Back by popular demand (or force of habit), it’s the College Football Most Intriguing Lists for 2025. First up, coaches. Today: quarterbacks.
1. Arch Manning, Texas
Here’s how to create an explosive chemical compound: mix the most famous surname in quarterbacking history with the preseason No. 1 team at a blueblood program. Now put on your safety goggles and get ready for the reaction. The well-bred, well-hyped, well-grounded, third-generation Manning QB steps into the spotlight after two seasons of patient backup duty. He’s on a team flush with talent and playing for an elite offensive coach, so the support apparatus is there. Arch was the No. 1 recruit in the nation coming out of high school, and this is his opportunity to prove that’s more than the byproduct of family lineage.
2. Nico Iamaleava, UCLA
Somebody had to become the face of all that roils college football right now, and the former Tennessee quarterback is it. His work stoppage during spring practice, reportedly in pursuit of a pay raise from about $2.4 million to $4 million for this season, set off waves of anger and invective about the State of Things in the sport. The Volunteers chose not to renegotiate, so the California native took his ball and went home to Westwood, where he immediately upgraded the quarterback position for the Bruins. Tennessee was left in a quarterback quandary, resulting in the first-ever trade of sorts (see No. 25 on this list). There is some irony involved in Tennessee being held up for more money after the state attorney general took the NCAA to court to make sure Iamaleava got paid coming out of high school.
3. Carson Beck, Miami
One of the reasons Iamealava wanted to renegotiate was the deal that swayed Beck to leave powerhouse Georgia for the Hurricanes. It was originally reported as $4 million for a single season, but subsequent reports downgraded that to around $3 million. (Everyone is lying when it comes to college football contracts, and they can get away with it because the deals are not public.) Beck’s NFL stock took a hit during an uneven 2024 season, then he suffered a major elbow injury in the SEC championship game. Whether he will be ready to put up Cam Ward–type numbers for the Canes this season remains a question mark.
4. Bryce Underwood, Michigan
This could be the opposite of an Arch Manning situation. Instead of slow-playing the rollout of the nation’s No. 1 recruit, the Wolverines might be throwing freshman Underwood directly into the fire. That’s largely due to Michigan’s desperate straits at the position, but also a testament to Underwood’s talent and maturity after being enrolled for spring practice. Coach Sherrone Moore cautioned in late July that “there is no starter,” and Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene remains a viable option. But Cam Newton comparisons have certainly spiked the anticipation for seeing Underwood in action.
5. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
Simply put, no Vandy football player has ever caused this much commotion. Jay Cutler was a better NFL prospect, but Pavia has commanded more attention. He’s done it by arriving last year and employing his swashbuckling style to lead the Commodores to their best season since 2013; taking the NCAA to court to gain an extra year of eligibility; and talking an incredibly big game. Pavia has declared more than once this summer that Vandy—Vandy!—is shooting for a national championship this season. SEC Network host Paul Finebaum asked him recently if he’s serious, and Pavia shot back: “Yeah, I wasn’t cracking a joke. That’s the standard.”
6. John Mateer, Oklahoma
Nobody steps into a new role this season with bigger expectations than Sooners fans have for Mateer. With Brent Venables trying to solidify his job status and Oklahoma urgently seeking to break into the SEC contender club, the program went all-in on the dynamic Washington State transfer. Venables hired Mateer’s offensive coordinator, Ben Arbuckle, away from Washington State as well, and added some skill-position weapons via the portal. Mateer is the top returning player in the nation in total offense (330.4 yards per game) and accounted for 44 touchdowns. Oklahoma quarterbacks have won four Heisman Trophies this century, and if Mateer plays up to the savior role he’s been given, he’ll be in the running to become the fifth.
7. Drew Allar, Penn State
He’s done everything except play his best in the biggest games, earning the kind of wins that cement a legacy. In his third year as the Penn State starter, Allar’s wideout corps has been upgraded and the star running back duo returns. The pieces are in place. Now the former five-star recruit has to perform at a title-winning level. His 2024 pass efficiency ratings in losses to Ohio State, Oregon and Notre Dame were three of his four lowest of the season, and his two worst efficiency games in ’23 were in losses to the Buckeyes and Michigan. The whole program is trying to get over the biggest hump, and that starts with Allar.
