Ten rising college football quarterbacks who could make a jump this season

On Tuesday, The Athletic published our ranking of the 138 projected starting quarterbacks for the 2026 season. There were plenty of familiar names near the top of the list, such as Trinidad Chambliss (No. 1), CJ Carr (No. 3) and Arch Manning (No. 7).

Two of those players, Chambliss and Carr, were relative unknowns at this point last year. Sure, Carr was a former top-100 national recruit who played for Notre Dame, but he had yet to attempt a pass in college and wasn’t even the sure-fire starter. Chambliss, meanwhile, was a projected backup who transferred from a Division II school.

So, which players are among the next wave of future stars? I scoured our ranking and identified 10 players who have a chance to thrive in 2026.

To qualify for the list, a QB could not be in the first three tiers of our ranking (up through No. 30) and could have no more than two years of experience in college. He also could not have been on last year’s list.

1. Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State

The Athletic QB Tiers ranking: No. 32, Tier 4

Jeff Lebby is 7-18 overall and has won only one SEC game in two seasons at Mississippi State. But if you’re searching for a reason why things could improve very soon, look no further than his 6-foot-4, 230-pound dual-threat quarterback.

Taylor, a Mississippi native, was used primarily as a runner during his freshman season as a backup and change-of-pace option to Blake Shapen. He ran for 458 yards and eight touchdowns on 82 carries and made his first start in the Egg Bowl at the end of the regular season, when he ran for 173 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-19 loss. Taylor then closed out the season by completing 13 of 22 passes for 241 yards and one touchdown in a 43-29 Duke Mayo’s Bowl loss to Wake Forest.

Lebby’s up-tempo offense and quarterback-run packages should create plenty of opportunities for Taylor to put up huge numbers as the full-time starter.

2. Will Hammond, Texas Tech

The Athletic QB Tiers ranking: No. 35, Tier 4

Brendan Sorsby’s exit opened the door for Hammond — last season’s backup to Behren Morton — to play a prominent role for the defending Big 12 champions. The redshirt sophomore played in eight games last season and made two starts for the injured Morton, but he tore the ACL in his right knee in late October. He might not be ready for the opener, but the Red Raiders expect him back at some point early in the season.

In Mack Leftwich’s offense, Hammond’s scrambling ability will give the Red Raiders an added dimension Morton didn’t really provide. The closest comparison is another quarterback Leftwich coached: Lindsey Scott, who won the Walter Payton Award (given to the top offensive player in the FCS) at Incarnate Word in 2022 and is now Texas Tech’s assistant quarterbacks coach.

3. Cutter Boley, Arizona State

The Athletic QB Tiers ranking: No. 40, Tier 4

Boley is the most experienced quarterback on this list, having appeared in 15 games (11 starts) in two seasons at Kentucky.

Boley didn’t put up stellar numbers last season (15 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 2,160 yards) but did complete 65.8 percent of his passes — breaking Jared Lorenzen’s freshman record at Kentucky. He should fare better in head coach Kenny Dillingham’s more quarterback-friendly system in Tempe.

Boley needs to beat out veteran transfer Mikey Keene and redshirt freshman Cameron Dyer to win the job in preseason camp.

4. Ethan Grunkemeyer, Virginia Tech

The Athletic QB Tiers ranking: No. 45, Tier 4

Grunkemeyer started the final seven games of Penn State’s underwhelming 2025 season and then followed his coach and 12 other transfers to Virginia Tech. All things considered, Grunkemeyer didn’t play poorly. He actually finished eighth out of 17 qualified quarterbacks in the Big Ten in passing efficiency, and Penn State won its last four games, including the Pinstripe Bowl over Clemson.

One obvious advantage for Grunkemeyer: He will be playing in the same offensive system with the same coordinator (Ty Howle) and the same quarterbacks coach (Danny O’Brien).

5. Julian Lewis, Colorado

The Athletic QB Tiers ranking: No. 49, Tier 5

Lewis spent most of his freshman season as the backup on a 3-9 team, but he made two late-season starts, including a highly encouraging performance against West Virginia (22 of 35 for 299 yards, two TDs).

