Projecting Every Big Ten Starting Quarterback Ahead of the 2026 College Football Season

With no spring transfer portal window in 2026, college football rosters for the upcoming season are mostly finalized as of mid-May—barring any extreme cases. That means it’s time to take a look at the most important position on the field for the sport’s top programs: the quarterbacks.

Spring ball is now complete, and with the insight we’ve gained from a busy offseason and early practices, Sports Illustrated will project every Power 4 starting quarterback, as well as a handful of Group of 6 signal-callers over the next couple of weeks. We’ll also include a confidence meter, based on how certain we are that the named quarterback will be the one that trots out onto the field for his team in Week 1.

The Big Ten is the perfect test case for this upcoming season. A handful of high-profile transfers, including one with the defending champion Indiana Hoosiers, will join some of the best returners in the sport in 2026. Let’s dive in.

Illinois: Katin Houser

2025 stats (East Carolina): 65.9% completion rate, 3,300 yards, 19 touchdowns, six interceptions, 146.3 efficiency rating

Confidence Level: High

With three-year starter Luke Altmyer off to the NFL, coach Bret Bielema went portaling to bring Houser back to the Big Ten, where he began his collegiate career. The former four-star recruit played 11 games as a redshirt freshman at Michigan State in 2023, but didn’t stand out during a tumultuous year in East Lansing, going just 2–5 in the games that he started. Houser dropped down to the American and East Carolina, where he blossomed into a far more efficient option for the Pirates. His completion percentage went up five points (60.8% in 2024 to 65.9% in ’25) and he cut down on his interceptions (11 to six), even while playing in three more games.

Indiana: Josh Hoover

2025 stats (TCU): 65.9% completion rate, 3,472 yards, 29 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 153.4 efficiency rating

Confidence Level: High

The Hoosiers will try to strike transfer lightning again as they did with Fernando Mendoza last season. And there’s reason to believe that coach Curt Cignetti could again elevate his quarterback into one of the best in the country. Hoover arrives in Bloomington with far more production than Mendoza did at Cal. He’s less mobile than the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL draft, but has a similar ability to throw downfield, having led the Big 12 in yards per attempt last season. He also led the conference in interceptions and has thrown double-digit picks in his last two years—a facet of his game he’ll need to work on for Indiana to repeat as national champions.

Indiana QB Josh Hoover throws in front of Hoosiers co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri. — Indiana QB Josh Hoover throws in front of Hoosiers co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri during spring practice in March. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iowa: Jeremy Hecklinski

2025 stats: 2 for 2, eight yards

Confidence Level: Low

In the first true battle still unfolding in the conference, the Hawkeyes again find themselves without a clear picture behind center. Mark Gronowski may have brought stability to the position in 2025, but he didn’t bring any new sort of explosiveness to Iowa football. Hecklinski, who won the backup job last season, seems to have the upper hand over Hank Brown, a former Auburn transfer, because of that potential explosiveness. Iowa OC Tim Lester has touted Hecklinski’s ability to make a variety of throws, as well as his skills at evading pressure in the pocket. Still, coach Kirk Ferentz would be rolling the dice by trotting out a QB with as little experience as Hecklinski for matchups against Michigan and Ohio State in the fourth and fifth games of the season.

Maryland: Malik Washington

2025 Stats: 57.7% completion rate, 2,963 yards, 17 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 118.4 efficiency rating

Confidence Level: High

The development of the highly touted recruit in his sophomore season will be paramount for coach Mike Locksley to keep his job beyond this season. And there was plenty to like about his play as a freshman. In what was a transition year, Maryland allowed Washington to throw the football more than any other player in the Big Ten (473 attempts). It translated to just a single conference win, but the flashes Washington showed were encouraging. Maryland needs to be much better around him, particularly on defense to stay competitive in 2026.

Michigan: Bryce Underwood

2025 Stats: 60.3% completion rate, 2,428 yards, 11 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 126.6 efficiency rating

Confidence Level: High

Expectations were sky high for the former No. 1 recruit in his first year in Ann Arbor. And even Underwood would probably admit he failed to meet them. The true freshman struggled against his toughest competition (Oklahoma, USC, Ohio State) and didn’t exactly wow against the bottom half of the Big Ten either. The key to unlocking Underwood is likely two-fold. First, coach Kyle Whittingham will take over following Sherrone Moore’s dismissal and is bringing along former Utah OC Jason Beck, who led the Utes to rank No. 1 in yards per rush (6.02) and No. 5 in scoring (41.3 in points per game) in 2025. Second, Underwood should play a major role in the Wolverines’ rushing attack under Beck—an aspect of his game that went underutilized during his freshman season.

