Top quarterbacks in the initial 2026 Rivals300 rankings

The 2026 cycle is stacked with elite talent at the quarterback position. On Monday, the initial Rivals300 rankings were released, tabbing nine QBs as top-100 overall prospects.

That includes a pair of five-stars, both of whom check in as top-five recruits. In total, 20 QBs are featured in the new rankings.

All but two of those signal-callers are already committed, too. Below is a look at the top quarterbacks in the 2026 cycle, according to the Rivals300:

1. Dia Bell — Texas

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 2 NATL.
School: American Heritage (Fla.)

Scouting Summary: “Precision passer with the arm talent, size, and athleticism to translate to college football and beyond. Measured in at around 6-foot-2.5, 215 pounds with a 10-inch hand before his senior season. Mechanically clean with a smooth throwing motion that he replicates with consistency. Has polished footwork that is married to his upper body. Shows high-level arm talent, delivering well-placed passes to multiple levels of the field. A dangerous operator from the pocket. Able to evade pressure, reset his feet, and fire. Throws a pretty deep ball. Was a first-year starter as a sophomore and showed marked improvement while playing top competition as a junior. Flashed an added playmaking element and rushing component to his game down the stretch of his junior season.”

2. Jared Curtis — Georgia

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 4 NATL.
School: Nashville Christian (Tenn.)

Scouting Summary: “Elite arm talent with creative playmaking ability. Has a big frame, measuring in at around 6-foot-3.5, 225 pounds with a 9.5-inch hand prior to his junior season. Looks like the top arm talent in the 2026 cycle. Ball explodes off his hand. Generates considerable velocity on throws to all areas of the field. Has a loose, natural throwing motion. Capable of delivering impressive passes from several arm angles. A pure rotational athlete who does not need his feet set to throw accurate passes. Plays with a gunslinging mentality and is not afraid to drive the football into tight windows over the middle of the field. A fluid athlete who is tough to corral in the backfield. Dangerous playmaker and improviser. Had some unbelievable second-reaction plays as a junior, evading pass rushers and uncorking throws 50+ yards downfield. Made impressive strides with his accuracy and decision-making as a junior.”

3. Faizon Brandon — Tennessee

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 33 NATL.
School: Grimsley (N.C.)

Elite 11 Review: “Brandon showed some of the best physical tools at the Elite 11 Finals. The 6-foot-3.5, 200-pounder has a projectable frame with a strong arm and plus athleticism. Brandon consistently delivered passes with zip throughout the week. He was impressive during drills on Day 1. Brandon was accurate while taking care of the football, completing 19 of 22 passes for three touchdowns in 7-on-7. There are some areas for improvement that we saw during the pro day workout. The fact Brandon, who is one of the youngest Elite 11 Finalists, was able to perform well despite room for growth points to his untapped potential.”

4. Bowe Bentley — Oklahoma

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 41 NATL.
School: Celina (Texas)

Elite 11 Review: “Bentley elevated his game during the competitive portions of the Elite 11 Finals. He was solid on Day 1, but came alive on the final two days. Bentley turned in one of the cleaner pro day sessions on Day 2, as he was on target on 18 of his 20 passes. No Elite 11 Finalist moved at a faster pace than Bentley during 7-on-7. The state champion signal caller zipped through his reads and showed off noticeably quick processing ability.”

5. Bryson Beaver — Oregon

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 44 NATL.
School: Vista Murrieta (Calif.)

Scout’s Take: “Bryson Beaver is one of the most obvious stock-up prospects that we saw over the summer. He was one of the more talented prospects at the Elite 11 Finals, we had the chance to see him work out all week in Los Angeles and came away really impressed with his arm strength. He had one of, if not the strongest arm at the event, building on what’s been a meteoric rise across the last couple months. The one-time Boise State commit got on our radar in the spring when we watched his junior film, we really liked that and then loved the regional film from Elite 11. Then he impressed at the finals, so it wasn’t a surprise to see his recruitment take off. Beaver enters his senior year as one of the more physically-talented quarterbacks in the cycle, and we are excited to see what he does as a senior. He’s put himself in striking distance of entering the top tier of quarterbacks entering the fall, which is a critical evaluation point for QBs.”

