{"id":514530,"date":"2026-03-10T06:59:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T06:59:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/514530\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T06:59:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T06:59:09","slug":"espn-unveils-pre-spring-power-4-college-football-quarterback-ranking-from-no-1-to-68","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/514530\/","title":{"rendered":"ESPN unveils pre-spring Power 4 college football quarterback ranking from No. 1 to 68"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u2019s the latest step in the college football offseason before kicking things off in the fall.<\/p>\n

As usual, quarterbacks are going to be a huge talking point during the springtime. Not just battles at the position, either. ESPN<\/a> has put together a ranking of every quarterback in a power conference. Let\u2019s check out the full thing here, starting with the lone quarterback without a conference affiliation.<\/p>\n

Notre Dame just missed out on the College Football Playoff<\/a> in Carr\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

ESPN \u2013 \u201cCarr isn\u2019t exactly your modern dual-threat guy; he doesn\u2019t scramble much, and he\u2019s not a threat to punish defenses for turning their backs on the QB in man coverage. But he also doesn\u2019t take sacks, both because of quick decision-making and the fact that he might have the best offensive line in the country protecting him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"JulianOhio State QB Julian Sayin (Birm\/Lettermen Row)<\/p>\n

Another play entering his second year as the starter, ESPN says Ohio State needs to let Sayin loose. Ryan Day<\/a> has shown what he can do with multi-season quarterbacks in the past. All of this without considering who Sayin is throwing to.<\/p>\n

ESPN \u2013 \u201cIn 2026, the training wheels must come off. Sayin is absurdly accurate, and he still has\u00a0Jeremiah Smith<\/a>, probably the single-most talented player in the country, out wide to catch his passes.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

ESPN \u2013 \u201cIt might be difficult for him to replicate last year\u2019s success with his offensive line losing three starters and, perhaps even more importantly, his receiving corps losing five of last year\u2019s top six. But then again, he\u2019s dealing with far less change than he did a year ago when he moved up from Division II.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manning\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

ESPN \u2013 \u201cManning is not yet a finished product; he runs himself into trouble at times\u2026 But he figured out how to make the most of what he had late in 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

ESPN \u2013 \u201cMaiava has exceeded expectations since arriving from UNLV<\/a>, and his final act should be fun to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n

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<\/a>. Instead, Moore returns to Eugene, hoping for another deep run with the Ducks.<\/p>\n

ESPN \u2013 \u201cWhen you\u2019re receiving top-five draft hype, it\u2019s hard to say no to the NFL whether you\u2019re actually ready or not. That Moore knew he wasn\u2019t ready and returned for one more year was pretty impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mestemaker is the first transfer from the offseason to appear on the list. His story is an incredible one, breaking out at North Texas<\/a> despite being a backup quarterback in high school. Oklahoma State is hoping Mestemaker can make the jump into a power conference program.<\/p>\n

ESPN \u2013 \u201cMestemaker was learning lessons in real time and still thriving, finishing with the nation\u2019s most passing yards and second-most TDs. And even in the Mean Green\u2019s two losses\u2026 he finished strong after early- or midgame glitches.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"GunnerGunner Stockton. Photo by Brett Davis-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

ESPN \u2013 \u201cStockton 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Texas Tech landed, arguably, the crown jewel of the NCAA transfer porta<\/a>l class. Sorsby was a wanted man out there, eventually landing in Lubbock.<\/p>\n

ESPN \u2013 \u201cAfter 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Auburn searched for consistency at quarterback under Hugh Freeze<\/a>. And while Brown might be a new face on the Plains, he is incredibly familiar with what Alex Golesh<\/a> is looking for. Some might take time to adjust to the new regime but Brown will not be one of them.<\/p>\n

ESPN \u2013 \u201cIn 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\u2026 He\u2019s really good, and he knows the offense.\u201d<\/p>\n

