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The 2026 college football offseason is in full swing. With that, it’s time to start ranking the top-10 returning players at every single position.
First up is the most important one: quarterback. The 2026 draft class is light at the position, mostly because so many star signal-callers decided to run it back in college for one more year.
Below is a list of PFF’s top 10 returning quarterbacks in college football, in addition to an honorable mention nominee. Please note that NFL projection was not taken into account in these rankings.
1. Julian Sayin, Ohio State
Sayin was historically accurate in his first season as Ohio State’s starting quarterback. The redshirt freshman completed 77.0% of his passes, which ranked as the third-highest rate in college football history and narrowly trailed the record set by Bo Nix in 2023 and Mac Jones in 2020 (77.4%). Sayin’s 74.2% accurate throw rate also set the new single-season PFF College record.
Highest rate of accurate passes in a single season in the PFF College era (Since 2014)
NameSchoolSeasonAccurate throw %Julian SayinOhio State202574.2%Justin FieldsOhio State202072.4%Mac JonesAlabama202072.3%Bo NixOregon202372.0%Shedeur SandersColorado202472.0%Haynes KingGeorgia Tech202472.0%Joe BurrowLSU201971.7%He led all FBS quarterbacks in PFF grade (92.9) and only graded below a 70.0 once all of last season. Sayin is the only Heisman Trophy finalist from 2025 returning to school, and he should be seen as a top candidate to both capture the bronze stiff-arm trophy and go No. 1 overall in the 2027 NFL Draft.
All 23 of Julian Sayin’s big-time throws from the 2025 season.
— Max Chadwick (@CFBMaxChadwick) February 21, 2026
My QB1 in college football heading into 2026. pic.twitter.com/jd1z2jOu2Z
2. Dante Moore, Oregon
Moore surprised many when he announced that he’d be returning to Oregon despite being projected as a top-three pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. He was only mocked that high because of how phenomenal he was as a redshirt sophomore. Moore’s 90.2 PFF passing grade was sixth in America, while his 30 big-time throws were tied for the most in the FBS. He also led the nation with a 98.5 passing grade on deep throws and quarterbacked the Ducks all the way to the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Oregon enters 2026 as PFF’s way-too-early No. 1 team, and the biggest reason for that is the return of its superstar signal-caller.
There’s threading the needle and then there’s whatever the hell this is by Dante Moore.
— Max Chadwick (@CFBMaxChadwick) November 8, 2025
My word.
pic.twitter.com/YgZecbuZed
3. Arch Manning, Texas
Because Manning began his first year as a starter as the Heisman favorite, many wrote him off when he had a slow start to the 2025 season. However, he was terrific during the second half of the year, placing sixth in the FBS with an 89.5 PFF grade since Week 9. Manning’s 87.3 grade on the season was still a top-15 mark in the country. He’s much more of a dual-threat quarterback than either of his uncles was, tying for fifth in the Power Four with 10 rushing touchdowns.
Manning showed down the stretch that the immense amount of hype surrounding him is based on more than just the name on the back of his jersey.
Arch Manning’s highest-graded play of the 2025 season (1.5).
— Max Chadwick (@CFBMaxChadwick) February 21, 2026
A perfect 55-yard throw on the post route to Ryan Wingo.
The hype is deserved.pic.twitter.com/UOhvbafn6O
4. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
Chambliss was recently granted a temporary injunction that allows him to play a sixth season of college football. It’s a massive win for both he and Ole Miss, who now return the quarterback that led the program on a magical run to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.
The former Division II national champion at Ferris State took the reins of the Rebels’ offense when the original starter, Austin Simmons, went down with an injury in Week 2. And Chambliss never looked back, placing second in the Power Four with 3,934 passing yards and fourth in America with 29 big-time throws. He added 585 yards on the ground to rank 15th in the Power Four.
Perhaps the most impressive part about Chambliss is how resilient he is when the pressure is on, literally and figuratively. He was second in the nation with a 76.1 PFF grade against pressure. In Ole Miss’ Week 8 loss to Georgia, he earned a season-low 46.4 PFF passing grade. When the Rebels got their chance for revenge on the Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, he posted a season-high 91.8 passing grade in the thrilling victory.
