It's no secret that the biggest stars in college football are at the quarterback position. Now with NIL, quarterbacks are some of the highest paid athletes in the sport and have become the biggest storylines of the offseason with the transfer portal. With this comes a major spotlight, and rightfully so, as many of them are the faces of not only their football programs but, for some, an entire university.
The college game is a crucial stage in a quarterback's development. Some players burst onto the scene and become stars almost immediately, while others need more time to develop. Several QBs have already established themselves and are entering this season with massive expectations, while others are still trying to live up to the hype.
With that in mind, let's take a look at the 10 biggest boom or bust quarterbacks in college football this season.
Lagway had his fair share of ups and downs during his time at Florida, but he now enters this season looking for a fresh start at Baylor. The former five-star recruit showed flashes of his elite arm talent and playmaking ability that made him one of the nation's top prospects, but he was extremely inconsistent. Turnovers were particularly a major issue, as he threw 14 interceptions last season. He'll look to clean up that aspect of his game this season as he works with Baylor OC Jake Spavital in his Air Raid offense, and hope to show why Gator fans were so excited to have him early in his career.
Demond Williams Jr. made plenty of noise this offseason when he briefly entered the transfer portal after originally announcing he would return to Washington. Ultimately, he decided to stay with the Huskies and alongside offensive guru Jedd Fisch. Last season in his first full year as the starter, Williams put together some monster performances with his special ability to make plays with both his arm and his legs. However, he struggled in Washington's biggest games. If Demond wants to establish himself as one of the top quarterbacks in college football, he’ll need to build on what he did last season and show up when it matters most.
Bryce Underwood was in the rare position of starting for a power program as a true freshman last season, and it didn't go as well as Michigan fans had hoped. To be fair, he was not put in the best situation considering everything that unfolded late last season in Ann Arbor. Quarterbacks often make their biggest leap between their first and second seasons as the starter, and that is exactly what's expected from Underwood this year. With Kyle Whittingham coming in and an almost entirely new coaching staff, Michigan's top priority will be developing Underwood into the QB that they wanted when they paid him the big bucks.
We saw two very different versions of John Mateer last season. There was the QB before his injury that was the Heisman frontrunner early in the season, and Mateer after returning from injury that looked like a completely different quarterback. Heading into his third season in 2026 as the starter with his OC Ben Arbuckle, a lot will be expected of Mateer. The Sooners will go as Mateer goes this season, which could be anywhere from a middle tier SEC team to a legitimate national title contender.
Katin Houser is an interesting name to keep an eye on this season as he heads to Illinois to replace Luke Altmyer. Houser began his career at Michigan State, where he spent time as the starter in 2023 but struggled. We’ve also seen him light it up over the past two seasons at East Carolina, including last year when he threw for 3,300 yards. Which version of Houser shows up this season will likely determine just how high the Fighting Illini can climb.
Austin Simmons got plenty of praise from Lane Kiffin last season. He began the year as the starting quarterback but eventually lost the job to Trinidad Chambliss after getting injured early in the season. Even while Chambliss was dominating though, Kiffin stated that Simmons would be the starter once fully healthy, which showed the confidence they had in him. Now Simmons gets a fresh start at Missouri, where expectations will be high after the Tigers moved on from last season's starter in Beau Pribula.
Nico has experienced both sides of boom or bust, leading a team to the College Football Playoff one season and serving as the starting quarterback for a team that won just three games the next. Despite all the criticism he was under last season, Nico had several strong performances and was a big reason UCLA put together a three game winning streak in the middle of the year. He'll enter this season without all the outside noise and with a coaching staff of proven winners, led by new head coach Bob Chesney.
Ever since Kansas State decided to move on from Will Howard, who went on to win a national title at Ohio State, and move forward with Avery Johnson, everyone has been waiting for him to really break out. The past two seasons have really felt like boom or bust for Johnson, and he’s shown flashes but has struggled to string good games together. Now in 2026 everything is on the table for his senior season as Johnson will reunite with Wildcats new head coach Collin Klein, who was his OC and QB coach during Johnson’s freshman season, and whose system fits very well with his skill set.
Heintschel took over midway through last season as Pitt’s starting quarterback last year and was stellar as a true freshman, leading the Panthers to a 6-3 record as a starter while throwing for over 2,000 yards and 16 touchdowns in nine games. Much more will be expected of him now with nearly a full season of experience under his belt and a full offseason as the starter. He’ll also have to carry a heavier load on offense as Pitt’s defense undergoes some major changes. With what Heintschel showed in a short amount of time last year, the ceiling is certainly high, but we have also seen several guys go through the sophomore slump.
There may not be a bigger name in college football than Arch Manning, and with that comes major expectations. We saw that last season when he struggled early in his first year as the starter, but he really found his footing late in the year. With how he finished last season, expectations for this year will be even higher, and the spotlight will be bright on every snap he takes. The difference now is that he has experience under his belt and a lot of the pressure that was present last year should be gone, allowing him to play more loose, free, and with the confidence he showed in the back half of the 2025 season.
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