With the 2025 football season rapidly approaching, The Sporting News is taking a look at the top returning players by region and position.
This list focuses on the top 20 quarterbacks to watch in the state of Tennessee. The list includes a state champion QB who has committed to a prominent SEC school, another QB seeking to repeat as a state champ, quarterbacks who are the sons of former signal-callers themselves and some very talented underclassmen.
(This list is in alphabetical order)
Femi Babalola, Brentwood Ravenwood, Sr. (Boston College commit)/Maverick Chance, Brentwood Ravenwood, Sr.
After considering Arizona, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech, three-star recruit Babalola announced in late June that he has committed to play at Boston College. He split quarterbacking duties as a junior last season, finishing with 1,248 yards and 11 TDs while adding three rushing TDs. But the player Babalola has been splitting duties with, Chance, is also back to take some snaps for the Raptors, who finished 13-1 and reached the Class 6A semifinals. Chance tallied 1,571 total yards and 25 total TDs, and was named the Region 6 Offensive Co-MVP.
Kannon Burroughs, Green Hill, Sr. (Tennessee-Martin commit)
Alan Poizner/The Tennessean/USA TODAY NETWORK
Burroughs committed in late July to attend Tennessee-Martin. He’s coming off a junior season in which he completed 63% of his passes and threw for 1,373 yards and 12 TDs. He was just as effective running the ball, finishing with 1,062 yards, averaging 9.1 yards per carry. Burroughs also found the end zone nine times.
Bronzden Chaffin, Baxter Upperman, Sr. (Georgia State commit)
Chaffin enters his senior year having compiled a 25-2 record as a starter. He finished his junior season completing 103 passes in 145 attempts for 1,553 yards and 15 TDs. He also ran the ball 132 times for 960 yards, scoring 16 times. In late June, Chaffin announced his commitment to Georgia State.
Committed‼️@GeorgiaStateFB pic.twitter.com/iVSsaxgQNc
— Bronzden chaffin (@Bronzden8) June 23, 2025
Briggs Cherry, Chattanooga Baylor School, Sr. (Louisville commit)
Saul Young/Knoxville News-Sentinel/USA TODAY NETWORK
A four-star recruit, Cherry committed to play at Louisville. He’s coming off a junior season in which he threw for 2,718 yards and 31 TDs, only being intercepted three times. Cherry’s completion percentage was 69%. He has extra motivation entering the season after Baylor lost to McCallie in the Division II-AAA Blue Cross Bowl title game after entering the contest undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the state.
Elias Childers, Nashville Overton, Sr.
A three-star recruit, Childers recently took visits to Ivy League schools Harvard, Yale and Cornell. He also paid visits to Arkansas State and Murray State. But Childers’ objective in the next few weeks is helping Overton bounce back from a 3-7 finish in ’24.
Lane Clement, Science Hill, Sr.
Clement - the son of former Miami (Fla.) quarterback Ryan Clement - arrived in Tennessee this offseason after having previously played in Wyoming. He joins a Science Hill squad that went 8-3 and made it to the second round of the TSSAA Class 6A playoffs. He goes 6-foot-4 and is projected as a pro-style quarterback for prospective colleges, spending this summer attending various camps. As a junior at Cheyenne (Wyo.) Central, he passed for 1,362 yards with 13 TDs.
Jared Curtis, Nashville Christian School, Sr. (Georgia commit)
Perhaps the No. 1 rated QB not only in Tennessee but the entire nation. Curtis is a five-star recruit who has thrown for 7,665 yards and 92 TDs since his freshman season. Last season, Curtis posted career highs in completion percentage (70.2%), yards (2,830) and TDs (40) in leading Nashville Christian to the state title, defeating Columbia Academy in the Division II-A Blue Cross Bowl, and was named the game’s MVP as he passed for 158 yards and two TDs while adding four rushing TDs. In early May, he announced his commitment to Georgia.
WATCH: QB Jared Curtis commits to the Georgia Bulldogs 🚨@Dawgs247 x #CommitHQ pic.twitter.com/9qlV6v6jei
— 247Sports (@247Sports) May 5, 2025
Taylor Hasselbeck, Nashville Ensworth, Sr. (Wyoming commit)
Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean/USA TODAY NETWORK
While Hasselbeck’s parents are well known - father Tim was an NFL quarterback and mother Elisabeth was a contestant on “Survivor” and later became a TV talk show host - the younger Hasselbeck is making a name for himself. He is coming off a junior season in which he completed 70.5% of his passes (134-of-190) for 1,790 yards and 18 TDs while helping lead Ensworth to the DII-AAA state semifinals. A three-star prospect, Hasselbeck committed to Wyoming in late May. Incidentally, Tim Hasselbeck is Ensworth’s head coach and his brother - and Taylor’s uncle - Matt Hasselbeck, longtime NFL quarterback, serves as the offensive coordinator.
Will Johnson, Milan, Sr.