ESPN ranks Power 4 quarterbacks entering spring: No. 11-68<\/p>\n

11. Darian Mensah<\/a>, Miami<\/a>
12. Devon Dampier<\/a>, Utah<\/a>
13. Josh Hoover<\/a>, Indiana<\/a>
14. Sam Leavitt<\/a>, LSU<\/a>
15. Bear Bachmeier<\/a>, BYU<\/a>
16. CJ Bailey<\/a>, NC State<\/a>
17. Bryce Underwood<\/a>, Michigan<\/a>
18. Marcel Reed<\/a>, Texas A&M<\/a>
19. John Mateer<\/a>, Oklahoma<\/a>
20. Demond Williams<\/a>, Washington<\/a>
21. Avery Johnson<\/a>, Kansas State<\/a>
22. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele<\/a>, Cal<\/a>
23. Kevin Jennings<\/a>, SMU<\/a>
24. Colton Joseph<\/a>, Wisconsin<\/a>
25. LaNorris Sellers<\/a>, South Carolina<\/a>
26. Ethan Grunkemeyer<\/a>, Virginia Tech<\/a>
27. Noah Fifita<\/a>, Arizona<\/a>
28. Keelon Russell<\/a> or Austin Mack<\/a>, Alabama<\/a>
29. Beau Pribula<\/a>, Virginia<\/a>
30. Anthony Colandrea<\/a>, Nebraska<\/a>
31. Alonza Barnett<\/a>, UCF<\/a>
32. Steve Angeli<\/a>, Syracuse<\/a>
33. Katin Houser<\/a>, Illinois<\/a>
34. Rocco Becht<\/a>, Penn State<\/a>
35. Cutter Boley<\/a>, Arizona State<\/a>
36. Conner Weigman<\/a>, Houston<\/a>
37. Malik Washington<\/a>, Maryland<\/a>
38. Ashton Daniels<\/a>, Florida State<\/a>
39. Nico Iamaleava<\/a>, UCLA<\/a>
40. DJ Lagway<\/a>, Baylor<\/a>
41. Alberto Mendoza<\/a>, Georgia Tech<\/a>
42. Walker Eget<\/a>, Duke<\/a>
43. Aaron Philo<\/a>, Florida<\/a>
44. Austin Simmons<\/a>, Missouri<\/a>
45. Drake Lindsey<\/a>, Minnesota<\/a>
46. Mason Heintschel<\/a>, Pitt<\/a>
47. Kenny Minchey<\/a>, Kentucky<\/a>
48. Kamario Taylor<\/a>, Mississippi State<\/a>
49. George MacIntyre<\/a>, Tennessee<\/a>
50. Michael Hawkins Jr.<\/a>, West Virginia<\/a>
51. Jaylen Raynor<\/a>, Iowa State<\/a>
52. Christopher Vizzina<\/a>, Clemson<\/a>
53. Lincoln Kienholz<\/a>,\u00a0Louisville<\/a>
54. JC French IV<\/a>, Cincinnati<\/a>
55. Jaden Craig<\/a>, TCU<\/a>
56. Billy Edwards<\/a>, North Carolina<\/a>
57. Aidan Chiles<\/a>, Northwestern<\/a>
58. KJ Jackson<\/a> or AJ Hill<\/a>, Arkansas<\/a>
59. Jared Curtis<\/a>, Vanderbilt<\/a>
60. Dylan Longergan<\/a>, Rutgers<\/a>
61. Gio Lopez<\/a>, Wake Forest<\/a>
62. Julian Lewis<\/a>, Colorado<\/a>
63. Mason MacKenzie<\/a>, Boston College<\/a>
64. Alessio Milivojevic<\/a>, Michigan State<\/a>
65. Jeremy Hecklinski<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Hank Brown<\/a>,\u00a0Iowa<\/a>
66. Cole Ballard<\/a>, Kansas<\/a>
67. Ryan Browne<\/a>, Purdue<\/a>
68. Davis Warren<\/a>, Stanford<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Spring practice is underway at a few schools across the country. In just a few days, almost every…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":514531,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[209315,37817,232942,198384,232943,176488,190329,7303,188023,232944,96465,7304,140343,135166,232945,127825,1374,127826,232946,232947,127827,232948,232949,140344,109824,162245,7310,232950,125268,127828,7311,232951,140345,232952,186525,399,232953,80860,135167,232954,232955,232956,170455,125270,232957,232958,199479,7317,7318,1396,7319,232959,232960,1401,170521,7320,232961,7321,232962,125640,134062,127831,232963,122936,398,396,397,7324,162246,7325,232964,7326,99,232965,96467,232966],"class