What New England lacks in quantity in terms of high-profile high school quarterback prospects in the region, it makes up for in quality.
Two senior Massachusetts prep prospects lead the way for the Class of 2026, and both are already committed to FBS programs. Leominster's Osiris Lopez committed to Coastal Carolina on May 14, and Qur'an McNeill took his name off the board with a pledge to Buffalo on June 7.
Two other New England prospects – juniors Keegan Croucher of Connecticut's Cheshire Academy and Peter Bourque of Massachusetts' Tabor Academy – have another year to figure out their college destinations, and both are higher-rated than Lopez and McNeill. The junior duo are listed as four-star recruits, and they are running neck-and-neck in both the overall recruiting rankings – and on Penn State's recruiting board.
Croucher's lineup of recruiting visits this fall includes a trip to Happy Valley, but he's also expected to visit Ole Miss and Oregon.
Cheshire Academy four-star QB Keegan Croucher is one of the most coveted 2027 passers in the country. He has fall visits on the itinerary for Ole Miss and Oregon and will hit Penn State as well. He talks about his interest in those programs here: https://t.co/BJg5NKKTyv pic.twitter.com/tF1zEwAGE4
— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong_) July 28, 2025
He's reportedly a top target for the Michigan Wolverines, too, so it seems clear that Croucher will be one of the gems of a Power 4 recruiting class a year from now. Bourque is also being targeted by Penn State, and 247sports.com lists him as 100 percent likely to commit to the Nittany Lions, meaning Croucher could be the odd man out in State College.
But, first things first. All of these Yankee slingers have another prep season to focus on just around the corner. Lopez led his Leominster Blue Devils to the second round of Massachusetts' MIAA Division I playoffs. He had a tough afternoon via the airways, completing just 7-of-20 passes for 125 yards, although he did connect on a couple of touchdown passes.
He's a solid dual-threat quarterback, however, and did manage to roll up 145 yards on the ground on just 16 carries. All together, his 270 yards of total offense just wasn't enough to keep pace with Xaverian Brothers, the eventual state champions, in a 35-20 loss.
Still, it was a better run than McNeill and his Milton Academy Mustangs managed over the course of a 4-4 season in the Independent School League's ISL-7. The Mustangs opened the season in promising fashion, walloping Roxbury Latin, 29-2, but a four-game losing streak ended any hope of playing for a piece of postseason hardware. It was Milton's second 4-4 season in a row with injuries playing a part, but with McNeill in the fold for one more season, you can never count the Mustangs out.
Croucher's Cheshire Academy squad finished with an underwhelming 5-4 record, but he did help lead his Cats to the NEPSAC's Danny Smith Bowl after finishing fourth in the league standings. Croucher threw for 2,052 yards with 20 touchdowns and only three interceptions on the season, and he was solid in the bowl game, finishing 26-of-36 for 246 yards with three touchdowns. But Cheshire's defense couldn't slow down the Williston Northampton offense in a 42-26 loss.
Top high school quarterbacks in New England entering 2025
The top quarterbacks in each of the other four New England states are listed in our Top 10 with Maine's Gavin Monyok (Hampden), New Hampshire's Michael Fiengo (Amherst Souhegan), Rhode Island's Parker Howley (Providence Classical), and Vermont's Cody Adams (Fair Haven) making the cut.
| Class, Name | School (City) | Ht, Wt | Commitment |
| SR Cody Adams | Fair Haven (VT) | 6-3, 200 | N/A |
| JR Peter Bourque | Tabor Academy (Marion, MA) | 6-4, 205 | N/A |
| SR Vincent Burbank | Northwest Catholic (West Hartford, CT) | 5-10, 180 | N/A |
| JR Keegan Croucher | Cheshire (CT) Academy | 6-4, 200 | N/A |
| SR Michael Fiengo | Souhegan (Amherst, NH) | 6-0, 155 | N/A |
| SR Parker Howley | Classical (Providence, RI) | 6-2, 185 | N/A |
| SR Osiris Lopez | Leominster (MA) | 6-2, 185 | Coastal Carolina |
| SR Qur'an McNeill | Milton (MA) Academy | 6-3, 190 | Buffalo |
| SR Gavin Monyok | Hampden (ME) | 6-3, 190 | N/A |
| JR Braeden Siano | Chicopee (MA) | 5-8, 180 | N/A |
Milton, Tabor duel to feature top two quarterbacks in ISL7
Tabor Academy joined the ISL7 league last season and wasted no time moving to the top of the pecking order. After finishing 7-1 in the regular season, they advanced to the NEPSAC's Kevin Macdonald Bowl where they routed Dexter Southfield (Brookline, MA), 48-20.
They did an even better number on Milton Academy during the regular season, shutting out their hosts in a 37-0 blowout. It was their first meeting since 2018 when Milton won by a similar count of 36-0, and this time, Bourque's Tabor squad will play host. The Seawolves figure to be the favorites again, but the visitors – led by the senior McNeill – could be carrying a considerable chip on their collective shoulders.