No. 1 QB Named 'Program-Altering Acquisition' for Major College Football Team

The top-rated 2026 quarterback prospect is considered a "program-altering acquisition" for his new team.

A view of a tv camera and the ESPN college football logo before the game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the BYU Cougars | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Roughly six and a half months separate the middle of February from the first weekend of the 2026 college football season.

A new college football season means opportunities for new stars to break out across the college football landscape. One player hoping to emerge as a star in 2026 is quarterback Keisean Henderson, who is entering his freshman season with Houston.

The 6-foot-4, 195-pounder is both the top-rated quarterback and top-rated player, per 247Sports, from the 2026 class. Both Rivals and ESPN 300 ranked Henderson as their No. 1 quarterback, but not their No. 1 overall player; Rivals listed him at No. 2, while ESPN 300 listed him at No. 4.

247Sports scouting analyst Gabe Brooks said Henderson "ideally will get a year or more to acclimate to the college game given the position-specific demand, but projects as an eventual game-changing QB with high-level field vision and awareness, plus skill-player athleticism, who could become a coveted early-round NFL draft candidate," in a scouting report. Brooks' NFL comparison to Henderson is Green Bay Packers' starter Jordan Love.

In honor of Valentine's Day, Carter Bahns of CBS Sports unveiled a list of 10 things to love about the 2026 college football season on Saturday. Bahns listed Henderson as the true freshman he adores going into next season.

"Houston signed the highest-rated recruit in school history and beat a handful of blue bloods in doing so. The excitement around five-star quarterback Keisean Henderson is justified," Bahns wrote.

"This is the kind of program-altering acquisition that could launch Houston into a new realm as a Big 12 championship contender and CFP dark horse as soon as this year. Henderson -- the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2026 class, per 247Sports-- must beat incumbent starter Conner Weigman for the job, so it is no guarantee that he cracks the starting lineup in 2026."

The Cougars are coming off a 10-3 mark in the 2025 season, their best as a Big 12 member and best overall since their 12-2 season in 2021. The Big 12 has opened up considerably since the Cougars joined the conference; since Oklahoma and Texas departed for the SEC in 2024, the league has yet to see a repeat champion.

A road trip to Texas Tech awaits Houston on Sept. 19, but the rest of the Big 12 schedule is very open. The Cougars play five of the six Big 12 teams that finished with losing records in 2025: UCF, Oklahoma State, Colorado, West Virginia and Baylor.

Houston Cougars defensive back Blake Thompson (0) and defensive back Latrell McCutchin Sr. (1) react against the LSU Tigers | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images