With Darian Mensah now headed to Miami, all of the notable transfer quarterbacks will have been accounted for during this recent wave of roster movement. In addition, all of the top high school recruits have signed, and all of the NFL Draft declarations have been made.

So, we’ve got a pretty good idea of what most quarterback position groups will look like in 2026 — most, but not all.

Let’s take a look at some of the schools where things aren’t quite settled.

Note: Schools are listed in alphabetical order. All recruiting rankings are from the 247Sports Composite.

Alabama

Ty Simpson led the Crimson Tide back to the College Football Playoff and has the potential to be a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft thanks to a shallow quarterback class. That leaves the starting job open in Tuscaloosa.

Redshirt junior Austin Mack and redshirt freshman Keelon Russell are the two main candidates. Mack served as the Crimson Tide’s backup this past season and was forced into action in the Rose Bowl when Simpson cracked a rib during the game. Russell was the No. 2 overall player in the 2025 recruiting cycle and the QB many view as the future of the program.

Mack completed 24 of 32 attempts for 228 yards and two touchdowns in 2025. Russell completed 11 of 15 for 143 yards and two touchdowns. Russell probably has the higher ceiling, but Mack has spent more time in the offense.

Alabama also signed two quarterbacks during the 2026 recruiting cycle: top-100 prospect Jett Thomalla and three-star Tayden Kaawa.

Arkansas

KJ Jackson started the regular-season finale against Missouri and played extensively the week before against Texas. He finished the 2025 season with 33 completions in 54 attempts for 441 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

That was under a different coaching staff, though. Ryan Silverfield has taken over, and he brought AJ Hill — a four-star Class of 2025 signee — with him from Memphis. Arkansas also signed Division II Angelo State transfer Braeden Fuller.

It seems like it’ll come down to Jackson and Hill. Jackson is the more experienced player, but not by a wide margin (58 career attempts to 32 by Hill). Hill has familiarity with Silverfield, which could give him an edge.

Duke

The Blue Devils find themselves on this list after Mensah put the program in an unenviable position by leaving just as the transfer portal window was closing. Henry Belin IV was the only other quarterback who threw a pass for Duke last season, but he transferred to Missouri State.

San Jose State transfer Walker Eget recently committed to Duke, but he needs to get a waiver from the NCAA to play in 2026. Eget started most of the past two seasons for the Spartans and passed for 5,555 yards, 30 touchdowns and 19 interceptions in that time. He is experienced and has a live arm — and is probably the best the Blue Devils could hope for at this point.

Duke also brought in North Alabama transfer Ari Patu, who began his career at Stanford. Dan Mahan was a three-star signee in the Blue Devils’ 2025 class and remains in the program.

Georgia Tech

Haynes King was a tough, resilient player who represented everything Georgia Tech wants to be as a program under Brent Key. Now there will be a competition to replace him.

Indiana transfer Alberto Mendoza, the younger brother of the Heisman Trophy winner, is the favorite. We mostly saw Mendoza late in the Hoosiers’ blowout wins this past season. He completed 18 of 24 passes for 286 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed for 190 yards and a score.

Graham Knowles, like Mendoza, a member of the Class of 2024, will also get a look. Knowles was the higher-rated recruit and has been at Georgia Tech longer.

And there’s Grady Adamson, a redshirt freshman who was ranked No. 665 overall in the Class of 2025. But if Georgia Tech’s staff had confidence in Knowles or Adamson, why did they bring in Mendoza?

Ole Miss

This won’t be interesting if starter Trinidad Chambliss receives an additional year of eligibility from the NCAA. If he does, Ole Miss will probably be a preseason top-five team and Chambliss will be a Heisman Trophy contender.

If he is not granted the extra year, the Rebels will be in a complicated spot. Ole Miss signed Auburn transfer Deuce Knight, a Mississippi native who was a five-star prospect in the 2025 recruiting cycle. He certainly has a high ceiling, but it’ll be tough to roll with a first-year starter coming off the great postseason run Ole Miss had and against a 2026 schedule that includes Louisville, LSU, Florida, Vanderbilt, Texas, Georgia and Oklahoma, among others.

Louisiana transfer Walker Howard returned to the program after a year away and seemingly will be nothing more than a depth piece.

We shouldn’t forget about AJ Maddox, another Mississippi native who spent the past two seasons with the program and was a four-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting cycle.

If Chambliss comes back, this will be about the pecking order behind him.

Syracuse

Steve Angeli threw for 1,317 yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions in four games before suffering a torn Achilles late in a win at Clemson. Syracuse lost eight consecutive games after Angeli’s injury.

He will be the starter if healthy, but is in the midst of a complicated recovery. Coach Fran Brown wanted to add depth at the position to avoid another free fall like Syracuse experienced in 2025.

