Two of the most successful Power Four quarterbacks last season were players who had to first prove themselves in lower ranks of college football before then seizing the opportunity they created for themselves.
Heisman Trophy runner-up Diego Pavia started all the way down in the junior college ranks at New Mexico Military Institute, spending two seasons there and then two at New Mexico State before stepping into the spotlight at Vanderbilt the last two seasons.
Meanwhile, one of the best stories in college football in 2025 was Trinidad Chambliss going from Division II national champion at Ferris State, to Ole Miss backup QB to open the season, to one of the most dynamic players in the country while leading the Rebels to the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Most Intriguing College Football QBs Moving Up To The Power Four
So who could be the next quarterback to make the jump to the Power Four level and shine in 2026? Here are the five with the best chance to do that just that.
1. Oklahoma State QB Drew Mestemaker
Oklahoma State is one of the most intriguing teams in college football in general in 2026.
Not because the Cowboys are likely to win the Big 12 or vault into national contention just yet, but because they made one of the best upside coaching hires in Eric Morris, who then brought his best players with him from a 12-win North Texas team.
That includes Mestemaker, who was another of the great individual stories in college football last season. After not starting at QB for his varsity team at Vandegrift High School in Austin, Texas, because he was stuck behind Louisville commit Deuce Adams (now at Wisconsin) as a senior. Mestemaker walked on at North Texas, got his chance in the team’s bowl game at the end of the 2024 season and then seized the starting role in 2025.
He led the entire FBS with 4,379 passing yards while throwing 34 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He also rushed for 5 TDs.
Now, he gets to prove himself in the Big 12, playing under his same head coach and with his same top weapons from North Texas — wide receiver Wyatt Young (70 catches for 1,264 yards and 10 TDs) and running back Caleb Hawkins (1,434 rushing yards, 370 receiving yards and 29 combined TDs).
Morris is a QB guru who also discovered and developed future No. 1 overall NFL draft pick Cam Ward from FCS-level Incarnate Word to a season together at Washington State before he took the North Texas job while Ward eventually finished out at Miami.
There’s every reason to think Morris will immediately have the Cowboys’ offense humming in Year 1 with Mestemaker leading the way.
2. Auburn QB Byrum Brown
Like Mestemaker, Brown isn’t so much under-the-radar after starring at USF the last three years. Like Mestemaker, he is also following his head coach into the Power Four spotlight in taking the reins at Auburn under Alex Golesh.
Brown has been one of the most prolific dual-threat quarterbacks in college football but now has to prove that his game translates to the highest level of the sport in the SEC.
He passed for 3,158 yards, 28 TDs and 7 INTs with a career-high 1,008 rushing yards and 14 TDs last season for the Bulls.
Brown was limited to just five games in 2024 due to a lower leg injury, but he was just as good in 2023 when he passed for 3,292 yards, 26 TDs and 11 INTs and rushed for 809 yards and 11 TDs.
Auburn is in a bit of a rebuild in 2026 so the Tigers will need every bit of Brown’s dynamic playmaking ability.
3. Wisconsin QB Colton Joseph
Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell is 16-21 through his first three seasons and is on one of the hottest seats in college football entering 2026. He knew he had to upgrade the Badgers’ quarterback situation after an abysmal offensive season last fall, and to do so Fickell reeled in Joseph as a transfer from Old Dominion.
The 6-foot-2, 212-pound Joseph was the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year in 2025 (but James Madison QB Alonza Barnett III was the Sun Belt Player of the Year) as a redshirt sophomore. He passed for 2,624 yards, 21 TDs and 10 INTs and rushed for 1,007 yards and 13 TDs in 12 games.
Joseph played two games against Power Four opponents. In the season opener on the road against eventual national champion Indiana, he passed for just 96 yards and 3 INTs but rushed for 179 yards and 2 TDs on just 10 attempts. Two weeks later against Virginia Tech, he completed 16 of 22 passes for 276 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs and rushed 8 times for 63 yards and a TD to lead the Monarchs to a 45-26 upset win.
