Meet the Top 10 QBs in High School Football’s Class of 2026

Dia Bell, Jared Curtis and Faizon Brandon highlight a stacked 2026 class of quarterbacks

American Heritage quarterback Dia Bell throws against Milton (Georgia) in an August 2024 matchup. Milton won that game 37-28. / Matt Christopher

High school football season is set to kick off in just a few weeks, and for many players, the 2025-26 season will be their last year playing under the Friday night lights.

Before it is time to say goodbye to this year's crop of seniors, now feels like a good time to talk about the best Class of 2026 quarterbacks before they take their talents to a college football field near you.

From Dia Bell to Brady Smigiel, here's a closer look at the Top 10 Class of 2026 high school football QBs according to 247Sports composite rankings.

1. Dia Bell - American Heritage (Plantation, FL)

Dia Bell of American Heritage (Florida) is a Texas commit and the top-ranked QB in the Class of 2026. / Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

• Height: 6-2.5 | Weight: 215 pounds
• National ranking: 4
• College status: Committed to Texas
• Fun fact: Is the son of long-time NBA player Raja Bell

Bell led the Patriots to a 9-2 record last year before his season came to an end when he suffered a serious leg injury in a 24-14 win over Dillard in the Class 4A regional semifinals.

Despite the injury, he was named the 2024-2025 Gatorade Player of the Year in Florida.

He completed 161 of 228 passes (70.6%), throwing 29 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He also ran for 561 yards and five touchdowns with an average of 8.4 yards per carry.

2. Jared Curtis - Nashville Christian School (Nashville, TN)

Nashville Christian's Jared Curtis (2) runs in a touchdown against Columbia Academy during the 2024 TSSAA Division II-A championship game. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

• Height: 6-3.5 | Weight: 225 pounds
• National ranking: 5
• College status: Committed to Georgia
• Fun fact: Chose to repeat eighth grade and did not play football his second eighth-grade year

Curtis led NCS to a 12-1 record last year, culminating in the Eagles' second state title in program history and first since 2015.

He threw for more than 2,800 yards on 179 of 255 passing (70.2 %), racking up 40 touchdowns and just three picks on his way to being named Tennessee's Mr. Football for Division II-A.

He tallied another 637 yards and 18 scores on the ground, finishing the season with 7.2 YPC on 88 carries.

3. Faizon Brandon - Grimsley (Greensboro, NC)

My OV was great! Thanks UT! #GBO 🍊 pic.twitter.com/VC08jqJTrl

— Faizon Brandon (@faizon_brandon) June 15, 2025

• Height: 6-3.5 | Weight: 200 pounds
• National ranking: 7
• College status: Committed to Tennessee
• Fun fact: Has a 4.3 GPA

Brandon is No. 3 in the 247Sports composite rankings, but he's ranked No. 1 in 247Sports' internal rankings, and could very well be the best QB in the entire class when all is said and done.

He earned 2024 Gatorade Player of the Year honors in North Carolina, leading the Whirlies to a Class 4A state title on the heels of a perfect 16-0 record.

Brandon finished the season 165 of 214 passing (77.1%) with 2,814 yards, 35 touchdowns and just two interceptions to go along with another 625 yards and nine scores on the ground with an average of 8.0 YPC.

4. Keisean Henderson - Legacy School of Sport Sciences (Spring, TX)

Big things coming🤫 #gocoogs 🐾🐾 pic.twitter.com/y8VutKHrgY

— Keisean Henderson (@KeiHenderson1) June 14, 2025

• Height: 6-3 | Weight: 185 pounds
• National ranking: 24
• College status: Committed to Houston
• Fun fact: Threw a 91-yard TD pass and earned MVP honors at the 2025 Navy All-American Bowl

Henderson and the Titans finished 6-4 last season, but that was with a defense that allowed an average of more than four touchdowns per contest.

He earned a spot in the Navy All-American Bowl following a stellar year that saw him complete 173 of 263 pass attempts (65.7%) for nearly 2,700 yards and 25 TDs, adding another 347 yards and seven scores on the ground.

5. Ryder Lyons - Folsom (Folsom CA)

Folsom's Ryder Lyons led the Bulldogs to a 63-20 season-opening victory over visiting Long Beach Poly last year. / Photo: Todd Shurtleff

• Height: 6-2.5 | Weight: 220 pounds
• National ranking: 27
• College status: Committed to BYU
• Fun fact: His dad was a strong safety at BYU, and his brother is currently a tight end at USC

Lyons, the 2024 California Gatorade Player of the Year, led the Bulldogs to an 11-2 record and a Division I-AA Northern California championship game appearance in a season where he tallied a combined 60 total touchdowns.

