Nation's No. 1 QB was a 3-Star Recruit Just Last Month

The rise to the top on the field of competition is easy enough to observe. Wins build a reputation, which is ultimately solidifed with post-season success and a championship. But in the recruiting world, it can be a little harder to trace.

As recently as early January, Arizona prep QB Will Mencl was a three-star recruit-- a young man with interest from major schools who would earn a college scholarship at a good school. But after yesterday, Mencl is now the No. 1 QB in the entire national class per RIvals.com. Mencl is ranked No. 4 among all players overall and is the lone five-star quarterback recruit.

The Rise to No. 1

Mencl's rise comes during a period after his junior high school football season-- which makes it seem a bit improbable. How does a guy outside the RIvals300 climb to the top? It's been a steady process.

Mencl led his Chandler High team to the Arizona Open Division championship game. While Chandler fell 34-7 in the game on December 6th, Mencl finished an impressive season. He amassed over 4,500 total yards and 50 touchdowns with his dual-threat skills. Mencl was held to 224 total yards in the title game, but reaching the title game certainly helped the buzz around a talented quarterback-- albeit one who was still a 3-star prospect at that time.

HUGE RISER: Quarterback Will Mencl is now the #1 QB in the country and #4 player overall, per On3. Mencl was ranked as a 3⭐️ when he led his HS Chandler to the Arizona State championship game to close the 2025 season.

Mencl recently told Steve Wiltfong of On3 that the schools… pic.twitter.com/ok27JDHWP7
— Recruits CFB (@recruits_cfb) February 23, 2026

Mencl then moved on to the Navy All-American Bowl on January 10th. He impressed again at that game and played well, going 7-for-12 passing for 71 yards and a score while running three times for 20 more yards. The nationally televised performance certainly caught some eyes that might have missed Mencl's development in Arizona. He then jumped to a fourth star in the Rivals rankings system (and the 247sports rankings).

Will Mencl was only a three-star when he helped lead Chandler to an Open Division championship appearance. He picked up his fourth star at the Navy All-American Bowl in January. Now, he’s a five-star and the No. 4 prospect in the nation. Incredibly impressive.@AZHSFB https://t.co/vpXxFDIDX4 pic.twitter.com/eyvtKJdlnV
— Adam Beadle (@therealbeadle) February 23, 2026

But the final x-factor in Mencl's rise probably is an indirect issue. As the Rivals rankings stood enetering Monday's update, the top ranked QB in the class was the No. 42 prospect in the nation. While those rankings are presumably attempting to be blind to any positional bias, it seems unlikely to have a national recruiting class where the best QB prospect is roughly equivalent to, say, the No. 6 wide receiver or linebacker or EDGE.

Mencl jumped past Louisiana QB Elijah Haven in the QB rankings from Rivals. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Mencl's Next Step?

When Rivals bumped their rankings up, Mencl then happened to be the beneficiary and the new five-star talent. Mencl had previously been linked to Oregon and to a lesser extent Auburn. In the immediate aftermath of his re-ranking, Miami and Penn State are two other teams that Mencl is indicating are potential destinations. But as quick as the rise to No. 1 has been, there may be other collegiate teams making up for lost time.