October has arrived and the 2026 college football season is humming right along. Seriously, we wish it would slow down.
With most teams now having a quarter of their regular seasons in the rearview, it seems an adequate time to take stock of how certain teams are faring. My colleague Tim Capurso took a closer look at the first-year coaches, but as this is the weekly quarterback rankings check-in, we’re going to evaluate some of the offseason’s touted—and highly priced—transfers.
For the most part, signal-callers that switched locations this spring are off to a strong start. But that’s largely because of fluffed-up competition in the nonconference. With league play starting, some QBs have struggled against tougher opponents while others haven’t skipped a beat. These grades may not be final, but they will give a sense of where the trajectory is headed for a few of the sport’s most important players.
Quarterbacks are listed in order of their Sports Illustrated preseason ranking.
Darian Mensah, Miami Hurricanes (preseason rank: 5)
There are no two players that strike fear in opposing defenses right now quite like Mensah and Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney. The former is first in FBS in completion percentage (88.7%) and tied for first in touchdowns (14). He actually has more touchdowns than he does incompletions (12). The Canes haven’t met much resistance yet, but it’s not a stretch to say Mensah has been the best quarterback in college football, transfer or not, through five games.
Grade: A+
Sam Leavitt, LSU Tigers (preseason rank: 9)
Much like his time at Arizona State, Leavitt can promise to give you the full experience each and every Saturday. That’s just not always a good thing. Leavitt has the second-highest interception rate among Power 4 quarterbacks (5.2%). He’s also got the second-most rushing touchdowns (six) among QBs. It’s the sort of high-risk, high-reward that LSU is content to live with, especially because it seemed apparent in the Texas A&M blowout that Leavitt isn’t entirely healthy.
Grade: C+
Josh Hoover, Indiana Hoosiers (preseason rank: 10)
Early indications suggest Hoover is not Fernando Mendoza, but that’s a difficult benchmark to reach for any player, especially the one who followed right after the Heisman winner and No. 1 draft pick. Northwestern’s defense limited Indiana’s passing game in a significant way last Friday, making Hoover look inaccurate (19-for-29, one touchdown, two sacks taken), but Indiana’s running game took over in the second half. That won’t be a sustainable method always and the TCU transfer will need to be a bit more precise if Indiana is to compete with the top teams in the country.
Grade: A-
Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State Cowboys (preseason rank: 11)
The opener at Tulsa increasingly looks like the outlier for the North Texas transfer. Since that loss, Mestemaker has 1,030 yards, 10 touchdowns, three interceptions and an average QBR of 86.5. Oklahoma State is also 3–0, which includes ranked wins over Oregon and at West Virginia and averaging 46.3 points per game. Whatever happened against the Golden Hurricane should dock him slightly, but it seems like Mestemaker is settling into the P4 just fine.
Grade: A-
Byrum Brown, Auburn Tigers (preseason rank: 17)
The USF transfer was always going to face a tougher transition to the SEC, given that he couldn’t rely entirely on his athleticism to get him out of trouble. That’s led to a few concerning early numbers: five interceptions and 14 sacks taken in four games. A 3–1 record, which featured two defense-led wins over Baylor and Vanderbilt has covered up some of those blemishes, but Brown was inconsistent in both starts. The upside is still there, as he can impact the game in so many ways and should continue to get between 40 and 50 touches a game.
Grade: C
Rocco Becht, Penn State Nittany Lions (preseason rank: 25)
Experience is valuable in this era of college football, but at some point, you may just be who you are. And unfortunately for Penn State, Becht regressed in a major way against Wisconsin after a hot start. The stat line says it all: 12 for 29 for 114 yards, one interception and a passer rating of 67.5. The Nittany Lions relinquished a 17-point halftime lead and lost at home to a program that hasn’t won more than three conference games in a season since 2023. Becht has never been the most accurate thrower of the football, but Penn State needs him to be much closer to his 2024 form in the coming weeks.
Grade C-
Anthony Colandrea, Nebraska Cornhuskers (preseason rank: 27)
We’re still very much in “wait and see” mode with Colandrea. The former UNLV and Virginia quarterback has played Ohio, Bowling Green, North Dakota and Michigan State so far and has looked perfectly capable of being an adequate Big Ten quarterback. The outing against the Spartans may have been the worst statistically, but in many ways was the most impressive. He led Nebraska on four straight scoring drives in the first half after an opening three-and-out, throwing two touchdowns and picking up two critical first downs with his legs. He’s versatile and playing in control—we just need to see it against better competition.
