High School

Florida's 2026 class of high school quarterbacks proving to be a special group

With commitments flying off the board lately, 2026 passers from the Sunshine State are showing why they're so coveted

Andy Villamarzo

Lake Mary's Noah Grubbs has committed to Notre Dame ahead of what looks to be a big season for the 2026 quarterback
Lake Mary's Noah Grubbs has committed to Notre Dame ahead of what looks to be a big season for the 2026 quarterback / Sports Illustrated

The landscape of high school quarterbacks in the Sunshine State is as ripe as ever.

This is especially true if you're referring to the 2026 class of signal callers.

In just the last few weeks, several 2026 Florida high school quarterbacks have verbally committed to some of the best college football programs in the country.

Cocoa's Brady Hart (Michigan), Jesuit's Will Griffin (Florida), Lake Mary's Noah Grubbs (Notre Dame) and Plantation American Heritage's Dia Bell (Texas) are all among the crown jewels of the 2026 group of quarterbacks. That doesn't even include the upcoming decision for quarterbacks like 4-star Dereon Coleman of Jones, 3-star Michael Clayton of Sanford Seminole and 3-star Carter Emanuel of Edgewater.

This group is special in every way because of their ability to throw the pigskin around on Friday nights.

Bell, a Texas commitment, is rated a 5-star quarterback according to 247Sports and has the athletic roots to have the pick of the litter when it comes to playing sports. His father, Raja Bell, played in the NBA from 2001-2013 as a recognizable contributor with the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz.

The genetics that made his father a professional basketball player is shaping the younger Bell into a future star in the making on the gridiron.

During the 2023 season for the Patriots, Bell was sensational as a sophomore for the Class 2M state semifinalists. Bell finished the season completing 122-of-189 passes for 1,929 yards, 20 touchdowns and just four interceptions, showing a careful hand in protecting the football.

Griffin, a Florida Gators' commit, started his high school footbal career early, beginning at Northside Christian in St. Petersburg, coming onto the scene with a bang.

In 2021, Griffin completed 144-of-266 passes for 2,449 yards and 30 touchdowns for the Mustangs. From there, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound passer transferred over to Jesuit and by Week 4 of the 2022 season was the Tigers' starting quarterback. Griffin finished with 1,653 yards passing and 18 touchdowns during his first season at Jesuit.

It was the 2023 campaign that really helped elevate him to another level, as Griffin ended the season completing 244-of-361 passes for 3,404 yards and 34 touchdowns. Leading the Tigers to a 10-3 record in Class 3M was no easy task and now the passer will be heading to Gainesville when all is said and done in Tampa.

Next we have Grubbs, who might be the passer who arguably has done the most with not quite the supporting casts of the others in this group.

The Lake Mary gunslinger will head to Notre Dame once his prep days are over, but not before he saddles up for two more seasons with the Rams. Grubbs will get a chance in the team's opener at the Broward County Classic High School Football Showcase to demonstrate his skills on a national stage.

At times in 2023, it looked as if Grubbs was possibly going to break the record for most touchdown passes in a single season (56), set by Tucker Israel of Lake Nona back in 2014.

Grubbs fell short of the mark, but had a remarkable campaign nonetheless. The Rams' quarterback ended 2023 by completing 207-of-356 passes for 3,677 yards and 49 scores.

It's tough shoes to fill when you have to follow up an act like Blake Boda at Cocoa. Well, unless you're Hart, who just recently committed to Michigan.

RELATED: Brady Hart, 4-star rated 2026 quarterback, commits to Michigan over LSU, Clemson and Ohio State

Hart entered the 2023 season with high expectations after the Tigers were able to come away with the Class 2S state championship in Tallahassee the year before. No problem for Hart.

The 6-foot-4, 180-pound prospect went on to lead Cocoa back to the promise land, leading the Tigers to the Class 2S title in a 20-6 win over Bradford. In his first season starting, Hart completed 288-of-437 passes for 3,759 yards and 41 touchdowns.

Looking over the totality of the 2023 season and Hart's road to prosperity, you could make the argument that Hart had the toughest path of the four quarterbacks that have committed so far from the 2026 class.

From just narrowly losing to St. Thomas Aquinas in a controversial ending to soundly defeating Venice, before edging out Sanford Seminole in a defensive slugfest, Hart showed he can win in many different fashions.

Quarterbacks like Coleman, Clayton and Emanuel are all still up in the air on where they will play once they're done with high school. Make no mistake about it, this group of seven passers and more, is incredibly deep and talented. Each is special in his own respective way.

From top to bottom, every single day, they're proving to everyone why this specific group of quarterbacks from the Sunshine State has distinguished itself from other classes.

-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl

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Andy Villamarzo
ANDY VILLAMARZO

Andy Villamarzo has been a sports writer in the Tampa Bay (FL) Area since 2007, writing for publications such as Tampa Bay Times, The Tampa Tribune, The Suncoast News, Tampa Beacon, Hernando Sun to name a few. Andy resides out of the Tarpon Springs, FL area and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in the summer of 2022 covering the Tampa Bay Area. He has quickly become one of Florida's foremost authorities on high school sports, appearing frequently on podcasts, radio programs and digital broadcasts as an expert on team rankings, recruiting and much more.

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