{"id":791552,"date":"2026-07-29T15:25:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T15:25:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/791552\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T15:25:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T15:25:14","slug":"who-are-college-footballs-best-backup-qbs-dylan-raiola-leads-list-of-second-teamers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/791552\/","title":{"rendered":"Who are college football\u2019s best backup QBs? Dylan Raiola leads list of second-teamers"},"content":{"rendered":"

A year ago \u2014 long before he ascended to the No. 1 spot in our 2026 QB Tiers<\/a> \u2014 Trinidad Chambliss was expected to provide some insurance as a veteran backup to Austin Simmons at Ole Miss.<\/p>\n

But Chambliss, who signed with the Rebels after winning a national championship at Division II Ferris State in Michigan, was thrust into the starting role when Simmons suffered an ankle injury in Week 2 against Kentucky. The rest is history.<\/p>\n

Is there another Chambliss hidden on a bench this fall? Not likely, but some talented quarterbacks will start the season on the sidelines. Here\u2019s a look at the 10 best backup QBs in college football.<\/p>\n

1. Dylan Raiola, Oregon<\/p>\n

Should anything happen to Dante Moore, Oregon won\u2019t have to worry about handing the job to an unprepared backup. Raiola went 13-9 as a starter at Nebraska, completing 69.1 percent of his passes for 4,819 yards, 31 touchdowns, 17 interceptions and four lost fumbles (13 of Raiola\u2019s 21 turnovers came as a true freshman).<\/p>\n

Moore, ranked No. 2 in our QB Tiers, likely would\u2019ve been a first-round pick had he departed after the 2025 season. But he didn\u2019t, and Raiola \u2014 who announced his transfer to Oregon before Moore made his decision to return \u2014 will have a year to learn the offense and will be well-positioned to succeed in 2027 if he isn\u2019t needed this fall.<\/p>\n

2. Austin Mack or Keelon Russell, Alabama<\/p>\n

Kalen DeBoer hasn\u2019t set a timeline as to when he\u2019ll name the Crimson Tide\u2019s starting quarterback, but whoever ends up losing the job will be more than capable of replacing the starter in case of any slip-ups or injuries.<\/p>\n

This will be Mack\u2019s fourth season in DeBoer\u2019s offensive system, dating back to his freshman year at Washington. Mack served as Ty Simpson\u2019s backup last season, completing 24 of 32 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns. Russell, a former five-star recruit who is entering his second season in Tuscaloosa, had a better spring game performance, though, completing 21 of 33 passes for 240 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.<\/p>\n

College QB Tiers: Which quarterback has the highest ceiling?<\/p>\n

Antonio Morales and Sam Khan Jr.<\/p>\n

3. Mikey Keene, Arizona State<\/p>\n

Kenny Dillingham didn\u2019t name a starter coming out of the spring, though most believe Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley will get the nod. If that\u2019s the case, Keene will give the Sun Devils arguably the most experienced backup in the nation.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s 22-13 as a starter between stops at UCF, Fresno State and Michigan with a career 67.8 percent completion percentage, 65 touchdowns and 28 interceptions. Keene didn\u2019t play a down for Michigan last season, but he enters his sixth college season with the third-most starts of any quarterback at the FBS level behind Penn State\u2019s Rocco Becht (39) and Iowa State\u2019s Jaylen Raynor (36).<\/p>\n

4. Deuce Knight, Ole Miss<\/p>\n

Knight chose Auburn over Ole Miss as a five-star prospect in the 2025 class but transferred back to his home state after one season on The Plains. He started one game as a freshman, throwing for 239 yards and rushing for 162 with six combined touchdowns in a 62-17 win over Mercer.<\/p>\n

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Knight figures to be a good fit in offensive coordinator John David Baker\u2019s system. Knight\u2019s raw tools and size resemble those of Jaxson Dart and Matt Corral, who were at Ole Miss when Baker was the co-offensive coordinator under Lane Kiffin.<\/p>\n

