The 2025 college football season is nearly here, which means that 2026 NFL Draft discourse is also set to begin, with top prospects pushing to prove they’re worthy to make it to the pros.

Every single year the most popular position to pontificate on is quarterback. Which passer(s) will ascend to first round status? Who is the best of the best? That’s what we’ll be diving into now as the season approaches.

Our A to Z Sports staff covers the NFL Draft year-round, studying prospects a year (or more) in advance to help fans everywhere get to know the top players in all of college football who could find their way to the league. Several of our NFL Draft and college football analysts ranked their top ten quarterbacks, then made their case for player(s) they were higher on than the rest of our staff.

Here’s how the best 2026 NFL Draft eligible college football quarterbacks stack up according to our team of experts as we head into the 2025 season. Enjoy!

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1. Cade Klubnik, Clemson

“Cade Klubnik is a prospect with plenty of fans around NFL media. The athletic quarterback for Dabo Swinney’s squad has good size for the NFL level and has already proven to have the arm talent of a starter in the pros. Klubnik’s touch is ahead of his time when it comes to college experience on the field, but he does need to find more consistency as a whole (though that improved late last season).

His frame could use a bit more muscle, which would probably improve his arm strength as well. There are times when he doesn’t have quite enough zip into tight windows, and that’s an area he can improve upon this year for the Tigers. That being said, Klubnik’s pocket presence, upside as a passer to all levels of the field, ability to add value on the move, and other aspects to his game certainly place him in the discussion as the top overall quarterback prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft class.” – Adam Holt, A to Z Sports LSU Tigers

2. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

“You could make a case that last season there really wasn’t a better quarterback in a clean pocket than Garrett Nussmeier. Now, granted, he had one of the best offensive lines in the entire country, but he still made some extremely impressive throws. I’m not sure that the offensive line will be as good now as it was in 2024, considering they lost a few guys to the 2025 NFL Draft, but it won’t be bad. They do have an extremely impressive group of weapons around him thanks to the addition of transfer wide receivers Barion Brown and Nic Anderson.

Nussmeier has pretty strong arm talent, and in Brian Kelly’s offense he will get to show that off plenty. I ultimately have him going as a first round pick, possibly later on day one. Nussmeier doesn’t really have the frame or size of a prototype NFL quarterback, but he should be great this season–perhaps the best QB in the country.” – Justin Churchill, A to Z Sports Oklahoma Sooners

3. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina

LaNorris Sellers is a wildly impressive dual-threat quarterback who proved he could destroy defenses with both his arm and legs in 2024. He was a bit inconsistent in the early portion of last year’s SEC schedule, but once Sellers got comfortable he began to shred opposing defenses.

Sellers’ ascension really began against Alabama last fall, but after that game he led South Carolina on a six-game winning streak, throwing 13 touchdown passes to just two interceptions. Sellers racked up nearly 700 rushing yards on the year with seven scores on the ground. His efficiency and decision making continued to improve all year long.

As Sellers enters year two as the starting quarterback for the Gamecocks expectations are sky high, but they should be. His athleticism and arm talent is undeniable. His advanced rate stats like passer rating, QBR, and EPA per play marks finished strong in 2024. If Sellers can take just one step forward with his consistency while showing off some of the same athletic flashes as 2024 there’s no way he isn’t considered a potential first round NFL Draft prospect.” – Travis May, A to Z Sports College Football Managing Editor

4. Arch Manning, Texas

“Some say the Arch Manning hype is inflated. That his limited time against less-than-stellar competition at Texas last year has the expectations set far too high. I beg to differ. Sure, is a lot of this projection due to the name on the back of the jersey? Undoubtedly. But if his name was Arch Johnson, would the fact that he’s in the area of 6’4”, close to 230 pounds, with 4.5-second forty-yard dash speed make him less intriguing? Or the fact that at only 20 years old he is refined from head to toe mechanically? I don’t think it would.

There is a strong chance that Arch doesn’t even declare for the 2026 NFL Draft. The Manning’s don’t have a history of being “one and done” in college. However, if Arch is everything his potential suggests, he’s a slam dunk number one overall pick as early as next spring.” – Rob Gregson, A to Z Sports Alabama Crimson Tide

5. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State

“Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt wasted no time announcing his arrival in 2024, throwing for 24 touchdowns and helping the Sun Devils win a Big 12 title. Even after losing Cam Skattebo to the NFL, I think the best is yet to come for Leavitt. Kenny Dillingham does a great job of putting him into position to succeed and I think with another year in the system, he’s ready to take a big leap.

He has the arm strength, off-platform creativity, and the athleticism to succeed in modern day college football and further into the NFL. The pass-happy offense will allow him plenty of opportunities to impress scouts and general managers. He’s a dude who has plenty of grit and the “it” factor coaches love. Outside of a few questionable calls and a bust in the secondary, Leavitt was right there against Texas–just missing a College Football Playoff semifinal berth.

