Over the course of a college football season, almost every team will need to turn to a backup quarterback. At Texas, Arch Manning stepped in and led the Longhorns to two wins when Quinn Ewers went down. Notre Dame’s Steve Angeli spurred a run against Georgia in the national quarterfinals. The most famous example, of course, involved Ohio State’s third-string QB Cardale Jones leading the Buckeyes to a national championship.
But while quarterback depth only gets more important in the expanded College Football Playoff era, it’s never been harder to keep players on campus. The transfer portal and NIL mean that any players without a pathway to the starting job typically leave. The opportunity cost is too great for most, which makes the deep rooms even more valuable.
It’s worth clarifying: This is a ranking of the deepest quarterback rooms in the sport. It’s not a listing of the best quarterbacks in the sport. Miami’s Carson Beck may be the best QB in college football, but the backups are far more unproven. The same is true of Texas, which ranked among the best last season. With Arch Manning moving from backup to starter, the depth is far less special. The top dog being exceptional helps, but is certainly not a requirement.
In fact, quarterback uncertainty can be a quiet blessing. Several of the top teams on this list have open quarterback competitions between qualified players. Opportunity is a great incentive to stick around into the fall. With that said, here are the six deepest quarterback rooms in college football heading into the 2025 season.
Key players: Ty Simpson, Austin Mack, Keelon Russell
The Crimson Tide may have been down in 2024, but Alabama is coming into 2025 with the most impressive quarterback competition in the nation. Mack was well regarded when coach Kalen DebBoer recruited him to Washington, and he opted to follow DeBoer to Tuscaloosa. Simpson was a five-star who waited three years for his opportunity. The wild card is Russell, an early-enrollee who ranked as the No. 2 overall player in the Top247 out of Duncanville, Texas. While the group lacks starting snaps, the sheer amount of talent and practice experience makes it the envy of the nation.
Key players: Garrett Nussmeier, Michael Van Buren
Nussmeier is perhaps the best returning quarterback in college football after clearing 4,000 yards as a first-year starter. He will have plenty to work with after LSU brought in an impressive portal class. Landing Van Buren from Mississippi State is a coup. He was essentially the only bright spot on a miserable Bulldogs squad and has all the tools to be LSU’s quarterback of the future after throwing for more than 1,800 yards in Starkville. Behind Van Buren, the backup situation gets a little interesting. The Tigers moved running back Ju’Juan Johnson to quarterback. Freshman Colin Hurley suffered a serious car accident in January, and there have been few updates on his status. Still, the duo at the top should cover most situations.
Key players: Sam Leavitt, Jeff Sims, Cameron Dyer
Leavitt has a strong case as the best returning quarterback in the Big 12 after leading the Sun Devils to the College Football Playoff. The former Michigan State transfer creates opportunities with both his arm and legs and could key another season of league contention. While Sims’ career has been defined by frustration, he boasts more than 700 pass attempts across stops at three schools. He is one of the most experienced backups in the country. Furthermore, the freshman Dyer is a thrilling recruit at the position, ranked No. 141 in the Top247. If he sticks at quarterback, he could push for backup snaps.
Key players: Sawyer Robertson, Walker White, Edward Griffin, Nate Bennett
The Bears boast a picture perfect quarterback room heading into a pivotal 2025 season. Robertson sits as one of the nation’s most underrated signal-callers in the nation and leads all returning starters nationally in both EPA and QBR. He will make an All-American case. Behind him, White was a top-50 recruit who picked Auburn over Baylor during the recruiting process. After one year with the Tigers, he opted to transfer to Waco, giving Baylor a true quarterback of the future. The staff is also high on Griffin, a freshman from Coppell, Texas, who set Texas high school football’s top classification on fire. Having a proven commodity, elite backup and a couple of high-upside swings is an ideal succession plan for a program that hopes to jump into the Big 12 title conversation.
College Football QB Power Rankings: Arch Manning leads with Cade Klubnik, Carson Beck right behind in spring
Tom Fornelli
5. Notre Dame
Key players: Steve Angeli, CJ Carr, Kenny Minchey
The Fighting Irish should have a dynamic battle for the starting quarterback position between Angeli and Carr, two players who have proven their loyalty to the program. Carr, the grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, ranked as the top quarterback recruit at Notre Dame since Brandon Wimbush nearly a decade ago. Angeli has owned the backup snaps to this point, and he showed a speedy release and serious arm talent. Either should quickly bring an infusion of downfield passing ability to the Notre Dame offense, which has not been a guarantee in recent years.
6. Auburn
Key players: Jackson Arnold, Ashton Daniels, Deuce Knight
The Tigers don’t have a surefire starting caliber player, but the sheer amount of on-field experience pushes them into the conversation. Arnold (Oklahoma) and Daniels (Stanford) were both starters last season at their respective programs. Arnold was a five-star recruit and the No. 1 player out of Texas when he chose the Sooners, while Daniels started for two seasons at Stanford. The pair combined for nearly 1,000 pass attempts over the past two seasons. Knight, a member of the Class of 2025, is a wildcard after coming to Auburn as the No. 56 player in the class. Auburn coach Hugh Freeze will have to move quickly after flipping the entire QB room, but the reps are there.
Read the full article here