5. Tavien St. Clair, Ohio State<\/p>\n

St. Clair has only taken 13 snaps and attempted two passes in his college career, but his size (6-4, 230) and potential as a former five-star recruit make him one of the country\u2019s most tantalizing backups. He is in position to take over in 2027 if Julian Sayin declares for the NFL Draft.<\/p>\n

6. Eli Holstein, Virginia<\/p>\n

Tony Elliott confirmed at the ACC media days earlier this month that Missouri transfer Beau Pribula will be the Cavaliers\u2019 starting quarterback this fall. Holstein, a former four-star who played one year at Alabama and two at Pittsburgh, provides Virginia with a capable backup. He went 9-5 as the starter at Pitt, completing 61.8 percent of his throws for 3,309 yards, 29 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Holstein isn\u2019t nearly as dangerous a runner as Pribula is, but he\u2019s not a statue in the backfield either.<\/p>\n

7. Keisean Henderson, Houston<\/p>\n

Henderson, like Knight and St. Clair, is on this list because he\u2019s at a winning program and is one of the most talented young quarterbacks in the country. Coordinator Slade Nagle\u2019s physical, run-first spread offense and RPO system is a perfect fit for the No. 1 prospect in the 2026 class. In 2025, Cougars starter Conner Weigman threw for 2,705 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions, and ran for 700 yards and 11 TDs en route to a 10-3 record.<\/p>\n

8. Husan Longstreet, LSU<\/p>\n

Lane Kiffin made sure to land some quality quarterback insurance in the portal should Sam Leavitt\u2019s surgically repaired foot suffer any setbacks. Longstreet, a former five-star prospect who spent one season at USC, appears to be the heir apparent to Leavitt after appearing in four games for the Trojans last season and completing 13 of 15 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 76 yards and two scores.<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t be surprised \u2014 should something happen to Leavitt \u2014 if another backup at LSU also gets on the field. Kiffin also signed former Elon starter Landen Clark, who made 12 starts last season as a redshirt freshman and was named the Coastal Athletic Association\u2019s Co-Offensive Rookie of the Year.<\/p>\n

9. Amari Odom, Syracuse<\/p>\n

Steve Angeli has recovered from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in Week 4 last year, but the Orange should be in decent shape if they need to go to the bullpen. Odom went 7-2 as a starter and led Kennesaw State to a Conference USA championship while completing 64.9 percent of his passes for 2,594 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions and rushing for 347 yards and seven scores. Syracuse also signed former five-star Malachi Nelson, who has made stops at USC, Boise State and UTEP.<\/p>\n

10. Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, Michigan<\/p>\n

The hope in Ann Arbor is Bryce Underwood will turn a corner under new offensive coordinator Jason Beck, who made Devon Dampier a Big 12 star last season at Utah. But if Underwood stumbles or gets hurt, Fowler-Nicolosi could prove to be a very valuable backup.<\/p>\n

He started 27 consecutive games for Colorado State and threw for 6,938 yards, 38 touchdowns and 29 interceptions before he was replaced as the starter after three games last season. Michigan also has other intriguing options in blue-chip freshmen Tommy Carr, the brother of Notre Dame QB CJ Carr and grandson of legendary Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, and Brady Smigiel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A year ago \u2014 long before he ascended to the No. 1 spot in our 2026 QB Tiers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":791553,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[1603,5691,1607,399,3343,6342,1777,398,396,397,1776,19502,5693,99,8941,1773],"class_list":["post-791552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ncaa-football","tag-alabama-crimson-tide","tag-arizona-state-sun-devils","tag-college-football","tag-football","tag-houston-cougars","tag-lsu-tigers","tag-michigan-wolverines","tag-ncaa","tag-ncaa-football","tag-ncaafootball","tag-ohio-state-buckeyes","tag-ole-miss-rebels","tag-oregon-ducks","tag-sports","tag-syracuse-orange","tag-virginia-cavaliers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791552","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=791552"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791552\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/791553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=791552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=791552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=791552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}