The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast - Joel Klatt’s Top 10 Quarterbacks for the 2026 College Football Season

Episode Date: June 22, 2026

Fox Sports’ lead College Football analyst Joel Klatt ranks his Top 10 Quarterbacks heading into the 2026 Season. Will Texas’ Arch Manning grab the top spot in Klatt’s Rankings or will a QB like Ohio State’s Julian Sayin or Oregon’s Dante Moore go into the new season as the #1 QB? Klatt also evaluates where to rank transfer Quarterbacks like LSU’s Sam Leavitt and Miami’s Darian Mensah as well as Curt Cignetti’s latest transfer at Indiana – Josh Hoover.  Get 50% off your first Factor box + Free Breakfast for 1 Year → https://factor-partner.com/49G0oNX Chapters 🏈 0:00-1:05 Klatt ranks his top 10 qbs  1:06-2:05 Number 10  2:06-3:56 Number 9 3:57-5:26 Number 8 5:27-6:48 Number 7 6:49-8:23 Number 6  8:24-9:46 Number 5  9:47-11:17 Number 4 11:18-14:56 Number 3 14:57-17:10 Number 2 17:11-22:20 Number 1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming Ontario. There wasn't a lot surrounding arch. a year ago. They have to be better. And if they are, then he's going to have a big year. I think this is one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the country. I know he made that massive mistake, but this guy has experience. Here's the thing. I think higher of Josh Hoover than I did Fernando Mendoza or Curtis Rourke going into their Indiana season. Hey, what's up everybody? Welcome into the Joel Clatt Show. I'm Joel Clatt. This show is brought

to you by Graduate by Hilton. We're thankful for their support. As always, we roll on here in the off season today. My top 10 quarterbacks in college football, here's how I would draft them. If I had to take one quarterback, you know, multiple quarterbacks, here's how I would list them out. If I had to take one for this season, now, granted, this is going to be a little bit determined about their experience level and what they have coming back on their own teams. So kind of how I would draft them and my projection for the type of season that they would have. So let's get started right now. Here's who I would take. I'm going to start at number 10.

and we'll go to number one. Number 10 is going to be Sam Levitt at LSU. I think Levitt's going to have a great year. He was banged up last year at Arizona State. Folks may not remember how good of a player he is. He's a phenomenal player. He went 16 and 4 at ASU. Tremendous record there.

He made the playoff two years ago. He can throw it and run it. He averaged 50 rush yards per game at ASU. So he's a dual threat guy, and I think that Lane's going to be able to use him really well. And by the way, I keep saying this during the course of the offseason. I think we're going to get to the year and they're going to play that Clemson team and we're going to realize how good of a roster LSU actually has.

Now, granted, it's probably the most expensive roster in college football. But with Levitt and his experience at the helm, his ability to throw it down the field, his ability to run the football, he could have a huge, huge year. Lane's QBs light up the stat sheet. Think about Chambliss last year, Jackson Dart before that. he's going to have a really successful year. So Sam Levitt at number 10. At number nine, I'm going to go with Josh Hoover at Indiana.

Now, I think that this is a tremendous fit. Tremendous fit. He's got a ton of experience. Through it all over the yard at TCU, he averaged over 300 yards per game throw in the football in his 31 starts for Sunny Dykes. So the guy is certainly willing to go out there and produce at a high level. And here's the thing.

I think higher of Josh Hoover, than I did Fernando Mendoza or Curtis Rourke going into their Indiana season. So I think he's in a better position to start the year than either of the previous two Indiana quarterbacks. And we see exactly what they were able to do, including one of the great seasons that we've seen in a long time from Fernando Mendoza a year ago. Hoover can run it. He can do a lot of different things.

