- LSU at the top: The Tigers have the best quarterback room in the nation, thanks in large part to Heisman Trophy candidate Garrett Nussmeier.
- Alabama and Ohio State’s rooms have immense potential: Neither the Crimson Tide nor the Buckeyes has any starting experience at quarterback, but they each have rooms with multiple former five-star recruits.
- Get a head start on the 2026 class: Try PFF’s best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2026’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes
Quarterback is the most important position in football and, arguably, the most important in all of team sports. It’s incredibly hard to win in college football or the NFL without a capable player under center.
It’s also important to have options behind the starter in case they struggle or get injured. With that in mind, here are the 10 best quarterback rooms in college football entering the 2025 season.
1. LSU
The Tigers have a top-five quarterback in the country and a legitimate Heisman candidate leading them in Garrett Nussmeier. He threw for the fifth-most passing yards in the nation last year (4,043) while tying for seventh in big-time throws (26).
Behind him is Mississippi State-transfer Michael Van Buren Jr., who showed encouraging signs during eight starts in his true freshman year. His first two came on the road against a couple elite defenses in Texas and Georgia, and he responded with a 79.0 passing grade with five big-time throws and no turnover-worthy plays in those contests. LSU also has a couple former four-star recruits in the room as well in sophomore Ju’Juan Johnson and redshirt freshman Colin Hurley.
2. SMU
Kevin Jennings is a top-10 quarterback in the nation for me and was one of the biggest surprises last season after entering the year as Preston Stone’s backup. He was 10th among FBS quarterbacks in both clean-pocket passing grade (90.6) and overall passing grade (85.0).
The Mustangs also have a very proven backup in sixth-year senior Tyler Van Dyke. The Wisconsin transfer has started 31 games in his career for both the Badgers and Miami (FL), earning a very impressive 85.3 passing grade during his last fully healthy season in 2023 with the Hurricanes. Ty Hawkins also joined the program this year and was a four-star recruit in the 2025 class.
3. Arizona State
Sam Leavitt is my No. 2 returning quarterback in college football following a stellar redshirt freshman season. His 88.5 PFF grade was ninth among all quarterbacks in the nation, and he was the only quarterback in the FBS with 80.0-plus grades as both a passer and runner.
Jeff Sims is back for another year as a backup and is a very experienced player, starting 26 games across five seasons with Georgia Tech, Nebraska and Arizona State.
4. Florida
DJ Lagway enters his true sophomore year as a top-10 quarterback in the country and might have more arm talent than anyone else in America. The top quarterback recruit in 2024 led the Power Four with an 8.8% big-time throw rate last season and was third in the nation with a 95.6 passing grade on deep throws.
The Gators acquired a new backup in Louisville-transfer Harrison Bailey, who posted an impressive 78.4 PFF grade in his lone start last year in the bowl game. Clay Millen is also back for another year, and he was eighth among all FBS quarterbacks in 2022 with a 7.3% big-time throw rate while at Colorado State. True freshman Tramell Jones was also a four-star recruit from the 2025 class.
5. Clemson
Cade Klubnik is my top returning quarterback in college football and was arguably the most improved player in the nation last year. He tied for 107th among FBS signal-callers in 2023 with a 63.7 passing grade and improved to fifth this past season with an 87.7 mark. Klubnik’s 80.8 PFF grade under pressure was also more than five points higher than any other quarterback in the country.
Redshirt sophomore Christopher Vizzina looks like the future of the program and was a top-10 quarterback from the 2023 recruiting class.
6. Miami (FL)
While he certainly didn’t live up to expectations last year, Carson Beck is still one of the top returning quarterbacks in the sport. The Georgia transfer still earned an 80.2 passing grade last season and his 90.9 overall grade since 2023 is the second-best among returning FBS signal-callers.
Redshirt sophomore Emory Williams enters his third year as Miami’s backup and has a solid 71.3 career grade on 246 snaps. The Hurricanes also welcome in freshman Luke Nickel, a top-15 quarterback recruit from the 2025 class.
7. Penn State
Drew Allar could’ve been a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft but instead decided to return for his senior season. Now, he’s my No. 4 returning quarterback in college football. Allar was the sixth-most valuable quarterback in the nation this past season, according to our wins above average metric, and his 21 big-time throws were a top-20 mark in the nation as well.
Ethan Grunkemeyer enters his redshirt freshman year as the backup and was one of the 10 highest-rated quarterback recruits from the 2024 class.
8. Auburn
The following three schools don’t have a proven star under center but still deserve to be on this list due to having three intriguing options.
Jackson Arnold will be the starter for Auburn after transferring in from Oklahoma. While the former five-star recruit only posted a 63.2 PFF grade as a sophomore, he also dealt with one of the worst supporting casts in college football. The Sooners had the second-worst receiving grade in the nation and were just 103rd in offensive line grade.
Ashton Daniels will be the backup after starting for Stanford in each of the last two seasons. He was solid in 2024, earning a 71.7 PFF grade. True freshman Deuce Knight looks like the future of the program and was a five-star recruit from the 2025 class.
9. Alabama
None of the Crimson Tide’s options at quarterback have started a game yet, but it’s still a room with a lot of potential. Redshirt junior Ty Simpson is the most likely candidate to start after three years on the bench. The former five-star recruit has impressed when given the opportunity though, earning an 83.2 PFF grade on 188 career snaps.
True freshman Keelon Russell was also a five-star coming out of high school and was the No. 2 overall recruit from the 2025 class. Redshirt sophomore Austin Mack rounds out the room and was a four-star recruit from the 2023 cycle.
10. Ohio State
Ohio State’s quarterback room is essentially the exact same as Alabama’s. Neither has any starting experience, but they each feature a pair of former five-star recruits along with a former four-star.
Redshirt freshman Julian Sayin is the favorite to start and he was a top-10 overall recruit from the 2024 class and only trailed DJ Lagway among quarterbacks. True freshman Tavien St. Clair was the No. 4 overall recruit from the 2025 cycle as well. Redshirt sophomore Lincoln Kienholz was a top-15 quarterback recruit from 2023 and has a 72.2 passing grade on 24 career dropbacks.
Honorable Mention: Texas
Expectations are through the roof for the Longhorns’ new starter, Arch Manning. Part of that has to do with the redshirt sophomore’s last name, and the other is because he was the No. 1 overall recruit from the 2023 high school class. Manning impressed in limited action last year that included two starts. His 88.0 PFF grade on the season was 12th among FBS quarterbacks with at least 100 dropbacks. He enters his first year as a starter as my No. 6 quarterback in the country and the betting favorite to take home the Heisman Trophy.
Behind Manning are a pair of former four-star recruits in redshirt freshman Trey Owens and true freshman K.J. Lacey. They each were top-20 quarterback recruits in their respective high school classes.
This news was originally published on this post .
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