6. Ryder Lyons — BYU

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 53 NATL.
School: Folsom (Calif.)

Coach’s Take: “I just think he’s a phenomenal athlete. You take a look at a kid who, he has a basketball background. It’s not that he’s a superstar in the basketball court or anything, but you do see a guy that’s very athletic. So he’s able to just create. He’s one that, yes, he could use his legs to end up, having a 50 yard run out there, but he’s also going to do a real good job using his legs just to create space and buy just a little bit more time to end up making a big play down field. That’s something that is pretty common that you’d see on him. If there was a Heisman Trophy that would go out to high school football, you would imagine that Ryder would definitely be in the mix for that just with his style of play. He’s just a big-time play maker, and it comes very natural to him too. So that’s that’s the awesome part.” — Quarterback trainer Danny Hernandez

7. Jake Fette — Arizona State

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 64 NATL.
School: Del Valle (Texas)

Elite 11 Review: “Fette was the most explosive mover among the Elite 11 Finalists. A twitched-up athlete, Fette showed eye-catching reactive quickness throughout the week. We came away from Day 1 thinking that Fette moved at a different speed than most others. We continued to see flashes of that explosive burst throughout the week. He also showed a live arm. While Fette had a bumpy 7-on-7 session on Day 3, the movement skills were evident.”

8. Keisean Henderson — Houston

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 94 NATL.
School: Legacy SSS (Texas)

Elite 11 Review: “Henderson owns one of the highest upsides among the Elite 11 Finalists. The Houston commit is a loose coordinated athlete with a strong arm. Henderson had highlight moments on each day of action, making some of the best throws we saw all week. His pass on a deep corner route during his pro day was the best throw we saw on Day 2. He was very aggressive during 7-on-7, finishing 14 of 25 with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Initially considered as an athlete prospect, Henderson has blossomed into a promising quarterback and has made nice strides with his mechanics over the past year. We’re eager to see if he can carry those improvements into the fall during his senior season.”

9. Matt Ponatoski — Kentucky

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 100 NATL.
School: Archbishop Moeller (Ohio)

Scout’s Take: “Matt Ponatoski is a prospect who came on our radar last fall. He had an awesome junior season at Archbishop Moeller and is one of the most productive passers we’ve seen in the cycle. He threw for over 4,200 yards with 57 touchdowns and just three interceptions while playing top competition. This guy is one of the top dual-threat athletes in all of high school sports. Ponatoski is also an All-American-caliber baseball player and was heavily recruited in both sports. He has a legitimate shot to be an impact player in football and baseball at the college level. What stands out to me about Ponatoski on the football field is his accuracy and his feel for the passing game. He’s a cool customer, one that’s hard to fluster. He has that natural feel for finding open receivers and spaces in the defense. He has a strong understanding of his high school offense and we saw his accuracy at the Elite 11 Finals. He’s a high-volume rhythm passer who’s super accurate. I feel, with very good conviction, that he’ll be a productive college quarterback, just based off what we’ve seen from his thus far.”

10. Landon Duckworth

Rivals300 Rankings: No. 118 NATL.
School: Jackson (Ala.)

Elite 11 Review: “Duckworth is one of the toolsier quarterbacks on the ground in Los Angeles. Duckworth has a big frame with ample room to continue filling out. He’s the most explosive athlete of the group. Tuesday night allowed for another opportunity to showcase the improvements Duckworth has made as a passer this offseason. We’re impressed with the growth we’ve seen since seeing him in action at the Atlanta Under Armour camp back in February. Duckworth is more aligned and in sync than he was six months ago. As a result, he’s delivering strikes at a much higher rate. The velocity and accuracy look improved. Granted, there were times when some throws got away from him, but the improvement, along with the high-end tools, has to be taken as a big positive.”

Other QBs in the Rivals300

11. Jett Thomalla — Alabama
12. Jonas Williams — USC
13. Tayden Kaawa
14. Dereon Coleman — Miami
15. Oscar Rios — Arizona

16. Tait Reynolds — Clemson
17. Helaman Casuga — Texas A&M
18. Grant Lawless — Wake Forest
19. Kayd Coffman — Michigan State
20. Brady Smigiel — Michigan