College Football

College Football: Top 10 returning quarterbacks entering the 2025 season

  • Clemson’s Cade Klubnik leads the list: The rising senior is the top returning quarterback in college football after making a massive jump as a junior.
  • Texas’ Arch Manning is sixth: The next-in-line to the Manning dynasty is still in the top 10 despite having started only three games.

Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

With the 2024 college football season in the books, it’s time to turn our attention to 2025 by ranking the top returning players at every position. 

First up is the most important position: quarterback. Many star signal-callers spurned the 2025 NFL Draft in favor of returning to college for another season, making this a loaded list.

Below is a list of PFF’s top 10 returning quarterbacks in college football, in addition to an honorable mention nominee. Please note that NFL projection was not taken into account in these rankings.

Click below for our other positional rankings:

RB

1. Cade Klubnik, Clemson

There might not have been a more improved quarterback in college football this past season than Klubnik. After placing 102nd among FBS signal-callers in 2023 with a 63.9 PFF passing grade, he ranked fifth in 2024 with an 87.7 mark. Only Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders threw more touchdowns than the junior (36), and those two are projected top-five picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Klubnik also ranked fifth in big-time throws (28). 

The top quarterback recruit in the 2022 class is finally starting to live up to the hype and has the potential to take a loaded Clemson roster to the promised land as a senior.

2. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State

After spending one season at Michigan State, Leavitt transferred to Arizona State and helped the Sun Devils go from back-to-back 3-9 seasons to winning the Big 12 and making the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. 

The redshirt freshman’s 89.1 PFF overall grade ranked ninth among FBS quarterbacks, and he was the only Power Four signal-caller with 80,0-plus grades both as a passer and a runner. His 1.1% turnover-worthy play rate ranked fourth among all quarterbacks, and his 34 forced missed tackles on the ground were the fifth most at the position in the Power Four.

With superstar running back Cam Skattebo off to the NFL, there will be even more pressure on Leavitt to carry Arizona State’s offense in 2025.

Sam Leavitt: 2024 PFF Grades
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3. Carson Beck, Miami (FL)

After entering 2024 as PFF’s top-ranked quarterback in college football, Beck disappointed in his final year at Georgia before transferring to Miami to replace Cam Ward. The redshirt senior’s 20 turnover-worthy plays this past season were tied for the sixth most in the country. As that number would indicate, Beck often forced throws due to the Bulldogs’ underwhelming receiving corps. Georgia’s 31 drops on the season were tied for the second most in the Power Four. 

Beck still performed at a solid level (80.2 PFF passing grade in 2024), earning a top-three place on this list for his overall body of work. His 90.9 PFF overall grade since 2023 is the second-best mark of any returning FBS quarterback. Beck will look to replicate Ward’s success in South Beach and reemerge in Heisman and NFL draft conversations.

4. Drew Allar, Penn State

While his performance in Penn State’s final game of the season was rough (36.6 PFF passing grade), Allar quieted many critics by quarterbacking the Nittany Lions all the way to the College Football Playoff semifinals this past season. He finished as the nation’s sixth-most valuable signal-caller in the process, according to PFF’s wins above-average metric. His 21 big-time throws were a top-20 mark, while his 2.1% turnover-worthy play rate ranked 21st.

Allar showed off his rifle of a right arm far more as a junior, increasing his average depth of target by more than a yard. There are still some things for him to clean up, including his footwork and accuracy, and plenty of questions surrounding Penn State’s wide receiver room, but Allar will enter his senior season as one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft.

With a loaded roster surrounding him, he has the potential to take the Nittany Lions on an even deeper run next year.

5. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

After sitting on the bench for three years, Nussmeier finally received his chance to start for the Tigers as a redshirt junior. He extended the flashes of brilliance he had as a backup over a full season, finishing the year with the fifth-most passing yards in the nation (4,043) and tying for seventh in big-time throws (26). 

Nussmeier is still a bit of a gunslinger, as he ranked in the bottom 20 in turnover-worthy plays (18). He also adds virtually nothing as a runner, with his 93 rushing yards in 2024 being easily the fewest of anyone on this list. But he’s still a tough quarterback who is fearless in the pocket and capable of making almost any throw on the field. 