By the way, I mentioned the great fit. Nobody threw more RPO passes than Mendoza a year ago in college football, run pass option passes. Second on that list was Josh Hoover. So he does what they're going to do. And they've got Mike Shanahan back as offensive coordinator. They've got Sig there. He's got a good core of wide receivers. Charlie Becker, I think, is going to have a monster year. They've got Andrew Marsh. Everyone has pointed to the turnovers. I understand that. He threw a lot of interceptions at TCU 33 interceptions over the last three years. But as Sig said, in defense of Josh Hoover, I think he's going to have a better run game and he's going to have a better defense than he did a

or in the previous seasons at TCU, that's not a knock against the hornfrogs. I think that's just the reality of what Indiana has from an infrastructure standpoint around him. That's going to be huge. That's going to be huge for him. SIG and Shanahan can coach up scheme. Indiana has the fewest amount of interceptions per game

in the country since those two guys got there. So in the last two years, they don't turn the football over. I think that Hoover can curb those interceptions and he's going to have a great year. So he's at number nine. And number eight, listen, every single week that I study for this season, I get more and more excited about Miami. I think they're going to be fine on the line of scrimmage. And Darian Minsa is a heck of a player.

I mean, a heck of a player. He's on his third school in three years. He started at Tulane, Duke. Now he's in Coral Gables. Led Duke to the ACC title a year ago. Now, granted, that threw everything out of whack. If Duke doesn't win that title and the ACC actually has a real tiebreaker in Miami plays for that, then Notre Dame is likely in the college football playoff.

But that's a tangent for another day. He's not afraid to rip it. Now, this is a guy that will throw it down the field. And when you couple a guy that's willing to chuck it down the field, like Mincea, with a team that likes to run the football, now you get to some play action pass. He led the country and passes over 20 air yards down the field last season. a little bit different than Beck, who typically was just trying to get the ball out quickly. And again, he came into last season with that arm issue.

And so there was some question about how he was going to be able to throw the football down the field. This year, I think Miami is going to be able to attack down the field with a little bit better efficiency. You're going to pair him up with Malachi, Tony, who I think is an incredible player. Mark Fletcher in the backfield behind him, an O line that is a Miami offensive line, even with some of those draft picks leaving. I think they're going to be just fine. I think Minza is going to have a really solid year. so he's at number eight. At number seven,

I think this is one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the country, in particular from a year ago. Jaden Mayaava, USC. Maya was tremendous. He's a huge player. He's six, four, two hundred and thirty pounds. He can run around when he needs to, although he doesn't have to because he's got such great anticipation

and more specifically touch in the middle parts of the field. Now, granted, he's going to have to replace two really good wide receivers. Jacoby Lane on the outside, that one-handed grab that you're watching on YouTube right there, as well as their slot receiver, Mackay Lemon, who is absolutely phenomenal. He's going into his third year, though, in Lincoln Riley's offense.

I think he'll let it loose. He led the country and 25-yard passes last year. Now, granted, he's going to have to find some guys on the outside, but I think that we trust Lincoln Riley and his history to find wide receivers that can go get it on the outside. He's going to have his entire offensive line back from a year ago and a healthy backfield. He's got Wayman Jordan back who was tremendous before his injury,

and King Miller, who came in and ran the football really effectively after Wayman Jordan's injuries. Wide receivers young and talented. We'll see how they are on the outside, but I think Jaden Maiava could have a huge year. So he's at number seven. And again, I'm higher on USC than most. I think this is a team that can make a strong push to nine or ten wins and a push toward the playoff.

At number six, here's a guy that I was really high on a year ago. maybe before most. I had him at number three last year, and here I'm going to put him at six, only because it's a deeper class. I think this is a much better list than we had a year ago. I've got John Mateer from Oklahoma at number six. I was really high on him again last year,

and everything was all systems go before the hand injury. That obviously derailed his season and derailed their offense for a time. They need to run the football better. I don't love the fact that he had to be, everything to that offense, as dynamic as he was, and certainly we saw that against Michigan, that was unsustainable. So they need to get better and more efficient around him, specifically at O-Line and specifically at running back. If they can run the football more effectively with their running backs, he's going to really flourish and certainly could make a push to the

