Big Ten Starting Quarterback Projections for All 18 Teams in 2026

Iowa and Rutgers still have not settled their competitions, and eight schools are breaking in a passer they did not have last fall.

UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) throws the ball during the spring game at Rose Bowl. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Big Ten enters 2026 with eight new starting quarterbacks and two jobs still open in the middle of August.

Ohio State and Oregon return the two best passers in college football. Indiana and Penn State bought new ones out of the portal. Iowa and Rutgers are still sorting theirs out in camp.

Below is a projection for each team, showing the numbers each quarterback brings into the season and what he needs to do to hold the job.

Illinois: Katin Houser

East Carolina Pirates quarterback Katin Houser (4) throws the ball against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Houser started his career at Michigan State and spent the last two seasons at East Carolina. He threw for 3,300 yards, 19 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2025. That production earned him the Illinois job after Luke Altmyer graduated.

Houser has already played Big Ten football, and it didn't go well the first time. But he is four years older now, and Illinois has enough talent around him that he doesn't need to carry the offense by himself.

Indiana: Josh Hoover

Indiana's Josh Hoover (10) during Indiana University's football camp practice on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Curt Cignetti has brought in a new portal quarterback in each of his three seasons in Bloomington. Hoover is the latest, arriving from TCU. He threw for over 3,400 yards in 2024 and over 3,900 yards in 2025.

The Horned Frogs built their offense around pushing the ball down the field, which is what Hoover does best. Indiana ran a similar attack with Fernando Mendoza. So the fit is clean, and Hoover steps into a defending national champion roster.

Iowa: Jeremy Hecklinski

Iowa quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski (10) passes the football April 25, 2026 during the team’s spring practice at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Kirk Ferentz hasn't named a starter. At Big Ten Media Days, he said the staff doesn't know the answer yet and may not know until the season begins. The competition is between Hecklinski and Hank Brown.

Hecklinski gets the projection here because he moves better, and Iowa wants a run-first offense that can keep drives alive. One negative? He's thrown for eight career yards. Yes, eight. Brown, a 6-foot-4 Auburn transfer, went 11 of 21 for 107 yards in three games last season.

Maryland: Malik Washington

Maryland quarterback Malik Washington (7) throws a pass against Michigan State | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Washington won the Maryland job as a true freshman and started every game. He threw for 2,963 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions and added over 300 rushing yards. He did that without much help around him.

Year 2 matters more, because Mike Locksley is coaching for his job in College Park. Washington has to cut the turnovers to move into the top tier of Big Ten passers, but the arm and the poise are already there.

Michigan: Bryce Underwood

Michigan Wolverines quarterback Bryce Underwood (19) throws the ball against the Texas Longhorns. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Underwood was the No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class, and his first season in Ann Arbor didn't match that billing. The year ended with Sherrone Moore losing his job, with Kyle Whittingham taking over and giving Underwood a dedicated quarterbacks coach, former NFL QB Koy Detmer, something the Wolverines lacked a year ago.

Michigan's schedule is brutal, so Underwood will have to prove he can play well against the Big Ten's better defenses.

Michigan State: Alessio Milivojevic

Michigan State's Alessio Milivojevic wars up before the football Spring Showcase. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Milivojevic replaced Aidan Chiles for the final three games of 2025 and gave the Spartans' offense a lift. He threw for 1,267 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions in his second season in East Lansing.

A-Mili isn't going to hurt anyone with his legs, but he protected the football, and Michigan State hasn't had that at quarterback in a while. Pat Fitzgerald now has a full offseason to build the offense around him.

Minnesota: Drake Lindsey

Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Drake Lindsey (5) against the New Mexico Lobos. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Lindsey set Minnesota freshman passing records last season, finishing with 2,382 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. The problem was the schedule. He struggled in all three games against ranked opponents, facing Ohio State, Iowa and Oregon.

Those are the games that will define his second season as the starter. The Gophers expect a step forward, and Lindsey has the arm to make it. He needs to show it against defenses that can match Minnesota's speed.

Nebraska: Anthony Colandrea

UNLV Rebels quarterback Anthony Colandrea (10) pitches the ball against the Ohio Bobcats. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dylan Raiola transferred to Oregon, so Nebraska went to the portal and landed Colandrea. He started at Virginia before playing last season at UNLV under Dan Mullen. Colandrea threw for 3,459 yards, 23 touchdowns and nine interceptions and rushed for 649 yards and 10 scores.

That dual-threat production travels well, presumably giving the Huskers some much-needed flexibility in the red zone. The question is whether it holds up against Big Ten defenses, because Colandrea was inconsistent during his time in the ACC.

