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.
San Jose State transfer Walker Egat will need to get a waiver from the NCAA to play in 2026. (Marco Garcia / Imagn Images)
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.
