Which teams are the most QB-needy for 2026? Here are 11 teams that are in the market
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Eli Lederman
Official visits are set, commitments dates are locked in, and the busiest stretch of college football’s annual recruiting calendar is upon us. If the trends of last year’s cycle — when 43% of ESPN’s top 300 prospects sealed their final commitments between June 1 and Aug. 31 — are any indication, the bulk of the 2026 recruiting class will sort itself over the next three months.
However, while the latest cycle is just about to take off in earnest, the top end of the 2026 quarterback class is largely settled already, at least for the time being. Following Jared Curtis‘ May 5 pledge to Georgia, all four of the nation’s five-star QBs and 14 of the 18 passers ranked inside the 2026 ESPN 300 are committed, leaving four blue-chip prospects still on the board:
Despite that scarcity, there are a handful of top programs across the country still working hard to land a 2026 quarterback. Which teams remain the most QB-needy on the recruiting trail as of late spring? We broke them down by tier, from the schools that have to land an elite passer in 2026 to others expected to be active in the QB market, and a few more who could join in this summer.
Jump to a section:
Need to land top QB | Teams to remain in QB market
Don’t need, but might grab | Lingering questions
Tier 1: Need to land a top quarterback in the 2026 class
In his sixth full-recruiting cycle with the Seminoles, coach Mike Norvell is still waiting for his quarterback pipeline to take off. The January decommitment of four-star recruit Brady Smigiel (No. 45 in the 2026 ESPN 300) marked the latest blow to the program’s future plans at the position. Four months later, Florida State’s efforts to land an elite 2026 passer hinge on a pair of priority targets: four-star Landon Duckworth and Oklahoma commit Jaden O’Neal.
Duckworth, a dynamic playmaker who accounted for 51 total touchdowns as a junior last fall, is a precise fit for the mold of a dual-threat quarterback that first-year Seminoles playcaller Gus Malzahn has traditionally relied on over the years. While Ole Miss has established itself as the clear leader in Duckworth’s process this spring, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound prospect from Jackson, Alabama, knows Norvell’s history of producing high-scoring offenses and was previously recruited by Malzahn at UCF. Florida State will get its next chance to woo Duckworth when he arrives for an official visit on June 13.
O’Neal has been committed to Oklahoma since June 24, 2024. But following a coordinator change amid the Sooners’ pursuit of a second quarterback in the 2026 class, ESPN’s seventh-ranked pocket passer enters late spring as a prime flip candidate. O’Neal (No. 113 overall) took unofficial trips to Florida State and Auburn this spring while entertaining interest from Georgia, and he’ll see the Seminoles again for a multiday official visit starting on June 15.
Florida State has gotten just 10 combined starts from the four high school quarterbacks it signed across five classes from 2020-24, and only one of those passers — redshirt sophomore Brock Glenn — still remains on the program’s roster. Can Norvell & Co. get it right in 2026 with Duckworth or O’Neal?
The Tigers didn’t sign a quarterback in the 2025 cycle after Bryce Underwood’s stunning flip to Michigan last November. Even with the offseason addition of Mississippi State transfer Michael Van Buren, the program’s future depth behind Garrett Nussmeier in 2025 is thin, and coach Brian Kelly and his staff have worked hard over the past sixth months in pursuit of a quarterback for the Tigers’ 2026 class.
LSU circled back with five-star prospects Dia Bell (Texas commit) and Keisean Henderson (Houston) and four-star Arizona State pledge Jake Fette (No. 158 overall) earlier this year to no avail. The Tigers were also heavily involved in the recruitment of four-star recruit Jonas Williams (No. 156 overall) prior to his February flip from Oregon to USC. Navigating a narrowing quarterback market, the Tigers have now turned their attention to four-star recruit Bowe Bentley (No. 262 overall), one of the cycle’s top risers this spring after he led Celina (Texas) High School to a 16-0 finish and a 4A state title as a first-year starter last fall.
Bentley landed more than a dozen Power 4 offers before trimming his list of finalists to Georgia, LSU and Oklahoma in late March. Following Jared Curtis’ May 5 pledge to Georgia, Bentley’s recruitment is down to the Tigers and Sooners, and the stage is now set for a critical stretch that will see Bentley travel to LSU (May 30) and Oklahoma (June 6) on back-to-back weekends as he reaches the closing stages in his recruitment. Bentley is LSU’s best chance at grabbing a top QB.