Heisman trophies, that dynamic as a player. Not just a runner. Before he got hurt, he was leading the country in 20-yard completions, so he was throwing the football down the field. He's got his number one guy back, Isaiah Sotania on the outside. So this is a guy that can go get it for him. Year three is a starter in Ben Arbuckle's offense. Every year he's been with Ben Arbuckle, first at Washington State, now at Oklahoma. And I think that that should serve him very well, in particular being in his second year in the SEC, seeing some of these teams. And so I think John Matier is going to have a quality year. This is still a really good player. But like I said, he's moved down more so because of the depth that we have in the class. And you're going to see that in the top five, because at number

five, I've got Notre Dame quarterback, C.J. Carr. C.J. Carr is a really talented player. We saw that a year ago. There's no doubt. Now, the biggest question surrounding Notre Dame, and I talked about this, you know, at times during the course of the off season, is their ability to replace the offense and the production that they got from their run game. Obviously, when you have two guys in the backfield drafted in the first round, Judarian Price, as well as Jeremiah Love, that's going to hurt you. Now, their offensive line should be outstanding. They're going to have great players on the outside. This could be a more throw-oriented team than we've seen in past years at Notre Dame, but he certainly would be the beneficiary of that, and he can pull the trigger on that as well.

He's got what might be the best offensive line in the country, really good group of wide receivers around him, like Jordan Faison, Jaden Greathouse, missed the most of last. season, he's going to be back. And then a couple of transfers who are really talented players, in particular Quincy Porter from Ohio State. The people in Columbus loved Quincy Porter. Jeremiah Smith loved Quincy Porter. He's a guy that could really break out for Notre Dame, in particular if they're an offense that needs to be more throw-centric than run-centric. They'll still try to run the football, and they should be able to. Again, behind that offensive line. But Carr, in this offense, could have a big year, and he's certainly talented enough to do that.

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He's number four on my list. And I get it. He's going to be missing his offensive staff. He's going to be missing some of those players that he had. Do I think that Ole Miss is definitely going to be right back into the mix? I don't know. It's a question mark for me. It is.

However, he's electric. I love watching Trinidad Chambliss play this position. He's got great leadership. we know that. His head coach leaves. He leads them still to the national semifinal. Great leadership qualities and he's obviously great as a player. Once he took over as the starter, we saw that. Even in that Georgia game in the playoff, I mean, this was a shootout. He had to be great and he was. He had over 350 yards against the dogs winning that shootout. It's capable as a runner.

He doesn't just look to bolt though, so he's still going to hurt you with his arm. It's not like one read and go like some of the, other mobile guys. He can definitely be a threat with his legs, but he's absolutely capable of ripping it down the field. I thought he would have been a first round draft pick if he would have come out last year. And I hope he has another one of those seasons. I'm going to bet on him, not necessarily what's surrounding him. Some of these guys, I'm betting on what's surrounding them. And I think it's going to be really good. With him, though, this is a bet on Trinidad. Trinidad is a fantastic player. There's no doubt. And like I said, great leader,

all of his intangibles. I'm a buy on Trinidad, Chambliss. I think. he's phenomenal. So he's at number four. Now we get into the top three. At number three, I'm going to go with Julian Sane at Ohio State. Heisman finalist a year ago. I mean, most efficient passer in the country last year, surgical in his accuracy. If there was one knock, there was really just two things that I felt like held Julian Sane back a year ago. The first one was is that I feel like he was at times, even though you're watching some long passes here on YouTube. He was at times a little bit hesitant to let it rip down the field. There were multiple times when I'd be watching film in preparation for Ohio State games. I'd pause the film and

I'd be like, the throw is there. He's got to take that shot. He's got to take that in particular with the accuracy that he has. Chris Henry should be fantastic as a freshman. And obviously, he's got Jeremiah Love. He's going to have a stable of people to throw to. He's going to have an offensive line that's more experienced. They should have a run game that is more efficient with Bo Jackson being back. He was fantastic. Granted, he was young and ran into two great defenses where they couldn't control the line of scrimmage and then ultimately they fell short.

