Big Ten preseason quarterback rankings before the 2026 season

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Spring practices are in the rearview mirror, summer workouts are in full swing, and camp is on the way for college football programs around the country. As teams gear up for a national championship run, it all starts at quarterback, where the Big Ten is stacked with talent once again.

The conference has won the title with three different programs in the past three seasons, thanks to tremendous play under center. The Big Ten is in position to add to the trophy case again this season, and potentially bring home a Heisman Trophy for the second season in a row.

Oregon, Ohio State and USC all return starters in the shotgun, while Indiana and Penn State usher in veteran transfers. Some quarterback battles have yet to be decided, but a summer of competition should set the expectations for many programs heading into the season.

Which Big Ten teams should feel the most confident in their signal-callers this summer heading into the 2026 season? We broke it down and ranked them, projecting the 18 starters for every team in the conference.

18. Jeremy Hecklinski – Iowa Hawkeyes​


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Career stats: 2 games, 8 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT // 6 rush yards, 1 rush TD

Year: R-Fr.


Being a quarterback at Iowa certainly isn't an alluring position, but the Hawkeyes do need to find a replacement for Mark Gronowski, who actually gave the Iowa offense so vertical life at times last season. Jeremy Hecklinski appears to have a slim lead in the competition right now over Auburn transfer Hank Brown, but this is a race that is still very wide open. Hecklinski is a bit of a change of pace under center for Iowa, known for his ability to escape the pocket and fling the ball downfield, willing to take a risk. That could be cause for trouble, but it might be a risk Iowa is willing to take this season.

17. Dylan Lonergan – Rutgers Scarlet Knights​


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Career stats (Alabama, Boston College): 13 games, 2,060 yards, 12 TD, 5 INT

Year: Senior (R-Jr.)


Rutgers is also turning to a new face in the backfield, and while AJ Surace could take snaps at some point in 2026 after developing in the program for two years, Boston College transfer Dylan Lonergan has the benefit of experience and will likely take the first snap of the season. A former four-star recruited by Nick Saban, Lonergan brings a big arm to the Rutgers offense, but not with much reliability. He is decisive in the short and intermediate game but lacks consistency when throwing downfield or under pressure. Despite his experience, I've got him near the bottom, but there's a chance he surprises.

16. Aidan Chiles – Northwestern Wildcats​


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Career stats (Oregon State, Michigan State): 30 games, 4,116 yards, 27 TD, 14 INT // 531 rush yards, 12 rush TD

Year: Senior


Aidan Chiles has had a very confusing career so far. After appearing to be a beacon of hope in Corvallis as a freshman, he followed coach Jonathan Smith to Michigan State to be the starter. Chiles can be a weapon through the air and with his legs, but it never came together with the Spartans, finishing his junior year 16th in the Big Ten with 1,632 passing yards. Northwestern offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has always been good at developing a strong rushing attack to support a dynamic quarterback. Maybe this is a match made in heaven, but for now, Chiles needs to prove himself to get out of the bottom tier.

15. Alessio Milivojevic – Michigan State Spartans​


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Career stats: 10 games, 1,267 yards, 10 TD, 3 INT

Year: Junior (R-So.)


Alessio Milivojevic took the starting job toward the end of last season and played well, ranking 10th among Big Ten quarterbacks with a 141.3 passer rating. Nick Sheridan is now running the offense in East Lansing after a couple of seasons at Alabama. Milivojevic's pro-style play should fit in well with Sheridan's offense, but a change in the system does create some concern for a passer who was playing well with house money last season. Time to prove it wasn't a fluke.

14. Ryan Browne – Purdue Boilermakers


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Career stats: 21 games, 2,789 yards, 13 TD, 14 INT // 446 rush yards, 4 rush TD

Year: Senior (R-Jr.)


Purdue handed the keys to Ryan Browne last season, and it would appear there will be no quarterback competition again this offseason. Although the Boilermakers stumbled to a 2-10 finish, Browne had some bright moments, particularly as a runner. Still, he makes some head-scratching decisions from the pocket and is unreliable when throwing off platform. There is some upside this season for the Purdue offense if it continues to use Browne as a runner, but otherwise, Barry Odom is hoping for a dramatic increase in production as a passer to compete for a bowl.

13. Colton Joseph – Wisconsin Badgers​


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Career stats (Old Dominion): 21 games, 4,251 yards, 32 TD, 15 INT // 1,654 rush yards, 24 rush TD

Year: Senior (R-Jr.)