Like LSU, Ole Miss went without a quarterback signee in the 2025 class, but it was not for lack of trying, most notably through the program’s late-fall efforts to flip in-state four-star Deuce Knight from his Auburn pledge. After missing out on one coveted dual-threat passer a year ago, could coach Lane Kiffin manage to land another in the 2026 cycle?
The Rebels have certainly laid the groundwork this spring, centering Duckworth — ESPN’s second-ranked uncommitted quarterback prospect — as the potential cornerstone of Ole Miss’ 2026 class during a pair of unofficial visits with the program this spring.
Kiffin and Rebels offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. have sold Duckworth heavily on his fit in the program’s offensive scheme and their development of former quarterback Jaxson Dart, another mobile passer who emerged as a first-round NFL draft pick after three seasons at Ole Miss. As Duckworth prepares for a slate of spring official visits to Auburn, South Carolina, Florida State and Ole Miss, Kiffin and the Rebels hold a definitive lead in his recruitment.
Redshirt sophomore Austin Simmons will take over starting duties with three years of remaining eligibility this fall. Ole Miss’ current quarterback depth includes a pair of talented underclassmen, too, between former ESPN 300 signee AJ Maddox and Oklahoma State transfer Maealiuaki Smith. But there’s a reason why Kiffin and his staff are so invested in Duckworth, who would mark the program’s highest-ranked quarterback signee since Matt Corral in 2018.
Tier 2: Programs that will remain active in the QB market
Auburn
After finishing 71st nationally in scoring last fall, the Tigers renovated their quarterback room during the offseason with transfers Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma) and Ashton Daniels (Stanford) and Knight, the talented freshman they pried away from Notre Dame last fall.
Knight, No. 40 in the 2025 ESPN 300, is viewed as a future starter at Auburn. But his arrival has not kept the program from pursuing quarterbacks in the 2026 class. The Tigers hosted O’Neal, the Oklahoma pledge, for a visit earlier this spring and stand among the challengers to Ole Miss in the chase for Duckworth, who will take his official to Auburn on May 30.
Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter presents an experienced stopgap in 2025, but the Buffaloes secured their heir apparent to Shedeur Sanders with the flip of five-star quarterback Julian Lewis from USC last November.
Still, Colorado has maintained a presence on the 2026 quarterback trail this spring. The Buffaloes were finalists for three-star Mississippi State pledge Brodie McWhorter, four-star Michigan State commit Kayd Coffman and three-star recruit Luke Fahey among their most recent offers. Most prominently, Colorado remains as one of seven schools in the mix for four-star pocket passer Oscar Rios (No. 193 in ESPN 300), who will close a busy run of spring officials with a trip to see coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes on June 20.
No program is garnering more attention in 2025 than the Tar Heels, and North Carolina’s quarterback recruiting is a key subplot in coach Bill Belichick’s first full cycle with the program following Zaid Lott’s flip to Syracuse in March.
Belichick, whose contract stipulates access to $13 million in revenue sharing dollars, has money to spend on his roster. The Tar Heels have already missed on a pair of big swings with top-100 quarterbacks Curtis and Smigiel, but Duckworth remains a realistic option who could still schedule an official visit with the program over the next month. North Carolina did beat out Auburn for three-star, dual-threat Travis Burgess.
Oklahoma
A once-settled Sooners quarterback situation in the 2026 class could see a few twists and turns before all is said. O’Neal, who committed last June under former offensive coordinator Seth Littrell, remains the top-ranked member of Oklahoma’s incoming class while the Sooners’ staff are now full-throttle in their pursuit of Bentley, whose recruitment could be wrapped up within the next month following his pair of official visits.
All of that fits the program’s plan to add two passers in the 2026 cycle under first-year coordinator Ben Arbuckle. But will it play out so seamlessly? A commitment from Bentley could be the ultimate nudge that prompts O’Neal to jump elsewhere. Conversely, if Bentley lands with LSU, keeping O’Neal on board will be more important than ever. Of course, there’s also the disaster scenario for Oklahoma where Bentley commits to LSU and O’Neal flips elsewhere this summer, sending OU back to the drawing board in the 2026 quarterback class with rising three-star prospect Matt Ponatoski among the passers the program has kept in touch with this spring.
South Carolina
The rise of LaNorris Sellers and the addition of a once-prized talent in Ohio State transfer Air Noland gives the Gamecocks security in the medium-term. However, South Carolina’s efforts in the 2026 quarterback class over the first half of this year suggest coach Shane Beamer knows he needs to add another passer this cycle.
