Vote: Which of these 25 Texas junior quarterbacks will be the best in 2025?

Tell us which high school prospect will have the best 2025 season

Levi Payton | Jul 16, 2025

Highland Park sophomore quarterback Buck Randall evades tackle during the Class 5A, Division I state championship game on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Randall is one of the top returning junior quarterbacks in the state for the 2025 season. / Angela Piazza/Caller-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Texas had an outstanding crop of young sophomore quarterbacks who stepped into some big roles and performed very well in 2024. Now juniors, each of the 25 quarterbacks on this list are entering perhaps the most vital season of their careers.

At this point, these returning starters will see what the program looks like taylored around them. Not to mention this being the season that college recruiting will really turn up for most and the hunt for a state championship, there's a lot riding on these players' shoulder pads.

We have highlighted 25 key returning juniors for this season, and we are opening it up to the fans to decide which player is aligned to have the best year. Our selections were weighed on sophomore production, prospect rankings, all-state status and level of competition.

To ensure fair voting, we ask that you please answer the simple Captcha question before casting your vote. You may vote as many times as you'd like. Voting will remain open until Wednesday, July 23, at 11:59 p.m. Central.

Please note that this is not an overall ranking and players are listed in random order.

Editor’s Note:High School on SI voting polls are intended to be a fun way to create fan engagement and express support for your favorite high school athletes and teams. Unless expressly noted, there are no awards for winning the voting. Our primary focus is to highlight the abilities and accomplishments of all the athletes and teams included in our poll.

25 top returning Texas high school 2027 quarterbacks

Colton Nussmeier, Flower Mound Marcus

A four-star recruit, Nussmeier (6-4, 195) has great size and bloodlines. He is the son of NFL player and current New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, and the brother of LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. Colton is a salty slinger of the football himself. He holds at least 20 Division I offers – including LSU – and he’s taken visits so far to Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Florida. Last season he led the Marauders to a 6-4 record while passing for 1,894 yards, 16 touchdowns and only three interceptions.

Kavian Bryant, Palestine Westwood

A four-star recruit and a 3A all-state honorable mention selection by Texas Football Writers, Bryant – who is also an elite basketball prospect – led the Panthers to an 11-1 record in 2024 while passing for 2,442 yards, 34 touchdowns and three interceptions. The dual threat also rushed for 709 yards and 11 touchdowns – numbers that were strikingly similar to his freshman stats. He holds at least 24 Power Four offers, including offers from Texas, Oregon, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Florida, Houston and Florida State, among others.

Weston Nielsen, Bastrop

A four-star recruit, Nielsen completed 177 of 266 passes for 3,185 yards, 37 touchdowns and seven interceptions as a sophomore. He holds nearly 20 Power Four offers, including Oregon, Nebraska, Houston, Miami (Florida), Arizona State, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Vanderbilt among others.

Jerry Meyer III, Waxahachie

A four-star recruit, Meyer III is the No. 17 overall quarterback in the 2027 class and holds 22 Division I offers, per Rivals. The Las Vegas native broke Nevada’s single-season record for passing touchdowns in a season with 58 (and only four interceptions) as a freshman at 2A Lake Mead Academy in 2023. In his first season at Waxahachie last year, the 6-foot, 170-pounder completed 219 of 377 passes (58.1%) for 3,308 yards, 29 touchdowns and six interceptions. Expect more monster numbers in 2025.

Zephyr Kreye, Denton Guyer

The next man up at Denton Guyer, Kreye sat behind 2,400-yard passer Kevin Sperry – now at Florida State – in 2024, attempting only 12 passes all season. At nearly 6-foot-5, 218 pounds, Kreye is a four-star prospect who holds offers from Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Houston, Colorado State, TCU, North Texas, Texas State, UTEP, UTSA and Sacramento State.

Carson White, Iowa Colony

A four-star recruit, White (6-2, 205) is also an elite baseball player at Iowa Colony. A 5A honorable mention all-state performer on the football field, he’ll be entering his third year as the starter at quarterback after leading the Pioneers to a 12-2 record and a trip to the 5A-DII quarterfinals in 2024. White passed for 1,871 yards and 30 touchdowns and rushed for 832 yards and 18 touchdowns. He’s picked up offers from Virginia Tech, Maryland, Utah, Kentucky, Kansas, Tulsa and UTEP since January, and holds additional offers from Nebraska, Texas Tech, Kansas State, Auburn, SMU, Baylor and Houston, among others.

Hudson Humble, Harker Heights

A Class 6A all-state honorable mention selection and the 12-6A Offensive MVP, Humble (6-0, 178) led Harker Heights to an 8-3 mark and a district title as a sophomore. When he let the ball rip, it rarely hit the ground as he completed 230 of 290 passes (79.3%) for 2,986 yards and 38 touchdowns.

Buck Randall, Dallas Highland Park

He led the Scots to a 14-2 record and second place in 5A-DI last season. The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder picked up second team all-state honors after completing 61% of his passes for 3,900 yards and 40 touchdowns. He also rushed for 11 TDs and was named District 7-5A Offensive MVP.

Jacob “JT” Torres, Fort Worth North Crowley

The District 7-5A-I Co-Offensive Newcomer of the Year and an Under Armour Next Football All-American at Burleson Centennial, Torres moved to North Crowley where he is expected to take the controls of a Panthers squad that went 16-0 and won the 6A Division I championship in 2024. At Centennial last season, Torres (6-1, 184) amassed 2,033 yards and 23 touchdowns.

Brice McCurdy, Robinson

After going 5-6 in 2023, the Rockets took a huge leap forward when McCurdy took the reins for the first time as a sophomore. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound dual-threat guided the team’s 8-3 turnaround by completing 113 of 180 passes for 2,016 yards and rushed for 410 yards on 51 carries with 21 touchdowns.

