We may be in the thick of the 2025 college football season. But it's never too early to start looking ahead to the 2026 NFL Draft. It's nearly six months away, and NFL franchises are already looking at draft picks who can have immediate impacts.
Last year, we saw just two quarterbacks selected in the first round, as 2025 was considered a down year for signal-callers. As the college football season progresses, the class is starting to take shape.
Let's take a look at draft stocks for college football quarterbacks who could be high draft picks in 2026.
MORE: SN's latest 2026 mock draft after NFL trade deadline
8. Carson Beck, Miami
Carson Beck was expected to go to Miami and help lead the Hurricanes to a College Football Playoff bid and help boost his draft stock in the process. But he hasn't done much of either in 2025 so far.
Miami got off to a hot start earlier in the year, including signature wins over No. 6 Notre Dame and wins over ranked opponents in USF and Florida State. But through eight games, Beck has thrown for just 1,947 yards with 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
He also played poorly in Miami's two losses to Louisville and SMU, combining for six interceptions in those games. Two of his interceptions were game-sealing ones, too. He's also thrown just three fewer picks than his SEC-leading 12 last season. The lone bright spot is that his 72.5 percent completion percentage ranks third in the nation, but his inconsistent and turnover-prone play largely overshadows that.
MORE: Why did Carson Beck transfer from Georgia to Miami?
7. Cade Klubnik, Clemson
Cade Klubnik entered the 2025 season with expectations to be a late first-round draft pick. Clemson was expected to make it back to the College Football Playoff for a second consecutive season, and Klubnik was coming off of a season with 3,639 yards passing with 36 touchdowns. He added 463 yards with seven scores on the ground as well.
But the 2025 season has been a down year for both Klubnik and the Tigers. Clemson is 3-5 on the season, and Klubnik has thrown for 1,915 yards with just 13 touchdowns and five interceptions. He threw a pick in each of Clemson's first four games, and threw another in a win over Boston College.
He also missed Clemson's Oct. 18 game against SMU with an ankle injury. On the ground, he's on-pace for one of his least productive seasons yet, tallying just 116 yards with just two scores.
Klubnik entered his college football career with high expectations as a former 5-star recruit, but he has fallen well short of those.
MORE: Revisiting Dabo Swinney's worst season as coach in 2010
6. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
Garrett Nussmeier entered the 2025 season as a potential No. 1 overall draft pick. In 2024, he finished fifth nationally with 4,052 yards passing, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
But the Tigers' signal-caller has regressed in 2025, during an LSU season that saw head coach Brian Kelly fired midseason. LSU's struggles have largely been on the offensive side of the ball, as the Tigers rank 83rd nationally in scoring offense, averaging just 25.5 points per game. LSU has also consistently struggled to find the end zone all year, scoring touchdowns on just 58.62% of its red zone trips, good for 92nd nationally.
It's no surprise then, that Nussmeier's numbers have dipped significantly from 2024. Through eight games, he has just 1,806 yards passing with 12 touchdowns and five interceptions on the season. Unfortunately for the LSU senior, the Tigers' offensive struggles have only hurt his draft stock.
MORE: Who should LSU replace Brian Kelly with?
5. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
At 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, LaNorris Sellers is already an intriguing quarterback prospect due to his size. He also has an impressive dual-threat ability at his weight. He entered 2025 with some NFL Draft buzz after throwing for 2,534 yards with 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions last season. He rushed for another 674 yards and seven touchdowns, as the Gamecocks finished with an impressive 9-4.
But Sellers' stock has fallen thus far in 2025. Through nine games, Sellers has thrown for 1,536 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions. He's been sacked 33 times and is averaging just 1.4 yards per carry on the ground. Not to mention, South Carolina is 3-6 on the season, with four straight losses in a touch stretch of games vs. LSU, Oklahoma, Alabama and Ole Miss.
He's shown some flashes of what he did in 2024, including a season-high 302 yards passing with two touchdowns against Missouri. But his four interceptions in South Carolina's last four games has diminished most of those. As a redshirt sophomore, Sellers has the opportunity to return to South Carolina in 2026 instead of entering the draft.
MORE: LaNorris Sellers 2026 NFL Draft projection
4. John Mateer, Oklahoma
John Mateer entered the 2025 season hoping to deliver on some high expectations for Oklahoma. He transferred to the Sooners after having a breakout season with Washington State in 2024, during which he threw for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns with seven interceptions.
Oklahoma and Mateer's 2025 season got off to a solid start, featuring a 4-0 start with wins over ranked opponents in Michigan and Auburn. But thanks to a hand injury and turnovers, Mateer's stock has fallen in recent weeks.
We'll start with the interceptions. Mateer has already matched his seven picks thrown last year in just eight games. He threw three picks in Oklahoma's 23-6 loss to Texas, and he tossed three in Oklahoma's first three games.
Mateer also missed some time for the Sooners this year. He suffered a broken hand during Oklahoma's 24-17 win over Auburn and had surgery the week after. He missed Oklahoma's game on Oct. 4 vs. Kent State and underwent surgery the week after. He returned against Texas, where he had a season-high three interceptions.
While Mateer is a junior and could return to Oklahoma or play elsewhere in 2026, his stock has fallen due to how his 2025 has gone so far.
MORE: Looking back at John Mateer's decision to transfer to Oklahoma
3. Dante Moore, Oregon
Dante Moore is a redshirt sophomore for the Ducks, but he has the opportunity to come out and declare for the NFL draft after his 2025 season. He started his career at UCLA as a true freshman in 2023 and took a redshirt year at Oregon last season.
So far this season, Oregon's signal-caller is having a solid year. He's thrown for 1,772 yards with 19 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He's also completed 71.4 percent of his passes, good for seventh in the country entering Week 11.
He's had multiple games throwing for three or more touchdowns, including in wins over Oregon State, Penn State and Rutgers. His best game was against the Beavers, when he finished with 305 yards passing with four touchdowns and zero interceptions.
His worst game came during Indiana's shocking 30-20 upset of the Ducks, when he threw two interceptions with just one touchdown. But with just one loss, Oregon is still squarely in the playoff hunt. Leading the Ducks on a deep CFP run could boost his stock even higher.
MORE: Why Dante Moore transferred from UCLA to Oregon
2. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Indiana has emerged as a legitimate College Football Playoff contender in 2025, and Fernando Mendoza is a big reason for that.
He's on-pace for a career-best season, with 2,124 yards passing with 25 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He's rushed for 220 yards with four scores on the ground, as well. He's also fifth in completion percentage at 72.3% so far.
The Hoosiers should have no problems cruising to the Big Ten title game undefeated. Three of their remaining opponents in Penn State, Wisconsin and Purdue are winless. The Nittany Lions are a top-15 passing defense, however, so that might be Mendoza's biggest test yet.
But as Indiana continues its dream season, Mendoza's stock should rise up even higher.
MORE: How Curt Cignetti went from DII to one of CFB's best head coaches
1. Ty Simpson, Alabama
It may be a surprise to see how high Ty Simpson is on this list, given that he's in his first season as Alabama's starter. But after three years of backing up both Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe, Simpson has taken full control as Alabama's starter in 2025.
So far on the season, he's thrown for 2,184 yards — third in the SEC — with 20 touchdowns and just one interception. He's thrown for at least 200 yards passing and multiple touchdowns in each of his eight starts, as well. Simpson has also led Alabama to an 7-1 start and first place in the SEC.
Assuming the Tide makes both the SEC title game and playoff, Simpson's stock will continue to rise.
MORE: Alabama QB Ty Simpson has CFB head coach dad, HS recruit brother