The Gamecocks were among four top contenders for Curtis in January before the nation’s No. 1 overall quarterback cut his recruitment to Oregon and Georgia. The program made Smigiel another priority target and made a late push in April before his commitment to Michigan. Those misses have turned the Gamecocks’ attention back to Duckworth, who previously spent 10 months in South Carolina’s 2026 class before reopening his recruitment last June. Duckworth will return to campus for an official visit next month, where Beamer and the Gamecocks would secure a major recruiting victory if they manage to pull him back into fold amid interest from Ole Miss, Auburn and Florida State.
Tier 3: We don’t need a 2026 QB, but we still might go get one anyway
The Class of 2025 addition of five-star passer Keelon Russell, No. 2 in the 2025 ESPN 300, not only diminishes the Crimson Tide’s need for a quarterback in this cycle, but might also be working against the program’s ability to land one in 2026. Such are the lofty expectations surrounding the dynamic Russell and his future at Alabama.
The Crimson Tide do appear to be ramping up their efforts on the quarterback trail, though. After keeping in touch with Houston pledge Keisean Henderson and eventual Penn State commit Peyton Falzone (No. 236 in ESPN 300) this spring, Alabama extended offers to Ponatoski, ESPN’s No. 27 pocket passer, and three-star Iowa State pledge Jett Thomalla last week. While Kalen DeBoer & Co. might not be battling at the upper reaches of the 2026 quarterback class, there is motivation within the program to continue its pipeline at the position in this cycle.
Ohio State
Between projected 2025 starter Julian Sayin and five-star 2025 signee Tavien St. Clair, the defending national champions are already well-stocked on young quarterback talent. The commitment of coveted 2027 passer Brady Edmunds adds another layer of security to the Buckeyes future at the position.
However, the Buckeyes haven’t been entirely quiet around the current quarterback class, notably hosting top uncommitted passer Ryder Lyons (No. 50 in ESPN 300) and Bentley for visits earlier this spring. More recently, Michigan State commit Kayd Coffman spent a day on campus with the Ohio State staff last month, though the Buckeyes have not yet formally offered ESPN’s fifth-ranked dual-threat prospect. Expect Ohio State to linger as a potential flip contender for multiple prospects across the country from now to the early signing period.
Oregon
Coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks did everything they could to sway Curtis before the five-star passer returned to his place atop Georgia’s 2026 class earlier this month. Multiple years of remaining eligibility for Dante Moore and Austin Novosad, coupled with the arrival of four-star freshman Akili Smith Jr. mean Oregon could comfortably go without a quarterback signee in 2026, but the program’s movements on the trail this spring suggest that won’t be the case.
The Ducks are among the long line of programs to check in with Henderson, the five-star Houston commit this spring. More pressing, the program remains firmly in the mix for Lyons, the four-star passer who will take officials with BYU, Oregon and USC in June. Given the Ducks’ eligibility cushion at quarterbacks, Lyons’ plan to enroll in 2027 following a one-year mission trip won’t be an issue for Oregon. If the Ducks miss on Lyons, then Ponatoski — a two-sport star from Cincinnati who intends to play baseball in college — could emerge as a primary target.
Lingering questions for the 2026 quarterback class
What happens if Jaden O’Neal decommits from Oklahoma?
Plenty of drama could still unfold within the 2026 quarterback class from now to the early signing period. But as things stand, O’Neal appears to be the most likely candidate to flip.
If O’Neal eventually pulls his pledge from the Sooners, he’ll immediately emerge as one of the top available quarterbacks in the 2026 class with previously interested parties like Auburn and Florida State primed to pounce on his availability. Depending on other outcomes across the quarterback class, there could be a number of other programs — LSU, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Oregon — primed to enter the race, too. As for Oklahoma, the scale of damage surrounding O’Neal’s exit would be entirely dependent on where Bentley lands and how open his recruitment might remain if the four-star recruit commits to a program other than the Sooners.
Can anyone flip Keisean Henderson?
No program has shown more faith in Henderson’s ability to play quarterback at the college level than Houston, and the five-star has continued to recruit on behalf of the Cougars this spring while remaining fully locked in with his May 2024 commitment to the program.
However, as long as the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State and Oregon are maintaining contact with Henderson, the door will be open to a potential flip. The noise around Henderson’s recruitment has been quiet this spring, but that could certainly change in the coming months, especially if QB-needy programs such as Florida State, North Carolina and LSU miss on other top targets this summer and intensify their efforts with the athletic playmaker from Spring, Texas. Henderson’s recruitment will be one to watch Houston work to hang on to the highest-ranked pledge in program history.
