Ranking Every Big Ten Quarterback Situation for 2026

The gulf is wide as ever in the Big Ten in 2026 between the "haves" and "have-nots" at the quarterback position.

At the top of the conference, there are at least five QBs who could legitimately play their way into the Heisman Trophy race next season and perhaps even a couple more if they surprise in a new setting or with a new coaching staff.

At the bottom of the league, though, it's bleak.

It's at least possible, as it plays out, that the projected bottom handful of teams in the Big Ten may all have worse starting quarterbacks than any SEC team this year.

That may be a premature evaluation, as there is a lot of QB turnover in the bottom half of the conference, but all we can do in March is project and apply logic and reason.

With that, here is our full ranking of the Big Ten quarterback situations 1-18, with spring practices underway for most teams.

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin was excellent as a first-year starter in 2025. — Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin was excellent as a first-year starter in 2025 and will look to take another step in his development this year. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

1. Ohio State QB Julian Sayin

The top of this list is so strong that it's possible that the postseason ranking of the first handful of spots looks entirely different than our initial ordering. But it only makes sense to start with the lone returning Heisman Trophy finalist.

Sayin was the favorite for college football's top prize at a point last year before finishing fourth in the final voting. In his first season as a starter, he led all FBS quarterbacks in completion percentage (77.0%) by a wide margin while passing for 3,610 yards, 32 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.

He threw 3 picks in his first three games while settling into the role as a redshirt-freshman and then just 2 more the rest of the regular season.

The ending wasn't great, though. Sayin threw a costly interception early in Ohio State's 13-10 Big Ten championship loss to Indiana and then tossed 2 INTs -- including a pick-6 -- in a 24-14 CFP quarterfinals loss to Miami.

Those were Sayin's first experiences in the postseason spotlight and against two of the very best defenses in the country, and he still threw for 258 and 287 yards in those games, respectively.

There's no reason to think he won't learn and grow from those moments and be even better as a returning starter in 2026 -- especially with one of the best wide receivers in college football, Jeremiah Smith, still around.

Also, Buckeyes coach Ryan Day has challenged Sayin to be more mobile and make plays with his legs, which he almost never did in 2025. "We know that's the X-factor that has to show up this year," Day said.

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore decided to hold off a year on the NFL and return to the Ducks for another season. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

2. Oregon QB Dante Moore

Moore would have been one of the first two or three quarterbacks taken in the 2026 NFL Draft had he chosen to come out of college, but he opted to return to Oregon for one more season and another shot at a national championship -- and perhaps the Heisman Trophy.

The former five-star recruit sat behind Dillon Gabriel for a year at Oregon after transferring in from UCLA, then got his shot to run the offense in 2025. Moore completed 71.8% of his passes for 3,565 yards, 30 TDs and 10 INTs with 2 rushing TDs.

Moore certainly has plenty of room for growth still, though, and he deserves some of the same scrutiny Sayin has received for not being at his best in the biggest games.

Moore fell out of the Heisman race early last year after tossing 2 picks in the 30-20 mid-October loss to Indiana at home. He threw for just 86 yards in a 21-7 win over Wisconsin and 112 yards and an INT in an 18-16 win at Iowa, but he was 5 of 6 for 47 yards on the game-winning field goal drive in that one.

Dante Moore. Absolute nails. pic.twitter.com/l96LP1sWxP
— Chris Marler (@Vern_Funquist) November 8, 2025

In Oregon's three CFP games, Moore threw for 313 yards, 4 TDs and 2 INTs in the win over James Madison, 234-0-1 in the blowout of Texas Tech and 285-2-1 in the lopsided 56-22 loss in the rematch with Indiana.

There's still more upside in Moore's arm, no question.

He'll have a new offensive coordinator in 2026 as Drew Mehringer was promoted internally to replace Will Stein, who left to become Kentucky's head coach. He also loses a projected first-round NFL draft pick in tight end, Kenyon Sadiq.

But Oregon always is loaded with talent at wide receiver, and will continue to be led by its ground attack, providing plenty of support for Moore to thrive and continue to grow as a playmaker.

Former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover has big shoes to fill at Indiana in replacing Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

3. Indiana QB Josh Hoover

It's a little surprising how much Hoover has been overshadowed by other high-profile transfers this cycle (like Sam Leavitt to LSU, Darian Mensah to Miami, even Brendan Sorsby to Texas Tech), but he's as experienced and prolific as any quarterback that changed teams this offseason.

