Irish Breakdown's Way-Too-Early Top 10 Quarterbacks In 2026
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The 2026 season is gearing up to be a strong year for quarterback play in college football. Last season, we saw a changing of the guard and the path was paved for young talent to begin making their mark in the sport. This season, a lot of that young talent now has a year of experience under their belt. The level of quarterback play this season will be closer to 2018, 2019 and 2020 this season than it will be to 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Yesterday, Irish Breakdown put together their Way-Too-Early Top 10 quarterback list for the 2026 season, and I can safely say this was the hardest of the preseason lists to put together thus far. You can watch the entire show here:
Here is a breakdown of my personal Top 10 list which is based on what they did last season, the outlook of their 2026 season and the impact they'll have on their team this year. There's definitely some projection used in this list compared to our Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings, and we'll be releasing another as the season grows closer.
1. Dante Moore, Oregon
2025 Stats: 296-412, 71.8%, 3,565 yards, 8.7 YPA, 30 TD, 10 INT, 163.7 Rating; 73 att., 156 rushing yards, 2.1 YPC, 2 TD
Some of the bigger news from this offseason was Moore electing to forego the NFL Draft and return for his redshirt junior year with the Ducks. The Michigan native would likely have been a Top 5 pick in this upcoming draft, but elected to come back to Eugene for one more season. Last year, we saw Moore put this team on his shoulders against Iowa on the road without his top four receiving targets. He also played a role in their journey to the College Football Playoff Semi-Finals. That ultimately set him apart from my No. 2 quarterback on this list. But it wouldn't surprise me in the slightly if that changes this season.
2. CJ Carr, Notre Dame
2025 Stats: 195-293, 66.6%, 2,741 yards, 9.4 YPA, 24 TD, 6 INT, 168.1 Rating; 41 att., 33 yards, 0.8 YPC, 3 TD
Carr bust onto the scene in 2025 with his first career touchdown pass being a no-look pass to Micah Gilbert on the road against the Miami Hurricanes. After starting the year off 0-2 as a starter, Carr helped engineer a 10-game win streak to end his redshirt freshman campaign and returns to South Bend in 2026 to pick up where he left off. It's unfortunate we didn't get to see the Saline, Michigan native in the post season, but it's likely he would have continued putting up solid numbers. This year, he will have to be 'the guy' on Notre Dame's offense with the losses of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. All eyes will be on No. 13 this fall and he'll benefit from going into his second year with third-year offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock.
3. Arch Manning, Texas
2025 Stats: 248-404, 61.4%, 3,163 yards, 7.8 YPA, 26 TD, 7 INT, 144.9 Rating; 92 att., 399 yards, 4.3 YPC, 10 TD
A lot of people wrote off Manning after his start to the 2025 campaign. We said throughout the offseason that the expectations being placed on, essentially, a first time starter were way too high. As the season progressed, Manning began to stack performances. The change came in the second half against Mississippi State; the Louisiana native finished with 346 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdowns and engineered a double-digit comeback to get Texas a 45-38 victory on the road. This season, we will see the Arch Manning many expected to see in 2025.
4. Julian Sayin, Ohio State
2025 Stats: 301-391, 77.0%, 3,610 yards, 9.2 YPA, 32 TD, 8 INT, 177.4 Rating
Sayin is one of three quarterbacks on this list who return in 2026 that played in the 2025 College Football Playoffs. His performance in the post season wasn't anything to write home about, but the experience is valuable nonetheless. Last season, he showcased his accuracy and efficiency as a passer completing 77 percent of his throws. I don't care who you are, finishing with that high of a completion percentage is special. The hire of offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and how much he utilizes play action will fit Sayin's skillset and he'll have outstanding talent to throw the ball to.
5. Josh Hoover, Indiana
2025 Stats: 272-413, 65.9%, 3,472 yards, 8.4 YPA, 29 TD, 13 INT, 153.4 Rating; 55 att., 4 yards, 2 TD
Hoover is the highest rated transfer I have on this list. The Texas native elected to transfer to Indiana for his final year of eligibility and after the season the Hoosiers put together in 2025, I can safely say that was a smart move. Their most recent portal quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, engineered a 16-0 season and won the Heisman Trophy and brought a national title to Bloomington. The track record of head coach Curt Cignetti speaks for itself with portal guys under center. The only thing preventing Hoover from being higher on this list is his turnovers. He threw 24 interceptions the last two seasons with the Horned Frogs. Luckily, he won't have to carry the Hoosiers the same way he did at TCU.