8. Cade Klubnik, Clemson
He took a significant stride forward from his sophomore to junior seasons, improving his pass efficiency rating by 22 points and his total offense per game by 61 yards. If Klubnik has another jump like that this season, the Tigers can live up to their considerable preseason hype. Klubnik and his receivers still have to prove they can stretch the field against power-conference competition (he averaged a fat 13.7 yards per attempt against Appalachian State and The Citadel, a pedestrian 6.9 against everyone else). But the offense seems to be maturing as a unit, spurring hope for Clemson’s best quarterback season since Trevor Lawrence left school.
9. New starters at Notre Dame, Ohio State and Alabama
There are three potential national championship contenders that will be breaking in a new and inexperienced starting QB after letting the competition play out well into August. At Alabama, Ty Simpson has won the job over Austin Mack and Keelon Russell. Look for the Crimson Tide passing game to improve from last year, given the arrival of coordinator Ryan Grubb and year of Simpson playing for head coach Kalen DeBoer. At Ohio State, Julian Sayin has the advantage but is being pressed by Lincoln Kienholz—Sayin played a little last year as a freshman, while Kienholz took 21 snaps in 2023 but did not see game action in ’24. The learning curve is especially daunting for the Buckeyes, given No. 1 Texas as the opening opponent. Notre Dame might be the most uncertain and interesting of all, with redshirt freshman CJ Carr considered the favorite for the job coming out of spring but now in a duel with redshirt sophomore Kenny Minchey. After consecutive seasons importing an experienced starter from the ACC, Notre Dame is choosing between two players with a combined three college pass attempts.
10. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
If you want to know what kind of competitor Leavitt is, consider both the evidence from his childhood (he was famous for storming off after losing any game with his three older siblings) and now (he keeps a conquest list of QBs “I just don’t like” on a whiteboard). That mindset, coupled with an advanced quarterback IQ, helped lead the Sun Devils to a stunning Big 12 championship and playoff berth last year. Now, after the departure of linchpin running back Cam Skattebo, Leavitt takes greater command of the Arizona State offense. He and receiver Jordyn Tyson are the most productive returning pass-and-catch combination in the nation.
11. DJ Lagway, Florida
Lagway flashed the reasons why he was a national top-five recruit during his freshman season last year, averaging 10 yards per pass attempt—second-best in the nation—and throwing seven touchdowns longer than 20 yards. He was a significant factor in the Gators’ closing four-game winning streak, and an even more significant reason why Florida starts this season with a top-20 ranking. Lagway’s durability is a slight concern, especially given the schedule the Gators are playing and any hopes of a playoff run. He missed most of two games last year with a tweaked hamstring, did not throw during spring drills due to shoulder irritation, and was limited by a calf injury to start preseason camp.
12. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
He might have been the biggest revelation of 2024. Sellers arrived as a three-star recruit in ’23, played in three games while redshirting, then blew up into a dynamic, dual-threat star for a 9–4 team. Now he’s being appraised as a potential first-round draft pick. Sellers’s 6.9 yards of total offense per play in SEC games was second only to Lagway’s 7.68 last season, and he became more productive and dangerous as the season progressed. In the Gamecocks’ six-game winning streak to end the regular season, he had 100-yard rushing efforts against Clemson and Texas A&M and a 350-yard passing game against Missouri. On the ’25 to-do list: fewer turnovers, after averaging one every 36 runs or passes.
13. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
The son of an accomplished college quarterback and current New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier was pretty much born for this. At a school that has produced two Heisman-winning quarterbacks in the last six years, Nussmeier is the next candidate. He’s the nation’s leading returning passer in yards per game at 311.7, carrying the offense as the Tigers struggled to run the ball. The extent to which LSU hopes are riding on Nussmeier was evident last week, when a hysteria swept through the fan base over rumors of a major injury in practice. Turns out that Nussmeier is dealing with nothing more severe than recurring patellar tendinitis in his knee, and coach Brian Kelly declared him “good to go.”