The former blue-chip pocket passer from Georgia appears ready to shine in the Go-Go offense run by new coordinator Brennan Marion, whose most notable pupil is current USC standout Jayden Maiava. The 6-1, 190-pound Lewis isn’t as mobile as some of Marion’s other QBs, but at least he is actually reading defenses now. Lewis admitted at Big 12 media days earlier this month he was “high school free balling” when he was on the field last season.

Colorado did a fine job in the transfer portal, adding some highly productive veteran receivers. If Lewis can add a bit more mobility to his game, he and the Buffs could be a surprise hit in the Big 12 this season.

6. Aaron Philo, Florida

The Athletic QB Tiers ranking: No. 55, Tier 5

We’ve seen quite a few recent examples of quarterbacks and offensive coordinators going to new spots together and thriving. New Gators coach Jon Sumrall is hoping the same situation plays out with Philo and play caller Buster Faulkner, who both made the move from Georgia Tech in the offseason.

Philo, a 6-1, 208-pound redshirt sophomore, still needs to beat out redshirt freshman Tramell Jones for the starting job. But it’s hard to imagine he won’t be the starter after spending the last two seasons in Faulkner’s system.

As the backup to Haynes King at Georgia Tech, he played 180 snaps in two seasons and had 29 explosive plays (25 passes of 16-plus yards and four rushes of 12-plus yards). Assuming he wins the job, Philo will be playing with a better collection of skill talent at Florida than he did at Georgia Tech.

7. Jared Curtis, Vanderbilt

The Athletic QB Tiers ranking: No. 57, Tier 5

Diego Pavia’s run with offensive coordinator Tim Beck ended with the Commodores barely missing the College Football Playoff last season. Curtis, the No. 2 quarterback recruit in the Class of 2026, still has to win the starting job over senior Blaze Berlowitz. But you don’t flip a 6-3, 230-pound talent like Curtis — a longtime commitment to SEC champion Georgia — and sit him on the bench for long.

Curtis isn’t Pavia from a running perspective, but he did rush for over 2,100 yards in 47 games in high school. It will be interesting to see what tweaks Beck makes to the Vanderbilt offense in the post-Pavia era.

8. Alberto Mendoza, Georgia Tech

The Athletic QB Tiers ranking: No. 62, Tier 5

The younger brother of last year’s Heisman Trophy winner left Indiana to replace Haynes King at Georgia Tech. Yes, the former three-star recruit from Miami has played only 120 snaps in two seasons. But he performed well in the spring game and has proven to be an explosive weapon in limited opportunities.

Last year, three of his 13 rushing attempts went for 20-plus yards, including two of 50-plus. He also completed 18 of 24 passes for 286 yards, five touchdowns and one interception.

9. Michael Hawkins, West Virginia (2025)

The Athletic QB Tiers ranking: No. 72, Tier 6

Rich Rodriguez’s offenses have always thrived with mobile quarterbacks. Hawkins, a redshirt sophomore and Oklahoma transfer, is one of those prototypical weapons Rodriguez loves to have at the position. Hawkins threw for 950 yards and six touchdowns and rushed for 262 yards and two TDs in two seasons (five starts) with the Sooners.

He still has to beat out Scotty Fox, who started five games last year as a true freshman, in preseason camp.

10. Michael Van Buren, South Florida

The Athletic QB Tiers Ranking: No. 73, Tier 6

Van Buren, who has started a total of 12 games in the SEC in one-year stints at LSU and Mississippi State, will compete with Luke Kromenhoek for the starting job under first-year coach Brian Hartline. He played well in his last start, completing 16 of 26 attempts for 267 yards and three touchdowns in LSU’s Texas Bowl loss to Houston.

Van Buren’s dual-threat abilities should be a good fit with offensive coordinator Tim Beck. Beck, most recently the head coach at Coastal Carolina, has worked with J.T. Barrett, Sam Ehlinger, Devin Leary, Taylor Martinez and Braxton Miller at previous stops.