Northwestern: Aidan Chiles

Michigan State Spartans quarterback Aidan Chiles (2) warms up before the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chiles has now been at three schools. He followed Jonathan Smith from Oregon State to Michigan State, then got benched for the final three games last season.

Northwestern is his reset, and he lands with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. He's got a big arm, and Chiles can escape pressure and create outside the pocket. Consistency has been the issue at every stop. The Wildcats roster is thinner than the top of the conference, which makes the job harder.

Ohio State: Julian Sayin

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) participates in the third day of training camp at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Sayin threw for 3,610 yards, 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions in his first year as the starter. He led the Big Ten in completions and all of FBS in completion percentage. He also threw three interceptions and took 10 sacks across the Big Ten championship game and the Cotton Bowl.

Sayin returns with All-World wideout Jeremiah Smith, and both could make a Heisman case.

Oregon: Dante Moore

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore celebrates after a reception during a youth football camp. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Moore threw for 3,565 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions and was projected as a top-three pick before choosing to return to Eugene. He led the nation in passing grade on deep throws and tied for the most big-time throws in FBS.

Oregon then added Raiola behind him, giving the Ducks the deepest quarterback room in the country. Moore is among the favorites to go first overall in the 2027 NFL Draft.

Penn State: Rocco Becht

Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht talks with reporters during football media day in Holuba Hall | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Matt Campbell left Iowa State for Penn State and brought his quarterback with him. Becht started three straight seasons for the Cyclones and already knows every detail of Campbell's system. He threw for over 3,000 yards twice before slipping to just over 2,500 last season.

James Franklin lost his job after a bad year in State College, so Campbell inherits a rebuild. Having a veteran like Becht who doesn't need to learn the offense speeds that up.

Purdue: Ryan Browne

Purdue Boilermakers quarterback Ryan Browne (15) throws a pass during the fourth quarter against the Indiana Hoosiers at Ross-Ade Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Browne threw for 2,153 yards with nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season, and he also rushed for 206 yards and four scores. He entered the transfer portal and returned to West Lafayette.

Turnovers are likely to be a huge problem again, and Purdue hasn't won a Big Ten game since 2023. Browne has more starting experience than most of the quarterbacks in the conference's bottom tier, and he is also the only real option on the roster.

Rutgers: Dylan Lonergan

Boston College Eagles quarterback Dylan Lonergan (9) looks to pass against the Syracuse Orange | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Lonergan transferred from Boston College after starting there in 2025. He completed 66.9% of his passes for 2,025 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions, with a career-high 390 yards and four touchdowns against Michigan State.

AJ Surace is still in the competition and has more time in Kirk Ciarrocca's offense, which Ciarrocca has said is difficult to learn quickly. But Surace has thrown just nine career passes.

UCLA: Nico Iamaleava

UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) reacts during the spring game at Rose Bowl. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Iamaleava's first season with the Bruins produced 1,929 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions, plus 505 rushing yards and four scores. That is well below what he showed at Tennessee.

Bob Chesney is now the head coach. The team brought in former NFL QB Derek Carr as a special assistant, and the staff turnover gives Iamaleava a fresh start in his second year in Westwood. The physical tools that made him a five-star recruit haven't gone anywhere. UCLA becomes a difficult matchup if he plays like it.

USC: Jayden Maiava

Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) and head coach Lincoln Riley react after the game against the UCLA Bruins. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Maiava averaged over 285 passing yards per game last season, which ranked sixth nationally. He topped 300 yards four times and had one game over 400.

Lincoln Riley's offense lets him play fast and attack down the field, and Maiava has the arm strength to hit any throw the scheme asks for. Riley needs a big season in Los Angeles. Maiava is the reason the Trojans can deliver one, and he belongs in the Heisman conversation.

Washington: Demond Williams Jr.

Washington Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. (2) is forced out of bounds by Boise State Broncos defensive back Jeremiah Earby. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Williams threw for 3,065 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions in his first season as the starter and ran for 611 yards and six scores. The Huskies didn't win as much as they wanted, and little of that was on him.

The offseason was, in a word, complicated. Williams signed a contract with Washington and then pushed to enter the portal before returning. He now has to rebuild trust inside the locker room while playing at the same level.

Wisconsin: Colton Joseph

Wisconsin quarterback Colton Joseph (1) is shown during practice at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Luke Fickell hasn't found steady quarterback play in Madison, so he went on to win Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year. Joseph threw for 2,624 yards and 21 touchdowns with 10 interceptions at Old Dominion, and he rushed for 1,007 yards and 13 more scores.

Carter Smith and Danny O'Neil are also on the roster, and both could see snaps. The job is Joseph's to lose, and the run threat changes what Wisconsin can call.