With the “week zero” college football action only a few days away, it’s a good time to appraise the starting QBs for SEC and Big Ten programs. While some schools have publicly announced their starters, others haven’t, but they have a clear starter. Still, a few more could go a couple of different ways. But off the information known and expected, here’s a rundown of likely Week 1 SEC and Big Ten QBs.
SEC and Big Ten Starting QBs
SEC Starting QBs
Alabama- Ty Simpson
Junior QB with only 50 career pass attempts will make his first start for the Tide.
Arkansas- Taylen Green
A senior who spent three seasons at Boise State, passed for 3,154 yards and 15 touchdowns last year with Arkansas.
Auburn- Jackson Arnold
A highly-touted transfer from Oklahoma, where he threw for 1,984 yards and 16 touchdowns over parts of the last two seasons.
Florida- DJ Lagway
Rocket-armed sophomore who took over from Graham Mertz following injury last year. He passed for 1,915 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Georgia- Gunner Stockton
Junior with 83 career pass attempts who assumes the starting role after Carson Beck’s transfer to Miami.
Kentucky- Zach Calzada
Played well at Texas A&M in 2021, shone at FCS Incarnate Word, and then sat at Auburn.
LSU- Garrett Nussmeier
A senior Heisman candidate, Nussmeier assumed the starting job for LSU last year and threw for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns. He’s one of the nation’s best.
Mississippi- Austin Simmons
Athletic lefty who threw 32 passes last year as a freshman, Simmons is now the starter after Jaxson Dart went to the NFL.
Mississippi State- Blake Shapen
A Baylor transfer who started four games for Mississippi State before injury ended his season. He threw for 974 yards and eight scores in those four games.
Missouri- Beau Pribula
A Penn State transfer who threw 56 passes in two seasons at PSU, he’s a dual-threat possibility who could shine for the Tigers.
Oklahoma- John Mateer
Mateer is a talented passer who started last year at Washington State and passed for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns. Assuming the odd gambling mini-scandal amounts to nothing much, he could shine with the Sooners.
South Carolina- LaNorris Sellers
Versatile sophomore who passed for 2,534 yards and 18 touchdowns while running for 674 yards and seven more scores.
Tennessee- Joey Aguilar
A transfer in from Appalachian State, where he had two 3,000+ passing yard seasons. His 2023 season was better than his 2024 season, which is odd.
Texas- Arch Manning
The heir apparent gets his shot. Manning started two games due to a minor injury to Quinn Ewers. He looked great, throwing for 939 yards and nine touchdowns last year. The sky is the limit for him.
Texas A&M- Marcel Reed
Reed impressed last year, throwing for 1,864 yards and 15 scores while running for another 543 yards and seven touchdowns.
Vanderbilt- Diego Pavia
The former New Mexico State star was great for Vandy, throwing for 2,293 yards and 20 touchdowns while rushing for 801 yards and eight more scores. Can he repeat it?
Big Ten QBs
Illinois- Luke Altmyer
Altmyer transferred after sitting for two years at Ole Miss and has started for two years at Illinois. Last year, he threw for 2,717 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Indiana- Fernando Mendoza
Mendoza transfers over from Cal to follow the Kurtis Rourke run of last year. He passed for 3,004 yards and 16 touchdowns last year with the Bears.
Iowa- Mark Gronowski
An FCS superstar at North Dakota State, Gronowski passed for 10,330 yards and 93 scores while winning two FCS titles. Will it translate to the Big Ten?
Maryland- Malik Washington
Washington is a true frosh who is expected to start from day one. He was a highly regarded recruit and will certainly be the long-term future for Maryland.
Michigan- Bryce Underwood
Likewise, Underwood, a five-star recruit, is expected to be the day-one starter for Michigan. Given the Wolverines’ issues with passing a year ago, there’s not much competition here.
Michigan State- Aidan Chiles
A reserve at Oregon State, Chiles saw plenty of action last year at MSU after transferring over. He threw for 2,415 yards and 13 scores.
Minnesota- Drake Lindsey
Lindsey threw five passes last year as a reserve, but now inherits the starting job.
Nebraska- Dylan Raiola
An acclaimed freshman a season ago, Raiola ran the Huskers’ offense as a true frosh, throwing for 2,819 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Northwestern- Preston Stone
Stone started at SMU in 2023, throwing for 3,197 yards and 28 touchdowns. Kevin Jennings took the job in 2024, and Stone’s now a Wildcat.
Ohio State- Julian Sayin
Sayin threw a dozen passes behind Will Howard a year ago, but he’s the man in Columbus in 2025. He was a big-time recruit for Alabama before he transferred.
Oregon- Dante Moore
A part-time starter at UCLA in 2023, Moore transferred and sat behind Dillon Gabriel last year. He threw for 1,610 yards and 11 scores at UCLA, but had just eight passes last year.
Penn State- Drew Allar
A Heisman candidate, Allar has started for two years for PSU. Last season, he passed for 3,327 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Purdue- Malachi Singleton
Singleton threw 28 passes last year at Arkansas and is expected to start for the Boilermakers.
Rutgers- Athan Kaliakmanis
A transfer from Minnesota, Kaliakmanis threw for 2,696 yards and 18 touchdowns last year for Rutgers.
UCLA- Nico Iamaleava
A controversial transfer from Tennessee, Iamaleava passed for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns last season.
USC- Jayden Maiava
After starting at UNLV in 2023, Maiava headed to USC and took over the starting role midseason, throwing for 1,201 yards and 11 scores.
Washington- Demond Williams Jr.
A reserve a season ago, Williams showed his talent with 944 passing yards and eight touchdowns.
Wisconsin- Billy Edwards Jr.
A transfer from Maryland, Edwards threw for 2,881 yards and 15 scores as a Terp a year ago.
Read More:
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