Latest intel on top remaining college football quarterback battles entering Week 1

The 2025 college football season kicks off on Saturday with Kansas State and Iowa State meeting in Dublin. Week 1 is now exactly a week away, and some college football programs have yet to name a starting quarterback.

Some programs will play multiple players in Week 1 and delay a quarterback decision. Others will keep the decision mum until minutes before kickoff. Here is the latest intel On3 is hearing across college football:

Oregon
Entering fall camp, the presumption was that Dante Moore would earn the starting nod. But Dan Lanning has held off on publicizing a decision to this point — a week out from the Ducks hosting Montana State. Austin Novosad has pushed Moore in fall camp. Moore has the most game experience, dating back to his freshman season at UCLA and was brought in to lean behind Dillon Gabriel last year. The intel at this point gives Moore the edge of winning the job that Novosad has pushed the former Five-Star Plus+ recruit, but Lanning is in no rush to make a decision.

Michigan
All signs continue to point to true freshman standout Bryce Underwood earning the starting nod for the Wolverines. He’s taking a bulk of first-team reps in practice. Sherrone Moore has yet to name an official starter; that could come at his Week 1 press conference on Monday. A source told On3 that Jake Garcia has had a strong fall camp as the battle for the No. 2 spot continues with Jadyn Davis and Mikey Keene.

Colorado
Deion Sanders has kept his quarterback decision quiet as the Buffaloes close in on a Week 1 visit from Georgia Tech. Sources give Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter the better odds to start against the Yellow Jackets just from his amount of starting experience. One source told On3 that it would not be surprised if Colorado employs some type of platoon situation with Julian Lewis getting a few drives per game.

Auburn
Entering training camp, this was not a quarterback battle, and it arguably is still not. But head coach Hugh Freeze opened up the conversation about all three quarterbacks playing against Baylor, which turned some heads. Jackson Arnold is fully expected to take the first snap against the Bears. From there, it remains to be seen how true freshman standout Deuce Knight figures into Freeze’s offensive plan.

North Carolina
In a similar vein to Dan Lanning at Oregon, Bill Belichick has kept the quarterback battle as quiet as possible. Sources previously told On3 that Gio Lopez and Max Johnson were battling for the starting job in camp, even after the Tar Heels went out to aggressively add the South Alabama transfer this spring. Sources continue to give Lopez the edge in this battle as North Carolina closes in on its season opener against TCU.

Kentucky
Asked about the quarterback competition this week, Mark Stoops declined to name a starter and said it was still a full-go battle between Zach Calzada and Cutter Boley. A source told On3 this week that Calzada has the edge and it “would be a surprise” if he did not get the starting nod against Toledo. All that said, Boley has continued to build on his freshman season and is viewed as the future quarterback of the Kentucky program.

Missouri
When Beau Pribula picked Missouri over a host of Big Ten and SEC schools in the transfer portal this winter, it appeared that the Missouri quarterback question was settled. Drew Pyne transferred to Bowling Green this spring, all but confirming Pribula was on track to be the starter. But Sam Horn has pushed Pribula in training camp and Eli Drinkwitz announced he plans to play both quarterbacks in Week 1 against Central Arkansas. Their performances will lead to Missouri making a quarterback decision for Week 2 against Kansas.

Oklahoma State
The Cowboys open up the season in less than a week with UT Martin visiting Stillwater. Mike Gundy has carried the quarterback battle into Week 1, and speaking with sources, it would not be a surprise to see both Zane Flores and Hauss Hejny play on Thursday night.

Wake Forest
The Demon Deacons open the Jake Dickert era on Friday night with a visit from Kennesaw State. Wake Forest has yet to name a starter, and Dickert has been open about what he likes from both Robby Ashford and Deshawn Purdie. It would not be a surprise to see both take some snaps in Week 1.