Top 15 QBs 2026

Summary

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College Football Bros – Top 15 QBs 2026

Episode Theme:
The Newman brothers wrap up their summer QB rankings series by unveiling and debating their consensus Top 15 quarterbacks in college football entering the 2026 season. With a blend of humor, deep analysis, and fan engagement, they discuss each player’s strengths, concerns, and outlook. The episode is packed with stats, context, and characteristic Bros banter.

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Episode Structure

• [01:18–02:26] Introduction & Methodology
• [02:26–13:46] Top 15 QB Countdown (#15 to #1)
• [13:46–16:44] QB Class Strength & NIL Impact
• [16:44–22:56] Honorable Mentions & G6 Shoutouts
• [22:56–End] Closing and Preview

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Ranking Methodology & Overview

• Michael and Trey each ranked their Top 15 QBs independently; their lists were averaged for the consensus ranking.
• “It kind of gets a little muddy in about the 12 to 20-ish range.” (Trey, 01:32)
• They emphasize the depth and quality at the QB position this season.

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Top 15 Quarterbacks Breakdown

15. C.J. Bailey – NC State

• “Bailey’s flashes are too good to pass up... He played great in November last year. 25 touchdowns to nine picks on the season.” (Trey, 01:32)
• Seen as a potential breakout in his third year—program stability helps.

14. Devin Dampier – Utah

• “Elite runner... loses an entire offensive line, loses Jason Beckett, offensive coordinator... we're going to see if he was a product of a great cast or if he can, you know, continue…” (Michael, 02:26)
• Faces a big test this year with less support.

13. Byron Brown – Auburn

• “He’s so big and physically gifted... I mean he led the FBS in total offense last year.” (Trey, 02:58)
• Concerns about stepping up in competition and an entirely new O-line.

12. Noah Fafida – Arizona

• “He’s a great passer, he takes care of the ball... eighth among returning Power 4 QBs in big time throw percentage.” (Michael, 03:50)
• Not a top NFL prospect but highly effective in college.

11. Gunner Stockton – Georgia

• “He doesn’t have that NFL prototype look but he’s solid. 70% completions, 34 total touchdowns... led the Dogs to an SEC title.” (Trey, 04:30)

10. Damond Williams – Washington

• “He’s like Noah Fafida if Fafida was a better runner... 4,000 passing yards, 33 TDs, nine picks, 893 rushing yards...” (Michael, 05:16)
• Defensive struggles in big games are attributed to line issues, not QB play.

9. Josh Hoover – Indiana

• “Extremely productive for Sonny Dykes at TCU... does have to cut down on the interceptions.” (Trey, 06:10)
• The transfer to Indiana in a new system is a potential plus.

8. Sam Levitt – LSU

• “Kind of a tough one to rank... He was awesome in 2024... If he's healthy and can pick up Lane’s system, then he's going to be great.” (Michael, 07:03)
• Health and system transition are key unknowns.

7. Arch Manning – Texas

• “Over the last five or six games... 16 touchdowns to two picks... finally looked comfortable in that offense.” (Trey, 07:54)
• Cited as a top-3 choice by some, but mobility on the run (82nd rank on throws outside pocket) is a concern.
• Surrounded by “as good as there is in the country” at skill positions.

6. Jaden Ma

• “Great if he's just on script... also a great playmaker when things break down... third in the nation in yards per pass attempt.” (Michael, 08:59)
• Tendency for “hero ball” drops him out of top 5.

5. Darien Mensah – Miami

• “Led all Power Four QBs with almost 4,000 yards... pair him up with Malachi Toney, that's pretty fun.” (Trey, 09:43)
• Has thrived in multiple systems; now has elite talent around him.
• “Just seems like a lock to put up big numbers.” (Michael, 10:41)

4. C.J. Carr – Notre Dame

• “66 completions, 9.4 YPA for a redshirt freshman... leads all returning P4 QBs in % of passes beyond 20 yards.” (Michael, 10:41)
• Aggressive downfield and highly efficient.

3. Dante Moore – Oregon

• “72% completions, 32 total touchdowns... led the nation on passing grade deep throws… receivers dealt with the injury bug.” (Trey, 11:28)
• More’s deep ball is elite; durability of receiver corps was a challenge.
• “I had (him) number one” (Trey, 12:49) on personal list.

