CBS Sports reveals updated Top 25 QB rankings after Week 1 of college football

Week 1 of college football is in the books, providing CBS Sports a chance to update its quarterback power rankings. There was a lot of movement after some surprising performances across the country, including Texas QB Arch Manning and UCLA QB Nico Iamaleava falling out of the rankings altogether after their teams’ respective losses.

Other players saw their stock shoot up, including Florida State‘s Thomas Castellanos, who went from unranked to No. 4. He was one of two players to go from unranked to inside the top 10 along with Auburn‘s Jackson Arnold.

There’s also a new player at No. 1 this week and several other surprises on the list. You can view CBS Sports’ full college football quarterback top 25 rankings below.

1. Josh Hoover, TCU

Hoover led the Horned Frogs to a 48-14 blowout win against North Carolina on Monday, souring the college football debut of Bill Belichick. He torched the Tar Heels defense for 284 yards and two touchdowns to one interception while completing 75% of his passes.

Last year, Hoover set the program record for passing yards in a single season with 3,949 in addition to 27 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. His season opening performance certainly shows that he’ll be in line to put up similar numbers this season as he hopes to lead TCU to a Big 12 title.

2. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

Nussmeier put up a solid performance in guiding LSU to a top five win against No. 4 Clemson on Saturday. He finished 28-of-38 passing for 232 yards and one touchdown and, most importantly, did not commit any turnovers.

The senior also came through in the clutch to find Trey’Dez Green for the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter of the eventual 17-10 win. He’ll look to continue building his case as one of the top quarterbacks in the country as LSU faces Louisiana Tech next before opening SEC play against Florida on Sept. 13.

3. Drew Allar, Penn State

Allar sees no change in his ranking among the top quarterbacks in college football after leading the Nittany Lions to an easy 46-11 victory against Nevada in Week 1. The QB didn’t put up eye-popping stats, but was efficient in going 22-of-26 passing for 217 yards and one touchown with no interceptions.

Allar will look to continue his consistency into Week 2 as Penn State ramps up toward Big Ten play in a few weeks. The Nittany Lions next face FIU on Saturday as Allar will hope to keep developing chemistry with receivers Kyron Hudson and Trebor Pena.

4. Thomas Castellanos, Florida State

Castellanos was vocal all week leading up to the game against Alabama and backed it up with his play on the field. The Boston College transfer finished 9-of-14 passing for 152 yards passing and did even more damage on the ground with 78 yards rushing and a touchdown.

Castellanos comes to Florida State after being benched midway through last season with the Eagles, but certainly looks to have found his fit under offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn. The QB threw for over 2,000 yards and rushed for more than 1,000 in 2023 and seems like he could be in for another big year.

5. Julian Sayin, Ohio State

Sayin wasn’t perfect, but he had his moments and did enough to lead the Buckeyes to a 14-7 win against Texas on Saturday in the weekend’s marquee matchup. He finshed with 13-of-20 passing for just 126 yards and a touchdown, but remained turnover-free against a tough Longhorns defense.

Sayin’s lone TD toss of the day was a big one too, coming on a 40-yard connection with Carnell Tate in the fourth quarter to put Ohio State up 14-0. The former five-star prospect will have an easier matchup ahead this week against Grambling State, perhaps setting him up for even bigger numbers.

6. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina

Sellers was fairly steady in a Week 1 win against Virginia Tech. The dynamic playmaker made contributions both through the air and on the ground, finishing 12-of-19 for 209 yards passing and two total touchdowns.

Sellers opened the game by reminding those watching of his running ability, breaking free for a 15-yard touchown run on the opening drive. Later in the fourth quarter, he found Nyck Harbor for a 64-yard bomb that served as the proverbial nail in the coffin. The sophomore has a chance to continue climbing up this list as the season goes on.

7. Jackson Arnold, Auburn

Arnold came to Auburn looking for a fresh start after being benched at Oklahoma in 2024. He showed a different side of his game in his Tigers debut, rushing for 137 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-24 win against Baylor.

Arnold was also 11-of-17 passing for 108 yards and did not throw any interceptions. That was an encouraging sign after turnovers were an issue for him last season with the Sooners.

8. Haynes King, Georgia Tech

King’s performance had its ups and downs, but he ultimately came through to lead the Yellow Jackets to a 27-20 victory against Colorado on Friday. The QB broke free for a 45-yard touchdowns run with just over a minute remaining to give Georgia Tech the lead for good.

King finished the game with 156 yards rushing and three touchdowns while also going 13-of-20 passing for 143 yards and an interception. The veteran QB could be a player to watch this season after he rushed for nearly 600 yards a season ago.

9. John Mateer, Oklahoma

There was no shortage of hype for Mateer after transferring in from Washington State, where he threw for 3,129 yards and rushed for another 826 in 2024. He certainly didn’t disappoint in his Sooners debut, a 35-3 win against Illinois State.

Mateer threw for a career-high 392 passing yards and scored four total touchdowns, though he did also throw an interception. A much bigger test awaits him in Week 2 when Oklahoma host Michigan in Norman.

10. Devon Dampier, Utah

Another transfer making his debut at a new school, Dampier rounds out the top 10 of CBS Sports’ college football quarterback rankings. He shined in a dominant 43-10 win against UCLA over the weekend. He finished 21-of-25 passing for 206 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions while also rushing for 87 yards and a touchdown.

Utah is hoping to bounce back from a lackluster 5-7 finish this past season. The hope was that Dampier could be the star they needed on offense, and based on his early performance, that looks to be the case.

CBS Sports Top 25 Quarterbacks: Nos. 11-25

11. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor
12. Jalon Daniels, Kansas
13. Demond Williams, Washington
14. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
15. Jayden Maiava, USC
16. Carson Beck, Miami
17. DJ Lagway, Florida
18. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
19. Byrum Brown, USF
20. Jake Retzlaff, Tulane
21. Rocco Becht, Iowa State
22. Darian Mensah, Duke
23. Avery Johnson, Kansas State
24. Bryce Underwood, Michigan
25. Behren Morton, Texas Tech