Who are the best quarterbacks in college football? Our ranking tiers after Week 2
With conference play just around the corner, USA TODAY Sports takes early stock of every Power Four quarterback by separating them into tiers ranging from the Heisman favorites to those already in danger of losing their starting spot:
Tier 1: Heisman Trophy leaders
CJ Carr, Notre Dame
After two blowout wins, Carr has seven completions of 25 or more yards, six touchdowns without an interception and is completing 81.3% of his attempts in the second half.
Trinidad Chambliss, Mississippi
Chambliss picked up where he left off in 2025 with 336 passing yards, 60 rushing yards and four scores to beat Louisville in the season opener.
Devon Dampier, Utah
Utah’s offense has dominated against Idaho and Arkansas thanks to Dampier’s 10.4 yards per pass attempt and 81 yards rushing on 4.8 yards per carry.
Josh Hoover, Indiana
The newest Indiana transfer quarterback has eight touchdowns on just 27 attempts. Playing North Texas and Howard helps, but Hoover has been on point.
Jayden Maiava, USC
Maiava is averaging 298.7 yards per game and is hitting on 80.7% of his attempts after breezing through non-conference play.
Arch Manning, Texas
Manning delivered his Heisman moment with a memorable fourth quarter in last week’s comeback against Ohio State.
Darian Mensah, Miami
The former Duke transfer has twice as many touchdowns, eight, as incompletions after wins against Stanford and Florida A&M.
Julian Sayin, Ohio State
It’s hard to pin too much blame on the Buckeyes’ loss to Texas on Sayin’s shoulders. He’ll still be a Heisman factor, though he’ll be coming from behind with Manning in the lead.
Gunner Stockton, Georgia
The Bowl Subdivision leader in efficiency (284.5) could be poised for a breakthrough year, though the Bulldogs have only played Tennessee State and Western Kentucky.
Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State
With his rocket arm and athleticism, Taylor looks like he might be one of the year’s breakout stars and even the best quarterback in the SEC.
Tier 2: All-conference production
Bear Bachmeier, BYU
Bachmeier had 254 yards of total offense and four touchdowns in last week’s conference opener against Arizona.
Rocco Becht, Penn State
The Iowa State transfer has shown his experience with seven touchdowns and no picks in the Nittany Lions’ perfect start.
Anthony Colandrea, Nebraska
The offense has been mostly humming against two MAC teams, with Colandrea showing why his style of play could be the spark Nebraska has been missing.
Ethan Grunkmeyer, Virginia Tech
Grunkmeyer has taken well to the starting job with the Hokies but much harder tests are coming, beginning with Maryland this weekend.
Michael Hawkins Jr., West Virginia
Hawkins is the team’s leading rusher with 199 yards and three touchdowns on 7.7 yards per carry as the Mountaineers have scored 83 points in two wins.
Kevin Jennings, SMU
Jennings led SMU to a win against Florida State but was a little too careless in doing so, putting an early dent in his Heisman candidacy.
Lincoln Kienholz, Louisville
Kienholz went the distance with Chambliss in the opener and has made the most of his starting opportunity after failing to crack the lineup at Ohio State.
Julian Lewis, Colorado
His week-to-week growth, seen in his 366-yard game last weekend against Weber State, has the Buffaloes thinking big with Big 12 play around the corner.
Aaron Philo, Florida
Philo has been off and running against two overmatched teams, with 517 yards, five touchdowns and 12.3 yards per attempt against Florida Atlantic and Campbell.
Beau Pribula, Virginia
His physical approach looks to fit perfectly in Virginia’s preferred style of play, based on Pribula’s 155 passing yards and 110 yards on the ground against North Carolina State to open the season.
Austin Simmons, Missouri
After losing his job at Mississippi, Simmons has grabbed another starting opportunity in the SEC with seven scores and no interceptions through two games — and a rivalry win against Kansas as well.
Malik Washington, Maryland
Seeing that Washington’s growth may determine Maryland’s season and Mike Locksley’s future, his 347 yards and two touchdowns on 82.9% passing against Connecticut is a big positive.
