Kirk Herbstreit Reveals His Top 5 Underrated QBs in College Football

Lists and rankings abound this preseason marking who will be the best quarterbacks in college football in the months to come, with high profile names like Arch Manning and Dante Moore and Julian Sayin and Trinidad Chambliss, among others.

But what about those players at the most important position who aren’t getting their due? College GameDay host and veteran analyst Kirk Herbstreit outlined the five most intriguing quarterback prospects who should be getting more attention in 2026.

Big Ten QBs could blaze a trail

Kirk Herbstreit Reveals His Top 5 Underrated QBs in College Football — IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Fans of Maryland and Washington will appreciate Herbstreit pointing out their respective quarterbacks coming into this season.

While the Terrapins may have won only four games a year ago, Malik Washington put together a promising true freshman campaign with just under 3,000 yards passing and at 6-foot-5 and over 230 pounds, a combination of size and skill that could help Maryland take a step forward in the Big Ten this season.

Likewise for Demond Williams, the dynamic Washington quarterback who hit on nearly 70 percent of his passes and totaled 3,065 yards with 25 touchdowns and only 8 picks.

While he loses two valuable skill inputs in wide receiver Denzel Boston and tailback Jonah Coleman, the Huskies bring on a promising group of transfers and will benefit from Williams’ ability to throw on the run, in particular, an edge that will help this offense move the ball against some tough opponents on Washington’s schedule.

Keep your eyes on these QBs going into this 2026 college football season 👀 pic.twitter.com/S9d6JWqliE
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) August 20, 2026

Insurgent ACC quarterback makes the cut

NC State star CJ Bailey could be on the cusp of a breakout season, entering his third year at the school, and put on a good show at this year’s Manning Passing Academy, showing off a 6-foot-6, 220 pound build that will challenge tacklers this season.

Bailey led the Wolfpack to an 8-5 mark a year ago, and sits fifth in the Power Four with 22 career starts, a valuable strain of continuity for a team that needs it after losing some productive pieces from last year’s roster in what will be a competitive ACC title chase.

Man of Troy, under the radar?

USC is still waiting for head coach Lincoln Riley to give this program the great leap forward they’ve been waiting for, and if it happens, Jayden Maiava will clearly play a role in that effort.

Maiava had career highs with 3,711 passing yards, 65.8 percent completion, and 24 touchdowns in his second season with the Trojans, placing fifth nationally in total output and leading what was a top 15 scoring attack.

Some of that and more will not only potentially put Maiava in the Heisman conversation, but should finally get USC back in the national title race.

The most overlooked?

That could be Will Hammond, the returning Texas Tech quarterback who earned high praise from Herbstreit coming out of what has been an active offseason.

Hammond seemed destined for the backup role behind Brendan Sorsby, who transferred from Cincinnati, but a long and winding road found him out of college football and paved the way for Hammond’s return.

That’s despite coming off an ACL tear last season, a development that hasn’t put Herbstreit off naming him a player to watch, especially not with the caliber of blocking and rushing that the Red Raiders return this fall as reigning Big 12 champs.

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