As the 2025 college football season draws near, much of the buzz surrounds headline names such as LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Texas’ Arch Manning and Clemson’s Cade Klubnik. Yet CBS Sports analyst and former All-American tight end Adam Breneman is shining a light on overlooked quarterbacks who could emerge as surprise standouts this fall.
With several prominent quarterbacks departing, the position is wide open, lacking a clear hierarchy. This uncertainty creates opportunity for new stars to rise.
Overlooked QBs That Could Rewrite the 2025 College Football Narrative
Each season, a few quarterbacks defy expectations. In 2025, analyst Breneman believes several under-the-radar signal-callers are poised to reshape their careers and, potentially, the college football landscape.
“Quarterbacks who are going to turn their careers around in 2025,” Breneman said in a video posted to Instagram. “Let’s start with the guys like me. Big-time recruits that for whatever reason go on to have more success at their second school.”
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One of those players is Devin Brown, who remained with Ohio State through its national title run, but entered the portal in December. On Tuesday, Cal officially announced Brown would be joining the Golden Bears.
The team’s quarterback room saw significant turnover this offseason, losing starter Fernando Mendoza to Indiana and backups Chandler Rogers and CJ Harris to the portal. Brown, with two years of eligibility left, is expected to compete with freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele for the starting job.
Another name Breneman spotlighted: Conner Weigman, a former five-star recruit from Bridgeland High School who transferred from Texas A&M to Houston.
“Yes, Conner Weigman is going to do it at Houston,” Breneman said.
Weigman, who made 13 starts over three seasons in the SEC, brings much-needed consistency to a Cougars offense that struggled under Donovan Smith and Zeon Chriss. Another featured transfer: Max Johnson, who joins North Carolina.
“Max Johnson is going to make Bill Belichick happy and do it in his first full season at North Carolina,” said Breneman. Ricky Collins, taking over for Kyle McCord at Syracuse, also made the list.
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Beyond transfers, Breneman noted current players ready to leap forward.
“Aidan Chiles is going to take the next step this season,” he said. “Then we got Nico Iamaleava, who’s going to take a huge step, trust me. And finally, Blake Shapen will finish top five in SEC passing yards. You heard it here first.”
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