HELEN COMER/The Murfreesboro Daily News Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK
Johnson passed for 1,559 yards and 17 TDs, while adding three rushing TDs, last season. He helped the Bulldogs to a 13-2 record and an appearance in the Blue Cross Bowl Class 2A championship game, although they lost to Marion County. In a playoff win against Lewis County, Johnson completed 8-of-13 passes for 187 yards and three scores.
Amari Lethgo, Knoxville Halls, Sr.
Hannah Mattix/Knoxville News-Sentinel/USA TODAY NETWORK
Lethgo built off a solid sophomore year by increasing his numbers as a junior. He completed 207 passes, out of 302 attempts, for 2,617 yards and 25 TDs. Lethgo added four rushing TDs. Halls has come off back-to-back eight-win seasons, and the Red Devils are aiming for their first quarterfinal playoff appearance since 1997, so Lethgo is going to say in 2025, “Let’s Go.”
Kaedyn Marable, Franklin Battle Ground Academy, Sr. (Columbia commit)
Marable put together some impressive numbers as a junior. He converted 71% of his passes (233-of-329) for 3,423 yards and 36 TDs; while carrying the ball, he found the end zone 13 times and gained more Ethan 500 yards. In summation, it was nearly 4,000 yards of total offense and 50 total TDs. Following his senior season, Marable is taking his talents to the Ivy League, having committed to Columbia University.
Julian Murdic, Antioch Ezell-Harding Christian, Sr.
Murdic has tremendous size, going 6-foot-5 while weighing 225 pounds. This offseason, Murdic transferred to Ezell-Harding after having played at Pope Saint John Paul II in Hendersonville. He’s listed as a three-star recruit and owns offers from schools like Miami (Ohio) and Texas State.
Cooper Newman, Sevier County, Jr.
Saul Young/Knoxville News Sentinel/USA TODAY NETWORK
Newman had a sophomore year to remember. He completed 259-of-363 passes for 3,488 yards for a whopping 45 TDs and only one interception in helping lead Sevier County to the Class 5A Blue Cross Bowl title. Newman was also named MVP of the title game as he threw two TDs in a 27-20 win against Page. He earned 5A All-State and All-Region 1-5A honors. Newman is now ready to run things back for the Smoky Bears.
Kelvin Perkins, Memphis Southwind, Sr. (Austin Peay commit)
Chris Day/Memphis Commercial Appeal/USA TODAY NETWORK
On Independence Day, Perkins made his commitment to play for the Governors of Austin Peay. As a sophomore at Southward, Perkins threw for 2,860 yards and 46 TDs as he was named Tennessee’s Mr. Football in Class 5A. Then last season, he passed for 1,759 yards and 27 TDs as well as rushing for more than 600 yards and finding the end zone 12 times.
Hugh Price, Nashville Montgomery Bell Academy, Sr. (Southern Miss commit)
Price’s junior season was drastically cut short, as he ended up playing just five games due to a collarbone injury. He finished with 540 yards and three TDs, but was able to lead MBA to a win in the opening round of the TSSAA Division II-AAA playoffs. In April, he announced his commitment to Southern Miss and is ready to turn in a full injury-free season this fall at MBA.
Jour’Din Shelton, Germantown, So.
Shelton goes 6-foot-4 and 165 pounds and has increased his profile following a solid freshman year. He has already received an offer from Memphis.
Graham Simpson, Westview, So.
Jamar Coach/The Jackson Sun/USA TODAY NETWORK
In a game last August, and just a freshman, Simpson passed for 302 yards and a school-record seven TDs. That set the scene for a very successful first year, as Simpson threw for more than 4,135 yards and 57 TDs while leading Westview to the Class 3A Blue Cross Bowl. He also completed 239-of-315 passes and was intercepted just once. No doubt the sky’s the limit for this promising sophomore.
Blaine Stansberry, Oak Ridge, Sr.
Stansberry enters his third season as QB1 for the Wildcats. He has thrown for nearly 5,000 yards in his career, including 2,290 as a junior. Stansberry added 19 TDs and another four scores running the ball in helping lead Oak Ridge to the Class 5A state semifinals.
Jackson Stroup, Gallatin, Sr. (VMI commit)
Stroup committed to Virginia Military Institute in late July. As a sophomore, he was named the Offensive MVP in Region 4-6A. He didn’t have quite the production as a junior, finishing with 1,845 yards and 18 TDs along with three more rushing TDs as the Green Wave finished 3-7. But with his commitment secured, Stroup’s main focus is getting Gallatin back into postseason contention.
Tyler Thompson, Marshall County, Sr.
Mark Zaleski/The Tennessean/USA TODAY NETWORK
Thompson helped guide the Tigers to an undefeated regular season, eventually finishing 12-1. He completed 68% of his passes (182-of-267) for 2,824 yards and 45 TDs. Thompson threw at least four TDs in seven games, including six (with 306 yards) in a 59-6 win against Greenbrier on Sept. 13.
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