American Conference Quarterback Rankings for 2026

NCAAF College Football
August 14, 2026
Army West Point Black Knights, Charlotte 49ers, College Football, East Carolina Pirates, Florida Atlantic Owls, Memphis Tigers, Navy Midshipmen, North Texas Mean Green, Rice Owls, South Florida Bulls, Sports, Temple Owls, Tulane Green Wave, Tulsa Golden Hurricane, UAB Blazers, UTSA Roadrunners

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Standout quarterback play was a big reason the American Conference produced a playoff team (Tulane) and two other teams (North Texas and Navy) with double-digit wins in 2025. The strength of play under center extended to teams like South Florida, Memphis, East Carolina, Army and UTSA. Several of the players responsible for that production have moved on, but the American Conference isn’t hurting for talent at this position in 2026.

UTSA’s Owen McCown ranks among the top Group of 6 conference quarterbacks entering 2026, with Florida Atlantic’s Caden Veltkamp, Army’s Cale Hellums and Navy’s Braxton Woodson headlining the next tier. This group of quarterbacks in the American Conference could get even deeper if breakout candidates like Memphis’ Marcus Stokes, Temple’s Jaxon Smolik and Tulsa’s Baylor Hayes develop into stars.

Ranking the quarterbacks by conference or nationally is no easy task. To help compile the rankings, some projection was involved for 2026. This was not a ranking of quarterbacks based only on accomplishments so far or pro potential. All factors — pure talent, supporting cast, having a clear hold on the No. 1 position, previous production, '26 projection, and scheme changes (just to name a few) — were considered to rank the quarterbacks in the American Conference for 2026.

American Preview: Predictions | Coach Ranks | 138 Team Rankings |
All-America | Bowl Projections

Charlotte’s offense struggled mightily last season, averaging only 14.3 points per game and just 4.6 yards per play. Gonzales could be part of the solution for an improved attack in coach Tim Albin’s second year. The Florida native spent ‘25 as a reserve at Pitt, but posted 6,682 passing yards and 51 touchdowns and rushed for 562 yards and three scores over 27 appearances at Western Carolina (2022-24). Gonzales is battling Conner Harrell and Grayson Loftis for the starting job this fall.

After three seasons and limited snaps at Penn State, Smolik transferred to Temple for a chance to start in ‘26. The Iowa native ranked as a three-star prospect coming out of high school, but has yet to attempt a pass at the collegiate level. Smolik needs to hold off Ajani Sheppard in fall practice to start, but the junior seemingly has the right mix of arm talent and rushing ability to thrive in coach KC Keeler’s offense.

After stops at BYU and West Virginia, Burton landed at UAB prior to the 2025 season and emerged as a key building block for new coach Alex Mortensen. The Utah native played in nine contests and made two starts, including a solid performance (20 of 27 for 251 yards) in an upset over Memphis. Burton finished the year with 708 yards and seven passing scores and connected on 63.3% of his throws. Although the sample size was small, Burton needs to take better care of the ball (five picks on 98 attempts).

Rice’s option attack doesn’t need a prolific passing game to thrive, but coach Scott Abell’s team needs more production after averaging only 97.6 yards per game through the air in ‘25. Brown’s arrival from the portal should help jumpstart the passing attack. In stints at Miami and UCF, Brown appeared in 25 games and threw for 906 yards and six touchdowns in that span. Additionally, the Georgia native has flashed big-time ability on the ground with 821 yards and eight scores on just 137 carries (6.0 yards per carry).

North Texas marks the fourth stop in Jackson’s career after previous stints at Tennessee, Indiana and UCF. The Indiana native has played in 27 games at the FBS level and passed for 3,451 yards and 16 scores in that span. Jackson’s experience is critical for new coach Neal Brown, especially with the Mean Green’s offensive two-deep essentially starting over after ‘25. Jackson boasts a solid completion rate (62.8%) and is also capable of making a handful of plays on the ground (eight career rushing scores).