Michigan State: Alessio Milivojevic

2025 Stats: 64.2% completion rate, 1,267 yards, 10 touchdowns, three interceptions, 141.3 rating

Confidence Level: High

Milivojevic took over for Aidan Chiles (who will appear later on this list) for the final four games of the Spartans’ 2025 season and acquitted himself well. Well enough at least to withstand Michigan State’s move to a new head coach in Pat Fitzgerald and a new OC in Nick Sheridan. It was a rather small sample size and against less threatening teams in the Big Ten, but Milivojevic was efficient and protected the football. The one area of improvement, which lies more with Michigan State’s offensive line, would be taking fewer sacks. The redshirt freshman took 14 in four starts last season.

Minnesota: Drake Lindsey

2025 Stats: 63.2% completion rate, 2,382 yards, 18 touchdowns, six interceptions, 126.9 efficiency rating

Confidence Level: Medium

By quite a few metrics, Lindsey was the best freshman among those who started last season in the Big Ten. He was the most efficient, albeit while taking the least amount of risks downfield, and protected the football well. It’s worth noting that Lindsey was arrested in early May in Arkansas under suspicion of possession of alcohol and possession of fake identification. It’s hard to imagine that’ll affect his availability for the Gophers, but if it does in any way, redshirt junior Max Shikenjanski should be the next man up.

Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey was the best freshman last season in the conference. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Nebraska: Anthony Colandrea

2025 Stats (UNLV): 65.9% completion rate, 3,469 yards, 23 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 149.5 efficiency rating

Confidence Level: High

Colandrea underwent somewhat of a rehabilitation season at UNLV after a pair of up-and-down years at Virginia and the move did wonders for his perception around college football. A true dual threat, he averaged over five yards per carry (sacks included) and scored 10 times on the ground in addition to having his cleanest year as a passer. It’s a massive philosophy change for coach Matt Rhule after back-to-back years with now-Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola. But the Huskers will hope that change can finally lead to a breakthrough in Rhule’s fourth year on the job.

Northwestern: Aidan Chiles

2025 Stats (Michigan State): 63.1% completion rate, 1,392 yards, 10 touchdowns, three interceptions, 134.0 efficiency rating

Confidence Level: High

The aforementioned Chiles never quite pieced it together under former Oregon State and Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith. But he’ll get one last shot in Evanston and get to do so with one of college football’s masterminds of offense: Chip Kelly. The 62-year-old returned to the Big Ten after an ill-fated, one-year stint with the Raiders and will try to revive a Wildcats’ offense that hasn’t ranked higher than 93rd in scoring in the past decade. Chiles is a tremendous athlete with a big arm, but he’ll need to clean up his penchant for turnovers to be successful in his final year.

Ohio State: Julian Sayin

2025 Stats: 77.0% completion rate, 3,610 yards, 32 touchdowns, eight interceptions, 177.5 efficiency rating

Confidence Level: High

The Buckeyes again will be in the mix for a national championship in 2026 and Sayin is a major reason why. Sure, it helps to have the likes of Jeremiah Smith and Bo Jackson, plus new arrival Chris Henry Jr., but Sayin did an exceptional job getting the ball to his playmakers. He led the Big Ten in completions and all of FBS in completion percentage. Some potential flaws became apparent in Ohio State’s two most important games in 2025 (the Big Ten championship and the Cotton Bowl) when he combined for three interceptions and 10 sacks taken. But with big-game experience now in his back pocket, Sayin projects to be a potential top-five QB in all of college football.

Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin (10) laughs as the team huddles during a spring practice in April. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oregon: Dante Moore

2025 Stats: 71.8% completion percentage, 3,565 yards, 30 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 163.7 efficiency rating

Confidence Level: High

Moore spurned being a potential top-five pick in the 2026 NFL draft to get another year of seasoning and that bodes well for the Ducks. In his first full season as the Oregon starter, the ex-UCLA quarterback had some truly special moments. The issue? Against his toughest competition, Moore struggled. Against Indiana (twice), Texas Tech and Iowa, he threw more interceptions (five) than touchdowns (three) and was sacked 11 times. If he wants to solidify himself atop the ’27 draft, and deliver Oregon back to the College Football Playoff in the process, he’ll need to be cleaner against his toughest competition.

