Quarterback remains the most important position in college football, or pro football, or any kind of football there is, and how your team is set there goes a long way in determining how well situated you are to compete for the national championship.
And in the transfer portal era, quarterbacks are among the most coveted players that rival programs are eager to poach and bring onto their rosters, giving teams an incentive to not reveal too much about what they have on their depth charts.
That places a premium on keeping the competition open, at least publicly, and teams may not be interested in naming a starter until the start of fall camp, when QBs are safe from the portal.
Here are some of the more important quarterback battles across college football that you should keep an eye on as we move into 2025 spring practices.
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Will Howard is out of the picture, leaving Ryan Day with a major hole on his offense as the Buckeyes embark on their national title defense this season.
One thing we know is that Day will not look for a quarterback in the transfer portal, after he confirmed that his 2025 signal caller is currently on the roster.
Low on experience but high on potential, three names stick out: Julian Sayin, Lincoln Kienholz, and Tavien St. Clair.
Sayin was a former five-star prospect who transferred out of Alabama last year after Nick Saban’s retirement, and he appears to be the favorite to take the QB1 job heading into 2025.
St. Clair is the No. 4 overall recruit and No. 3 quarterback in the country, according to an average of the four national recruiting services’ rankings in 2025.
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College football’s national title runner-up is saying goodbye to Riley Leonard, a departure that should cut into the team’s rushing capacity, even with lead back Jeremiyah Love coming back.
Head coach Marcus Freeman said the Irish would not pursue a quarterback in the transfer portal, leaving the job to either Steve Angeli, C.J. Carr, or Kevin Minchey.
Carr might be the long-term option of the future, but Angeli is the most experienced returner at the position, totaling 10 touchdowns in the last two years.
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Deion Sanders helped lead a major turnaround last season, improving from the four games he won in his debut to going 9-4, much of it on the back of his son’s expert play under center.
But Shedeur Sanders is off to the NFL Draft, leaving Coach Prime with two intriguing options to replace him, one an experienced Group of Five star and the other a high-level recruit.
That recruit is Julian Lewis, the incoming freshman who was a USC commit for a while before flipping to the Buffs, and the vet is Kaidon Salter, a productive dual threat who should be the favorite to earn the starting nod in 2025.
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Carson Beck getting hit in the elbow in the SEC Championship Game threw a curve into Georgia’s quarterback room, paved the way for his eventual transfer, and for Gunner Stockton to take his place.
Stockton is the favorite to succeed Beck for good heading into this fall after he went 20 of 32 for 234 yards and a touchdown against the Irish in the playoff.
Over all of last season, Stockton completed more than 70 percent of his passes for 440 yards and should have the clear advantage over contenders Ryan Puglisi and Ryan Montgomery.
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Just about anyone could be an improvement after the Wolverines finished last season with the third-worst ranked passing attack in college football, reducing the offense to just one dimension that kiboshed Michigan’s chance to repeat as national champs.
Into the ring steps the highest-rated quarterback recruit in Michigan’s history, after Bryce Underwood flipped from LSU to sign with Sherrone Moore instead.
And while Michigan fans can’t wait to see him take the reins for good, it’s more likely they’ll get Mikey Keene, who passed for 5,868 yards and 42 touchdowns at Fresno State, and who is a near 68 percent career passer who went 8-3 as a start at UCF.
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Kalen DeBoer promises to be an equal opportunity employer when it comes to the quarterback position this spring, with Ty Simpson, Austin Mack, and Keelon Russell his main options.
Simpson was a former five-star prospect signed under Nick Saban, and could have the inside track after serving as the Tide’s backup quarterback the last few years.
Grubb transferred in from Washington at the same time as DeBoer and has experience working with offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who joined Alabama after his year in the NFL.
Russell is also a five-star option and the former No. 2 overall player in the 2025 football recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite.
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Dillon Gabriel and his piles of all-purpose yards are gone to the pros, but the Ducks aren’t wanting for promising candidates to replace their veteran quarterback.
Dante Moore signed with Oregon as a blue-chip transfer from UCLA after that didn’t work and was thought to be Gabriel’s eventual successor after making the move.
The other guy in the room is Austin Novosad, a former Top 150 recruit who was in the program behind Bo Nix who could give Moore a real challenge for the position.
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