The Orange added Kennesaw State transfer Amari Odom, who led the Owls to the Conference USA championship and threw for 2,594 yards, 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also rushed for 347 yards and seven scores. That’s a good secondary option to have.

They also signed UTEP transfer Malachi Nelson, a five-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting cycle who began his career at USC before transferring to Boise State and then UTEP. Nelson finally earned a starting role last season with the Miners but was replaced after five games. He’s now at his fourth school in as many years.

Tennessee

Here’s another situation that rests on an eligibility ruling. If Joey Aguilar receives an additional year, then Tennessee has a proven commodity at quarterback. Aguilar threw for 3,565 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 picks in 2025.

If he doesn’t, the Volunteers will be forced to go with a relatively inexperienced option. Last season’s backup, Jake Merklinger, transferred to UConn.

George MacIntyre, a fringe top-150 prospect in the 2025 cycle, is back for his second season. The program added Colorado transfer Ryan Staub, who started one game for the Buffaloes last season. It’s difficult to envision him as a true starting option.

All eyes will be on five-star freshman Faizon Brandon, who was the No. 6 overall player in the 2026 recruiting cycle. It feels like Brandon is the future of the program, but it’s a matter of when he takes over that remains the question.

UCF

The Knights ranked 90th in scoring offense (24.3 ppg) in Scott Frost’s first year back at the helm, so the unit needs more punch. They added that by bringing in James Madison transfer Alonza Barnett, who threw for 2,806 yards, rushed for 589 and accounted for 38 total touchdowns while leading the Dukes to a Sun Belt title and CFP appearance.

Barnett provides the dual-threat ability that Frost’s offense needs. He seems like the frontrunner for the starting role, but UCF also brought in FIU transfer Keyone Jenkins, who has three years of starting experience.

Virginia

Chandler Morris was denied an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA, which opens the door for a quarterback competition in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers signed Beau Pribula, who was Missouri’s starter last season. Pribula is a good athlete, but he’s still raw as a passer. He threw 11 touchdown passes and nine interceptions last season, with eight of those TDs coming against non-SEC competition.

Virginia also brought in Pitt transfer Eli Holstein, who opened the 2025 season as the Panthers’ starter but was benched after four games.

Both players have had good moments, but they both have flaws.

Virginia Tech

Ethan Grunkemeyer did some good things down the stretch for Penn State last season and has familiarity with coach James Franklin and the staff at Virginia Tech.

Those factors give him a leg up for the starting job. But the Hokies also added North Carolina transfer Bryce Baker, who was a former top-100 prospect and Bill Belichick’s first major signee with the Tar Heels. It was good to take a flier on Baker’s potential and see what comes of it.

Virginia Tech signed four-star prospect Troy Huhn, who had been committed to Franklin at Penn State.

There’s a decent amount of talent at this position, but not much experience.

Alabama was looking to wash away the bad taste of that Tennessee loss as they hosted Mizzou tonight, and they got it done by a score of 90-64.

Chuck Bediako drew his first start of the season, which slid Aiden Sherrell to the four. That paid immediate dividends, as Sherrell scored five in the early going to help Alabama open up a small lead. Things stayed close for most of the half, but a 12-2 spurt at about the six minute mark opened things up a bit, and Alabama took a 42-29 lead into the break.

Labaron Philon was hot and led the way with 11 points while adding five assists. Aden Holloway pitched in four assists of his own but scored only three points. Alabama was able to narrowly win the rebounding battle thanks to Taylor Bol Bowen’s six, and four from Bediako. The Tide made nine of 23 behind the arc, and when this team shoots the ball like that they are tough to beat.

Coming out of the locker room, it was the Latrell Wrightsell Jr. show. “Trelly” was as active as he’s been on defense all season, and tossed in four from deep in the first 11 minutes of the half, as the Tide opened up a commanding lead. They led by as much as 27 in the game, smothering Mizzou on defense and scoring efficiently on the other end.

Bediako is proving to be a difference maker. Teams just don’t have the same paths to the hoop when he’s patrolling the lane, and he’s making a solid contribution on the offensive end as well. Interior defense has been this team’s most pressing issue and he fixes that. Wrightsell and Philon carried the scoring load in this one with 21 and 18, respectively, while Sherrell and Bediako combined for 30.

Alabama needed this one to get back above .500 in conference play and avoid the first three game home losing streak in Oats’ tenure. Next up will be a very difficult trip to Florida on Saturday. Hopefully they can get Amari Allen back for that one.

For Brad Vice and his family, the nightmare is over, at least for a while. 

Nine years ago, Vice and his wife, Brittney, moved into the rural, unincorporated Belle Mina community in north Alabama. The house was built by Brittney’s great-grandparents and the couple welcomed their first child there two years ago. 