2. Trinidad Chambliss – Ole Miss

• “445 pass attempts last year, just three interceptions... not just dinking and dunking. Also ran for 500 yards and eight touchdowns.” (Michael, 12:56)
• New system and supporting cast, but highly efficient gamer. “He was the man. Crazy.” (Michael, 13:55)

1. Julian Saen – Ohio State

• “Preposterous 77% completion rate, highest QB grade in PFF... surrounded by Jeremiah Smith, Chris Henry Jr.” (Trey, 13:58)
• Concern: lack of high-leverage, comeback situations—“never had to lead a game-saving drive until the Big Ten championship.” (Trey, 15:01)
• Projection: “Going to put up Heisman candidate numbers again.” (Trey, 15:55)

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QB Class Depth & NIL Impact

• They note that NIL (Name, Image & Likeness) deals have helped retain top QBs who might’ve gone pro, making this possibly the deepest QB pool in years.

  • “We as college football fans are the beneficiaries because this list of quarterbacks is insane.” (Michael, 15:55)

• Discussion on how, compared to the early Playoff era, you need great quarterback play now to win a national title.

  • “The talent is spreading out more... it’s probably hard to win a national title if you don’t have a quarterback helping to elevate you.” (Michael, 18:02)

• Review of past “lesser-ranked” QBs who won it all (like Jake Coker, Alabama 2015); consensus is that, today, most teams need a Top 15-level QB.

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Honorable Mentions & “What-Ifs”

• Marcel Reed and Drew Messemaker: Both received personal Top 15 votes but were left off the combined list.
• John Mattier: “Could play himself to be like top eight... I'm just pessimistic on him for some reason.” (Trey, 18:58)
• Lenora Sellers: Trey had him at 15, Michael did not rank him.
• Kevin Jennings (SMU): Solid but plateaued last season.

G6 QB Shoutouts

• Brad Jackson – Texas State:
  “71% completions over 3,000 yards, 21 TD, seven picks... 750 yards rushing, 17 touchdowns!” (Michael, 21:14)
  • Coach G.J. Kinney pegged for a Power job.
• Owen McCown – UTSA, Micah Allah – Hawaii, Nick Minicucci – Delaware
  • Recognized as fun or statistically impressive, but not Top 15 threats.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Trey on the depth of the class:
  “This top 10, top 15 is incredibly good... If you went back four years ago, it just does not compare.” (15:55)

• Michael on QB volatility:
  “It wasn’t a great year last year at all. I know there was the thumb, but [Mattier’s] got to re-prove it to us because Wazoo is pretty low-level these days.” (19:15)

• Trey making fun of Michael/Ryan’s preseason takes:
  “Yeah, he — Ryan thought he was literal garbage going into last season. So at least proved Ryan wrong.” (Michael, 05:16, on Gunner Stockton)

• On NIL’s effect on QB retention:
  “Trinidad Chambliss would have gone pro probably if NIL didn’t exist. Same with Dante, maybe Jaden Mava. So we as college football fans are the beneficiaries...” (Michael, 15:55)

• Fan engagement moment:
  The “Fourth Bros” (listeners) are acknowledged through the episode as being part of the process and discussion on social.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro & Methodology: 01:18–02:26
• #15–#11: 02:26–05:16
• #10–#6: 05:16–09:43
• Top 5: 09:43–13:46
• Class depth & NIL talk: 13:46–16:44
• Winning with lower-ranked QBs: 16:44–18:02
• Honorable Mentions: 18:19–21:14
• G6 QBs Spotlight: 21:14–22:43

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Tone and Language

The Bros keep it lively and approachable, mixing trustworthy stats and candid takes with inside jokes and friendly jabs:

“I could watch that fourth quarter, the Sugar Bowl against Georgia, over and over.” (Trey, 13:46)

They neither shy from their own previous takes (calling out Ryan for underrating Gunner Stockton) nor from teasing each other about ranking decisions. The episode strikes a balance between die-hard analytical depth and accessibility for a wide audience.

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Final Takeaways

• QB depth is at an all-time high thanks in part to NIL.
• No runaway #1—the top tier is bunched, with plenty of debate possible about both ceiling and floor.
• Several QBs—particularly those transferring or with new offenses—will define the season’s narrative.
• Non-Power conference QBs get love—but the Top 15 is stacked with Power 4 stars.