Karece “Rece” Hoyt, Frisco Lone Star

In some states, a sophomore quarterback who racked up 4,855 all-purpose yards and 55 total touchdowns would probably have the field named after him. In Texas, Rece Hoyt settled for 5A honorable mention all-state. We aren’t sure how he tops 2024, when he threw for 3,308 yards and 34 touchdowns (completing 228 of 339 attempts) and rushed for 1,547 yards and 21 TDs on 245 carries. But he probably can help top the 12-2 record and trip to the 5A-DI state quarterfinals. Expect Hoyt and the Rangers to make a lot of noise in 2025.

Julian Navarrete, Boerne-Champion

One of the most efficient sophomore passers last season and a standout on the 7v7 circuit, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound southpaw has a smooth release that saw him complete 72% of his passes (184 of 252) for 2,601 yards as a sophomore. He also rushed for 207 yards and accounted for 28 touchdowns. With four collegiate offers – including three Division I – Navarette is one of Texas’ more underrated quarterbacks in the 2027 class.

Kaine Hill, Springtown

Coaches love quarterbacks who don’t turn the ball over, and Hill barely did that as a sophomore. The dual threat amassed 3,098 total yards and 44 touchdowns last season, passing for 2,387 yards, 31 touchdowns and only one interception. The 6-foot, 165-pounder also rushed for 711 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns and was named District 5-4A Newcomer of the Year.

DeJuan Johnson, New Diana

One of the most dangerous and dynamic quarterbacks in Texas 3A, Johnson guided the Eagles to an 11-1 record and the second round of the 3A Division II playoffs. He was an all-state honorable mention selection after passing for 2,177 yards and 29 touchdowns and rushing for 1,284 yards and 18 touchdowns through 11 games.

Cayson Maupin, Sunnyvale

Maupin’s monster sophomore season helped the Raiders go 9-4 in 4A Division II. The 6-foot, 180-pounder averaged 230.1 passing yards per game and completed 176 of 308 passes (57.1%) for 2,991 yards, 41 touchdowns and only five interceptions as a sophomore in 13 games. He also carried the ball 118 times for 461 yards and five touchdowns.

Camden Hughes, The Woodlands College Park

Guiding the Cavaliers to a 7-5 record, Hughes (6-2, 193) completed 145 of 245 attempts for 2,555 yards and 27 touchdowns in 12 games. He also ran the ball 88 times for 292 yards and five TDs, earning 13-6A Newcomer of the Year.

Brock Belcher, Windthorst

At 5-foot-11, 170, Belcher led the Trojans to an 11-2 record in 2024 while pacing the pass-heavy offense with 2,614 yards and 37 touchdowns in 13 games to earn Class 2A honorable mention all-state. A dual threat, he also carried the ball 163 times for 887 yards and ran for 12 touchdowns. He averaged 201.1 yards per game passing and had four games with at least 100 yards rushing.

Jaxon Jenkins, Collinsville

A star in multiple sports at Collinsville, Jenkins picked up 2A honorable mention all-state honors as a sophomore after leading the Pirates to a 12-2 mark and a trip to the 2A Division II state quarterfinals. Jenkins passed for 3,517 yards and 38 touchdowns.

Trevor Golightly, Edgewood

We’ve made the joke before about Golightly not going lightly on his opponents, but it’s hard to describe his play in another fashion. He dominated 3A as a sophomore, helping the Bulldogs to an 8-4 record in 3A-II while averaging 289.2 passing yards per game. The 6-foot, 190-pounder threw for 3,470 yards and 40 touchdowns as a sophomore and rushed for an additional 629 yards and 13 TDs on the ground in 12 games.

Tre Williams, Lewisville

In 10 games last season Williams (5-10, 165) guided the Farmers with 1,640 yards and 16 touchdowns, completing 129 of 220 attempts. A three-sport star who also excels in basketball and baseball, Williams holds offers from Arizona State, Colorado State, Marshall, Texas State and UNLV.

Luke Babin, Woodville

The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Babin guided the Eagles to a 13-3 record and a second-place finish in 3A-DII last season while passing for 2,106 yards and 23 touchdowns and rushing for 350 yards and five TDs. He holds offers from Baylor, Houston, Texas Tech, TCU and UTSA.

Braden Baker, Houston Cy Ranch

The younger brother of former Cy Ranch and current Louisiana Tech quarterback Blake Baker, Braden (6-5, 185) also holds an offer from the Bulldogs, as well as Baylor, Houston and UTSA. The three-star prospect attempted 154 passes across 11 games last season and amassed 897 yards and seven touchdowns while rushing for 180 yards and three more TDs.

Kaleb McDougle, Georgetown

Georgetown went 10-2 in 5A-DI last season and reached the second round of the state playoffs behind McDougle’s strong play. He passed for 2,442 yards and 30 touchdowns – averaging 16 yards per completion and earning first team all-district 8-5A honors.

Jamari Milton, El Paso Andress

Milton put 5A competition on notice when he stepped in as the starter at Andress and passed for 2,407 yards and 27 touchdowns in 11 games. He averaged 218.8 yards per game and completed 183 of 299 attempts (61.2%).

JP Reyes, Midland Legacy

Shaky defense left the Rebels with a 6-6 record (4-1 in district 2-6A) last season, but Reyes (5-11, 185) was a huge bright spot on the offense. The sophomore completed 64.9% of his passes (161 of 248) for 2,229 yards, 27 touchdowns and six interceptions. He averaged 202.6 yards per game and 13.8 yards per completion.