a huge progression from sophomore to junior year. Really good athlete, three-sport guy, massive frame. He’s listed on most of the sites somewhere around 6-5, 230. But he looks like he’s 6-5 and maybe 240. Just going to be hard to tackle in college.

P4 general manager: Before I would’ve said Bryson Beaver, but I feel like a lot of people have gotten on that hype train, especially once he flipped from Boise to Oregon. But that’d be my answer on him, still. I think he’s every bit a really, really good player and special.

Who will be the biggest surprise in three years?

P4 director of player personnel 1: I was high on Gavin Sidwar (Missouri) initially and he’s just been kind of quiet.

P4 offensive coordinator: The Femi Babalola kid. He’s a freak, man. He’s going to go to Boston College and people are going to be like, “Who is this kid?” He’s 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, he can run, he can throw it. Great kid. Very competitive. I really like him.

P4 director of player personnel 3: Daniel Rolovich (San Jose State). He’s a good athlete with good arm strength and a good head on his shoulders. I think he’s just getting a little smoother mechanically, but he’s one to watch.

P4 assistant director of player personnel 1: Ryder Lyons, when he comes off his mission.

Group of 5 director of player personnel 1: Probably Brodie Vehrs or Nathan Bernhard, but I’d say Brodie Vehrs. He committed to North Texas. He was originally committed to Northern Arizona. He’s from Basha (Ariz.) High School, kind of a smaller quarterback. But he’s really good. He’s gonna be a good one.

P4 director of player personnel 4: Gavin Sidwar. He’ll be better than people think. I think he’s a system guy, and I think the system he’s going to will help him. I think he’s better than the other guys. I think he’s better than (current Missouri freshman Matt) Zollers. He’s more consistent. I think if you put all those guys in a room together, he’s gonna come out on top.

P4 recruiting coordinator: Jyron Hughley, the West Virginia commit. There’s something about kids that, kind of like Lamar (Jackson), where people wanted to move him to other positions and he’s just talented enough at quarterback but the conviction of wanting to excel at that position and digging your heels in and saying, “I’m going to a smaller school because I want to play quarterback and I’m gonna go do my thing.” I’ve got a lot of respect for that. And he’s super athletic. He fits that system and that conference.

P4 director of player personnel 5: I’m gonna go with Legend Bey (Tennessee). He’s a quarterback from North Forney (Texas). I don’t know that he ends up as a quarterback. There’s probably some opportunity for him to maybe play some wildcat or maybe they use him as a quarterback. He’s definitely a very, very dynamic athlete, and he’s got a unique skill set of size and power.

P4 director of player personnel 6: One that I think will be in a positive light is the kid Oscar Rios, committed to Arizona. That’s another great take. That’s a great take on their part, and I really like the guys at Arizona. I hope they can keep a hold of him. But I think he’ll be a really, really good player.

P4 general manager: Travis Burgess (North Carolina), probably just for upside. I just think he’s borderline, probably just scratching the surface. Between him probably or Oscar Rios.

Who is most ready to start right away?

P4 director of player personnel 1: Probably Jared Curtis (Georgia). The size profile. The maturity levels. From the aspect of throwing the football. I think Dia Bell, from an accuracy perspective, is far along. I think Bowe Bentley, from an intelligence perspective, will be ready early, but I don’t think he’ll have to go in early.

Jared Curtis out there looking like Matt Stafford… pic.twitter.com/V6Yo1vPVZj

— Radi Nabulsi (@RadiNabulsi) August 30, 2025

P4 offensive coordinator: Out of the guys I’ve seen, Bowe Bentley.

P4 director of player personnel 2: Faizon Brandon is pretty good. I saw Dia Bell as a freshman at camp for us. He’s pretty damn good. Tommy Carr (Miami, Ohio) is really good.

P4 director of player personnel 3: I do like the Jonas Williams kid that SC got. He’s a good athlete. Bowe Bentley, I think, is going to be pretty ready early. You know who was a sneaky good one we loved? Tayden Kaawa, who’s committed to Bama.

P4 assistant director of player personnel 1: Probably Jonas Williams because of the talent and the situation he’s going to be walking into.

Group of 5 director of player personnel 1: It’s kind of based on situation, too. I would say App State’s quarterback, Nathan Bernhard — 6-6 kid, 230, 12-1 (as a junior), 61 percent completion percentage, ran for over 1,000 yards. He’s a big kid. I don’t know too much about their quarterback room right now. I don’t think it’s the best, so I think he’s got a good chance to start, and especially with his size and his skill set, he could probably go out there and do it.

P4 recruiting coordinator: I like Faizon (Brandon). I haven’t really followed Jared Curtis. We were never really in that recruitment, but he’s got crazy arm talent and all that. Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me (if it’s) the Helaman (Casuga, Texas A&M) kid. He’s so accurate. And they’ve got Marcel Reed, who’s entering Year 3, I think, so that’ll get changed over here soon. But Faizon, just because he’s just so talented.

P4 director of player personnel 5: That’s always tough with these young dudes. I’d probably come back to Jake Fette just because I liked him the most. I thought he was pretty talented. He has enough feel as a passer, but he’s athletic enough to maybe escape if he doesn’t really know what’s going on just yet as a young guy. Yeah, he’s a talented player.

P4 director of player personnel 6: I’d probably truthfully give you Faizon Brandon again. I can’t think of one that has a better shot. He’s the guy to me that has the least amount of question marks on film, and I feel like when it comes to playing a freshman, in whatever position, normally it’s about having fewer weaknesses than it is about having a ton of strengths. And the situation at Tennessee kind of opens up for it because they had the whole situation with Nico.

P4 general manager: I would say, and he’s not going to, but Dia Bell is probably as close, as polished as anyone. Dia and Jared (Curtis). Raja (Bell) has done a great job raising (Dia), and he’s been the same grounded person since the beginning. The other one that could be in that conversation would be Bowe Bentley. He’s all about ball, sees the game the right way. Smart. Intelligent. It’s just going to be a matter of what translates from his offense and how quick he’s gonna be able to pick that up, which Oklahoma’s going to do similar things because that’s what they did at Washington State

Who is the best leader?

P4 director of player personnel 1: (Bowe) Bentley or (Jake) Curtis.

P4 offensive coordinator: Probably have to go with Bowe Bentley again.

P4 director of player personnel 2: I like Brodie McWhorter (Mississippi State), and he’s got a chance to be pretty good.

P4 director of player personnel 3: Honestly, I think the most influential kid out there is Ryder (Lyons).

P4 assistant director of player personnel 1: Bowe Bentley. I was a big fan of him, leadership-wise, intangible-wise.

Group of 5 director of player personnel 1: That’s tough because we really only know our quarterback, and we’ve had him committed for a minute now. It’s gotta be a winner. I mean, shoot, I think Miles Teodecki, honestly.

P4 director of player personnel 4: Best leader in this class, I do like Landon (Duckworth) because he does everything. And you can see him take command. I would vote Landon for this one. Oh, wait. You know who’s actually not a bad take? (Derek Zammit, Washington) at DePaul Catholic (in New Jersey). Love that kid. Point guard. I would go with either one of them, Landon or Zammit.

P4 recruiting coordinator: Give me Derek Zammit.

P4 general manager: That’s such a hard question because I feel like until you’re actually in it, you don’t really see it. Leader, just being around and having interactions with guys, it’d be —  Dia (Bell) and Bowe (Bentley) would probably have my vote. Just how they’ve carried themselves through it and how that process has gone and even just how they speak on the phone and portray confidence.

(Top photo of Bowe Bentley: Ronald W. Erdrich / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)