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For the full Top 15 list, insight into future breakout candidates, and sharp Bros banter, this is a definitive episode for understanding the 2026 CFB quarterback landscape.

Transcript

[Michael Newman]

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[Trey Newman]

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[Michael Newman]

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[Trey Newman]

And I'm Trey Newman.

[Michael Newman]

All right, this is our final episode of our quarterback ranking series. We're ranking the top 15 quarterbacks in the country. Trey, you and I each did our own ranking separately. Average the list together and who came

[Trey Newman]

up number 15 and that would be C.J. bailey of NC State. And I, I'm not sure the, the casual Joe casual fan would have, would have come up with him. And to be quite honest, I didn't think I would have him here. But I'll say it kind of gets a little muddy in about the 12 to 20 ish range. And, but, and, but honestly, Bailey's flashes are, are too good to pass up. He's going into his third year. There's a chance he could, he could really pop and be one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC. He played great in November last year. 25 touchdowns to nine picks on the season. And, and six of those picks came against Duke in Notre Dame. So had a couple outliers. But, but it was big picture. It was big for NC State and Doran to keep him this offseason. They have a chance to, to kind of break through. I say that with Doran he never does, but they do this year.

[Michael Newman]

Okay. Number 14, Devin Dampier Utah of course had a Great first year there last season after coming from New Mexico, pretty decent passing stats and of course he's an elite runner. His ceiling is super high. I will say this year is going to be a big test for him. He loses an entire offensive line, loses Jason Beckett, offensive coordinator, of course, off to Michigan. So we're going to see if he was a little bit more of a product of a great supporting cast, a great system or if he can, you know, continue to put up those numbers on his own.

[Trey Newman]

Yep. How about another, another athlete here, number 13, Byron Brown of Auburn. He's, he's a favorite of mine and I'm eager to see how his, his game's going to translate to the ACC coming over from the American and usf. Some concerns about, about that. But the other thing that kind of goes along with that is Auburn is relying on basically an entire new offensive line from the portal. But he's just, he's so big and physically gifted. Obviously familiar with Alex Gollish's offense coming over with him and I mean he led the FBS in total offense last year and, and I really liked your point Michael, about him in our SEC preview SEC quarterback ranking episode where were just talking about, you weren't, you weren't so sure that a guy like Arch Manning could put up the numbers that he did at usf. So there's, there's lots, lots to like about Brown.

[Michael Newman]

Yep. Okay. Number 12, Noah Fafida, Arizona. He's now got three seasons as, as the starter. Two of them were great, one of them was, was mediocre a couple years ago. So average it together and he's, he's been a very good player. He's not a big NFL prospect at all of course, just because of his size. But as a college player he's been great. He's a great passer, he takes care of the ball. He's eighth among returning Power 4 quarterbacks in big time throw percentage and he's only behind Julian Saen in terms of limiting turnover worthy plays. So he makes big plays, prevents the bad stuff from happening. He's solid.

[Trey Newman]

Definitely. Number 11, Gunner Stockton Georgia. Kind of a tough one. The big question this year at Georgia is who is he going to be able to throw to. They lost five of their top six receivers but if you look at Stockton just he doesn't have that NFL prototype look but, but he's solid. 70% completions, 34 total touchdowns. He's effective on the ground and this will be his second year as a starter. If you look at qbr. He had the sixth best QBR in the country last year. So I look at him and he's got a very, very, very good floor. I think I mentioned that in the SC episode. He just. And, and you have to think like he also did lead the Dogs to an SEC title after all. So he's not a total people that can b. You can bag on all you want, but he's. The proof's there.

[Michael Newman]

Yeah, I mean, Ryan thought he was literal garbage had going into last season. So at least prove. Proved ryan wrong. Number 10, Damon Williams, Washington. Excuse me. To me, he's kind of. He's like Noah Fafida if Fafita was a better runner. And so Damond Williams, he's played just over one season, so, you know, 1.1 seasons. And here's his stats. 4,000 passing yards, 33 touchdowns, nine picks, 8.7 yards per pass attempt, and on top of that, 893 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Like, I don't care how he's playing against the elite defenses. If you can do that with, against a Big Ten schedule, then you're really good. And he's, it's not like he's the only one on the field when they go up against Ohio State and Michigan and he's struggling. Their whole line was overmatched too, so you can't just put those big game woes on him. I, I think he's awesome.

