Indiana Football's 2026 Opponents Feature Every Type of Quarterback Imaginable

Over the course of the 2026 football season, the Indiana Hoosiers will face off against 12 different starting quarterbacks. They range from a potential top 10 NFL draft pick to battling for a starting job on a sub-.500 team.

From Elite Passers to Dangerous Dual-Threats, Indiana Will See It All

Dec 30, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) throws the ball against the TCU Horned Frogs in the first half during the Alamo Bowl at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

12. Ja'Shawn Scroggins, Howard Bison

Year: Redshirt Senior
Career Stats: 25 Games, 118-239, 1,192 passing yards, 8 TDs, 10 INTs, 462 Rush Yards, 5 TDs
Honors: 2025 Preseason 1st Team All-MEAC, 2x MEAC All-Academic Team
Game Information: Sept. 12, Noon, BTN (Bloomington)

Ja'Shawn Scroggins will battle sophomore Terrell Russell for the starting job for the Howard Bison. However, Scroggins has a significant edge in experience, so he should win the job out of fall camp. He is a dual-threat quarterback, but has struggled with turnovers. Indiana's defense has allowed just three points in two games vs. FCS foes under Curt Cignetti.

11. Tayven Jackson, North Texas Mean Green

Year: Redshirt Senior
Career Stats: 27 Games (Indiana, UCF) 304-484, 3,451 passing yards, 16 TDs, 14 INTs, 147 Rush Yards, 8 TDs
Honors: None
Game Information: Sept. 5, Noon, FOX (Piscataway, NJ)

Tayven Jackson was once labeled as the savior of Indiana football after transferring to IU from Tennessee. Trayce Jackson-Davis' brother was a four-star recruit out of high school, but the talent has not materialized. He struggles to process the offense quickly and has thrown 14 interceptions to his 16 touchdowns. After a stop at UCF, Jackson is heading to North Texas to help Neal Brown's Mean Green.

10. Dylan Lonergan, Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Year: Senior
Career Stats: 13 Games (Alabama, Boston College) 190-284, 2,060 passing yards, 12 TDs, 5 INTs, -16 Rush Yards, 1 TD
Honors: Academic All-ACC, ACC QB of the Week (9/5/25)
Game Information: Oct. 4, 8 pm, TBD (Piscataway)

A one-time Nick Saban recruit, Lonergan has bounced from Alabama to Boston College and now to Rutgers. He appeared in just three games in two years with the Crimson Tide and was the main starter for Boston College in 2025. Lonergan has not put it all together, but the tools seem to be there. He completes nearly 68-percent of his passes and has a better than 2:1 touchdown to interception ratio.

9. Ryan Browne, Purdue Boilermakers

Year: Junior
Career Stats: 21 Games, 254-430, 2,789 passing yards, 13 TDs, 14 INTs, 446 Rush Yards, 4 TDs
Honors: Shaun Alexander Player of the Week (Oct. 12, 2024)
Game Information: Nov. 28, TBD, TBD (Bloomington)

Ryan Browne has flashed his potential as a productive quarterback, but the team surrounding him has been in rebuild mode. In 2024, he nearly led Purdue to an upset win over Illinois and, after a spring round-trip transfer to UNC, was handed the starting job in 2025.

Browne helped Purdue's offense improve, but the Boilermakers still went winless in the Big Ten. He can throw well, but has trouble with his accuracy and he can use his legs to both extend plays and as a weapon.

8. Rodney Tisdale, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

WKU — Western Kentucky quarterback Rodney Tisdale Jr. (16) passes the ball as Middle Tennessee cornerback Abdul Muhammad (21) looks on during an NCAA College Football game at Western Kentucky on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Year: Redshirt Sophomore
Career Stats: 9 Games, 52-108, 1,432 passing yards, 9 TDs, 7 INTs, 108 Rush Yards, 2 TDs
Honors: 2025 C-USA Freshman of the Year, 2026 Preseason 3rd Team All-C-USA (Athlon), 4th Team All-C-USA (Phil Steele)
Game Information: Sept. 19, 4 pm, Peacock (Bloomington)

Western Kentucky always has a player who can sling the ball around at quarterback and Rodney Tisdale has the chance to be the next great one. He had an outstanding redshirt freshman season as he took home Conference USA Freshman of the Year honors.

Tisdale threw for 1,432 yards and nine touchdowns in just nine games. He did have some youthful mistakes, throwing seven interceptions. With another year under his belt, Tisdale should be better and a sneaky good pick for your fantasy college football team.