Is Semonza or Zeon Chriss-Gremillion the next standout quarterback for the Green Wave? Following in the footsteps of Michael Pratt, Darian Mensah and Jake Retzlaff isn’t easy, so the bar is high for Semonza or Chriss-Gremillion and new coach Will Hall to keep this offense performing at a high level. Semonza earned MAC Freshman of the Year honors at Ball State in 2024, throwing for 2,904 yards and 25 touchdowns, then redshirted last season working behind Retzlaff. In 29 games from stops at Louisiana (2022-23) and Houston (2024-25), Chriss-Gremillion passed for 2,263 yards and 17 touchdowns and rushed for 992 yards and 10 scores. Although those numbers provide optimism, 15 career picks over 319 attempts are a concern. Additionally, Chriss-Gremillion’s career yards per attempt is just 7.1. Dagan Bruno and Trace Johnson are also in the mix to start.

Hayes followed coach Tre Lamb from East Tennessee State to Tulsa last offseason and delivered a solid debut in his first year at the FBS level. The Tennessee native threw for 219 yards and a touchdown in an upset over Oklahoma State and passed for 267 yards in a win over Army. Hayes finished the season with 2,158 passing yards and 12 scores and added 190 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Per Hudl IQ data, 16.8% of Hayes’ completions resulted in gains of 15-plus yards.

Williams is locked into a tight competition with Mitch Griffis for the starting job this offseason. Although Griffis may take the first snap of 2026, the guess here is that Williams will finish the year as the team’s top quarterback. This duo is battling to replace Katin Houser, who transferred to Illinois after helping East Carolina’s offense rank among the best in the American Conference last year. Williams played in 12 games at Miami from 2023-25 and threw for 813 yards and four touchdowns in that span. His accuracy in limited time (62.9%) was also solid.

New South Florida coach Brian Hartline has a pair of power-conference transfers vying to replace Byrum Brown. Van Buren arrived in Tampa after previous stints at Mississippi State and LSU and has held a lead this offseason over fellow transfer Luke Kromenhoek (Florida State/Mississippi State). Over 17 career appearances, Van Buren has flashed potential by passing for 2,896 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also added six rushing scores in that span.

Memphis opened fall practice with one of the most intriguing quarterback battles in the Group of 6 conferences. Stokes (West Florida) and fellow transfer Air Noland (South Carolina) are competing for the No. 1 spot on the depth chart for new coach Charles Huff. Stokes was committed to Florida in 2022, but the scholarship offer was later revoked and he landed at West Florida. After working as a reserve in three games in ‘23, Stokes played in eight contests the following year and delivered a breakout campaign in ‘25. Over 12 contests, Stokes threw for 3,297 yards and 30 touchdowns and added 367 yards and 10 scores on the ground. If Stokes holds off Noland, he has a chance to rank among the American’s top quarterbacks.

Blake Horvath leaves big shoes to fill in Annapolis, but Woodson seems poised to emerge as Navy’s next star under center. He’s played in 24 games over the last three years (with three starts) and recorded 760 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in that span. Woodson has also passed for 516 yards and three scores. The Florida native’s combination of athleticism and experience under coordinator Drew Cronic should ensure Navy’s offense doesn’t miss a beat in 2026.

Hellums powered Army’s prolific ground game last year, rushing for 1,223 yards and 18 touchdowns on 304 carries. The Texas native recorded six 100-yard efforts in 2025, including 163 yards against Tulane and 159 yards versus Tulsa. As expected with the Black Knights’ option attack, Hellums won’t throw it often, but he capitalized on those opportunities with 694 passing yards and four scores.

Veltkamp was among the nation’s most prolific passers last season, finishing third nationally in per game production (303.4 yards) and tossing 24 touchdowns in coach Zach Kittley’s high-powered offense. The Kentucky native connected on 12 passes of 40-plus yards and ranked fourth among American Conference signal-callers with a completion rate of 67%. Veltkamp led all quarterbacks with 515 pass attempts, but cutting down on the interceptions (17 in ‘25) is a must if Florida Atlantic is to contend in the American Conference.

McCown’s pinpoint accuracy and production over the last two years have placed him among the top quarterbacks in the Group of 6 ranks. After starting his career at Colorado, McCown transferred to UTSA prior to 2023. In ‘24, McCown emerged as the team’s starter and passed for 3,424 yards and 25 touchdowns. Last year, McCown’s passing yardage dipped to 2,995. However, his accuracy climbed to 67.6% (up from 63%), and he tossed 30 touchdowns (up from 25). McCown’s 13 completions of 40-plus yards ranked third among American Conference quarterbacks last year. Per Hudl IQ data, McCown averaged 10.9 yards per completion and recorded a success rate of 49.6%.

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Aug 14, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos

American Conference Quarterback Rankings for 2026

Archives