Penn State: Rocco Becht

2025 Stats (Iowa State): 60.5% completion rate, 2,584 yards, 16 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 134.8 efficiency rating

Confidence Level: High

Coach Matt Campbell will bring his three-year starter at Iowa State with him to State College for one last ride. And 2025 was a rough season for Becht. The Iowa State line wasn’t nearly as good as it was in years past, resulting in a career low in passing yards and efficiency rating for Becht as well as a career high in sacks taken (21). But the tools have been there in the past. Plus, Becht is a winner. He went 26–13 as a starter with the Cyclones and obviously has the sort of rapport with Campbell that leads to success. The question will be what Penn State is able to put around him in Year 1 of a new regime.

Purdue: Ryan Browne

2025 Stats: 58.9% completion rate, 2,153 yards, nine touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 115.3 efficiency rating

Confidence Level: Medium

There was some temptation to lower this confidence level based on how Browne’s first full year as the starter went, but the Boilermakers have very little experience at the position otherwise. There’s no doubt that he has intriguing tools, standing at 6' 4" and with a solid ability to run as well. And yet he’s gone 2–12 as a starter and thrown more interceptions than touchdowns. Coach Barry Odom would desperately like to improve upon his first year at the helm and that will start with the play of his quarterback.

Rutgers: Dylan Lonergan

2025 Stats (Boston College): 66.9% completion rate, 2,025 yards, 12 touchdowns, five interceptions, 137.2 efficiency rating

Confidence Level: Low

This is perhaps the most interesting battle in the Big Ten—and yes, it’s happening at Rutgers. Lonergan gets the nod ever so slightly based on his experience over AJ Surace, a rising junior who’s seen very little game action. But reports suggest that this competition is neck-and-neck going into the summer given Surace’s familiarity with the system. Still, it’s hard to see Lonergan at least not getting a shot in Week 1 against UMass—and then perhaps in a revenge game the following week against Boston College.

Dylan Lonergan gets the slight nod at starter for Rutgers. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

UCLA: Nico Iamaleava

2025 Stats: 64.4% completion rate, 1,928 yards, 13 touchdowns, seven interceptions, 123.5 efficiency rating

Confidence Level: High

Iamaleava was a low-hanging target of criticism during the Bruins’ horrid start to last season, but down the stretch, he played much better. He threw nine touchdowns compared to four interceptions over UCLA’s final seven games and became even more potent on the ground, as evidenced by the win over Penn State (128 yards and three rushing touchdowns) and a close loss to Nebraska (86 yards). Iamaleava will have to adjust to a third OC in just two years with Jerry Neuheisel now at Northwestern, but new UCLA head coach Bob Chesney showed he could get plenty out of a similar archetype of quarterback in Alonza Barnett III at James Madison.

USC: Jayden Maiava

2025 Stats: 65.8% completion rate, 3,711 yards, 24 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 157.8 efficiency rating

Confidence Level: High

This certainly feels like the year for USC to finally make a push for the CFP and having evidence of a full Maiava season is a major reason why. The Trojans quarterback aired it out often in 2025, leading the Big Ten in passing yards and yards per completion (14.0). It helped that he had one of the best receivers in the sport in Makai Lemon, but his career-best efficiency rating suggested that he was processing at a higher level as well. The Trojans will be tested in the regular season but if they can get through the gauntlet, they’ll be rewarded.

Washington: Demond Williams Jr.

2025 Stats: 69.5% completion rate, 3,065 yards, 25 touchdowns, eight interceptions, 161.0 efficiency rating

Confidence Level: High

It feels like Williams’s attempted escape from Seattle was ages ago. But Washington put its foot down, reportedly threatened to enforce the roughly $4 million contract Williams had signed and brought back the electric quarterback for another year. There’s been some serious attempts to smooth things over publicly, but what the actual dynamic between Jedd Fisch’s staff and Williams will have to be seen in the opening weeks. Williams is wildly talented, even if he takes too many sacks (31 in 13 games last season). Winning early could cover up any lingering tension from a bizarre offseason.

Wisconsin: Colton Joseph

2025 stats: 59.7% completion rate, 2,624 yards, 21 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 152.7 efficiency rating

Confidence Level: High

The Badgers made a commitment in the offseason to coach Luke Fickell and doubled down by pursuing one of the most highly touted Group of 6 QBs in Joseph. Though his passing numbers may not pop off the page, his total production on offense certainly does. Joseph rushed for 1,007 yards and 13 touchdowns, all while taking just 16 sacks in his sophomore season, a prospect that should frighten the rest of the Big Ten. He finished eighth in FBS with over 300 yards of offense per game and was named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year.

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