A three-year starter at TCU, Hoover has 9,629 career passing yards, 71 TDs and 33 INTs, plus 8 rushing TDs. His passing lines in the last two seasons were nearly identical:

2024: 66.5% for 3,949 yards, 27 TDs, 11 INTs, 8.4 YPA, 151.1 passer rating in 13 games

2025: 65.9% for 3,472 yards, 29 TDs, 13 INTs, 8.4 YPA, 153.4 passer rating in 12 games

He was fourth nationally last season in passing yards per game (289.3), tied for 20th in yards per attempt and 22nd in passer rating.

That Hoover to Dwyer connection 🤌 pic.twitter.com/IonmVK1jjw
— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) September 2, 2025

The one knock on Hoover is that he can be a bit of a gunslinger and take chances downfield, which leads to his higher interception numbers, but that was also partly a product of TCU's style and team makeup. The Horned Frogs ranked 72nd in scoring defense last season, giving up 25.3 PPG, and often needed to take chances on offense to keep pace.

Hoover now goes to an Indiana team that has been built with the complete opposite philosophy under coach Curt Cignetti, as the Hoosiers have had an elite defense and asked their quarterbacks to prioritize efficiency and decision-making.

Those were the hallmarks of Fernando Mendoza's Heisman-winning season in 2025, and it only stands to reason that Hoover will assimilate more into that mold than he was ever asked to at TCU -- while still putting his plus arm talent to work and picking his spots for big plays.

It's no coincidence that Cignetti's first two Indiana quarterbacks -- Ohio transfer Kurtis Rourke and Mendoza, the Cal transfer -- improved their performance significantly in their lone season in Bloomington.

There's no reason to think Hoover can't also have a career year in his final college season and put himself in the Heisman race.

Jayden Maiava is one of the most productive returning starting quarterbacks in the Big Ten. — Jayden Maiava is one of the most productive returning starting quarterbacks in the Big Ten after passing for 3,711 yards, 24 TDs and 10 INTs. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

4. USC QB Jayden Maiava

There is a chance that we have Maiava too high on this list. There is also a legitimate chance that we have him too low.

Maiava, who took over as USC's starting quarterback late in the 2024 season, is one of the most underrated QBs in college football. His arm talent is elite, while he's worked to improve his decision-making and cut down on his turnovers -- which is still a work in progress.

But don't be surprised a year from now when Maiava is receiving considerable NFL draft buzz for having a rocket arm and above-average mobility in a prototypical 6-foot-4, 230-pound frame.

The highest-graded returning FBS quarterbacks, per PFSN's College QB Impact metric:

🎯 Jayden Maiava, USC - 93.1
🎯 Julian Sayin, Ohio St. - 90.8
🎯 Liam Szarka, Air Force - 89.4
🎯 Byrum Brown, Auburn - 88.8
🎯 Devon Dampier, Utah - 88.5
🎯 Brendan Sorsby, Texas Tech - 88.2
🎯… pic.twitter.com/QUmyanZ5wZ
— PFSN College (@PFSNcollege) February 11, 2026

In his first full season as a starter, Maiava completed 65.8% of his passes for 3,711 yards, 24 TDs and 10 INTs with 6 rushing TDs.

There's a reason coach Lincoln Riley and the Trojans prioritized convincing Maiava to return for his fifth and final season (he spent two years at UNLV) while knowing there was a good chance that would cause former highly rated prospect Husan Longstreet to leave -- he transferred to LSU.

There is still a higher level within reach for Maiava as a college quarterback, and if he puts it all together, he could be among the better players in the country in 2026.

USC has a daunting schedule, though, including Ohio State, Oregon and Washington at home and Indiana, Penn State and Wisconsin (hey, the Badgers at least play good defense) on the road. Riley simply hasn't been able to get the Trojans over the hump and consistently win games like that, so that would be the biggest reason to doubt Maiava as a potential Heisman candidate.

The talent is real, though.

Washington Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. is back for another season after attempting to transfer. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

5. Washington QB Demond Williams Jr

Williams made headlines this offseason for declaring his intentions to transfer (with rumors of a specific SEC school being, um, aggressively interested), only to walk that back after Washington made clear it would seek to enforce the NIL contract he had signed.

Such is the business of college football in 2026.

Of course, all of that was a reflection of the value Williams established for himself last season as a sophomore. In his first season as the Huskies' full-time starter, he completed 69.5% of his passes for 3,065 yards, 25 TDs and 8 INTs and rushed for 611 yards and 6 TDs.

That said, he too struggled in the biggest games.

