The 2026 QB Class is a Chance to Return to Normalcy

The 2026 NFL Draft is a chance for the league to be able to have a chance to evaluate a strong class of quarterbacks once again, allow this to be an early preview of sorts.

The game of College Football has seen many changes in recent years. The introduction of the NIL being chief among them but we have also seen the College Football Playoff emerge, as well as the transfer portal become king. All of that wraps into one giant mess for the NFL in terms of the game and how it develops key positions.

The two most prominent positions we see neglected in terms of development are the offensive line and the quarterback.

While the offensive line is essential, the quarterback remains the most important position in the game. There is no other position that can save a team, a job, or get a coach fired, or clear out a front office, like the quarterback position. We haven’t seen a consistent influx of talent in recent years, despite the game seeming to improve. This year’s quarterback class was a step back from what we saw in 2024. While 2023 turned into a mixed bag, despite what seemed like a sure thing or a once-promising thing at the time.

Fast-forwarding to the next season of college football and beyond, the NIL world of college football has kept some of these college quarterbacks in the game longer. As a result, we have another promising class on the horizon for the league to buy into. Not a class that they have to force themselves into, like a Jaxson Dart, but some signal callers with real intangibles.

I wanted to introduce you to some names and what we could expect from them.

Arch Manning: The Savior?

Everyone has been excited about the concept of Arch Manning entering the NFL ever since he was in high school. Once he enrolled at Texas, the hype train took off from there, and now that he is draft eligible, everyone is already putting him in as the top pick of the 2026 NFL Draft in Sharpie. As I mentioned above, though, we are in the age of NIL, and we're talking about a Manning.

The Manning family handles things differently. They process things differently. Arch Manning is getting the best advice of any college player in the country, and with that, he also knows what he has coming his way. The NFL is not going anywhere. The NIL opportunities are not going anywhere either. Money aside, Manning also knows he needs the starting experience in order to develop properly.

Eli and Peyton Manning had played in 46 and 45 games, respectively. If Arch Manning starts in every game this year and they make a run to the National Championship, he will have played 28 games in his college career, with less than 20 of those being starts. I think it will take something wild happening for Arch Manning to declare after this season. No team, and no NFL fanbase, should be counting on him at this point.

Playoff Quarterbacks Carry Momentum to 2026

Drew Allar, Penn State

There was no bigger shocker this past draft cycle than Drew Allar returning to State College to run things back with the Nittany Lions. His return sent a tidal wave that also picked up the returns of Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen, and Dani Dennis-Sutton as well. Had Allar declared, after seeing how things shook out in the NFL Draft, he would have been in play for the Browns at 2. The former 5-star quarterback now looks to build on the momentum he had to end the year, but with some new weapons around him, including incoming Syracuse transfer Trebor Pena.

Cade Klubnik, Clemson

Cade Klubnik was on a rollercoaster similar to Allar heading into last year. He never seemed to be able to find the flashes we saw coming into his freshman year at Clemson, nor in his takeover from DJ Uiagalalei. However, it all clicked in Week 2 of 2024, and he never looked back. He led Clemson to an ACC title and a College Football Playoff appearance. He now heads into 2025 as a Heisman Trophy contender, someone who could easily find themselves in the top five of the NFL Draft if he plays the same way again.

SEC has Three Names to Watch

LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina

Physical traits? Check. Arm strength? Check. Plays against NFL talent? Check. LaNorris Sellers checks all the boxes for a promising NFL quarterback prospect. The Gamecocks played to the level of their competition in 2024, and that meant that Sellers played a significant role in that. In 2025, he will have a chance to prove that his 2024 campaign wasn’t a fluke, and if he does that, he will show he is more than a projection, but an actual presence in the class.

Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

The son of New Orleans Saints Offensive Coordinator Doug Nussmeier, the LSU quarterback came on in 2024 and looked like he was going to be a force to be reckoned with. His week one showing against LSU earned everyone’s attention, but from there, he lacked the consistency to keep it. He has arm talent, good physical traits, and a good 2025 will have him locked into the top tier of passers in 2026. Maybe he will even land with the Saints and be able to go over the Saints' playbook at the dinner table.

Taylen Green, Arkansas

I am a firm believer in having a playmaker at the quarterback position, and Tayler Green is that and more. Green has seen steady progress over the last two years and could find himself on the path to becoming the latest quarterback to go from a day-three player to a round-one pick. What he does with his instincts, mobility, and arm talent cannot be taught, and it's something that the NFL will see and be enamored with on day one.

Some Old Faces in New Places

Carson Beck, Miami (FL)

Carson Beck went from being a potential top-five pick in last week’s draft to hitting the transfer portal in hopes of a fresh start. The now-former Georgia Bulldog passer is hoping he can be the latest transfer project for Mario Cristobal, allowing his stock to rise as he arrives in Coral Gables. Could he be a first-round pick? Maybe, but not likely. The NFL likes to be stuck in their ways, though, so anything is possible.

Miller Moss, Louisville

The player opposite of Garrett Nussmeier in that Week 1 showdown was Miller Moss with USC. The former Trojan is now a Cardinal, and he hopes to find the success that Tyler Shough achieved this past season. Louisville has done a good job in recent years preparing quarterbacks for the NFL, including Shough and Jack Plummer before him. Moss has a strong arm, good vision, and decent awareness in the pocket. Moss is a long-shot, but is a name that if I had to bet on being a long-shot, that achieves is who I am taking.