_list":["post-514530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ncaa-football","tag-aaron-philo-24-prince-avenue-christian-school","tag-aidan-chiles-23-downey","tag-aj-hill-25-houston-county","tag-alberto-mendoza-24-christopher-columbus-hs","tag-alessio-milivojevic-24-st-francis","tag-alonza-barnett-iii-22-grimsley","tag-anthony-colandrea-23-lakewood","tag-arch-manning-23-isidore-newman","tag-ashton-daniels-22-buford","tag-austin-mack-23-folsom","tag-austin-simmons-23-moore-haven-junior-senior","tag-avery-johnson-23-maize","tag-bear-bachmeier-25-murrieta-valley","tag-beau-pribula-22-central-york","tag-billy-edwards-jr-21-lake-braddock","tag-brendan-sorsby-22-lake-dallas","tag-bryce-underwood-25-belleville-high-school","tag-byrum-brown-22-rolesville","tag-christopher-vizzina-23-briarwood-christian","tag-cj-bailey-24-chaminade-madonna-prep","tag-cj-carr-24-saline","tag-cole-ballard","tag-colton-joseph-23-newport-harbor","tag-conner-weigman-22-bridgeland","tag-cutter-boley-24-lexington-christian-academy","tag-dante-moore-23-martin-luther-king-jr","tag-darian-mensah-23-st-joseph","tag-davis-warren-20-loyola","tag-demond-williams-jr-24-basha","tag-devon-dampier-23-pinnacle","tag-dj-lagway-24-willis","tag-drake-lindsey-24-fayetteville","tag-drew-mestemaker-24-vandegrift","tag-dylan-lonergan-23-brookwood","tag-ethan-grunkemeyer-24-olentangy","tag-football","tag-george-macintyre-25-brentwood-academy","tag-gio-lopez-23-james-clemens","tag-gunner-stockton-22-rabun-county","tag-hank-brown-23-lipscomb-academy","tag-jaden-craig-22-seton-hall-prep","tag-jared-curtis-26-nashville-christian-school","tag-jaron-keawe-sagapolutele-25-james-campbell","tag-jayden-maiava-22-kaimuki","tag-jaylen-raynor-23-east-forsyth","tag-jc-french-22-blessed-trinity-catholic","tag-jeremy-hecklinski-24-walton","tag-john-mateer-22-little-elm","tag-josh-hoover-22-rockwall-heath","tag-julian-lewis-25-carrollton","tag-julian-sayin-24-carlsbad","tag-kamario-taylor-25-noxubee-county","tag-katin-houser-22-st-john-bosco","tag-keelon-russell-25-duncanville","tag-kenny-minchey-23-pope-john-paul-ii","tag-kevin-jennings-22-south-oak-cliff","tag-kj-jackson-24-st-james-school","tag-lanorris-sellers-23-south-florence","tag-lincoln-kienholz-23-t-f-riggs","tag-malik-washington-25-archbishop-spalding","tag-marcel-reed-23-montgomery-bell-academy","tag-mason-heintschel-25-clay","tag-mason-mckenzie-23-caledonia","tag-michael-hawkins-24-frisco-emerson","tag-ncaa","tag-ncaa-football","tag-ncaafootball","tag-nico-iamaleava-23-warren","tag-noah-fifita-22-servite","tag-rocco-becht-22-wiregrass-ranch","tag-ryan-browne-23-milford-academy","tag-sam-leavitt-23-west-linn","tag-sports","tag-steve-angeli-22-bergen-catholic","tag-trinidad-chambliss-21-forest-hills-northern","tag-walker-eget-21-west-ranch"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=514530"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514530\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/514531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=514530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=514530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=514530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}