Trinidad Chambliss' 30 of 46, 362 yards, 2 touchdowns against Georgia in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal.pic.twitter.com/zH8i08Ni27
— Football’s Greatest Moments (@FBGreatMoments) February 1, 2026
5. CJ Carr, Notre Dame
Carr is currently tied with Arch Manning as the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy (+750) on DraftKings Sportsbook. That’s due to a strong redshirt freshman campaign, where he tied for 14th nationally with an 83.5 PFF passing grade. His 6.5% big-time throw rate was also sixth in the Power Four.
With star running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price off to the NFL, Carr will be expected to carry the offense much more as a redshirt sophomore.
A special kind of talent ☘️
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 4, 2025
CJ Carr has been named a Manning Award Finalist#GoIrish☘️ | @ManningAward | @13Cjcarrpic.twitter.com/FYRBqSTBfc
6. Jayden Maiava, USC
Maiava has posted back-to-back 80-plus PFF grades during his 1.5 years as USC’s starter. He was fifth in the FBS this year with 3,711 passing yards and was the only one in the top five to play in fewer than 14 games. Maiava is at his best from a clean pocket, earning the ninth-best PFF grade in the country in such situations (92.3).
He has to rein in his gunslinger tendencies at times, though, as his big-time throw rate (6.2%) and turnover-worthy play rate (4.6%) were each among the 30 highest in the nation.
7. Brendan Sorsby, Texas Tech
The first of three-straight transfers on this list, Sorsby will try to lead Texas Tech to back-to-back Big 12 championships following an outstanding season at Cincinnati. His 90.5 PFF grade tied for fifth in the nation, while his 86.9 passing grade was eighth. Sorsby is also a threat on the ground as his nine rushing touchdowns tied for 10th in the Power Four.
No quarterback in America was better when under duress than him this past season, as Sorsby’s 78.4 PFF grade under pressure led the nation by over two points.
8. Sam Leavitt, LSU
Leavitt will be Lane Kiffin’s first quarterback at LSU after transferring in from Arizona State. He entered the 2025 season as PFF’s No. 2 quarterback in the country but could only play in seven games due to a foot injury. Leavitt developed some bad gunslinger habits when he was on the field, posting a 3.9% turnover-worthy play rate that was significantly higher than the 1.1% mark he had as a redshirt freshman in 2024.
Leavitt’s 87.8 PFF grade over the last two seasons is still seventh among all returning Power Four quarterbacks. He was eighth among all quarterbacks in the nation this year with a 68.0 grade under pressure and 10th with a 6.9% big-time throw rate. If Kiffin can get him to play a little less hero ball, Leavitt can be a top Heisman contender in 2026.
9. Darian Mensah, Miami (FL)
Mensah will play for his third school in three years following a messy divorce with Duke. He’ll now try to bring Miami to similar heights it reached in 2025 when the Hurricanes made it all the way to the National Championship Game. Mensah led all Power Four quarterbacks as a redshirt sophomore with 3,951 passing yards, while his 34 touchdown passes were tied for second in America.
His 85.0 PFF passing grade was also 12th in the country, and his 28 big-time throws were tied for seventh in the FBS. After delivering the Blue Devils their first ACC championship in 36 years, Mensah is the clear favorite to capture the conference title once again in 2026 with Miami.
10. Noah Fifita, Arizona
Fifita is back in the top-10 of this list after a relatively down season in 2024. After posting a career-low 73.1 PFF passing grade that year, he followed it up with a career-high 83.3 passing grade that placed 15th nationally. While Fifita lacks ideal size (5-foot-10, 195 pounds), he did an excellent job of pushing the ball downfield without putting it in harm’s way. His 26 big-time throws were tied for 12th in the country, while his 1.9% turnover-worthy play rate was tied for eighth.
The redshirt senior is one of the most experienced players on this list and is now entering his fourth year as Arizona’s starting quarterback.
Honorable Mention: Gunner Stockton, Georgia
Stockton had big shoes to fill once Carson Beck transferred to Miami (FL), and he performed admirably in his absence. In his first season as Georgia’s starter, Stockton led the Bulldogs to an SEC championship and was the seventh-most valuable quarterback in the nation according to PFF’s wins above average metric.
He had deadly accuracy last year as his 81.2% adjusted completion rate was second in the Power Four to only Julian Sayin. However, it is worth noting that Stockton’s average depth of target was the fourth-lowest in that same group (7.3 yards), so it remains to be seen if he can be that accurate while pushing the ball downfield more.