Talk about a dual-threat under center. Colton Joseph was coveted in the transfer portal but wound up with the Badgers. Joseph is an all-or-nothing type of player, and this is essentially an all-or-nothing season for Luke Fickell at Wisconsin. Joseph has burners and will torch defenses on outside runs, and he has a knack for big plays downfield. Coming to the Big Ten from the Sun Belt is a big step up in competition, but if he can prove he's up to the task, look out.

12. Katin Houser – Illinois Fighting Illini​


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Career stats (Michigan State, East Carolina): 34 games, 6,438 yards, 43 TD, 22 INT // 364 rush yards, 15 rush TD

Year: Fifth-year senior


A veteran replacing a veteran. Katin Houser is back in the conference to fill Luke Altmyer's shoes in Champaign. Again, Houser is another transfer who found success with his mobility in a weaker conference and will need to prove that it still works against physical Big Ten defenses. Houser's size (6-foot-3, 225 pounds) makes him a threat to run through a defender or two, but he also uses it to throw an impressive deep ball. However, he can be careless at times with the ball, tossing 22 INTs in his career, which could cost Illinois some close games.

11. Anthony Colandrea – Nebraska Cornhuskers​


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Career stats (Virginia, UNLV): 33 games, 7,542 yards, 49 TD, 29 INT // 1,151 rush yards, 12 rush TD

Year: Senior


Anthony Colandrea has proven himself to be a winner and a dynamic athlete at Virginia and UNLV. Nebraska needed to fill the void under center left by Dylan Raiola, and Colandrea is certainly up to the task. He threw for 3,459 yards, rushed for 649 yards and totaled 33 TDs in a 10-win season for the Rebels last year, and he should fit in well in Dana Holgorsen's offense. He does take unnecessary risks, and that could be a problem in a Nebraska offense without superior weapons out wide. For now, Colandrea is toward the middle of the pack with the potential to rise if he can cut down on the turnovers.

10. Malik Washington – Maryland Terrapins


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Career stats: 12 games, 2,963 yards, 17 TD, 9 INT // 303 rush yards, 4 rush TD

Year: Sophomore


As a freshman, Malik Washington lived outside the pocket. Maryland often put him on the run or just failed to protect him, but Washington still turned in an impressive season. Standing at 6-foot-5, he has the mobility and big arm that rivals few signal callers around the country. The Terrapins have a low ceiling, which keeps Washington's potential production low, but his ability to see the field and drive the offense in year one inspires confidence.

9. Nico Iamaleava – UCLA Bruins​


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Career stats (Tennessee, UCLA): 29 games, 4,858 yards, 34 TD, 12 INT // 934 rush yards, 10 rush TD

Year: Senior (R-Jr.)


It's still a bit of a shock to look at Nico Iamaleava in a UCLA uniform. Still, the former highly-touted recruit has plenty of talent, and he could help the Bruins compete more this season under new head coach Bob Chesney. Iamaleava used his legs often last season, but I would expect the Bruins to lean on his arm more this time around, having added talent around him. Iamaleava has experience in big games from his time at Tennessee. Although he crumbled in some of those outings, this is the year I would expect to see some maturity in his game. Many teams across the country would like to have Iamaleava under center this season.

8. Drake Lindsey – Minnesota Golden Gophers​


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Career stats: 16 games, 2,432 yards, 19 TD, 6 INT

Year: Junior (R-So.)


This is where I might differ from most rankings. I'm super high on Drake Lindsey this season. He's proven to be a capable game manager, despite the deficiencies of the roster around him. If that's all he can be, it's still good enough to win with another program. I think Lindsey is going to take another leap this year. His arm talent is superb, and his decisiveness when throwing over the middle and into tight windows is admirable. Lindsey is an excellent fit in PJ Fleck's offense, and I wouldn't be surprised if he took a big jump on NFL draft boards this season.

7. Bryce Underwood – Michigan Wolverines​


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Career stats: 13 games, 2,428 yards, 11 TD, 9 INT // 392 rush yards, 6 rush TD

Year: Sophomore


The former top recruit got better as his first college season went on, but Bryce Underwood still left plenty of meat on the bone. Going through a coaching change in year two isn't ideal, but shifting to a Kyle Whittingham offense isn't the worst thing. I think Underwood's legs and athleticism will be critical this season, and Whittingham has been able to tap into the potential of quarterbacks in the past when others could not. I'm betting on the coaching staff making some changes in the offseason to help Underwood become more consistent. The talent is there, but the process when surveying the field needs to slow down.