But for the past 12 months, the dream became a nightmare when a massive 199-acre limestone quarry began blasting operations across the street. 

Since then, Vice and his neighbors, including four churches, have been inundated by waves of dust that make outdoor living spaces unlivable, loud noises and bright lights that keep them awake at night, vibrations and explosions from daytime blasting and heavy truck traffic that causes backups and safety hazards on the small two-lane road that runs past the quarry. 

In a Jan. 7 court hearing about the quarry, Vice testified about the impacts, called the amount of dust entering his property “unimaginable” and said that he didn’t know how much longer he could continue living in the area. 

“We don’t let our daughter play outside,” Vice testified in the hearing. “The dust has altered our lifestyle completely.”  

Now, he will finally get some relief. 

Late Friday, Limestone County Judge Matthew Huggins partially granted a motion for a preliminary injunction to halt operations at the quarry until several conditions are met to reduce the impacts of dust, noise, traffic and bright lights on the surrounding community. 

The plaintiffs—four churches and three individuals living in the small community of Belle Mina—are seeking an injunction to permanently shut down the quarry. They alleged that the dust, noise, vibrations and other impacts violated Alabama’s nuisance laws. 

“We are grateful for this immediate relief from the nightmare we’ve been living for months,” Vice said in a news release after the decision. “I’m worried about my child’s health and my family’s well-being enduring constant noise, air pollution, and sleepless nights.”

The nuisance complaint names multiple companies involved with the quarry as defendants: Stoned LLC, Elephants R Us LLC, Landquest Properties LLC and Grayson Carter & Son Contracting, Inc.

Attorneys representing Stoned LLC in the matter told Inside Climate News their clients did not wish to comment on the case at this time. 

The injunction requires the quarry to meet the following conditions before resuming operations:

• The quarry must move a temporary rock crushing area at least 1,200 feet from any of the plaintiffs’ properties. 
• The quarry cannot erect any artificial light source to a height visible from the plaintiffs’ properties. 
• The quarry cannot conduct operations that produce a loud noise described in testimony and videos taken by the plaintiffs between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.
• The quarry is prohibited from allowing its trucks to block traffic or drive on the wrong side of the road.
• The quarry is ordered to “expedite the development” of a new entrance and additional turn lane on the main road. 

In a hearing on the preliminary injunction earlier this month, residents and pastors from the churches testified on how the quarry has impacted their lives, introducing photos of mailboxes, cars, boats and other surfaces coated in dust, and videos that depict bright lights and loud noises coming from the quarry at night. 

Expert witnesses testified for both sides about the levels of noise and dust coming from the quarry compared to other sites, and about the potential of subsidence or structural damage from blasting at the quarry. 

In his ruling, Huggins held that the plaintiffs’ health concerns were not sufficiently documented to be considered in the case and that concerns about vibrations from quarry blasting and the potential for sinkholes did not meet the standards of Alabama’s nuisance law. 

However, he ruled the fugitive dust entering the plaintiffs’ properties “substantially and unreasonably inconveniences” the plaintiffs, as did the noises, bright lights and traffic coming from the quarry. 

Huggins said in the ruling that the plaintiffs had established a “reasonable chance of success” on the public nuisance claim, granting the preliminary injunction. The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys from the Southern Environmental Law Center. 

“We’re very pleased the judge heard the evidence and applied the law to limit the unnecessary mayhem community members are enduring because of this nuisance,” Sarah Stokes, a senior attorney at SELC, said in a news release. “Belle Mina residents—just like any community—are entitled to the safe, peaceful use of their homes and property. They did nothing to deserve this chaos. That’s why they intend to fight this to the end.”

The ruling is the latest chapter in the residents’ long struggle against the quarry. 

Last year, some of the plaintiffs in the nuisance complaint found themselves as defendants in a lawsuit in Indiana filed by the quarry operators. 

Elephants R Us, LLC, filed a lawsuit against Belle Mina Methodist Church, New Covenant Ministries and a resident in the state of Indiana for reasons that weren’t altogether clear, seeking $1.6 million plus attorneys’ fees, arguing that their speaking against the quarry had interfered with a contract and negatively impacted the business. Court documents show Elephants R Us is a registered LLC in Indiana, but lists Alabama as its primary place of business. 

That suit was dismissed by an Indiana judge last year. SELC attorneys said the lawsuit was an example of a SLAPP suit, or a strategic lawsuit against public participation, “designed to intimidate or silence opposition to the quarry,” by dragging the churches into legal proceedings in another state. 

The Alabama case is scheduled to go to trial beginning April 21. 

“The judge heard what this quarry has done to our lives, and gave us some relief,” Nina Perez, a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said in a release. “No one deserves to have their lives upended because a rock quarry invaded their community.”