14. Tommy Castellanos, Florida State
Since Jordan Travis’s fateful injury on Nov. 18, 2023, the Seminoles have been a quarterbacking disaster. Across 15 desultory games, they completed fewer than 50% of their passes, with 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. So it was time for another hard reset this season, grabbing the former Boston College starter out of the portal as Florida State alters its offense to fit new coordinator Gus Malzahn’s scheme. Castellanos was listed at 6' 0" when he arrived at Central Florida to play for Malzahn, then apparently shrank to 5' 10" at BC, and has now regained an inch in Tallahassee at 5' 11". What the dual-threat QB lacks in height, he makes up for in swagger. His summer comment on opening opponent Alabama: “They don’t have Nick Saban to save them. I just don’t see them stopping me.”
15. Dylan Raiola, Nebraska
The No. 1 recruit of 2024 and presumptive savior of the slumbering Cornhuskers program was thrown straight into the fray last year. The results were mixed—flashes of talent interspersed with periods of struggle. Raiola was 10th in the Big Ten in pass efficiency as Nebraska recorded its first winning season since ’16, while still failing to win more than three league games. With a full offseason to work under offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, a leap forward is expected this season. The Huskers have a schedule that could facilitate it—their first true road game is Oct. 11, and they have just one truly daunting road atmosphere all season (at Penn State in November).
16. Gio Lopez, North Carolina
Bill Belichick’s first college starter won’t remind anyone of Tom Brady—he’s 6' 0" (maybe), not 6' 4"; he’s coming from South Alabama, not Michigan; and he’s as much a scrambler as a pocket presence. But after Oklahoma won out for Mateer, Lopez was Belichick’s mid-April choice to step in at QB. The lefthander was a playmaker at the Sun Belt level, producing more than 3,000 yards in 11 games while leading the league in yards per play of total offense at 7.65. His dual-threat ability (463 rushing yards, 5.6 per carry) could help the Tar Heels move the ball while waiting for an offense with several other new transfer pieces to jell into a cohesive unit.
17. Mark Gronowski, Iowa
This is one of the most fascinating transfers of the year, as the persistently quarterback-poor Hawkeyes turn to an athletic FCS dynamo. Gronowski was extremely productive in four seasons at South Dakota State, racking up 10,330 passing yards, 1,767 rushing yards and 130 total touchdowns. We’ll see how that translates to the Big Ten, but it would be a surprise if Gronowski is not a significant upgrade for a program that hasn’t finished in the top half of the conference in total offense since 2015. Kirk Ferentz has won a lot of games with defense and special teams, but pairing a dynamic QB with second-year offensive coordinator Tim Lester could yield big dividends.
18. Darian Mensah, Duke
One of America’s flagship basketball schools has signaled its intent to chase an ACC title in football by landing high-profile QB transfers in consecutive years. First it was Maalik Murphy from Texas, and now Mensah—the latter reportedly at considerable expense, winning out over several other suitors after being rated the No. 1 quarterback in the portal. The Californian was an instant success at Tulane as a redshirt freshman last year and is the leading returning player nationally in FBS pass efficiency (a 166.67 rating). That season put him on the radar of not just power-conference schools, but also NFL scouts. Darian isn’t the only standout athlete in the Mensah family—his twin sister, Grace, plays soccer at Oregon.
19. Gunner Stockton, Georgia
His 1984 Ford F-150 pickup truck is more famous than he is at this point, largely for the contrast it presented to former Bulldogs starter Beck’s Lamborghini he drove around Athens last year. Georgia fans hope he’s another lightly acclaimed, small-town Georgia QB to rise to prominence in the program—the next Stetson Bennett, if you will. Kirby Smart opted not to dip into the portal for another QB this offseason, choosing to ride with a guy he says has a “baller mentality.” He earned a niche in program lore last season by stepping in for the injured Beck in the SEC championship game, helping nudge the Bulldogs past Texas. He was solid in his first career start, the playoff against Notre Dame, other than a costly fumble.
