- The two best quarterbacks in the country: The Big Ten is home to the two best quarterbacks in college football in Ohio State’s Julian Sayin and Oregon’s Dante Moore.
- Eight new starters: The conference will have eight new starting quarterbacks in the 2026 season.
- 2026 NFL Draft season is here: Try the best-in-class PFF Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2026's top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
Estimated Reading Time: 18 minutes
In today’s day and age of NIL and the transfer portal, it can be hard to track which players are playing for which schools.
At no position is the transfer portal carousel more chaotic than at the quarterback position. It’s the most important position on the field, as many quarterbacks make millions of dollars per year now. But there’s only one starter, and the spots are limited.
With the portal now closed, we’re going to predict the next quarterback for every Power Four school. Next is the Big Ten, which will have eight new starters in the conference.
Illinois Fighting Illini: Katin Houser (Transfer)
Luke Altmyer is gone after three seasons as Illinois’ starting quarterback. Houser now takes over that role after a great final year at East Carolina. His 82.3 PFF passing grade in 2025 was 17th in the FBS, while his 23 big-time throws were also a top-20 mark in the nation.
Indiana Hoosiers: Josh Hoover (Transfer)
Fernando Mendoza left behind big shoes to fill at Indiana after winning the school’s first Heisman Trophy and first national championship. Hoover will attempt to bring the program to similar heights after starting the last three seasons at TCU. His 85.0 PFF passing grade in that stretch is second in the Big 12 to only Shedeur Sanders.
Iowa Hawkeyes: Jeremy Hecklinski (Backup)
Iowa will have a competition this offseason to take over from Mark Gronowski. One of his two backups from 2025 will likely replace him in Hecklinski or Hank Brown. The former gets the nod here because he won the backup job from Brown during the season. The redshirt freshman completed both of his passes for eight yards last year. Also keep an eye on incoming freshman Tradon Bessinger, the No. 11 quarterback from the 2026 high school class and the likely future of the program.
Maryland Terrapins: Malik Washington (Returning)
Washington entered Maryland with a lot of hype as the No. 11 quarterback recruit from the 2025 class. He became the Terrapins’ starter immediately as a freshman and had a solid year overall, placing second among all true freshmen quarterbacks with 15 big-time throws.
Michigan Wolverines: Bryce Underwood (Returning)
Underwood began college with even more hype than Washington had, finishing as the No. 1 overall recruit in 2025. He also started all of his true freshman season and posted a 69.5 PFF grade. Underwood will be expected to take a leap into superstardom as a sophomore.
Michigan State Spartans: Alessio Milivojevic (Returning)
Milivojevic took over Michigan State’s starting quarterback job from a struggling Aidan Chiles in Week 10 of this past season. The redshirt freshman was solid overall, finishing with a 72.7 PFF grade on the year that placed ninth in the Big Ten.
Minnesota Golden Gophers: Drake Lindsey (Returning)
Lindsey started hot during his first few games as Minnesota’s starting quarterback, posting an 89.7 PFF passing grade through Week 5 that was ninth in the FBS. He had some issues down the stretch, though, placing 131st in passing grade from Week 6 on (55.1). Lindsey will try to be more consistent in his redshirt sophomore campaign.
Nebraska Cornhuskers: Anthony Colandrea (Transfer)
With Dylan Raiola transferring to Oregon, Nebraska found its next quarterback in the form of Colandrea. While he was just OK at Virginia in 2023 and 2024, he became a star for UNLV this past season. Colandrea won Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year as a junior and was ninth in the country with a 90.1 PFF grade while his 29 big-time throws tied for fourth.
Northwestern Wildcats: Aidan Chiles (Transfer)
Chiles started the last two seasons at Michigan State after following head coach Jonathan Smith from Oregon State. With Smith now gone, he found a new home in the Big Ten in Northwestern. Chiles had his fair share of issues as a passer with the Spartans, posting just a 61.7 PFF passing grade over the past two years.
Ohio State Buckeyes: Julian Sayin (Returning)
Sayin is back in Columbus after a phenomenal redshirt freshman season. His 92.9 PFF grade led all quarterbacks in the country, and his 74.2% accurate pass rate was the highest we’ve ever seen since PFF began charting college football in 2014. Sayin is the only Heisman finalist returning to school and enters 2026 as the best quarterback in the sport.
Oregon Ducks: Dante Moore (Returning)
Sayin may be PFF’s best quarterback returning to college football, but Moore isn’t too far behind in second. His 90.2 PFF passing grade was sixth in America, while his 30 big-time throws were tied for the most in the FBS. Moore also led the nation with a 98.5 passing grade on deep throws and quarterbacked Oregon all the way to the College Football Playoff semifinals. He was a projected top-three pick in the 2026 NFL Draft but surprised many by returning to Eugene.
Penn State Nittany Lions: Rocco Becht (Transfer)
Matt Campbell left Iowa State to become Penn State’s new head coach and brought his quarterback with him. Becht started the last three seasons for the Cyclones and has an 83.0 PFF grade during that stretch. His 79.1 passing grade stood fourth among all Big 12 quarterbacks during that stretch as well.
Purdue Boilermakers: Ryan Browne (Returning)
Browne saw extended action as a backup at Purdue in 2024 before becoming the starter this past season. His 69.1 PFF grade as a redshirt sophomore was just 94th in the FBS as he finished with 11 big-time throws and 17 turnover-worthy plays.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Dylan Lonergan (Transfer)
Athan Kaliakmanis is finished at Rutgers following a productive two seasons as its starter. The Scarlet Knights now turn to Lonergan, an incoming transfer from Boston College. The former four-star recruit started nine games for the Eagles as a redshirt sophomore in 2025, posting a respectable 71.7 PFF passing grade in the process. He’ll have superstars surrounding him in 2026 in the form of wide receiver KJ Duff and running back Antwan Raymond.
UCLA Bruins: Nico Iamaleava (Returning)
Iamaleava was likely hoping for a better first season at UCLA after a highly-publicized transfer from Tennessee. The former five-star recruit’s 64.1 PFF passing grade was only 103rd nationally, though his 78.0 rushing grade did stand 10th in the Power Four. He’ll try to put his elite tools together under a new head coach in Bob Chensey.
USC Trojans: Jayden Maiava (Returning)
Maiava has posted back-to-back 80-plus PFF grades during his 1.5 years as USC’s starter. He was fifth in the FBS this year with 3,711 passing yards and was the only one in the top five to play in fewer than 14 games. Maiava is at his best from a clean pocket, earning the ninth-best PFF grade in the country in such situations (92.3). He enters 2026 as one of the 10 best quarterbacks in America.
Washington Huskies: Demond Williams Jr. (Returning)
Williams tried to enter the transfer portal in January despite signing a $4 million agreement to return to Washington just days prior, but he decided to stay with the Huskies when the school threatened legal action. Regardless of how it went down, it’s still a win for Washington to return its star quarterback. Williams has an 83.0 PFF grade across his first two seasons as he’s a dynamic player with both his arm and his legs.
Wisconsin Badgers: Colton Joseph (Transfer)
The 2026 season feels like a make-or-break year for head coach Luke Fickell, and he’s entrusting his offense with Joseph’s arm and legs for that matter. The Old Dominion transfer’s 1,097 rushing yards were fifth among all quarterbacks in the nation, though his 71.4 PFF passing grade was only 58th.
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