Whether he can minimize the turnovers now playing in the Big Ten will be the biggest question, but he is a capable passer and his dual-threat ability could really elevate the Badgers’ offense in 2026.
4. Nebraska QB Anthony Colandrea
Unlike the other QBs on this list, 2026 brings a second chance for Colandrea to prove himself at the Power Four level.
He spent his first two seasons at Virginia, making 18 starts but compiling 26 TDs to 20 INTs in that time. Ultimately, he moved on to UNLV last year and enjoyed a breakout season, completing a career-best 65.9% of his passes for 3,459 yards, 23 TDs and 9 INTs with 649 rushing yards and 10 TDs. He was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year.
With Nebraska losing former five-star recruit Dylan Raiola to the transfer portal (and ultimately Oregon) after two seasons, the Huskers needed a veteran QB ready to step in as coach Matt Rhule looks to elevate the program after going 19-19 through his first three seasons.
5. UCF QB Alonza Barnett III
The offensive leader of James Madison’s College Football Playoff team last year, Barnett will now test himself in the Big 12 in transferring to UCF.
He passed for 2,806 yards, 23 TDs and 8 INTs and rushed for 589 yards and 15 TDs for the Dukes. He was a two-year starter there and had even better passing ratios in 2024 (26 TDs and 4 INTs).
In the 51-34 CFP quarterfinals loss to Oregon, Barnett piled up the second-half stats to finish 23-of-48 passing for 273 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs and rushed for 45 yards and a TD.
UCF is coming off a 5-7 finish in coach Scott Frost’s first season back at the helm, and the Golden Knights are hoping Barnett’s playmaking abilities translate to the Big 12.
Honorable Mentions
Illinois QB Katin Houser: Like Colandrea, Houser is getting a second chance in the spotlight, in his case returning to the Big Ten. Houser struggled in his limited opportunities at Michigan State, then spent the last two seasons rebuilding his stock at East Carolina. He had a career-best season in 2025, completing 65.9% of his passes for 3,300 yards, 19 TDs and 6 INTs, plus 193 yards and 9 TDs rushing.
Duke QB Walker Eget: Replacing Darian Mensah is a big ask. Eget ranked 11th in the FBS last season with 277.4 passing yards per game, but he completed just 59 percent of his passes with a modest 17 TDs to 9 INTs (after throwing 13 TDs and 10 INTs in 2024).
TCU QB Jaden Craig: Craig passed for 6,074 yards, 52 TDs and 12 INTs (plus 11 rushing TDs) the last three seasons at Harvard, which plays at the FCS level. TCU wanted an experienced quarterback to replace three-year starter Josh Hoover, who transferred to Indiana, and it is banking on Craig to be able to rise to the challenge in the Big 12.
Cincinnati QB JC French IV: A two-year starter at Georgia Southern, passing for 2,929 yards, 20 TDs and 8 INTs last season (with 315 yards and 6 TDs rushing), French steps in for standout Brendan Sorsby, who moved on to Texas Tech.
Iowa State QB Jaylen Raynor: It’s a new era at Iowa State with coach Matt Campbell and QB Rocco Becht moving onto Penn State, and the Cyclones hiring former Washington State and South Dakota State coach Jimmy Rogers. At QB, the team brings in experience with Raynor, a three-year starter at Arkansas State. Over that span, he passed for 8,694 yards, 52 TDs and 28 INTs and rushed for 1,183 yards and 15 TDs.
Boston College QB Mason McKenzie: Perhaps inspired by Chambliss’ leap to stardom last year, Boston College reached into the Division II ranks to find its new quarterback. McKenzie passed for 4,140 yards, 31 TDs and 15 INTs with 1,604 rushing yards and 16 TDs the past two seasons at Saginaw Valley State. He was the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2025.
