High-level performances are not coming from many of the quarterbacks who received endless hype before the 2026 season.
Some quarterbacks thought to be Heisman Trophy candidates or marquee prospects in the 2027 NFL draft have regressed through the first two months. Concerning starts from both Dante Moore and Arch Manning have created skepticism around their potential as No. 1 overall draft choices.
Benchings in the Power Four ranks began in late September. In the Big 12, Colorado starter Julian Lewis didn't make it out of the first half of its loss to Baylor before Deion Sanders pulled him for Utah transfer Isaac Wilson. Additionally, Cutter Boley was pulled after a second interception in Arizona State's blowout loss at Texas Tech last week.
While a few programs have seemingly moved on from their starters to begin the season, some are still searching for clarity. Below, we examine three of college football's biggest quarterback conundrums through the first seven weeks of the 2026 season.
1. Texas
The SEC is home to many frustrated fan bases, but none are more disappointed in a possible sunk financial investment than Texas fans. The Longhorns shedded what they considered dead weight to the transfer portal while bringing in multiple noteworthy surroundings for Arch Manning, and Steve Sarkisian made a defensive coordinator change to strengthen the other side of the ball.
Six games into the 2026 season, an elite fourth quarter against Ohio State is all Texas' offensive spending has to show for. In the Longhorns' two losses, Manning threw an interception that helped set up a game-winning field goal drive for Oklahoma and lost a fumble on a potential game-winning drive at home against Florida.
Pete Thamel of ESPN reported that Longhorns' second stringer KJ Lacey is taking more first-team reps with Manning ahead of Texas' meeting with Ole Miss. If the Rebels mount a multi-score lead while Manning routinely struggles to get the ball out, Sarkisian could make a move to Lacey.
2. Michigan
Frustration with Bryce Underwood set in after his uninspiring effort against Western Michigan in Week 1. The Wolverines started 0-2 in Big Ten play, and the latter of the two losses saw Underwood complete 10 of 21 pass attempts for 101 yards and a pair of interceptions.
Following Underwood's second interception of the first half at Penn State, Michigan made a move to freshman Tommy Carr. The Michigan legacy utilized his legs to beat the Nittany Lions, icing the victory with a 12-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Kyle Whittingham has yet to officially name a starting quarterback for Michigan's matchup with No. 6 Indiana. Based on Underwood's poor showings against Big Ten foes, the Wolverines may be in line for a permanent move to Carr.
3. California
The management of the quarterback situation in Berkeley is bizarre and could easily lead to a departure via the NCAA transfer portal. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele played through injury for the majority of September, and a concussion against UNLV forced the Golden Bears to turn to Jackson Brousseau.
Sagapolutele returned to action last week, but Tosh Lupoi gave Brousseau the starting nod. Brousseau averaged under five yards a completion as the Golden fell into a 41-point deficit to Wake Forest, turning to Sagapolutele after the Demon Deacons scored their final touchdown.
The return of Sagapolutele to California made for one of the more anticipated encore performances in college football, but 2026 hasn't seen the leap forward in his development that was expected. If the Golden Bears continue to inexplicably give Brousseau snaps over Sagapolutele, he may run for the portal.
Add us as a preferred source on Google