173 passing yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs and 6 sacks (negative rushing yards overall) in a 24-6 loss to Ohio State

209 passing yards, 0 TDs, 3 INTs, negative rushing yards in a 24-7 loss at Michigan

129 passing yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, 27 rushing yards in a 26-14 loss to Oregon

Nearly half of his passing touchdowns (12 of 25) came in three games, blowouts of Washington State, Illinois and Boise State.

So, the talent and potential are clear, but Williams needs to show more consistency and big-game moments in 2026 -- and very well may do so now as an experienced returning Big Ten QB.

Quarterback Rocco Becht followed his head coach Matt Campbell from Iowa State to Penn State. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

6. Penn State QB Rocco Becht

In one of the least surprising quarterback transfer moves this cycle, Becht followed his head coach Matt Campbell from Iowa State to Penn State to start a new era in Happy Valley.

Becht was a three-year starter for the Cyclones, though his performance in 2025 was underwhelming overall as he completed 60.5% of his passes for 2,585 yards, 16 TDs and 9 INTs in 12 games. Those were his lowest passing yards and touchdowns totals of his three full seasons, as his passing yards per game dropped from 235.1 in 2024 to a middling 215.3 YPG. His season rushing total dropped from 318 yards to 116, albeit with 8 TDs.

But there was a reason for all of that.

Becht played the second half of last season with a torn labrum in his left non-throwing shoulder that required offseason surgery and an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder. After a 5-0 start, Iowa State lost four straight games on the way to an 8-4 finish.

Per the York Daily Record, Becht said last season was "probably the lowest place I've been in my collegiate career mentally and physically. ... The only reason I kept playing was because I wanted to do it for my team. It was my responsibility to give them everything I have."

Rocco Becht injury update: “Right shoulder is fully healthy and left shoulder’s almost there.”

Said he plans to be fully healthy for the second half of spring ball. pic.twitter.com/mQLtePWqLN
— Joel Haas (@Joel_Haas1) February 25, 2026

So Becht's 2024 performance should be more reflective of what to expect from him with the Nittany Lions. That year, he threw for 3,505 yards, 25 TDs and 9 INTs and rushed for a career-high 318 yards and 8 TDs for a 10-win Cyclones team.

Of course, it's hard to know what to expect from Penn State in general in 2026 as the Nittany Lions brought in 38 transfers while losing 46, per On3's tally. A lot will be expected of Becht to be a steadying presence and help his new (and old) teammates get on the same page offensively.

Former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava had an up-and-down season in his first year with UCLA. — Former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava had an up-and-down season in his first year with UCLA, but he nonetheless showed flashes of the potential that made him a top recruit. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

7. UCLA QB Nico Iamaleava

Iamaleava's college football career remain a major "what if?" for now.

What if he never misguidedly pushed for more money at Tennessee after helping the Vols to the College Football Playoff as a redshirt-freshman, thus alienating himself from the program last spring and forcing his transfer to a much worse football situation at UCLA?

Iamaleava, a former five-star prospect ranked the No. 2 QB and No. 3 overall national prospect in the 2023 recruiting class per the 247Sports Composite, wasn't put in a great situation to succeed last year. His head coach, DeShaun Foster, was fired three games into the season, and the Bruins stumbled to a 3-9 record.

In comes new head coach Bob Chesney, from James Madison, who is already heaping praise on Iamaleava and saying the quarterback carried too much of the offensive burden for the Bruins a year ago -- something he's intent on correcting in 2026.

"What he does on the field speaks for itself," Chesney told On3's Pete Nakos. "He was under quite a bit of duress last year. He had some weapons, not a ton, and really found himself in a spot where he had to create a lot of things after the play with his legs. He did a decent job of that as the year went on, and he took some hits, he got himself back up and went right back in that game."

We're inclined to believe that the best is still to come from Iamaleava, but he does have plenty to prove this season.

His passing production dipped substantially from his 2024 season at Tennessee (2,616 passing yards, 19 TDs, 5 INTs, with 358 rushing yards and 3 TDs in 13 games) to his debut with UCLA (1,928 passing yards, 13 TDs, 7 INTs, 505 rushing yards and 4 TDs in 11 games).

If Chesney and new Bruins offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy can lean on their strengths and improve a UCLA rushing attack that ranked 85th nationally last season (139.67 yards per game), after bringing in a wave of offensive line transfers and their star running back Wayne Knight from JMU, that would take a lot of pressure off Iamaleava and perhaps unlock the untapped potential in his powerful arm.

He did flash his upside at times last year, even amidst the Bruins' collective struggles. Iamaleava threw for 166 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INT while rushing for 128 yards and 3 TDs in a 42-37 upset win over Penn State that helped expedite the end of the James Franklin Era in Happy Valley.

Sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood will look to elevate his performance under a new coaching staff at Michigan in 2026. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

8. Michigan QB Bryce Underwood

Underwood was the No. 1 recruit in the country in the 2025 class, and it was considered a major coup when Michigan ponied up an aggressive NIL offer to steal him away from LSU.

It's fair to say the Wolverines didn't quite get the desired immediate return on their investment as Underwood passed for just 2,428 yards, 11 TDs and 9 INTs while rushing for 392 yards and 6 TDs for a 9-4 Michigan team.

New head coach Kyle Whittingham has left zero doubt that Underwood is his guy for 2026, though. (Underwood's continued NIL compensation would also leave no doubt on that matter.)

There was clearly some dysfunction behind the scenes last year for the Wolverines under former coach Sherrone Moore, and Underwood was thrown straight into the fire from Day 1 as a true freshman. Simply put, it's way too soon to forget why he was such a consensus five-star prospect coming out of high school with his 6-foot-4, 228-pound frame, potent arm and mobility.

Consider this a fresh reset for Underwood to truly show what he can do in 2026.

Maryland Terrapins quarterback Malik Washington had an encouraging true freshman season in 2025. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

9. Maryland QB Malik Washington

Washington won the starting job at Maryland as a true freshman last year, and impressed with 2,963 passing yards, 17 TDs and 9 INTs with 303 rushing yards and 4 scores despite playing for a 4-8 Terrapins team that lost its final eight games.

Given the state of college football as it is, especially when it comes to the quarterback market, it's actually a bit surprising Washington didn't bolt after such a disappointing season for the program and land somewhere else, but he was a local standout from Glen Burnie, Maryland, and is the biggest reason for optimism for Terps fans moving forward.

Washington was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week twice last fall and finished top 5 in the conference in completions and passing yards per game (246.9). His 459 passing yards vs. Michigan State late in the season is the second-highest single-game mark in program history.

No QB is ever free from blame for a team's struggles, but Maryland had a frustrating penchant for blowing late leads last season, so it's hard to pin the collapse on Washington, though he did have 7 INTs in his final six games.

If Washington cleans up on the turnovers, which one would naturally expect of a returning starter, he could surge up this list in 2026.

10. Nebraska QB Anthony Colandrea

Colandrea's first try as a Power 4 starting quarterback didn't go especially well as he struggled in two seasons at Virginia.

As a redshirt-freshman in 2024, he passed for 2,125 yards, 13 TDs and 11 INTs with 277 yards and 2 TDs rushing and then transferred to UNLV. Colandrea had a breakout season with the Rebels in 2025, though, completing a career-best 65.9% of his passes for 3,459 yards, 23 TDs and 9 INTs with 649 rushing yards and 10 scores.

That earned him a second shot at the P4 level, as Colandrea transferred to Nebraska. By all accounts this spring, he's separating himself from TJ Lateef while asserting his claim on the QB1 job.

Quarterback Colton Joseph transferred from Old Dominion to Wisconsin and is projected as the Badgers' starting QB. | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

11. Wisconsin QB Colton Joseph

After a frustrating season in which Wisconsin had the fifth-worst passing offense among 136 FBS teams (just 136.4 YPG), the Badgers looked outside the program for a fresh answer at quarterback.

In came Joseph as a transfer from Old Dominion. He was named the Sun Belt's Offensive Player of the Year and second-team all-conference (with James Madison QB Alonza Barnett III winning the overall player of the year award in the league).

As a redshirt sophomore, Joseph passed for 2,624 yards, 21 TDs and 10 INTs and rushed for 1,007 yards (6.4 YPC) and 13 scores. He finished 8th nationally in total offense at 302.6 YPG.

That dual-threat ability should reinvent Wisconsin's offense in 2026.

Quarterback Aidan Chiles is onto his third school in 2026, transferring to Northwestern. — Quarterback Aidan Chiles is onto his third school in 2026, following stops at Oregon State and Michigan State with a transfer to Northwestern. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

12. Northwestern QB Aidan Chiles

For all the quarterback turnover in the Big Ten, Chiles is the only projected starting QB who transferred within the conference -- from Michigan State to Northwestern.

This is Chiles' third school overall after he opened his college career at Oregon State before following coach Jonathan Smith to East Lansing, but he struggled as a Spartan and lost his job eight games into last season.

Overall in his first two Big Ten seasons, Chiles passed for 3,807 total yards, 23 TDs and 14 INTs with 452 rushing yards and 9 scores in 21 games. The averages out to just 181.3 passing yards per game.

This is where the list of Big Ten QBs really starts to drop off.