[Trey Newman]

All right, Number nine, Josh Hoover, Indiana. I mean, Hoover on his own is very good. Extremely productive for Sonny Dykes at tcu. I think, I think most people think a lot higher of him than, you know, Mendoza last year and Roark the year before. He's. He's got Marsh and Becker to throw to. I mean, the last two years he's averaged 28 touchdowns. He. We've talked about this a lot. During the off season, though he does have to cut down on the interceptions. He had 13 picks last year, but you would think another year of tutelage and this time in Indiana's system, Shanahan and Signetti, I think he'll. He'll do just fine.

[Michael Newman]

Okay. Yeah. It would have been interesting to see where Hoover would be on this list if he hadn't transferred. I don't think he would have been on the top 15. It would have been.

[Trey Newman]

No, he'd be honorable mention, borderline.

[Michael Newman]

Yeah, he. Yeah, honorable mention, exactly. Okay. Number eight, Sam Levitt at lsu. Kind of a tough one to rank because we just don't know how he'll be coming off of Foot surgery. He. I mean, like, so a couple years ago in his, his only full season as a starter in 2024, he was awesome. Like, he did everything very well. He was an efficient passer. He ran the ball. He didn't turn it over. He avoided sacks even in the big games. Like, of course, in the playoff game against Texas, he came up big. So if he's healthy and can pick up lane system, then he's going to be great. But there's just enough question marks that you can't just slot him back into top five like you would based on his 2024 production. Just new system, new level of competition, new personnel around him, the injury. So that's why he's. He's eighth.

[Trey Newman]

All right, here's an interesting one for, for people. Number seven, Arch Manning of Texas. It's just. I'd be curious to know. I mean, you see a lot of the national articles and it seems like a lot of people have him like top three. And I'm not saying he doesn't deserve that at all, but. Because if you look at him, he played like one of the best quarterbacks over the last five or six games last season. Sixteen touchdowns to two picks in that stretch. And he finally looked comfortable and in command of that offense. And I'm really interested to watch him run this year. They really utilized that a lot. And he showed off, you know, his sneaky, sneaky running ability and the talent that he now has around him is, is as good as there is in the country. Obviously. We've talked about adding Cam Coleman at receiver to go along with Ryan Wingo and, uh, Bill Connolly. He, he pointed out that he was. This is kind of like a, a flaw against him. He was 82nd in the country on throws outside the pocket basically when he's on the run. So we'll see if that, that improves this year with, with another offseason and more time with Sark, but we'll see. I mean, he could, he could be the number one guy. It'll be interesting to see Arch this year.

[Michael Newman]

Yep. Number six, my guy, Jaden Ma, he does almost everything well. He's great if he's just on script, dropping back to pass, making accurate throws. He's also a great playmaker when things break down, which with USC's kind of turnstile offensive line last year in terms of injuries, that often happened, but he was able to work with that and make plays. He's third in the nation among returning power four quarterbacks in yards per pass attempt. So everything's good. Except as I mentioned, of course in the Big Ten episode, plays a little too much hero ball at times, gets himself into trouble, trusting his arm a little bit too much. So that's, that's why he's sixth and not probably not competing for the top spot.

[Trey Newman]

Uh huh. Number five, Darien Mensah, Miami. The Canes have to feel better with Mensah than Carson Beck and Beck turned out just fine for them. You know, Mensah led all Power Four quarterbacks with almost 4,000 yards passing last year, 34 touchdowns, was, was second in the country and now you pair him up with Malachi Toney. That's pretty fun. It's going to be interesting to see how, how Shannon Dawson uses him in the offense with Beck. Beck got rid of the ball really quick and Mensah kind of likes, he can, he can hold it longer, likes to take more shots downfield. So that's kind of the interesting dynamic I'm interested to see with the Miami offense as compared to last year. But have to like Mensah.

[Michael Newman]

Yeah, I think he's one of the guys I'm most confident in having a great season though. Yeah, he's, he's done it in two different systems and offenses already at Tulane and, and Duke. And now he's going to have the best talent around him that he's ever had.

[Trey Newman]

Right.

