The Big 12 may have eliminated its preseason media poll, but that won’t stop a summer projection of the league’s starting quarterbacks. The conference boasts top-tier talent at the position, and several teams feature signal-callers with All-America potential.
While the Big 12 hasn’t produced any projected first-round quarterbacks in early 2026 NFL mock drafts, a few could attract significant attention from scouts — especially if Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt leads a strong 2025 campaign.
Based on conversations with team insiders and information from sources around Big 12 programs, here’s a ranking of the league’s projected starting quarterbacks as media days conclude.
Big 12 commissioner says conference will produce multiple CFP bids in 2025, can the league back up big claim?
Shehan Jeyarajah
Oklahoma State’s quarterback room features four players with just 18 career snaps snaps between them after both Garret Rangel and Maealiuaki Smith left the program in the spring. Flores is the only scholarship player who’s been in Stillwater more than one season, so he’ll get first dibs on the starting nod. He’s a redshirt freshman who can run. TCU transfer Hauss Hejney will have a shot, too.
Uncertainty surrounding returning starter Jake Retzlaff has put the Cougars in a bind. He wasn’t one of the league’s best statistically last season, but Retzlaff was responsible for 66% of BYU’s offense in helping the Cougars finish with 11 wins and inside the top 20. Hillstead will be part of a four-player competition for first-team honors during camp. He redshirted last season, but enjoyed four starts as a true freshman at Utah State in 2023. BYU has the biggest unknown under center in the conference.
Rich Rodriguez isn’t worried about who is going to produce at quarterback this fall. He hasn’t picked a starter yet, but the redshirt junior will battle Texas A&M transfer Jaylen Henderson. Marchiol and Henderson both played in 2024 with mixed results. West Virginia was one of four teams at Big 12 Media Days yet to name a starter under center — joining BYU, Oklahoma State and Colorado.
Scott Frost enjoyed stellar quarterback play the last time he coached the Knights and hopes to catch lightning in a bottle with the former Tennessee signee and Indiana transfer. Jackson played in six games with five starts over a couple years with the Hoosiers, completing 78 o͏f 1͏28 pa͏sses for 914 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions. Those aren’t numbers that jump off the page, but Frost will try and put his signal caller in best position to succeed. He will the offense in 2025 while utilizing “collaborative” opinions from his staff.
Assuming the former Liberty superstar beats out freshman Julian Lewis, Colorado’s offense will look substantially different this fall. Both players can move, but Salter’s experience edge is substantial — as are his 56 career touchdown passes and nearly 8,000 yards of total offense. Sanders offered no details this week on how the competition will play out.
Fifita wasn’t the only reason for Arizona’s decline last season, The Wildcats were derailed by a five-game losing streak during the middle of Brent Brennan’s first season as coach and never recovered. Fifita lost the poise and confidence he displayed in 2023, when he threw 25 touchdown passes as a redshirt freshman.
After spending last season at Marshall, former Texas Tech quarterback Seth Doege takes over as Arizona’s offensive coordinator. He’s tasked with helping Fifita regain his previous form, and early indications suggest the two have already established a strong connection.
Willie Fritz unlock Conner Weigman’s full potential? That’s the goal for the Cougars and their new quarterback, a Texas A&M transfer and former five-star recruit who battled a shoulder injury in 2024 before losing the starting job to Marcel Reed.
Texas A&M’s offensive scheme didn’t suit Weigman’s strengths, but he appears more comfortable with the Cougars, where he’s expected to play a featured role. A clean bill of health should also work in his favor.
This Texas native was nearly flawless in September last season with 12 touchdown passes and only one interception before the schedule turned into a meat grinder. Sorsby showed he can scoot with 447 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground, a pivotal part of the Bearcats’ offensive success.
Healthy for the first time in years, the sixth-year senior passed up a portal entry this offseason to finish what he started with the Jayhawks. Two years ago, Daniels help Kansas reach bowl eligibility and was responsible for 25 total touchdowns. He was a maven on third down as Kansas finished with a conference-best 50.6% conversion. The money-down brilliance from Daniels continued in 2024, but the Jayhawks could not execute in the fourth quarter. They suffered of their seven losses by a single possession.
Let it be known — Morton is not a mid-tier quarterback in the Big 12 (like he’s placed here). He will prove as much as a senior, according to coach Joey McGuire. Texas Tech knows the window to win big in Lubbock is open after signing the league’s top-ranked portal class. The first Red Raider quarterback to start all 12 regular-season games since Patrick Mahomes’ final season in 2016 and nearly, Morton had a 4:1 touchdown to interception ratio last year.
One of this cycle’s hidden portal gems, Dampier comes over from New Mexico tasked with putting a charge into this offense along with his former play-caller, Jason Beck. The Utes are hoping the package deal — much like Oklahoma‘s signing of former Washington State quarterback John Mateer and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle — results in a bevy of explosive plays from the dual-threat option.
Is this the most underrated quarterback in the country? Perhaps. Only Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders had a higher completion percentage and more yards per attempt than Hoover last fall. Hoover reportedly turned down a lucrative offer from a nationally-ranked SEC program this spring to stay with the Horned Frogs. That speaks volumes to what others see in him after throwing for 3,949 yards, 27 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season. Hoover won’t be a secret for long if he puts together a big performance to spoil Bill Belichick’s North Carolina debut in the season opener.
Johnson finished with a school-record 25 touchdown passes and yet it didn’t feel like he met the high expectations many set for him as a first-year starter. Johnson has his doubters after multi-interception outings in three of Kansas State’s four losses last fall, but his impact on the team is immeasurable. When he’s on, the Wildcats are a conference frontrunner. They were in contention coming down the stretch last fall before a November swoon that Johnson hopes to avoid this time around.
The next Brock Purdy, but potentially better. That’s how one NFL source described Rocco Becht. He threw for 3,505 yards last year with 25 touchdowns thanks to a scheme that played to his strengths and allowed for various deep shots downfield. Iowa State’s new-look wideout room should result in another impressive season from the Cyclones’ QB1.
At 6-4, 220 pounds Robertson not only looks the part, he might’ve been college football‘s best quarterback not named LaNorris Sellers during the second half of last season. He helped the Bears end the regular season on a six-game winning streak as he dissected various defenses with a rocket arm. Robertson finished with the seventh-best QBR in the FBS ranks (82.9).
1. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
There’s no use arguing this one. Leavitt is the Big 12’s best to open the 2025 season and it’s not particularly close. How his first campaign as the hunted unfolds remains to be seen, but Leavitt’s strengths as a play-action passer makes NFL scouts salivate. The Michigan State transfer finished with 2,885 yards passing, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions, leading the Sun Devils to a conference title and playoff appearance. A repeat CFP trip — this time without co-star Cam Skattebo — could rocket Leavitt into the Heisman discussion.