Chiles will look to take advantage of his last chance to prove himself as a P4 quarterback at Northwestern, which brings in Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator. That provides some fresh intrigue for Chiles' upside -- some.

But he may already be looking over his shoulder. Former West Virginia QB Nicco Marchiol just announced his transfer to Northwestern earlier this week. He started the first four games last season for the Mountaineers, passing for 720 yards, 2 TDs and 2 INTs plus a rushing TD, before sustaining a foot injury and choosing to pursue a medical redshirt.

Former Michigan State quarterback Katin Houser is back in the Big Ten at Illinois after two seasons at East Carolina. | James Guillory-Imagn Images

13. Illinois QB Kaitin Houser

Houser is another former Michigan State quarterback looking for a second chance in the Big Ten, but he took a different route, first spending the last two seasons at East Carolina.

Houser got a seven-game audition late in the 2023 season for the Spartans and passed for 1,130 yards, 6 TDs and 5 INTs overall that season. He then transferred to ECU for a fresh start. His second season with the Pirates was his best as he completed a career-high 65.9% of his passes last fall for 3,300 yards, 19 TDs and 6 INTs and rushed for 193 yards and 9 TDs.

That earned him a return to the Big Ten, now at Illinois, while taking over for productive veteran QB Luke Altmyer.

Houser seems like quite a downgrade from the reliably productive Altmyer, but he did have some big games last year, including 366 yards and a TD vs. NC State and 332 yards, 1 TD and a rushing TD vs. Memphis.

Michigan State quarterback Alessio Milivojevic enters his first full season as the Spartans' starter. | Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images

14. Michigan State QB Alessio Milivojevic

Honestly, we could have Milivojevic a couple spots higher on this list -- ahead of Chiles, the QB he replaced late last season -- but it was a small sample size, he sat behind Chiles for most of two seasons, and now he's in a new offense for a traditionally offensively-conservative head coach in Pat Fitzgerald.

But Milivojevic certainly seized his opportunity late last season, starting the final four games and finishing with 1,267 passing yards, 10 TDs and 3 INTs overall.

That included 311 yards, 1 TD and 0 INTs in an overtime loss at Minnesota, 255-2-1 in a 20-17 loss at Iowa and 292-4-1 in a 38-28 win over Maryland.

15. Minnesota QB Drake Lindsey

Lindsey won Minnesota's starting QB job as a redshirt-freshman and completed 63.2% of his passes for 2,382 yards, 18 TDs and 6 INTs plus 4 rushing TDs in 13 games.

He ranked 88th nationally with 183.2 passing yards per game. Half of his interceptions came in a road loss at Iowa, so he largely protected the football otherwise, but with seven games being held to 153 or fewer yards, he just didn't bring a lot of upside to the Gophers' passing attack.

16. Rutgers QB competition between AJ Surace and Dylan Lonergan

Rutgers doesn't start spring practice until March 27, so the expected quarterback competition between redshirt-sophomore AJ Surace and Boston College transfer Dylan Lonergan hasn't yet begun.

Surace has attempted just 9 passes for Rutgers but has generated some buzz within the fan base. Lonergan passed for 2,025 yards, 12 TDs and 5 INTs in his lone season at Boston College after two years on the bench at Alabama. Interestingly, Lonergan's best game came after he was benched and later reclaimed the job, passing for 362 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs in a competitive 36-34 loss to Georgia Tech last November.

Purdue Boilermakers quarterback Ryan Browne returns as the team's starting quarterback in 2026. | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

17. Purdue QB Ryan Browne

The most interesting part of Browne's 2025 came before the season as he transferred from Purdue to North Carolina, went through spring practice with the Tar Heels and then transferred back to Purdue.

Browne won the starting job for the Boilermakers, completing just 58.9% of his passes for 2,153 yards, 9 TDs and 10 INTs in 12 games with 4 rushing TDs.

He did throw for 311 yards and 2 TDs vs. Ball State, 305 yards vs. USC (but with 3 INTs, 1 TD and 1 rushing TD), 250 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT vs. Notre Dame and 302 yards, 1 TD and a rushing TD vs. Illinois. But Purdue got blown out in those three Big Ten games -- and most Big Ten games.

18. Iowa QB competition between Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown

Likewise, Iowa doesn't start spring ball until March 25 and has a wide-open quarterback competition ahead.

Hecklinski spent one year at Wake Forest before landing at Iowa last year, throwing just 2 passes off the bench and scoring a rushing TD. Brown spent two seasons at Auburn with limited action and then completed 11 of 21 passes for 107 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT off the bench for Iowa last year.