The top two signal-callers from the much-maligned quarterback class of 2023 stumbled out of the gate Saturday, as Texas’ Arch Manning and UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava both struggled in Week 1 losses. Their poor showings led to a major shakeup in this week’s quarterback power rankings.
Manning’s performance in Texas’ 14-7 loss at Ohio State was particularly jarring. The former No. 1 overall prospect didn’t complete a pass of more than nine yards until the fourth quarter. Iamaleava wasn’t much better in his UCLA debut, hitting just 11 of 22 passes for 136 yards in a 43-10 loss at Utah.
Both Manning and Iamaleava dropped out of the top 50 altogether. The biggest risers were Florida State’s Tommy Castellanos and Auburn’s Jackson Arnold, who used their legs to vault into the top 10 with impressive debuts for new teams.
These rankings are not a Heisman forecast, draft projection or prediction of season-long production. Instead, they are a real-time reaction to on-field results, with weight given to competition level, game pressure and overall performance in addition to raw numbers.
No one moved from unranked to ranked based solely on an FCS showing. It will take more than one outing against lower-division opposition to crack the top 50.
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Hoover shredded North Carolina with surgical precision Monday night, completing 24 of his first 29 passes en route to a 284-yard, two-touchdown showing in TCU’s 48-14 beatdown of North Carolina. After throwing for 3,949 yards last season, Hoover looks poised for another big year. Last week: 10
Nussmeier played within himself, kept the football out of harm’s way and guided LSU to a long-awaited and desperately needed marquee Week 1 victory at Clemson. The Tigers’ defensive improvement will keep Nussmeier from having to play as much hero ball in 2025. That could mean less statistical production but greater team success. Last week: 2
It’s hard to throw for 300+ yards when your defense and special teams keep giving you a short field. Such was life for Allar as he tossed for 217 yards on 22 of 26 passing in Penn State’s easy season-opening win over Nevada. It wasn’t a perfect performance for the Nittany Lions’ offense, but Allar looked comfortable with his new receivers. Last week: 3
4. Tommy Castellanos, Florida State
Castellanos terrorized Alabama with his elusive playmaking as he scampered for five first downs and a touchdown. He also totaled 152 yards passing while leading Florida State to a statement win. Last week: unranked
Sayin dropped a 40-yard touchdown dime to Carnell Tate to put Ohio State up 14-0 on Texas early in the fourth quarter. No one is racing to give him the Heisman after a 126-yard starting debut, but the redshirt freshman handled himself well in a massive moment and has a big season coming. Last week: 5
Sellers started and ended well in South Carolina’s 24-11 win over Virginia Tech. There were some rocky patches in between, but the redshirt sophomore playmaker made big plays with his arm and legs to help swing the game in the Gamecocks’ favor. That’s what star quarterbacks do. Last week: 6
7. Jackson Arnold, Auburn
Arnold flashed his wheels while leading Auburn to a season-opening win at Baylor, totaling two touchdowns and 137 yards on the ground. Defenses will adjust and force the Oklahoma transfer to air it out more in the weeks ahead. But it was an encouraging start. Last week: unranked
King overcame three turnovers on Georgia Tech’s first three possessions and willed the Yellow Jackets to a 27-20 win at Colorado. He totaled 156 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, including a go-ahead 45-yard scamper with 1:07 remaining. Last week: 23
Oklahoma’s running game was a concern, but Mateer and the Sooners’ passing offense were certainly productive in a 35-3 season-opening win over Illinois State. Now comes a true test of his ability as Michigan arrives in Norman for the marquee game of Week 2. Last week: 9
Dampier proved to be the exact quarterback upgrade Utah was looking for in a 43-10 win over UCLA. He completed 21 of 25 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns while running for 87 yards and another score. The New Mexico transfer looks poised to get the Utes into Big 12 title contention. Last week: 38