[Michael Newman]

Against a schedule where Miami's going to out talent, almost everybody they play just seems like a lock to, to put up big numbers, but we'll see. Well, same could be said for number four, C.J. carr at Notre Dame. So I was a redshirt freshman last year. 66 completions, 9.4 yards per pass attempt. That is just those great numbers even against an overmatched schedule for, for a redshirt freshman. And he pushed the ball downfield, which is big. He leads all returning if you count him as a power four quarterback. He leads all returning power four quarterbacks in percentage of pass attempts that went beyond 20 yards. So he's out there to make the big play and he completed a pretty high percentage of those. So great arm. Made good decisions. Should only get better with experience. There's, I don't know, he seems kind of like a top five lock.

[Trey Newman]

Yeah, you would think. I mean we'll see without the run game, but still he's, he's so good man. Obviously with the, the schedule but.

[Michael Newman]

Well, you say without the run game. I will say without the running backs, but I have a feeling that they'll chug along just fine.

[Trey Newman]

Yeah, good point. Very Very good point. All right, number three. And this is where our list kind of got probably jumbled a little bit, but I don't think you can go wrong with. With this top three here, maybe top four, whatever. But number three, Dante Moore of Oregon. Going into last year and even a little bit early last year, I wasn't all that high on him, but as the season wore on and the numbers just piled up, I. I just started to kind of give him his flower. 72% completions, 32 total touchdowns, led the nation according to Pro Football Focus. That on the passing grade, on deep throws, and the receiver room last year dealt with the injury bug. So you kind of have to give him some credit there. And I just think between his experience, ideally the receivers staying healthy this year, he should be in line for another huge year. I mean, he struggled, yes, he struggled a little bit against Indiana and Iowa, but so did a lot of people. And I remember that Iowa game was on the road in really poor weather. So, yeah, I just. Another year of experience, I think he's going to be the man.

[Michael Newman]

You kind of cut out for me a little bit at the beginning there, but did you mention that Dante Moore was number one on your. Your personal list?

[Trey Newman]

I didn't. I just said that.

[Michael Newman]

That's where we are.

[Trey Newman]

Our list started to get muddied, but yeah, okay, here. But, yeah, I had number one more

[Michael Newman]

and my number one. So it's weird. Neither of our number ones ended up number one on our combined list. It's just the way the averages worked out. So my number one, but number two on our overall list is Trinidad Chambliss at Ole Miss. 445 pass attempts last year, just three interceptions. Just insane. And his average depth of target was 8.8 yards. So it's not like he was just dinking and dunking and playing it safe. That's. That's a decent number. He also ran for 500 yards and eight touchdowns. We saw him in the playoff. He's just a gamer. He's a playmaker. I know that there's going to be a lot new around him this year. Coaching, staff, skill, talent, everything. But I'm just grading him and I think he's. I mean, there's still talented players around him, so I think he'll have another great year. But yeah, I just. There's not a big weakness that he

[Trey Newman]

has that kind of second half or maybe just even fourth quarter, the Sugar bowl against Georgia. Like, I could. I could watch that, those highlights over and over.

[Michael Newman]

He was the man Crazy.

[Trey Newman]

All right. Number one, Julian Saen of Ohio State, just a preposterous 77% completion percentage. Had the highest quarterback grade in pro football Focus. He's got Jeremiah Smith, Chris Henry among us by the way. Jeremiah Smith. I so obviously we've been talking about for years how good he is. I didn't quite realize statistically how good because he is. Probably even by mid season he's going to be the all time Ohio State leader in like the major categories of touchdowns, receptions and receptions and yards. Something like that. It's. I didn't realize.

[Michael Newman]

That is pretty crazy for only in year three. I will say it does help that he's in the playoff era. Like they, they went what they play

[Trey Newman]

some extra games there?

[Michael Newman]

16, 16 games a couple years ago.

[Trey Newman]

And that's true.

[Michael Newman]

How many last year they played well, he missed. Did he miss any time last year? I don't know. But, but that's, that's very nitpicky at his. Because it's not like he's a senior.

[Trey Newman]

He's a litany of yeah, incredible receivers. But, but yeah, that's crazy. Back to, back to Julian saying his second year as the starter. So even more experience. Experience and coaching from Ryan Day and I guess the, the question mark really is can he do it consistently against the tougher opponents? I mean you look at last year after their Week 1 game against Texas, the Buckeyes kind of went on cruise control until the Big Ten championship. They never had to lead it. He never had to lead like a game saving drive or had really no high leverage situations until the Big Ten championship and, and then in the playoff against Miami and, and both those games ended up not working out, but not all on him. A lot of quarterbacks struggled against those two defenses in particular and, and the overall experience factor and the talent he has alone plus the talent he has around him. I mean he's gonna put up Heisman candidate numbers again.

