The college football transfer portal is starting to slow down as rosters are close to being set and all attention is now on the 2026 season. This offseason saw several high-profile players enter the portal, especially at the quarterback position.
With the transfer portal being the main focus of attention this time of year, it’s easy to forget about several star QBs who chose to stay put and return to their programs. With that in mind, here are the top 10 college football quarterbacks returning to the same team for the 2026 season.
Honorable Mention: Marcel Reed (Texas A&M), LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina), Noah Fifita (Arizona), John Mateer (Oklahoma), Bear Bachmeier (BYU), Micah Alejado (Hawai'i)
Dampier will enter his second season at Utah, but things will be a little different as 2026 will be his first season as a full-time college starter without offensive coordinator Jason Beck, who left alongside Kyle Whittingham for Michigan. Dampier’s return is a massive piece for the Utes during an offseason that saw significant turnover in the program.
Stockton is a quarterback that probably doesn’t get the amount of respect he deserves. While he may not be the attention grabbing college football superstar, he is tough, consistently makes winning plays, and fits perfectly within Georgia’s offense that likes to lean on their run game. One of the most underrated aspects of Stockton’s game last season was his legs, as he rushed for nearly 500 yards and 10 touchdowns. Stockton will look to take another step forward as a passer in his second season as the starter in Mike Bobo’s offense.
JKS put together an impressive true freshman season, showing flashes of arm talent that at times looked pro ready. Retaining the young quarterback was priority number one for new Cal head coach Tosh Lupoi, and he succeeded at that. With a full offseason and a year of experience under his belt, Sagapolutele is the type of player who could make a major leap in Year 2 and finish the season among the top quarterbacks in the sport.
Jennings will enter his third straight season as starter under Rhett Lashlee and touts an impressively underrated resume. Over the past two seasons, he has thrown for more than 3,000 yards and led SMU to the College Football Playoff in 2024. In this era of college football, it’s refreshing to see a quarterback like Jennings spend his entire college career at one school, and he could be due for a stellar senior season with the Mustangs.
CJ Carr’s return marks the first time Notre Dame will return the same starting quarterback from the previous season since Ian Book (2019-20). The former four-star recruit lived up to his billing as a freshman and showed steady improvement as the season went on. Carr will likely take on a larger load in the Irish offense in 2026 with running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price now off to the NFL.
The college football world was thrown into chaos when Demond Williams Jr. announced his intention to enter the transfer portal shortly after previously saying he would return to Washington. Ultimately, all bridges appeared to be mended as the rising junior decided to stay in Seattle for another season with Jedd Fisch. The talent and big-play ability are undeniable, but to improve his stock Williams will need to be more consistent, especially in big games.
Maiava entered last season under the radar but quickly emerged as one of the most productive quarterbacks in the country, finishing fifth in passing yards with 3,711. There were thoughts that he would potentially leave for the NFL Draft, but he chose to return for another season in Lincoln Riley’s offense. It feels like a now-or-never season for Riley at USC, and he should feel comfortable with a quarterback like Jayden Maiava leading his offense.
Arch Manning got off to a rough start last season, though it may have been unfair given the enormous expectations placed on him and an underwhelming performance in the opener against an Ohio State defense that made nearly every quarterback look bad. He showed significant improvement as the season progressed, highlighted by a bowl game performance in which he accounted for 376 yards and four touchdowns. Manning is currently once again tied as the odds-on favorite for the Heisman Trophy, but this time, the hype feels much more warranted.
Dante Moore made the big decision to return to Oregon, despite likely being the second quarterback off the board in the NFL Draft. Moore played like a seasoned veteran last season, picking apart defenses and making winning plays when needed. In 2026, he’ll be a key reason why the Ducks are a legitimate national title contender as he looks to finally get Oregon over the hump.
Many questioned Julian Sayin entering last year, and he answered with a near perfect regular season completing 77% of his pass attempts and earning an invite to New York as a Heisman finalist. Sayin made playing quarterback look easy, but ending the season with two key losses in arguably his two worst games leaves room for improvement. Sayin will return to Columbus in 2026 with superstar receiver Jeremiah Smith and newly announced Buckeye offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who is known for running a very quarterback-friendly offense.