My only other knock, the first was at times he wouldn't rip it down the field. And then my only other knock was that he was not Will Howard in the short running game where they could just run the quarterback on fourth and short and get a first down and pick it up. He struggled on the quarterback sneak. It hurt them in general offensively because they weren't great in short yardage, whether it was trying to pick up a first down and or goal to go situations. I don't know if that's necessarily going to improve,

although I have heard and seen that Julian has done a lot of work in the weight room and he's a little bit bigger. So if he can just be proficient in the sneak game, in particular in short yardage, that will help the entirety of the offense. And certainly it'll be good for him. Again, though, if he lets it rip when the plays are there. Ryan Day, he designed so many quality plays.

times when Julian just plays safe and checks it down. If he lets it rip, man, he's going to have a huge, huge season. That could be one of if not the best offenses in the country at Ohio State. Hey, Clashow fans, if you follow this show, you know that the college football calendar literally never stops between breaking down film, analyzing rosters and getting ready for the next big matchup. My schedule is absolute chaos year round. Eating right on my busiest days used to be a total disaster, but Factor has solved that for me. They deliver, chef-crafted, dietitian-approved meals straight to your door that are completely fresh and ready to eat in just two minutes, no prep, no grocery runs, and absolutely zero cleanup. It completely removes the mental load

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I'm going to go with Arch at number two. So Arch Manning at Texas is going to be at number two. I love what I saw from Arch in the second half of the year. Granted, the early part of the season was a struggle for him. There's no doubt. And it was a struggle for the entire Texas offense. They did not run the football well enough. They just didn't.

Their offensive line wasn't good enough. Their backs were not good enough. And because of that, I thought that the pressure was on arch. And let's face it, as good as their wide receiver core has been in recent vintage, it wasn't that last year. It should be a lot better this year. In particular with Cam Coleman, I think Cam Coleman might have a monster year for Texas. He is a phenomenal player.

When he was coming out, he and Jeremiah Smith were like right there in recruiting. And he hasn't panned out like Smith has, in part because he's been stuck at Auburn with everything that they've got going on with the issues that they've got in particular at quarterback offensive system. And now he's with Sark. Sark's going to dial it up. Cam Coleman could have a big year. And that will help, Arch Manning. There's no doubt. They rebuilt the running back room as well.

You've got, who is it? You've got the kid Relique Brown. You've got Hollywood Smothers. They brought in some offensive linemen, the right tackle from Wake Forest. If they can get anything out of the run game, that's going to help Arch. We know that he's mobile. The reason that I have him above Julian Sand, even though San was more effective and more efficient last year, is that Arch does bring you that size and running ability, in particular when you need it,

whether it's a scramble or a designed run, he can do that. He can be dynamic with his legs. Julian does not show that. Arch can throw it down the field. I mean, think about that bowl game against Michigan. He had 155 rush yards. So that's why he gets the nod at two over saying. And again, I think that this offense is going to take a huge step forward

and they're going to need to because there wasn't a lot surrounding Arch a year ago. And I know that's tough to say about Texas. You would just assume that they've got all the pieces in place to go out there and be effective. But they didn't last year. They didn't. They have to be better on O line, at the O line. They have to be better in the backfield. And if they are,

then he's going to have a big year. But that leads me to my number one quarterback. If I had to take one quarterback going into the season, it would be Dante Moore at Oregon. I know he made that massive mistake in the semifinal. Snap one throws the pick six to DiAngelo Pons. But this guy has experience. And he's got gifts that you just cannot teach.

He's got the mobility, the ability to rip it down the field. He can make every single throw out there. Think of the Iowa throw to win that game in the rain. in Kinnick last year. And that was a fist fight, man. That was a great game and a great win for Oregon. He's top five in completion percentage a year ago at 72%. So he can be efficient.