20. Jake Retzlaff, Tulane
The Green Wave’s QB odyssey has been wild—from enjoying four-star recruiting coup Mensah for a year to losing him to the portal to the bad gamble on much-traveled TJ Finley to rummaging through the transfer remainder bin to—aha!—catching Retzlaff on the rebound from BYU. A student honor code violation at that school put the swashbuckling starter from an 11-win Big 12 team on the market, and Tulane scooped him up in late July. Is Retzlaff capable of earning the starting job in just a month? Could be tough. He has to beat out former Iowa quarterback Brendan Sullivan and Ball State transfer Kadin Semonza, who was the MAC Freshman of the Year. CFP aspirations could ride on QB play early in the season against Northwestern on Aug. 30 and Duke on Sept. 13.
21. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
The Hoosiers’ chances of repeating last year’s miracle could rest on the arm (and legs) of a guy who has gone from being an FCS-level prospect to California to the radar of NFL scouts. The 6' 5" Mendoza chose Cal over the Ivy League and had two productive seasons for the Golden Bears, stirring interest from plenty of potential transfer suitors. He chose Indiana, where his younger brother, Alberto, was a redshirt quarterback last year. Mendoza isn’t really a dual-threat guy, but his ability to move in the pocket—and occasionally escape it—could provide an upgrade over 2024 QB Kurtis Rourke.
22. Blake Horvath, Navy
He’s the best all-around service-academy quarterback in a long time, capable of winning games throwing and running. Horvath’s career 164.4 pass efficiency rating is the highest in Navy, Army and Air Force history for a QB with 150 or more attempts, and his 13 touchdown passes last year tied the Navy single-season record. He was also capable of huge rushing performances in the biggest games: 211 yards and four touchdowns against Memphis; 129 and a TD against Notre Dame; 196 and two TDs against Army; and 155 and two scores against Oklahoma. Horvath flourished in 2024 after the arrival of coordinator Drew Cronic, who had been the head coach at FCS program Mercer; we'll see what the two cook up this season.
23. Dante Moore, Oregon
Playing quarterback for the Ducks in the Dan Lanning era has been a lot of fun—Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel combined to throw 104 touchdown passes and just 16 interceptions over the past three seasons. Moore is the next gunslinger up, trying to fulfill the promise that came with being a national top-10 recruit in the class of 2023. Moore jumped into the fire immediately as a freshman at UCLA in ’23, with spotty results before his role was reduced in the second half of the season. He transferred to back up Gabriel last season on a 13–1 team, learning coordinator Will Stein’s system, but that doesn’t mean he will be up to speed immediately the way veterans Nix and Gabriel were upon arrival in Eugene, Ore.
24. Luke Altmyer, Illinois
There have been just eight 3,000-yard passing seasons in Illinois’s largely inglorious football history, none since 2013. That could be about to change, with third-year starting QB Altmyer ready to make an impact on the Illini record books after turning down offers to transfer elsewhere. Bret Bielema prefers a ground-and-pound offense, but he’s not afraid to trust Altmyer’s arm and improvisational flair both in and out of the pocket. This is the most anticipated Illinois season in quite a while, starting the season in the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2008, and the Mississippi native and former Ole Miss Rebel will have a strong say in how successful it is.
25. Joey Aguilar, Tennessee
The former Appalachian State QB went home to play at UCLA, only to be usurped by another California kid, Iamaleava. There wasn’t enough room in Westwood for both of the transfers, so Aguilar basically traded places with Iamaleava in late spring to fill the immediate and jarring vacancy at Tennessee. Is he good enough to win the job? That remains to be seen, with Aguilar battling redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger in preseason camp. Aguilar certainly has the experience advantage, having thrown for more than 6,700 yards and 56 touchdowns in two seasons at App State. If he wins the job and performs well, Tennessee fans will love him like he’s been there for years.
Just missed the list: Austin Simmons, Mississippi; Kaidon Salter, Colorado; Demond Williams Jr., Washington; Kevin Jennings, SMU; Jackson Arnold, Auburn; Miller Moss, Louisville; Haynes King, Georgia Tech; Jayden Maiava, USC; Jalon Daniels, Kansas; Maddux Madsen, Boise State; Dequan Finn, Miami Ohio; Matthew Sluka, James Madison; Avery Johnson, Kansas State; Rocco Becht, Iowa State; Braylon Braxton, Southern Mississippi.