[Michael Newman]

Yeah, it's this overall top 15. Well there's. There's two things. One, it was, it was hard to pick the actual number one guy. Like I, I just didn't feel great about putting any one of them. Number one. There's little nitpicky things you could say but at the same time this, the just the overall top 10 top 15 is incredibly good. I think probably there's just some randomness year to year with that. But also nil has probably helped that like Trinidad Chambliss would have gone pro probably if, if nil didn't exist. Same with Dante Maybe Jaden Mava. Sorry. Dante Moore. Yeah. Would have been gone. Exactly. So we as college football fans are the beneficiaries because this list of quarterbacks is insane. Like even compared to last year or I'm sure if you went back four years ago to our quarterback rankings, it just does not compare to what we have. These guys are.

[Trey Newman]

No, this is, this is pretty deep.

[Michael Newman]

Yeah.

[Trey Newman]

I was thinking, I was thinking before this, I mean this year, this year it's a good list. But I mean what, what rank of quarter? What's the worst ranked quarterback you could, you could win it all with and it doesn't have to be like this particular year. And I kind of went back and I was looking at like yeah. Previous national championship winning quarterbacks and it's, it's a pretty like, pretty decent list. Like I went back to maybe like Jake Coker at Alabama was 2015. I don't know what rank Jake Coker was there. But before that, I mean, I don't know. A.J. mcCarron, Greg McElroy. I don't know where those guys fall, but I feel like this year back.

[Michael Newman]

Yeah.

[Trey Newman]

This year you could go beyond the top 15 and still win it all.

[Michael Newman]

Oh, for sure. Yeah. And that's. Well because I mean last year Fernando Mendoza, of course he ended up being the best. But before the year, I'm not sure if he was in our top 15. He probably wasn't.

[Trey Newman]

No. But even like at the end of the year, what, what rank would you have to have? But yeah, no, I mean obviously Mendoza turned into a special.

[Michael Newman]

I will say it's different than back when Alabama was winning those national titles. They were able to just. The number one recruiting classes were so dominant, like they just had hoarded so much of the talent.

[Trey Newman]

Yeah.

[Michael Newman]

Even if you didn't hit on, on the quarterback position, you could still win it all. It's these days that's the talent is spreading out more to where everyone's rest of the roster is similar enough that it's probably hard to win a national title if you don't have a quarterback helping to elevate you.

[Trey Newman]

Yep.

[Michael Newman]

Okay, so let's, let's get to some honorable mentions. Who was the highest player on your list that didn't make our overall top 15?

[Trey Newman]

Yeah, I don't feel too bad. Mine was. I had Marcel reed at number 13. I mean I can obviously make a case for him there, but I'm not distraught that he's off.

[Michael Newman]

Yeah, I think. Oh shoot. I kind of forget actually who my. I want to maybe I Think Drew Messamaker was the. The only one in my top 15 that didn't make it overall. But I still need to see it at the powerful level.

[Trey Newman]

Yeah, we'll see. I mean, he could be. He could be sixth or he's going to be 25th or. You know, I don't know.

[Michael Newman]

Right. The one that.

[Trey Newman]

The one that I think I'm like the most worried about is John Mattier. John Mattier could play himself to be like top eight. And I just. I had him. I think I had him like 18th or something like 19th. I can't remember exactly, but I'm just pessimistic on him for some reason. Even though I loved him. Wazoo.

[Michael Newman]

It was just. It wasn't a great year last year at all. I know there was the. The thumb, but he's got to kind of reprove it to us because Wazoo is pretty low level these days. But yeah, obviously we loved him going into last year, so we'll see if he. Just a year delay and living up to the hype. Yeah. So Drew Messemaker, JKS is one that.

[Trey Newman]

Oh yeah.

[Michael Newman]

Could make us. I don't know if this looks dumb. He. Yeah, he just needs to be more consistent. But he could definitely take. He's going to take a step forward this year if for no other reason than the receiving core that they've put around him, but just he himself. I'm sure he was a true freshman last year. He's got to take a step forward.