The recent BYU commit was 211 of 310 passing (68.1%) with more than 3,000 yards and 46 touchdowns through the air, and he averaged 5.0 YPC on 118 rushing attempts with 585 yards and 14 TDs on the ground.

While Lyons will graduate after this season, fans will have to wait an extra year before they see him in a BYU uniform as he plans to take 2026 off to serve a one-year mission for the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

6. Bowe Bentley - Celina (Celina, TX)

Quarterback Bowe Bentley rolls out of the pocket during the Texas 4A Division 1 state championship game at AT&T Stadium. / Photo by Tommy Hays

• Height: 6-2 | Weight: 200 pounds
• National ranking: 70
• College status: Committed to Oklahoma
• Fun fact: Also plays soccer and lacrosse, and anchors Celina's 4x100 relay team

It may be tough for Bentley to top his 2024 season after he led Celina to a 16-0 record and the Texas Class 4A-DI state title, earning state champ offensive MVP honors in the process.

In his first year serving as Bobcats' full-time QB, he tallied more than 3,200 yards and 47 touchdowns through the air, while rushing for nearly 1,000 yards and another 16 scores.

7. Jake Fette - Del Valle (El Paso, TX)

Del Valle quarterback Jake Fette (1) scores a touchdown against Chapin High School at McKee Stadium Austin High School. Del Valle won the game 35-13. / Christian Torres / Special to El Paso Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

• Height: 6-0.5 | Weight: 195 pounds
• National ranking: 82
• College status: Committed to Arizona State
• Fun fact: Recorded a 21-7 long jump as a junior

Fette was about as close to perfect as you can be last season, throwing just one interception with 239 pass attempts.

He tallied nearly 2,500 yards and 32 touchdowns passing, and he averaged 7.6 YPC with 589 yards and 11 scores rushing.

8. Landon Duckworth - Jackson (Jackson, AL)

Jackson's Landon Duckworth (1) runs the ball against Cherokee County at Protective Stadium in the AHSAA 4A State Championship game on Dec 6, 2024. / Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

• Height: 6-3 | Weight: 195 pounds
• National ranking: 86
• College status: Committed to South Carolina
• Fun fact: Is a 2x basketball state champion and a 2x gold medal winner in the 4x100 relay

Duckworth led the Aggies to a 14-1 record and an Alabama Class 4A state title last season with a completion percentage of 66.7% (162 of 243), passing for 3,439 yards, 39 touchdowns and 10 picks.

He was also pretty much a guaranteed first down when he ran the ball, averaging 10.5 YPC with 648 yards and 12 TDs on 62 rushing attempts.

9. Jonas Williams - Lincoln-Way East (Frankfort, IL)

Jonas Williams (13) tossed three touchdowns, including the 100th of his high school career, in leading top-ranked Lincoln-Way East to a 42-0 win over Niles West in the opening round of the Class 8A state playoffs. / Dean Reid

• Height: 6-1.5 | Weight: 215 pounds
• National ranking: 134
• College status: Committed to USC
• Fun fact: Played his first two seasons at Boilingbrook, where he threw for a combined 5,933 yards and 70 TDs

Williams led Lincoln-Way East to the Illinois Class 8A semifinals last year, where the Griffins fell to Loyola Academy in a 27-24 heartbreaker that accounted for their only loss of the season (they finished 12-1).

He was named the News-Gazette Preps Player of the Year in Illinois going 194 of 286 passing (67.8%) with nearly 3,000 yards and 42 touchdowns through the air, running for another 395 yards and seven scores.

10. Brady Smigiel - Newbury Park (Newbury Park, CA)

Brady Smigiel led Newbury Park to a 48-20 win over Calabasas on Oct. 10, 2024. / Photo: Rene Morales

• Height: 6-5 | Weight: 205 pounds
• National ranking: 157
• College status: Committed to Michigan
• Fun fact: Broke Ventura County’s single-season and career records for TD passes as just a sophomore

Smigiel accounted for just under 4,000 yards of total offense and a combined 60 touchdowns last season, throwing just three interceptions on his way to a 14-1 record and a CIF D2 championship.

He was named Cal-Hi Sports Mr. Football, becoming the first junior to receive the award since current Los Angeles Charger Najee Harris did so in 2015.

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