No position in college football is more important than the quarterback. Everyone knows the top guys in the sport heading into next season, but a high level QB at the Group of Five level can really make those teams shine.
Several of this year’s projected starters in the Go5 were once highly rated recruits or contributors at bigger programs but have had to level down in hopes of a rebirth. Others could be blossoming stars that will be starting at the Power Four level in the near future. Here are the top 10 college football Group of Five quarterbacks heading into the 2025 season.
After beginning his career at Texas Tech, Maverick transferred to Abilene Christian where he was the starter for three seasons and lit it up last year. He ranked fourth in FCS passing yards with 3,828 and led his team to their first ever FCS playoff appearance and win in 2024. Western Kentucky has housed some impressive QB seasons in recent history and could be in for another with Maverick in 2025.
The 2024 Second Team All-Mac selection is back for another season to lead the Bobcats offense. Despite a rough 1.18 touchdown to interception ratio last season, Navarro made up for it with over 1,000 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground. Although his head coach left, the Bobcats did maintain offensive coordinator which will be big in terms of stability for Navarro as he tries to help the Bobcats repeat as MAC champions.
At 6’1” 190 pounds, the Roadrunner may not have the size that his father and former NFL QB Josh McCown had, but the talent is there. McCown is back for his second season as the full time starter in San Antonio and will hope to build off a breakout 2024 campaign. He finished 15th in the nation in passing yards last season with 3,424, including an impressive outing against Tulsa where he threw for 434 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
While he was more known for making headlines for leaving UNLV in the middle of last season, Sluka was impressive in his short time on the field. Through three games he led the Rebels to a 3-0 record while accounting for 571 total yards and seven touchdowns. With lingering issues to James Madison’s starter from last season Alonza Barnett, Sluka will likely be the Dukes QB1. At JMU he is reuniting with his former head coach and offensive coordinator from Holy Cross where he was a four-year starter and earned AP Third Team All-American.
After four seasons with Seth Henigan as the starter, the Tigers will have a new face at quarterback and a good one at that. Lewis began his career at Colorado before transferring to Nevada where he was the starter for two years. During that time the dual-threat QB was one of a very few bright spots on bad Nevada teams including 2024 when he accounted for 63% of the Wolfpack’s total offensive yards. He also holds one of the wildest sports stats I have ever heard as he led Nevada in passing, rushing, and receiving yards in a 2024 victory over Oregon State.
Fowler-Nicolosi is back for his third season as the starter in Fort Collins. Although his numbers were not as impressive last year as they were in 2023 when he threw for 3,460 yards, his efficient play helped lead Colorado State to an 8-5 record which marked their first winning season since 2017. A guy like Fowler Nicolosi who will start for three seasons at quarterback for the same program is extremely rare and a massive benefit in today’s world of college football, especially at the Group of Five level.
Speaking of impressive WKU quarterbacks, Veltkamp was one of those last season. The redshirt junior broke onto the scene when he came in for the Hilltoppers as a backup in the 2023 Famous Toastery Bowl. In that game he led WKU to a 28 point comeback victory by completing 40 of 52 passes for 383 yards and five touchdowns. Last year he led the top passing offense in Conference USA with over 3,000 yards, 25 touchdowns, and a solid 66.3 completion percentage. He now heads down south in hopes of bringing some excitement to FAU alongside air raid-minded head coach Zach Kittley.
After being named to the Maxwell Award watch list prior to last season, Brown looked primed for a great year. Sadly his season was cut short after just four games due to injury. In 2023, he set multiple USF records and was the only quarterback other than Heisman winner Jayden Daniels to throw for over 3,000 yards and rush for more than 800 yards. Brown will get multiple chances to shine on a big stage this season with a non conference schedule that includes Boise State, Florida, and Miami, and if he is healthy the Bulls could be a sleeper team in the American.
Madsen returns for another season in Boise after leading the Broncos to a Mountain West title and CFP appearance. While Ashton Jeanty was the focal point of the offense last season, Madsen’s play was very underrated. In 2024 he threw for over 3,000 yards and consistently stepped up and made plays when needed. With Madsen returning behind four returning starters on the offensive line, the Broncos enter 2025 as the clear favorite to represent the Group of Five in the playoff.
Dequan Finn was one of the guys I was most excited to see get a shot at the Power Four level last season at Baylor. Sadly that year was derailed by injury as he played in just three games. Now Finn is returning to the place he knows best in the MAC, but this time at a different school. Finn spent 2021-2023 as the starter for Toledo where he accounted for 8,679 yards and 88 touchdowns. The RedHawks had big shoes to fill in replacing longtime starter Brett Gabbert, but I would say they did just fine in landing a former MAC MVP in Finn.
If there were still Power Four programs that ran the hybrid Wing-T/triple option, Horvath would likely be getting offers to transfer up after running the system to perfection at Navy in 2024. The rising senior rushed for 1,254 yards (7.1 per carry) and 17 touchdowns and was the most prolific Midshipmen passing quarterback since Keenan Reynolds. He was a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Award and earned a spot on ESPN’s top 100 players in college football for 2024. At one point last season Horvath’s name was being thrown around in the Heisman conversation and I would not be surprised if that happened again this year.