He can get the ball down the field. It didn't end well, obviously, but that experience is going to pay off. Now he's got two starts in the playoffs under his belt. He's highly experienced. And this is the exact type of guy that you would want to go into this season, in particular with a team that is veteran around him. he had a lot of really talented players, but they were banged up.

I think they could be better on the outside at wide receiver this year. His wide receiver group should be better as a whole. I think that the backs were tremendous, a lot of young backs back there, and their defense should be outstanding. Outstanding. So Dante Moore is going to be my number one. Again, I've been very high on Oregon this entire offseason. Part of that has been Dante Moore, his experience, what he's learned so far.

all of these guys on this list, they got the experience necessary. Now, Carr didn't get a playoff start, but Chambliss did, Say and did. Manning didn't get a playoff start, but now he's got that back half of the season where he played a lot better. As you know, I'm a big believer in experience. A lot of these guys have that experience to go out and play really well this year. So those are my top 10 quarterbacks. There are a few that I wanted to include. They were kind of my honorable mentions.

I'll list off a few of them. Drew Mestamaker going in at Oklahoma State. He was the nation's leading passer a year ago at North Texas. He's got his entire apparatus going with him up to North, North Texas at Oklahoma State. I think Mestemaker could have a big year. Gunner Stockton at Georgia could have a big year. I highly question what they've got at wide receiver. That is a huge question mark for Georgia.

Are they going to be able to win a shootout? I think that that's unclear at this point in the offseason. DeMond Williams is a dynamic player at Washington. He struggled in big games. When they were in matchup games, when he needed to be great, he would make mistakes. I'm thinking about that Michigan game that I called. He threw a couple of bad interceptions in that game. If he cleans that up, he could have a big year.

A guy that we kind of lost track of because he was just at UCLA, and that was kind of a disaster, at least until they beat Penn State. But Nico Iomaleava is still a very good player. And now he's got the apparatus of Bob Chesney and all of those JMU assistants at his disposal. Again, I'm a bit bullish on UCLA. maybe not a playoff team, but that's certainly going to be a much better team. If there was one team that I was going to look at and say, this is this year's Indiana, the Kurt Signetti mold, a team that has not had a lot of success,

and they bring in their entire staff, rebuild the roster. They've got a good quarterback. It would be UCLA with Bob Chesney and Nico Iommalejava. Rocco Beck at Penn State. He's still with his head coach and offensive coordinator. A lot of those same players he played with at Iowa State. He's going to be there with them in state college with Penn State. I think Rocco Beck could have a big year.

And so those are the guys that I was thinking of right there. I think that this is going to be a big year at quarterback. And you look at this, I think it could be a big year for the Big Ten at quarterback. A lot of these guys are from the Big Ten. Good experience at the top in the SEC for these guys from the SEC. So your main brands, in college football, they've got the guys necessary to pull the trigger to make deep runs, which should produce what I think could be an epic season in college football.

I think we're set up for a phenomenal season. I really do. And a lot of that has to do with a list like this. Remember, I went back to last year's list, and I'm comparing it to this year's list, and I'm like, it's not comparable. This is why everyone's talking about next year's draft for the NFL and all these quarterbacks. Now, here's the thing. It may or may not pan out for all of these guys.

there's a good chance that one or more of these guys on my top 10 flame out. I had DJ Lagway on my top 10 list last year. That didn't work out at all. My number one guy going into last year was Cade Clubnick. Remember how high I was on Clemson? What a miss that was. I mean, a massive miss. So this doesn't automatically mean that these guys are going to be great,

but I think that they've got the potential to be great here. So those are my top 10 quarterbacks going into the 2026 season. I appreciate you being with us the entirety of the offseason. We got episodes every single Monday as we roll into 2026. If you have not subscribed to the channel here on YouTube, please do that. If you're listening to this wherever you get your podcast, rate and review us, that would be awesome. And then follow us on social media wherever you like to social media. At Joel Clat Show, you get all of our content in shorter form.

Have a great week. We'll be back with you next Monday with more offseason content right here at the Joel Clash show.