7. Aidan Chiles, Northwestern Wildcats

Year: Senior
Career Stats: 30 Games, 344-561, 4,116 passing yards, 27 TDs, 14 INTs, 452 Rush Yards, 9 TDs
Honors: None
Game Information: Sept. 25, 8 pm, FOX (Bloomington)

Aidan Chiles has all the tools to be a great Big Ten quarterback, but he has struggled to put it all together. He followed Jonathan Smith to Michigan State from Oregon State, but it didn't work out for either of them.

Chiles will now be tutored by Northwestern offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who will look to unlock his talents. When his footwork is good, Chiles can sling it and be a threat with his legs.

6. Drake Lindsey, Minnesota Golden Gophers

Year: Redshirt Sophomore
Career Stats: 16 Games, 250-394, 2,432 passing yards, 19 TDs, 6 INTs, -113 Rush Yards, 4 TDs
Honors: 2025 Academic All-American, Big Ten Freshman of the Week (9/29/25)
Game Information: Oct. 31, TBD, TBA, (Bloomington)

Drake Lindsey is still a youngster, but he helped lead the Gophers to an 8-5 season last year, including a bowl win. Lindsey is not a threat with his legs, but is an accurate passer and will improve with more experience.

5. Bryce Underwood, Michigan Wolverines

Year: Sophomore
Career Stats: 13 Games, 202-335, 2,428 passing yards, 11 TDs, 9 INTs, 392 Rush Yards, 6 TDs
Honors: None
Game Information: Oct. 24, TBD, TBA (Ann Arbor, MI)

If this ranking was based on hype, Bryce Underwood would be at the top. The former top prospect did not live up to that hype in 2025. His sophomore campaign took a hit with an awful spring game, but Michigan has a whole new stuff. Should Underwood put it all together he could take Michigan back to the College Football Playoff.

4. Anthony Colandrea, Nebraska Cornhuskers

Year: Senior
Career Stats: 33 Games (Virginia, UNLV) 627-983, 7,542 passing yards, 49 TDs, 29 INTs, 1,115 Rush Yards, 12 TDs
Honors: 2025 Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year,
Game Information: Oct. 10 TBD, TBD (Lincoln, NE)

Anthony Colandrea is a great plan-c for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who saw Dylan Raiola transfer to Oregon and fromer Notre Dame quarterback Kenny Minchey never made it to campus after committing through the portal.

Colandrea is a true dual-threat quarterback and the numbers speak for themselves. He has Power Four experience after two seasons at Virginia, but really broke through last season at UNLV. The pressure will be on Colandrea to perform as the heat mounts on Nebraska to finally take the next step under Matt Rhule.

3. Demond Williams, Washington Huskies

Year: Junior
Career Stats: 26 Games, 328-459, 4,009 passing yards, 33 TDs, 9 INTs, 893 Rush Yards, 8 TDs
Honors: 2025 All-Big Ten Honorable Mention
Game Information: Nov. 21 TBD, TBD (Seattle, WA)

Demond Williams tried to leave Washington, but returned after he could not get out of his Big Ten revenue-sharing contract. The situation was extremely awkward and the national media is underplaying the impact it may have on his team.

On the field, Williams is a dynamo. There's a reason why he was a hot commodity in the portal. Not only can he throw the ball well, his speed also makes him a very dangerous runner as well.

2. Jayden Maiava, USC Trojans

Year: Redshirt Senior
Career Stats: 34 Games (UNLV, USC) 590-925, 7,997 passing yards, 52 TDs, 26 INTs, 479 Rush Yards, 13 TDs
Honors: 2023 MWC Freshman of the Year, 2nd Team All-MWC (2023) 3rd Team All-Big Ten (2025), 2026 Preseason 3rd Team All-Big Ten
Game Information: Nov. 14 TBD, TBD (Bloomington)

The USC Trojans are known for great offense and quarterbacks. Jayden Maiava is the next in line. He'll need to work on his accuracy and limit his turnovers, but the arm talent is there. Maiava can also affect games with his legs.

1. Julian Sayin, Ohio State Buckeyes

Year: Redshirt Sophomore
Career Stats: 18 Games 306-403, 3,694 passing yards, 33 TDs, 8 INTs, -20 Rush Yards, 0 TDs
Honors: 2025 Heisman Trophy Finalist, 2nd Team All-American (2025), 2nd Team All-Big Ten (2025), 3rd Team Preseason All-American (2026), 2nd Team Preseason All-Big Ten (2026)
Game Information: Oct. 17 TBD, TBD (Bloomington)

Julian Sayin is back for more and is only a redshirt sophomore. Some call his 12-2 season a disappointment because of how the season ended (with losses to Indiana and Miami), but Sayin was a Heisman finalist and the second-best quarterback in the country last year.

Sayin is extremely accurate and can make all the throws a great quarterback needs to make. He does need to shake off the poor performances in the Big Ten title game and College Football Playoff. If he takes the next step, the Buckeyes should be a favorite for the national title.

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