Behind The Numbers: How Many Top FCS Quarterbacks Are Returning For The 2026 Season?

The quarterback position will be loaded at the FCS level for the 2026 season.

Youngstown State quarterback Beau Brungard (12) | Youngstown State Athletics

In this article, we are going to take a look at the most important position in football and what the landscape looks like for the FCS in 2026.

I pulled the Top 100 FCS quarterbacks by Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade, who played at least 200 snaps last season. Then I separated these quarterbacks into five different categories: Returning to their team, graduated out of Division I football, FCS transfers, FBS transfers, and still in the transfer portal.

After breaking down all the data, this is what we are left with as of Jan. 29. Out of the Top 100 FCS quarterbacks from last season:

• 44 FCS quarterbacks are returning
• 31 FCS quarterbacks graduated
• 5 quarterbacks have transferred to another FCS program
• 14 quarterbacks have transferred to an FBS program
• 6 FCS quarterbacks are still in the transfer portal

That means that at least 71% of the Top 100 FCS quarterbacks from last season, who were eligible to return, are returning to the FCS level for the 2026 season. A surprising 64% are returning to their own schools, while only 20% of the top FCS quarterbacks, who had eligibility remaining, transferred up to the FBS level.

It should also be noted that some of the FCS quarterbacks in the portal could return to their previous school, or even transfer to another FCS program. A few players in that group of six are seeking another year of eligibility from the NCAA and may not receive a waiver, therefore entering the group of quarterbacks who have graduated.

This group contains two extremely notable players in Alabama State quarterback Andrew Body and Western Carolina's Taron Dickens. Body was named the SWAC Offensive Player of the Year and the Stats Perform HBCU National Player of the Year last season. Dickens was a Walter Payton Award finalist, finishing 2nd behind Youngstown State's Beau Brungard.

Alabama State quarterback Andrew Body (1) looks to pass against Miles College | Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Looking at the top conference in the FCS, the Missouri Valley Football Conference is set to return seven of its 10 starters from last season, and none of the quarterbacks with eligibility left transferred out.

If we go back to the top FCS quarterbacks in the country and zoom into the Top 20 per PFF, eight of the 20 are returning to their school, while eight had their eligibility expire. That means only four of the Top 20 FCS quarterbacks decided to enter the transfer portal, and two of them are still in the portal now.

This number could change, but right now, 66% of the eligible top FCS quarterbacks are returning. The portal has certainly hurt some of the programs in the FCS, but it's a misnomer to think that every good player is doomed to leave for greener pastures.

There's going to be plenty of talent at the quarterback position in the 2026 season. Most notably, Youngstown State quarterback Beau Brungard, who won the Walter Payton Award last season with 4,702 total yards and 54 total touchdowns. He could become the first player to win the award in back-to-back seasons since Jeremiah Briscoe in 2016-17.

Montana Grizzlies quarterback Keali'I Ah Yat (8) carries the ball and scores a touchdown against the Montana State Bobcats | Michael Thomas Shroyer-Imagn Images

Below are the Top 15 returning FCS quarterbacks, according to PFF.

1. Beau Brungard (Youngstown State)
2. Justin Lamson (Montana State)
3. Devin Farrell (Rhode Island)
4. Ty Pennington (Northern Arizona)
5. Hayden Johnson (Lehigh)
6. Chris Parson (Austin Peay)
7. DJ Williams (Southern Illinois)
8. Keali'i Ah Yat (Montana)
9. Grayson Saunier (Dartmouth)
10. Collin Hurst (Presbyterian - Transferred to West Georgia)
11. Dom Nankil (San Diego)
12. Chase Mason (South Dakota State)
13. Brennan Myer (Bryant)
14. Nate Bell (Eastern Washington)
15. Jordan Cooke (Idaho State)

* Jake Schakel and Kaden Rolfsness are also on Eastern Washington's roster and started games in 2025. They should fight for the starting job in 2026.

* Other notable returners: Jerry Kaminski (North Dakota), Joshua Wood (Idaho), Andrew Indorf (Towson), Quinn Boyd (Stony Brook), Dante Reno (Yale)

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