6. Arch Manning, Texas

Manning’s placement on this list was the hardest to figure out. Even though he’s started only three games in his career — all against bad competition (UTSA, Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State) — the rising redshirt sophomore is still the betting favorite to take home the Heisman Trophy (+700 on DraftKings Sportsbook).

His 88.1 PFF overall grade in 2024 ranked 13th among FBS quarterbacks who played at least 200 snaps, and he ranked 16th in both big-time throw rate (6.4%) and turnover-worthy play rate (1.9%). Manning is a much better athlete than either of his legendary uncles, Peyton and Eli, rushing for four touchdowns on just 21 attempts last year — including a 67-yarder. 

It’s entirely possible, if not probable, that No. 6 will look far too low for Manning at the conclusion of next season. But the former top overall recruit in 2023 slots in here for now due to the top five having more proven resumes.

Arch Manning: 2024 PFF Grades
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7. DJ Lagway, Florida

Like Manning, Lagway might not have a proven track record. But also like Manning, he has limitless potential. 

The true freshman showed why he was the top quarterback recruit in the 2024 cycle, leading the Power Four with an 8.8% big-time throw rate in 2024. Lagway’s 95.6 PFF passing grade on deep throws placed him third in college football. He’ll need to become more precise as a sophomore, though, as his 59.7 PFF passing grade on all other throws was the second-worst mark in the Power Four. 

It was still a very encouraging freshman year for Lagway, considering Florida’s brutal schedule. He may have more arm talent than anyone else in college football but needs to fine-tune his footwork and accuracy to potentially become the best quarterback in the nation.

8. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt

The Commodores finished with a winning record and a bowl victory for the first time in more than a decade, thanks in large part to Pavia. The New Mexico State transfer ranked 10th among FBS signal-callers in PFF passing grade (85.0), and his 683 rushing yards after contact led the Power Four. He’ll best be remembered for his performance in Vanderbilt’s upset win over top-ranked Alabama, posting a 92.1 PFF passing grade in the stunning victory.

After winning his injunction against the NCAA, Pavia will return to Nashville for one more season. 

9. Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee

Iamaleava opened his redshirt freshman campaign with five sub-70.0 PFF passing grades in his first six games. He got much better in the second half of the season, posting 75.0-plus marks in four of the final seven contests while leading the Volunteers to the College Football Playoff.

The former five-star recruit’s 81.7 PFF passing grade on the season was still a top-20 mark in college football. Iamaleava’s 2.5% turnover-worthy play rate ranked in the top 30 even though he placed sixth among Power Four quarterbacks in average depth of target (11.1 yards). 

He has outstanding physical tools and could quickly rise on this list.

10. Kevin Jennings, SMU

Jennings wasn’t even supposed to be SMU’s starting quarterback this past season. Preston Stone, an honorable mention on this list last year after posting the third-best PFF passing grade in college football, figured to be entrenched as the starter.

Jennings was inserted when Stone didn’t look fully healed from the broken fibula he sustained the year before. The redshirt sophomore didn’t look back, as he led the Mustangs to the College Football Playoff. His 85.0 PFF passing grade ranked 10th among FBS signal-callers, as did his 90.6 PFF passing grade when kept clean. 

While he’s certainly capable of making some absurd off-platform throws, Jennings needs to work on playing under control more often this offseason.

Kevin Jennings: 2024 PFF Grades
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Honorable Mention: Taylen Green, Arkansas

After posting just a 60.2 PFF passing grade at Boise State in 2023, Green transferred to Arkansas and dramatically improved his efficiency as a passer in 2024 (79.2 PFF passing grade). 

Green is among the most physically gifted quarterbacks in college football, measuring at 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds with outstanding mobility and arm talent. His 22 big-time throws tied for the ninth most in the Power Four, and his 453 rushing yards after contact were the fifth most. If he can avoid some of the head-scratching mistakes that still plague his tape (17 turnover-worthy plays in 2024), Green could easily crack this list.

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