Who are the most intriguing uncommitted, non-ESPN 300 quarterbacks?
The collection of quarterback talent in the 2026 class extends beyond the ESPN 300, and history shows that star ratings and prospect rankings are always perfect predictors of future success. So which relatively unheralded quarterback recruits could emerge as key targets in this cycle?
Ponatoski is one prospect generating significant interest this spring after throwing for more than 4,000 yards with 56 touchdowns last fall. Aided by his two-sport ability, Ponatoski now counts Alabama and Oregon among the prominent newcomers in his recruitment and also holds significant interest from Arkansas, Duke, Georgia Tech, Kentucky and Texas A&M, among others.
Nathan Bernhard, ESPN’s No. 14 pocket passer, flirted heavily with Michigan before he committed to App State last month after the Wolverines landed on Smigiel as the program’s 2026 quarterback. Indiana Hoosiers, Maryland Terrapins, Michigan State and Penn State all entered the mix for Bernhard earlier this spring, and he could emerge as a prized flip candidate later in the cycle for Power 4 programs still looking to secure a quarterback pledge.
Three-star prospect Femi Babalola is another quarterback gaining attention ahead of the busy summer recruiting period. Among more than a dozen Division I offers, NC State, Boston College and Tulane rank among Babalola’s leading contenders while Arizona, Georgia Tech, Maryland and Virginia Tech have all offered ESPN’s No. 18 pocket passer this spring.
Developments around Burgess, the Auburn, North Carolina and NC State target, will have ripple effects across the 2026 quarterback class. Three-star passers Romin Seymour, Laird Finkel and Jarin Mock are another trio worth keeping an eye on this summer.
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Bradford Doolittle
The initial 2025 MLB All-Star Game rosters are out, the product of the collaborative process between fans, players and the league. How did this annual confab do?
We already know that injuries will prevent some of these selectees from appearing in Atlanta, and replacement choices will be announced in the coming days. By the end of this post-selection period, we’ll wind up with something like 70 to 75 All-Stars for this season.
These first-draft rosters contain 65 players, the odd number stemming from the decision to send Clayton Kershaw to the festivities as a “Legend” pick. First reaction: Baseball’s newest member of the 3,000 strikeout club has earned everything he gets.
Now, on to the nitpicking.
American League
Biggest oversight: Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins
The Twins’ lone representative on the initial rosters is outfielder Byron Buxton, a worthy selection. Ryan (8-4, 2.76 ERA) fell into a group of similar performers including Kansas City’s Kris Bubic and the Texas duo of Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi. Bubic and deGrom made it, which is great, and Bubic in particular is quite a story.
But Ryan and Eovaldi didn’t make it, and both were probably a little more deserving that Seattle’s Bryan Woo, whose superficial numbers (8-4, 2.77) are very close to Ryan’s. But Woo plays in a more friendly pitching park, and the under-the-hood metrics favor Ryan.
The main takeaway: If this is the biggest discrepancy, the process worked well.
Second-biggest oversight: Many-way tie between several hitters
The every-team-gets-a-player rule, along with positional requirements, always knocks out worthy performers from teams with multiple candidates. Thus, a few picks on the position side might have gone differently.
The Rays are playing so well they probably deserve more than one player. Their most deserving pick made it — infielder Jonathan Aranda — along with veteran second baseman Brandon Lowe. Infielders such as J.P. Crawford (Seattle), Isaac Paredes (Houston) and Zach McKinstry (Detroit) had good cases to make it ahead of Lowe, whose power numbers (19 homers, 54 RBIs) swayed the players.
While acknowledging that Gunnar Henderson has had a disappointing season, I still think he deserved to be the Orioles’ default pick instead of Ryan O’Hearn. But the latter was selected as the AL’s starting DH by the fans, and Baltimore doesn’t deserve two players. It’s a great story that O’Hearn will be a first-time All-Star just a couple of weeks before his 32nd birthday.
Other thoughts
• The default White Sox selection is rookie starter Shane Smith, a Rule 5 pick from Milwaukee last winter. Smith is my lowest-rated player on the AL squad, but he has been consistently solid. Adrian Houser, an in-season pickup, has been great for Chicago and has arguably produced more value than Smith. But I like honoring the rookie who has been there the whole campaign.
• The Athletics’ Jacob Wilson was elected as a starter and is easily the most deserving player from that squad. I’m not sure I see a second pick there, but Brent Rooker made it as a DH. Rooker has been fine, but his spot could have gone to one of the overlooked hitters already mentioned, or perhaps Kansas City’s Maikel Garcia.
