The 2026 college football season began with a lot of excitement and curiosity surrounding the quarterback class. The 2027 NFL Draft appears destined to feature intriguing quarterback prospects all throughout. Now six weeks into the campaign, some thrilling and unpredictable results have altered what we thought we knew.
That's precisely why we're releasing our updated quarterback rankings. There promises to be debate between the top six quarterback prospects. We can't recall the last time QB rankings were this divisive approximately halfway through the season.
With that in mind, let's unleash our revised top-10 quarterback rankings. Texas' Arch Manning and Oregon's Dante Moore have trended downwards. Names like Drew Mestemaker and CJ Carr are climbing draft boards.
2027 NFL Draft QB Rankings: Updated Top 10
10. Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State
Julian Sayin has done a nice job building on his first season as a starter this year. The Buckeyes passer is extremely accurate with outstanding ball placement. Sayin already has 1,772 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and two interceptions. His yards per attempt has jumped from 7.7 in 2025 to 10.9 this campaign, highlighting an improved willingness to push the ball down field. Scouts will continue debating whether his arm strength and velocity are good enough for an NFL-caliber starter.
9. Jayden Maiava, QB, USC
Jayden Maiava is Lincoln Riley's current project at USC. The Pālolo, Hawaii native tests defenses vertically with consistent success, layering passes all over the field as an impressive three-level thrower. He's currently second in the FBS with 2,045 yards, and also has 18 touchdowns to just three interceptions. Maiava is also athletic enough to break contain and generate off-script throws. Being more consistent with his mechanics is the goal. Quick pressure often causes some erraticness in his game.
8. Austin Simmons, QB, Missouri
Austin Simmons began his career under Lane Kiffin, but transferred to Missouri this past offseason following the emergence of Trinidad Chambliss. The move has gone swimmingly. He's thrown for 1,434 yards, 14 touchdowns and one interception, including a dominant 340-yard, 2-touchdown showing versus Florida. His background as a college pitcher is evident as he potentially has the strongest arm in this entire class. Reading defenses pre-snap and processing the action post-snap currently represents Simmons' biggest area of growth. The natural tools are exciting though.
7. LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina
LaNorris Sellers returned to South Carolina for 2026 after failing to meet expectations in 2025. The traits are undeniably exciting, through the presence of elite size, athleticism, and arm strength. He has improved this season. Sellers has already thrown for 1,338 yards, 12 touchdowns, and four interceptions. He's a dual-threat quarterback with 411 rushing yards and two additional scores. Locking onto his first read, general decision making, and operating the offense within structure continues to be bigger challenges than they should be.
6. Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss
Trinidad Chambliss has done an excellent job building on a strong 2025 season in which he was a total revelation for Ole Miss. The former Ferris State transfer has already produced 16 touchdowns as a dual-threat QB (11 passing, five rushing) in five games. Chambliss is a dynamic playmaker with arm talent and athleticism. He generates plenty of velocity. Chambliss' size (verified 5-foot-11 7/8, 208) will cause debate in draft rooms. He'll also turn 25 as a rookie.
5. Darian Mensah, QB, Miami
Darian Mensah has taken advantage of every opportunity at Miami so far after previously playing at Tulane (2023-24) and Duke (2025). The same Mario Cristobal and Shannon Dawson school of quarterbacking that greatly benefited Cam Ward and Carson Beck is already doing wonders for its next pupil. Mensah has thrown for 15 touchdowns and zero interceptions while completing 84.2% of his attempts. His mechanics are clean, as is his processing ability against pressure. He's at his best when targeting underneath concepts. Scouts have fair questions about his arm strength and consistent ability to generate velocity and zip on deeper developing routes.
4. Dante Moore, QB, Oregon
Dante Moore returned to Oregon in 2026 despite being the favorite to go No. 2 overall last year after throwing for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2025. The new season hasn't gone exactly according to plan, however. Moore struggled badly in a disappointing Week 2 defeat to Oklahoma State. He then suffered a concussion in Week 4 that has since kept him sidelined. The ex UCLA transfer possesses a natural motion with excellent release mechanics, but bad habits have flashed behind a regressing offensive line.
3. Arch Manning, QB, Texas
Arch Manning concluded the 2025 campaign in strong fashion after a disappointing start. That led to higher expectations in 2026. Six weeks into the college campaign, scouts haven't witnessed the growth they hoped for. Manning's scouting profile includes high-level athleticism and the ability to make difficult throws when under duress. Arm strength and velocity are above-average traits. But there's been little-to-no consistency with his accuracy and ball placement. Going through progressions and staring down receivers has been another issue. Sky-high potential is present, but there's plenty to improve.
2. Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State
We entered the season extremely intrigued by Drew Mestemaker following his move to Oklahoma State after throwing for an FBS-high 4,379 passing yards and 34 touchdowns in 2025. He decided to follow Coach Eric Morris to Stillwater, where he's shown exciting growth at the Power 4 level by producing 1,575 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions in five games. The big-armed quarterback enjoyed a resume-defining game against Oregon in Week 2. He's a big-play hunter in a system designed to generate explosives. Mestemaker is still a developing quarterback whose play can be described as occasionally erratic and chaotic, but he's arguably the most intriguing QB in this class right now.
1. CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame
CJ Carr announced himself a first-year starter in 2025 who threw for 2,741 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions. Despite losing Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price to the NFL Draft, he continues to impress while operating this Fighting Irish offense at a high level. The Saline, Michigan native has thrown for 1,378 yards, 16 touchdowns, and one pick. Mechanics, processing ability, going through progressions in a timely manner, and accuracy/ball placement are all strong traits. Scouts want to see a bigger sample size (18 career starts) but he's in the mix for QB1. The Notre Dame-Miami game on Nov. 7 will be telling for Carr and Mensah.
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