Baylor aired it out all night while playing from behind in a 38-24 loss to Auburn. That resulted in Robertson being the only FBS quarterback to surpass 400 yards passing in Week 1 as he tossed three touchdowns and did his best to keep the Bears in it. Last week: 16
A soft opening is probably what Daniels needed coming off injury, and he’s looked good so far in easy wins over Fresno State and Wagner, totaling seven passing touchdowns and demonstrating that he still has some wiggle as a runner. Now comes a much bigger test against Missouri. Last week: 12
13. Demond Williams, Washington
The elusiveness, the arm, the poise. It was all there from Williams, who guided Washington to a 38-21 win over Colorado State. The 19-year-old sophomore amassed nearly 300 total yards in a hype-validating performance following a late-season flurry to close his freshman season. Last week: 14
Pavia took care of business in Vanderbilt’s easy Week 1 win over Charleston Southern by completing 20 of 25 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns. He also totaled 44 yards on the ground, didn’t turn the football over and was sacked just once. Last week: 13
Maiava totaled three touchdowns and needed just 18 attempts to reach 295 yards through the air as the Trojans rolled past Missouri State. Touchdown passes of 64 and 73 yards will do that for you. Granted, most of the mileage on those plays came on yards after the catch against an overmatched foe. Last week: 15
Miami produced some offensive fireworks in the second quarter of its win over Notre Dame, as Beck found Malachi Toney and CJ Daniel’s for touchdowns. The Georgia transfer completed 12 straight passes at one point in a performance that suggested he could be in for a bounce-back campaign. Last week: 22
Florida’s passing game sputtered out of the gate in an easy win over LIU, but Lagway looked healthy and eventually threw for three touchdowns to close the second quarter before he was wisely removed. He’s in for a big sophomore campaign if he can stay off the injury report. Last week: 8
Arizona State’s 38-19 win over Northern Arizona wasn’t the cleanest, but Leavitt totaled two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns. A trip to Mississippi State in Week 2 will provide a better gauge of where he and the Sun Devils are as they embark on a season with big expectations. Last week: 7
One of the breakout stars of the 2023 season shook off the rust after missing much of last year due to injury and led South Florida to a momentous win over Boise State. Brown leveled some defenders as a runner and looked capable of leading the Bulls into the American league title conversation. Last week: unranked
Retzlaff opened the scoring with a touchdown pass and then broke it open late in the first half with a 69-yard touchdown run as Tulane cruised to a 23-3 win over Northwestern. There were some dry spells, but it was a solid start, especially considering that Retzlaff just joined the Green Wave in late July. Last week: unranked
21. Rocco Becht, Iowa State
Last week: 18
22. Darian Mensah, Duke
Last week: 24
23. Avery Johnson, Kansas State
Last week: 21
24. Bryce Underwood, Michigan
Last week: 35
25. Behren Morton, Texas Tech
Last week: 27
26. Kevin Jennings, SMU
Last week: 17
27. Dylan Raiola, Nebraska
Last week: 28
28. Taylen Green, Arkansas
Last week: 29
29. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M
Last week: 30
30. Dante Moore, Oregon
Last week: 31
31. Luke Altmyer, Illinois
Last week: 25
32. Parker Navarro, Ohio
Last week: 49
33. Austin Simmons, Ole Miss
Last week: 32
34. Ty Simpson, Alabama
Last week: 20
35. CJ Bailey, NC State
Last week: 40
36. Miller Moss, Louisville
Last week: 19
37. Maverick McIvor, WKU
Last week: 39
38. Gunner Stockton, Georgia
Last week: 37
39. Joey Aguilar, Tennessee
Last week: 48
40. CJ Carr, Notre Dame
Last week: 44
41. Blake Horvath, Navy
Last week: 36
42. Evan Simon, Temple
Last week: unranked
43. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Last week: 26
44. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, Cal
Last week: unranked
45. Malik Washington, Maryland
Last week: unranked
46. AJ Swann, Appalachian State
Last week: unranked
47. Athan Kaliakmanis, Rutgers
Last week: unranked
48. Chander Morris, Virginia
Last week: unranked
49. Cade Klubnik, Clemson
Last week: 1
50. Anthony Colandrea, UNLV|
Last week: unranked
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