6. Josh Hoover – Indiana Hoosiers​


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Career stats (TCU): 36 games, 9,629, 71 TD, 33 INT, 8 rush TD

Year: Fifth-year senior


Replacing Fernando Mendoza on a championship-winning team isn't easy. Curt Cignetti always plays into his team's strengths, but I do think Indiana will have to dig to find those strengths because Josh Hoover isn't a simple plug-and-play at quarterback. The good: Hoover has played plenty of football, and sometimes he makes throws downfield with real "wow" potential. The bad: Hoover does not play well from behind, often forcing the action rather than chipping away. The ugly: TCU coach Sonny Dykes called out Hoover's knack for turning the ball over and thinks the Horned Frogs might be better without him. Yikes.

Just because the Hoosiers struck gold with Mendoza last season in the transfer portal doesn't mean it will happen again. Hoover has some awesome weapons this year, with Nick Marsh and Charlie Becker out wide, so I'm still optimistic that he can guide Indiana back to the Big Ten title game, but I don't think the transition will be seamless.

5. Rocco Becht – Penn State Nittany Lions


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Career stats (Iowa State): 42 games, 9,274 yards, 64 TD, 27 INT // 499 rush yards, 19 rush TD

Year: Fifth-year senior


Rocco Becht might be the most forgotten quarterback addition in the conference this year. Becht has played plenty of good football with Matt Campbell at his side, and he is everything Penn State fans have been searching for at quarterback. Becht is consistent and takes what is given to him by the defense. He can get flustered by pressure, but it is much easier to see Becht dig out of a deficit than Drew Allar. Now in his fourth season as a starter with the best supporting cast of his career around him, don't be surprised if Penn State leaps back into the conversation this year.

4. Demond Williams Jr. – Washington Huskies​


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Career stats: 13 games, 4,009 yards, 33 TD, 9 INT // 893 rush yards, 8 rush TD

Year: Junior


If there was an award for the quarterback in the most awkward situation this fall, it would go to Demond Williams Jr., who tried to leave the program in the winter before things got ugly and he wound up staying in Seattle. Washington will take it, bringing back an electric playmaker in the backfield. Williams now has a season of experience to build on. If he can get the ball out faster, look out. If not, Williams might be running for his life again this season, which led to the Huskies falling behind in big games. The ceiling for the Huskies is an at-large bid into the CFP, but it will depend on Williams to show up in big spots.

3. Jayden Maiava – USC Trojans


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Career stats (UNLV, USC): 34 games, 7,997 yards, 52 TD, 26 INT // 479 rush yards, 13 rush TD

Year: Fifth-year senior


Jayden Maiava has been around the block. There is buzz around the USC offense once again because of Maiava's leadership under center, and it feels warranted given his performances last season and the fact that Lincoln Riley has some continuity at the position. This is a make-or-break year for the Trojans and Riley. Maiava lost some. ofhis favorite weapons in the offseason, but the Trojans have recruited well enough to replace the talent. Maiava is in an excellent position to succeed this year and could be a dark horse for the Heisman Trophy.

2. Julian Sayin – Ohio State Buckeyes​


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Career stats: 18 games, 3,694 yards, 32 TD, 8 INT

Year: Junior (R-So.)


Ohio State makes life easy on its quarterbacks when Jeremiah Smith is gifted one-on-one matchups because of the amount of talent at receiver the Buckeyes have. Julian Sayin led the nation in completion percentage (77%) and finished fourth in the Heisman voting. The issue was that Sayin struggled in Ohio State's biggest games against Texas, Indiana and Miami. Maybe returning for a second season as a starter will help Sayin thrive in those moments this time around. He plays above his age in terms of seeing the field and making decisions.

1. Dante Moore – Oregon Ducks​


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Career stats (UCLA, Oregon): 29 games, 5,224 yards, 41 TD, 19 INT // 156 rush yards, 2 rush TD

Year: Senior (R-Jr.)


Dante Moore could have been a top-five pick in April's NFL draft, but opted to return to Eugene for another run. The Ducks have stacked the deck around him, supporting Moore's Heisman run and potential national championship bid with arguably the best receiver core in the country. Moore's downfield accuracy is impeccable, especially when ripping the seam. Like Sayin, Moore didn't always show up in the biggest games, stumbling twice against Indiana and failing to diagnose the pressures the defense brought to his front door.

The thought is that Moore can only improve this season, and he set a high benchmark last year. Oregon has a much tougher schedule this time around, but if it means Moore is more battle-tested heading into games against USC, Ohio State and Washington, maybe it's for the best. As a potential top pick in the upcoming NFL draft, it only felt right that Moore tops this list.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Big Ten preseason quarterback rankings before the 2026 season

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