The Athletic Ranks All 138 FBS Starting Quarterbacks Into Seven Tiers

College Football writers Antonio Morales and Sam Khan Jr. and The Athletic recently ranked all 138 FBS starting quarterbacks for the 2026 season.

The QBs were ranked from 1 to 138 and divided into seven tiers.

LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt landed at No. 8 on this list, with the last spot in Tier 1.

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Tier 1:
The best of the best. They have a strong combination of proven production and elite traits and are among the Heisman Trophy frontrunners. Coaches want to build their teams around them.

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1. Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss)
2. Dante Moore (Oregon)
3. CJ Carr (Notre Dame)
4. Darian Mensah (Miami)
5. Julian Sayin (Ohio State)
6. Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State)
7. Arch Manning (Texas)
8. Sam Leavitt (LSU)

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8. Sam Leavitt (LSU)
After a breakout 2024 at Arizona State, Leavitt’s final season in Tempe was cut short by a foot injury. But he’s viewed as one of the most talented QBs in the country when he’s 100 percent.

“He was arguably the best QB in the portal,” a Power 4 OC said. “He’s as cool as a cucumber with the game on the line. … Throws an elite deep ball, is a really good athlete, super talented kid. You want to talk about competitive moxie? That kid’s got it through the roof.”

Some raised concerns about how he exited Arizona State, and an SEC front office staffer questioned Leavitt’s production given his talented supporting cast. Leavitt’s tendency to freelance — maybe too much — was also flagged.

“I get really worried about him playing with a Superman cape on instead of just running the offense,” a Power 4 assistant said.

Scouting Take:
The list of physically gifted quarterbacks who’ve worked with Lane Kiffin over the years is impressive. Leavitt will strengthen that list from the start at LSU. An impressive athlete, Leavitt’s arm talent and movement skills are as strong as any prospect in this class. He has some of that Garrett Nussmeier love of the YOLO throw to him, though, which he has to calm a bit. — Nick Baumgardner

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Here's what Tier 2 looked like:

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Tier 2:
They have produced and teams win because of them. They might be more circumstances-dependent than Tier 1, or there may be a shortcoming keeping them from there, but they are close to the elite group.

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9. Jayden Maiava (USC)
10. Noah Fifita (Arizona)
11. Gunner Stockton (Georgia)
12. Josh Hoover (Indiana)
13. Marcel Reed (Texas A&M)
14. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (Cal)
15. Kevin Jennings (SMU)
16. John Mateer (Oklahoma)