5 worst quarterback performances so far in college football

While college football media have been handing out laurels for good play in Week 1, who's considering the truly awful QB play? We're not talking about Arch Manning missing some passes, we're talking about some truly embarrassing performances. Here's are five starting QBs who have been miserable so far in 2025.

Preston Stone, Northwestern

How bad was Stone? Well, the other 17 starting quarterbacks in the Big Ten combined to throw three interceptions. Stone threw four. Yes, against Tulane, not only did Stone lead Northwestern to a mere three points, but he personally accounted for five turnovers. In the air, he was 19 for 36 for 161 yards (4.5 yards per attempt) with four interceptions. Add in two fumbles with one lost on the ground. There's nowhere to go but up... except to the bench.

Ben Gulbranson, Stanford

Gulbranson managed to lose to Hawaii in the opener, which means he's the QB for the first Stanford team ever to lose to the Rainbow Warriors. Gulbranson completed only half of his 30 throws and gained just 109 yards in the air for a putrid 3.6 yards per pass attempt. He also threw an interception and saw Stanford take an early loss that the Cardinal really can't afford.

Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati

Sorsby did have a very nice running game in Cincinnati's 20-17 loss to Nebraska. He ran for 96 yards and a pair of touchdowns. But his running was pretty much his only contribution. Sorsby was 13 for 25 through the air for an astonishing 69 yards. That's 2.8 yards per pass attempt. If that wasn't enough, with Cincinnati driving to try to tie or win the game, Sorsby threw an awful interception to end the game. Again, the running was fine, but maybe Sorsby should be a running back.

Zach Calzada, Kentucky

Unlike the other players on this list, Calzada won in Week 1. But the win was mostly despite him. In his first start at Kentucky, Calzada was 10 for 23 for 85 yards (3.7 yards per attempt) and an ugly interception. Pretty much every completed pass was a dump-down to a back or tight end. Calzada's wide receivers ended up with four receptions for 12 yards. That won't win many more games.

Caden Veltkamp, Florida Atlantic

FAU and Velltkamp played Maryland and were given a slight chance at the upset. But Veltkamp threw for four interceptions and gained just 4.7 yards per pass attempt as FAU was crushed 39-7. If there's any good news for Veltkamp, it's that his backup, Zach Gibson, promptly added two more interceptions when he came in the game.