Grade: B
Beau Pribula, Virginia Cavaliers (preseason rank: 31)
It’s great to see Pribula back healthy and featuring as the centerpiece of an offense now that he’s at Virginia. And so far, he’s looked good: against NC State, Norfolk State and Delaware, he threw just eight incompletions and nine touchdowns. The letdown game came in UVA’s loss to West Virginia, when the offense stalled out for long stretches in the second half and he couldn’t keep pace with Michael Hawkins Jr. He thrives when working in play-action and given time to make downfield throws; against the Mountaineers he was forced to take check downs and couldn’t tap into the explosive side of his playmaking.
Grade: B+
Ethan Grunkemeyer, Virginia Tech Hokies (preseason rank: 32)
Continuity under James Franklin seems to be serving Grunkemeyer well as he’s gone on the road to pick up two straight wins against P4 opponents, even if they were Maryland and Boston College. The BC game suggests Franklin doesn’t want Grunkemeyer carrying too much of the offensive load (22 completions for just 147 yards) and instead has Virginia Tech relying more on a solid run game. We should learn a lot more about how Grunkemeyer can deliver against better competition on Friday as the Hokies welcome in a standout Pitt defense that’s given up just four touchdowns in four games.
Grade: B
Aaron Philo, Florida Gators (preseason rank: 34)
The jury was still out on Philo after a limited sample size last year, but Florida OC Buster Faulkner clearly still believed in a player he had developed at Georgia Tech enough to bring him to Gainesville. And it’s been the perfect marriage of play-caller and quarterback for the Gators. Philo doesn’t have more than 23 throws in a game thus far, but he’s accurate, excellent in play action and capable of taking the deep shots when they become available. If that’s not enough to convince you, he’s the quarterback of the second-highest scoring offense in the country.
Grade: A
Austin Simmons, Missouri Tigers (preseason rank: 38)
Simmons got off to a hot start and endeared himself quickly to Mizzou fans with a rivalry win over Kansas. Since then, he’s starting to show some of the inconsistency that could be of concern against tougher competition. He’s been under 60% in each of the games against Troy and Mississippi State and shows little value as a runner, which will no doubt get him into trouble against SEC defensive fronts. He has taken good care of the football, which was a struggle in last year’s two starts, but Missouri will also need him to take a few more risks with a difficult schedule remaining.
Grade: B-
Lincoln Kienholz, Louisville Cardinals (preseason rank: 41)
The pairing of Kienholz and Jeff Brohm has been an excellent match thus far, and two three-point losses shouldn’t be held against the first-year starter. In many ways he kept the Cardinals in both games against Ole Miss and Wake Forest when the Louisville defense couldn’t get stops. He’s accurate (68.8%), is lethal as a runner (134 rushing yards, six touchdowns) and plays with a poise beyond his actual experience. He is nursing an undisclosed industry this week, making him questionable to play at NC State.
Grade: A
Michael Hawkins Jr., West Virginia Mountaineers (preseason rank: 47)
Rich Rodriguez’s Mountaineers finally got figured out last week against Oklahoma State. Hawkins had his worst game as a passer (10 for 22, 132 yards, one interception) and 335 team rushing yards, plus three scores from Hawkins, weren’t enough to keep pace with Mestemaker & Co. It’s the sort of game script that will be difficult for this iteration of WVU to bounce back from—this offense isn’t built to dig itself out of an early hole. Leaning on Hawkins’s running ability (nine touchdowns, 5.9 yards per carry) is the key to success, because he’s still an average passer, at best.
Grade: A-
Aidan Chiles, Northwestern Wildcats (preseason rank: 51)
Last Friday against Indiana was the full Chiles experience. He dropped a snap in the end zone that resulted in a safety, took an 18-yard sack that pushed Northwestern out of field goal range and the Wildcats went scoreless in the first half. Over the final two quarters, Chiles went 17 for 20, amassed 257 of Northwestern’s 274 total yards and scored three touchdowns. He picked apart the Indiana defense in the flat, down the field and with his legs, giving the Wildcats hope that their offense can keep pace with the better teams in the conference.
Grade: B+
Gio Lopez, Wake Forest Demon Deacons (preseason rank: 55)
I should’ve trusted more that reuniting with former South Alabama OC Rob Ezell would allow Lopez to thrive, but last year at UNC gave me pause. Now, the Demon Deacons are using the dual threat in tons of creative ways and it’s working nicely. Ezell is having Lopez shoulder a heavy load: he’s not only capable of throwing the ball 46 times in a game like he did against Miami, but he also has just seven fewer carries than Wake Forest’s lead running back. He’s also the team’s best red-zone threat, as evidenced by being the go-to option to seal a double overtime win against Purdue back in Week 2.
Grade: B+
