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College Football's Leading Passer Snubbed From Top 10 QB Rankings

A stat-heavy transfer missed out on the love in a recent QB ranking.
Joe Cox|
Oklahoma State transfer QB Drew Mestemaker has a great stat profile, but is missing some due respect from QB experts.
Oklahoma State transfer QB Drew Mestemaker has a great stat profile, but is missing some due respect from QB experts. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Oklahoma State Cowboys

While preseason player rankings can create a boost of off-season enthusiasm, there's sometimes a down side in ranking players. While contemplating the nation's top passers for 2026, even an expert like ESPN analyst Greg McElroy can miss out on a few players. And while giving plaudits to Julian Sayin and other top QBs, McElroy missed out on one top passer.

McElroy's QB snub

McElroy snubbed the nation's top returning passer in new Oklahoma State QB Drew Mestemaker. A season ago, Mestemaker went from an unknown freshman who had been a zero-star walk-on to one of the most electrifying passers in the nation at North Texas. Mestemaker threw for 4,379 yards and 34 touchdowns.

Mestemaker's credentials

Mestemaker passed for over 200 yards in every game of the season, with a 608 yard passing performance against Charlotte and a 469-yard performance against Rice. Only once all season did Mestemaker fail to throw at least one touchdown-- in a win over Navy.

Mestemaker led the nation in passing by over 400 yards, being the only QB to pass for 4,000 yards in 2025. His 9.5 yards per pass attempt is also tops in college football, ranking him just ahead of Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia and Notre Dame's CJ Carr. Mestemaker's 34 touchdowns tied with Duke QB Darian Mensah for second nationally, trailing only behind Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza.

And when North Texas's successful campaign and Oklahoma State's massive struggles and the firing of Mike Gundy combined, Mestemaker now finds himself headed for the Big 12, where he and coach Eric Morris will be reunited with the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Morris and Oklahoma State put together a massive portal haul, in part raiding the talent that make North Texas one of the most high-octane offenses in college football a season ago. Running back Caleb Hawkins (1,434 yards and 25 TDs) and wide receiver Wyatt Young (70 receptions for 1,264 yards and 10 TDs) were two major factors in the Mean Green's rise who will now be joining Morris and Mestemaker at OK-State.

Some questionable picks over Mestemaker

While Mestemaker was snubbed by McElroy, several QBs with significant questions instead got the nod. Demond Williams was electrifying at Washington as a freshman, but he threw for just three touchdowns and six interceptions in UW's four losses in 2025. Georgia's Gunner Stockton was competent, but failed to pass for 3,000 yards and reached Mestemaker's season average of 9.5 yards per pass in only one game in his 2025 season.

Still, Oklahoma State has a promising program, and a QB in Mestemaker who now can add the fuel of seeking to prove experts wrong in regard to his place in the top passers in college football.

Morris
Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris will be leaning on QB Drew Mestemaker heavily in 2026. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Joe Cox
JOE COX

Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.

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