6. Byrum Brown, Auburn
2025 Stats: 226-341, 66.3%, 3,158 yards, 9.3 YPA, 28 TD, 7 INT, 167.1 Rating; 175 att., 1,008 yards, 5.8 YPC, 14 TD
If you don't know his name already, get ready to learn about the South Florida transfer. Brown put on a clinic this past season with the Bulls and is now taking his talents to the Auburn Tigers, following his head coach Alex Golesh. The North Carolina native was a true dual-threat weapon in the USF backfield in 2025 and was a force to be reckoned with. The 6-3, 231-pound quarterback made plays all season long with his arm and his legs and put up performances in big games. Brown threw for over 210 yards in every game in 2025 and also rushed for over 100 yards in six games. He finished the year with 42 total touchdowns and looks to build on that performance in 2026.
7. Darian Mensah, Miami
2025 Stats: 334-500, 66.8%, 3,973 yards, 7.9 YPA, 34 TD, 6 INT, 153.6 Rating
As shocking as it is to say, the ACC Champ from 2025 was a five-loss Duke team which was largely carried by their quarterback, Mensah. The California native quietly had one of the better seasons amongst quarterbacks this past year and, after an extremely questionable process, landed at Miami for the 2026 season. The Hurricanes are getting a bump in overall talent at the quarterback position going from Carson Beck to Mensah, and he'll have plenty of weapons to join him. Receiver Cooper Barkate joins Malachi Toney and Mark Fletcher in the Miami offense.
8. Brendan Sorsby, Texas Tech
2025 Stats: 207-336, 61.6%, 2,800 yards, 8.3 YPA, 27 TD, 5 INT, 155.1 Rating; 100 att., 580 yards, 9 TD
In 2025, Texas Tech's offense lived and died by quarterback play, and I believe they're getting an upgrade at that position with the Cincinnati transfer. Sorsby was quietly one of the Big 12's better quarterbacks in the 2025 season and took his talents to Lubbock, Texas to finish his collegiate career. He's a pocket passing quarterback that can make plays with his legs which fits well with what the Red Raiders like to do on offense. The 6-3, 235-pound talent has all the physical tools to be successful with Texas Tech, he'll just have to put it all together and perform more consistently on the bigger stages.
9. Gunner Stockton, Georgia
2025 Stats: 269-386, 69.7%, 2,894 yards, 7.5 YPA, 24 TD, 5 INT, 150.6 Rating; 129 att., 462 yards, 10 TD
As the overall talent on Georgia's roster continues to decline, Stockton maintains a level of consistency with this program. I take a lot into account of how quarterback's play on the biggest stages and honestly, Stockton rarely disappoints. This past season, Georgia won the SEC Championship in a game where the Georgia native went 20-26 for 156 passing yards, 39 rushing yards and threw three touchdowns. They went on to lose in the quarterfinals to Ole Miss, but again, Stockton wasn't the reason for the loss. The only reason he isn't higher on this list is because I believe we have seen the best of the 6-1, 215-pound quarterback, which is that of a Top 10 signal caller in the country.
10. Sam Leavitt, LSU
2025 Stats: 145-239, 60.7%, 1,628 yards, 6.8 YPA, 10 TD, 3 INT, 129.2 Rating; 73 att., 306 yards, 5 TD
Due to the way he left Arizona State, Leavitt has become one of the more polarizing topics at quarterback in college. I agree that the way he conducted himself during his exit from the Sun Devils was poor, but I look at the school he's going to and the offense he'll be in and it's hard for me to leave him off of this list. After all, we're talking about a quarterback that has thrown for 4,513 yards, rushed for 749 yards, has 44 total touchdowns and nine interceptions the last two seasons and will now be in a Lane Kiffin-led offense. If Leavitt doesn't have too many off-the-field and locker room issues, he'll be a major driver of success for the Tigers this season.
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