The 2025 college football season is only weeks away, but it’s never too early to look at the NFL Draft prospects for next year. Those who will draft-eligible at the end of the year are looking to make their mark on the season — particularly at the quarterback position.
There are several players who already stand out above the rest entering the season. However, there’s a large group of QBs that could possibly hear their name called next April.
Ahead of the 2025 season, Phil Steele ranked the top 25 quarterbacks who are eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft. Here’s how the list shakes up.
Nussmeier is coming off a 2024 season in which he led LSU to a 6-1 start. The Tigers looked to be in contention for a spot in the College Football Playoff before three consecutive losses in SEC play hindered their postseason bid. LSU ended up finishing the season with a 9-4 record during Nussmeier’s first season as starting quarterback.
He finished the season with 4,052 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. It was a great start for the senior from Lake Charles, but he has one more opportunity to lead his team to the CFP.
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Manning threw for 939 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions during his redshirt freshman season in 2024. Most of that production came across three games in September while former Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers nursed an injury.
There has been speculation that he won’t declare for the draft after this season. If he does, he’ll be one of the top QBs in his class. First, he needs to prove himself at the college level. Texas will kick its 2025 regular season off against the reigning national champion Ohio State Buckeyes during Week 1.
2024 was Klubnik’s second season as the team’s starting quarterback, where he finished the season with over 3,600 passing yards and impressively, 36 touchdowns compared to six interceptions. His QBR (78.7) was ranked 12th-best in the country at the end of the season.
He helped lead the Tigers to its first College Football Playoff berth since 2019, and is widely expected to do the same again in 2025. Afterward, he figures to be one of the first QBs taken off the board.
Sam Leavitt’s first season at ASU came with great success. Not only did he help lead the Sun Devils to the College Football Playoff and a Big 12 Championship, but he did so while being one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the nation with an 80.0 QBR — top 10 nationally.
He passed for 2,885 yards on a 61.7% completion percentage to go along with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions. Leavitt added 443 yards and five touchdowns on the ground as Arizona State’s second-leading rusher.
LaNorris Sellers vs. Alabama (Gary Cosby Jr. / Imagn Images)
After redshirting during his true freshman season in 2023, Sellers didn’t disappoint during his first campaign as the Gamecocks starting QB. In 2024, Sellers completed 65.6% of his passes for 2,534 yards and 18 touchdowns compared to seven interceptions. He also finished as South Carolina’s second-leading rusher on the team with 674 yards and seven touchdowns last season.
It’s no surprise that Sellers jumped up NFL Draft boards after his success last season. All signs point toward another breakout season for the quarterback in Columbia this fall.
Drew Allar turned down the opportunity to turn pro at the end of last season. However, he’s returning to Happy Valley for one reason — to win it all.
2025 will be Allar’s third season as the Nittany Lions’ starting quarterback. He led Penn State to the national semifinal while throwing for 3,327 yards and 24 touchdowns compared to eight interceptions last season.
Beck transferred to Miami after suffering a season-ending UCL injury on the final play of the first half of Georgia’s win over Texas in the SEC Championship. He would not be able to participate in the College Football Playoffs, and opted to test his luck in the transfer portal after the Bulldogs’ season concluded.
Beck finished the 2024 campaign with 3,485 yards and 28 touchdowns while throwing 12 interceptions. He originally declared for the 2025 NFL Draft, but withdrew his name before committing to the ‘Canes.
Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images
Iamaleava threw for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns, along with five interceptions, in 2024 while helping Tennessee to a 10-3 record and a first-round appearance in the CFP. This year, he’ll be looking to do the same for UCLA.
His headline-making departure from Knoxville and subsequent move back home to the west coast is arguably the biggest storyline heading into the season. All eyes will be on the Bruins as they begin the 2025 season.
2025 will be Haynes King’s sixth season of college football, and third with the Yellow Jackets. He played 11 games last season for Georgia Tech and has been the program’s starter since he arrived on campus ahead of the 2023 season.
King will be one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft. He has over 6,500 career passing yards and 50 passing touchdowns. He has 22 rushing touchdowns to his credit as well — 21 of which coming with Georgia Tech.
Rocco Becht was one win away from leading the Cyclones to the College Football Playoff in 2024. It was Iowa State’s first 11-win season in program history.
2025 will be his third season as the Iowa State starting quarterback. He’s gotten better in each season he’s been with the Cyclones, and it’s hard to believe he’ll fall off during his fourth season at the college level.
11. Miller Moss, Louisville
12. Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati
13. Taylen Green, Arkansas
14. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
15. Behren Morton, Texas Tech
16. Avery Johnson, Kansas State
17. Luke Altmyer, Illinois
18. Mark Gronowski, Iowa
19. Jake Retzlaff, Tulane
20. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M
21. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
22. Josh Hoover, TCU
23. Eli Holstein, Pitt
24. John Mateer, Oklahoma
25. Jalon Daniels, Kansas