I expect Leavitt to take a leap in 2025 with his maturation in the offense–catering to his pension for an accurate deep ball. Arizona State is going to be at or near the top of the Big 12 standings once again and I think Leavitt has a real shot at being a mid-to-late first round pick.” – Zach Berry, A to Z Sports Texas Longhorns

6. Drew Allar, Penn State

“The vast majority of college football fans (and even analysts) errantly define players by a handful of memorable moments. That’s probably why many skeptics still doubt Drew Allar’s abilities at this point. Yes, he threw some inopportune interceptions in critical games last season, but his overall body of work was impressive.

Allar has now posted two highly effective passing seasons, but last season was particularly strong. Allar headed into the College Football Playoff last year ranked seventh in passer rating, fourth in yards per play, ninth in QBR, fifth in total adjusted net yards per attempt, and fifth in EPA per play among all power conference quarterbacks in 2024. It’s hard to argue that his performance was anything but impressive.

He already has the arm talent and requisite mobility. NFL scouts were already in love with his upside this past offseason, hoping he would have declared for the draft. If Allar leads Penn State to another special season there’s no way he isn’t in the mix for first round NFL Draft capital.” – Travis May, College Football Managing Editor

7. John Mateer, Oklahoma

“John Mateer’s possible 2026 NFL Draft stock is a tough projection right now. He was the most efficient non-power conference quarterback in the nation last season as he destroyed Washington State’s soft schedule. However, now he has to come in to Oklahoma, immediately gel with a completely new weapon set, and continue that dominance against one of the most difficult schedules in the entire country this year. That won’t be easy.

Mateer offers immense rushing upside, quick decision-making, and a fun gunslinger approach to his game. NFL teams will absolutely love Mateer if he puts things together for the Sooners this season. That’s just not going to be easy to do. Depending on how season one goes with Oklahoma, expect Mateer to return to school for one more year and declare in 2027. He could use more experience to fully unlock his dual-threat skill set.” – Travis May, A to Z Sports College Football Managing Editor

8. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

“Quite frankly, Fernando Mendoza checks off virtually every box I have as an evaluator. Despite playing in a dismal offense with a fairly poor surrounding cast, Mendoza was making NFL-caliber throws routinely. He boasts a big arm on his 6’5”, 225-pound frame that allows him to hit every level of the field with plenty of zip. While he doesn’t quite have the same athleticism as other QBs in this class, he still has plenty of wiggle as a creator, and some of his best plays come when throwing on the move.

However, it’s his polish as a quarterback that stands out in a class without a consensus top player. Mendoza’s anticipation, accuracy, and decision-making as a thrower are second-to-none in this class, and his poise in the pocket is tremendous. Even playing behind a terrible offensive line at Cal last year, Mendoza was able to stand strong and deliver throws despite getting crunched. Playing in a much more friendly situation at Indiana with a good supporting cast and strong offensive scheme has me beyond excited to see what he can do this season. I feel pretty strongly that his traits and polish will have him firmly in the running for the first quarterback taken in the 2026 NFL Draft.” – AJ Schulte, A to Z Sports Oklahoma Sooners

9. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor

“Sawyer Robertson quickly grew into one of the most impressive passers in the entire nation in 2024. He didn’t even begin the year as the starter, but once he took over full time against Colorado he was a man on a mission. Baylor struggled to close games out in his first three starts, losing in overtime to Colorado, by just six points to BYU, then a tough loss to Iowa State, but even in those games Robertson played well.

Robertson ended up leading the Baylor Bears on a six-game winning streak to finish the regular season, tossing 17 touchdowns and averaging nearly 10 yards per pass attempt in that span. His second full season in the system and his first full offseason as the returning start should help him continue to develop into a strong pro prospect. He needs to add a bit more value with his legs consistently, but beyond that Robertson is looking like a strong day two NFL Draft prospect already.” – Travis May, A to Z Sports College Football Managing Editor

10. Darian Mensah, Duke

“Darian Mensah is a really interesting player. Going into his age 20 season, he thrived as the starter for Tulane in his redshirt freshman year with 2,723 yards and 22 touchdowns. He looks like a dual-threat, but the Green Wave didn’t run him very often, which resulted in just 132 yards on the ground. He possesses an intriguing set of tools to project toward the NFL level, but there are some things that need to be worked on, mainly with consistency. The best thing he can do for his draft stock is to continue getting reps and likely stay in school past the 2025 season.” – Tyler Forness, A to Z Sports Florida Gators

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Hopefully you enjoyed this early look at the best returning college football quarterbacks eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft. We’ll be back with more NFL Draft and College Football coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!