[Trey Newman]

Did you have Lenora Sellers anywhere near.

[Michael Newman]

I didn't. I saw on your list that he was. Yeah, he was in your. He just made your top 15. He was not.

[Trey Newman]

He was 15th, I think. I don't know. I. It's one of those. There's a couple guys like on this list where it's like you look at two years ago, great. Last year, not so much. It was hard to pin him.

[Michael Newman]

No, it's reasonable to have him up there. He's still a great talent. Kevin Jennings at smu, I thought he

[Trey Newman]

would honestly good numbers. He was. He was good last year. I thought he'd be a little bit better considering the year before they went to the playoff.

[Michael Newman]

I thought he would kind of.

[Trey Newman]

Yeah, almost. He just kind of seemed to plateau.

[Michael Newman]

I agree. That's. That's why he wasn't. Wasn't in my top 15 either. I want to give some credit to some G6 guys because of course they get left out in this. This whole ranking series and there's just. It's different than. Again just like five years ago, where sometimes good G6 guys would stay in the G6. Now they're all moving up. But Texas State's Brad Jackson had an insanely good year as a redshirt freshman last year under G.J. kinney. 71% completions over 3,000 yards, 21 touchdown, seven picks, 9.2 yards per pass attempt, and then on the ground, 750 yards rushing, 17 touchdowns. So he was great.

[Trey Newman]

Gigi, Kenny's gonna get a bigger job.

[Michael Newman]

I. Well, I was just thinking as I was talking about that right now when I rattled off G.J. kenny's name, he's going to get a bigger job, and Brad Jackson's going to come with him.

[Trey Newman]

Yeah, that's a good call. He's. He. I've liked him the last couple years, Kenny, and he's done well.

[Michael Newman]

Yeah, he has. I'm just looking. Will this be his third year there? Fourth year. It'll be his fourth year. Yeah. He's been good because he took over games and. Yeah, they were. I mean, they were just terrible for a long time. But here's the records in reverse order from before he got there. 4 and 8, 4 and 8, 2 and 10, 3 and 9, 3 and 9. 2 and 10, 2 and 10, 3, 9. So they're terrible. He gets there year 1, 8 and 5, then 8 and 5 and 7 to 6. He's won three bowl games.

[Trey Newman]

I mean, it's pretty impressive.

[Michael Newman]

Yeah.

[Trey Newman]

Yeah.

[Michael Newman]

And now, like I said. Okay, so where's. Where's he going to be with. He's going to bring Brad Jackson with him. I feel like.

[Trey Newman]

I don't know if he. Does he make the Baylor.

[Michael Newman]

Baylor, maybe.

[Trey Newman]

That's. Yeah. So that's a good play. It's got to be like, kind of. Yeah, Texas school would be good, but even kind of like. Yeah, like a low. Low P4. I was going to say. I don't know if he does the double, like, could he go high American? Which. I don't know if there is such a thing anymore, but.

[Michael Newman]

No. Yeah, you could. You could do that.

[Trey Newman]

But. Yeah, he might be worthy of a job like Baylor, see how this year goes. But.

[Michael Newman]

Yeah. And then Owen McCown has been solid at UTSA for a while.

[Trey Newman]

Yeah.

[Michael Newman]

Micah Allah is fun at Hawaii.

[Trey Newman]

Yeah, he's fun.

[Michael Newman]

Nick Minicucci putting up big numbers at Delaware, but. Yeah, none of them really threaten the top 15, though. Hey, Brad Jackson, if he builds on that, he could end up by the end of the year being top 15. Who knows?

[Trey Newman]

All right.

[Michael Newman]

But that'll do it for. Yeah, our quarterback ranking series. Thanks for checking all the episodes out. If you did leave us a five star rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, we'd appreciate that. Also, subscribe to our patreon patreon.com college football bros. We're just getting ready to record an episode there that'll be out probably when you're listening to this one. And it's we're talking about what each of the the top 15 teams in the country heading into 2026 have pressure to do. So it's not a hot seat episode because, of course, a lot of those top 15 coaches are not on a hot seat. But it's just maybe the team has pressure to, to accomplish something they haven't. Or a coach or a quarterback. You'll see. But, but yeah. Patreon.com College football bros. And we will talk to you next week.