• Houston’s Jeremy Pena is a deserving choice and arguably should be the AL’s starter at shortstop instead of Wilson. Alas, he’s on the injured list, and though reports say he might soon resume baseball activities, it’s likely Pena will be replaced. Any of the above-mentioned overlooked hitters will do.
• As for the starters, the fans do a great job nowadays. I disagreed with them on a couple of spots, though. I would have gone with a keystone combo of Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Pena rather than Gleyber Torres and Wilson, but I’d have them all on the team. And I would have definitely started Buxton over Javier Baez in the outfield.
National League
Biggest oversight: Juan Soto, New York Mets
Not sure how this happens, but I’m guessing Soto is a victim of his own standards. Yes, he signed a contract for an unfathomable amount of money, and so far, he hasn’t reinvented the game as a member of the Mets. He has just been lower-end Juan Soto, which is still one of the best players in the sport. His OBP is, as ever, north of .400, he leads the league in walks and it sure seems as if Pete Alonso has very much enjoyed hitting behind him.
The All-Star Game was invented for players like Soto, and though you might leave out someone like him if he is having a truly poor season, that’s not the case here. It is kind of amazing that he didn’t make it, while MacKenzie Gore and James Wood — both part of the trade that sent Soto from Washington to San Diego — did. They deserve it, and you can make a strong argument that a third player the Nats picked up in the trade — CJ Abrams — does as well. But Soto deserves it too.
Finally, the Marlins’ most-deserving pick is outfielder Kyle Stowers, who indeed ended up as their default selection. But he probably ended up with Soto’s slot.
Second-biggest oversight: Andy Pages, Los Angeles Dodgers
It’s hard to overlook anyone on the Dodgers, but somehow Pages slipped through the cracks despite his fantastic all-around first half for the defending champs.
It was just a numbers game. I’ve got five NL outfielders rated ahead of Pages, and all but Soto made it, so no additional quibbles there. The fans voted in Ronald Acuna Jr. to start at his home ballpark. Having Acuna there in front of the fans in Atlanta makes sense. But he has played only half of the first half.
Other thoughts
• The shortstop position is loaded in the NL, but the only pure shortstops to make it were starter Francisco Lindor and Elly De La Cruz. Both are good selections, but the Phillies’ Trea Turner has been just as outstanding. Abrams and Arizona’s Geraldo Perdomo are also deserving. The position has been so good that the player with the most career value currently playing shortstop in the NL — Mookie Betts — barely merits a mention. Betts has had a subpar half, but who will be surprised if he’s topping this list by the end of the season?
• Both leagues had three pitching staff slots given to relievers. The group in the AL (Aroldis Chapman, Josh Hader and Andres Munoz) was much more clear-cut than the one in the NL, which ended up with the Giants’ Randy Rodriguez, the Mets’ Edwin Diaz and the Padres’ Jason Adam. It made sense to honor someone from San Diego’s dominant bullpen, and you could have flipped a coin to pick between Adam and Adrian Morejon.
• Picking these rosters while meeting all the requirements and needs for teams and positions is hard. I don’t have any real issue with the pitchers selected for the NL. One of them is Atlanta’s Chris Sale, who is on the IL and will have to be replaced. My pick would be Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sanchez (7-2, 2.68 ERA).
• And for the starting position players, Alonso should have gotten the nod over Freddie Freeman at first base, though it will be great to see Freeman’s reception when he takes the field in Atlanta. For that matter, the Cubs’ Michael Busch has had a better first half than Freeman at this point, though that became true only in the past few days, thanks to his explosion at Wrigley Field. I would have gone with Turner at short, but it’s close. And I’d have started Wood in place of Acuna.
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Jesse Rogers
The last-place Washington Nationals fired president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Davey Martinez, the team announced Sunday.
Rizzo, 64, and Martinez, 60, won a World Series with the Nationals in 2019, but the team has floundered in recent years. This season, the Nationals are 37-53 and stuck at the bottom of the National League East after getting swept by the Boston Red Sox this weekend at home. Washington hasn’t finished higher than fourth in the division since winning the World Series.
“On behalf of our family and the Washington Nationals organization, I first and foremost want to thank Mike and Davey for their contributions to our franchise and our city,” principal owner Mark Lerner said in a statement. “Our family is eternally grateful for their years of dedication to the organization, including their roles in bringing a World Series trophy to Washington, D.C.
“While we are appreciative of their past successes, the on-field performance has not been where we or our fans expect it to be. This is a pivotal time for our club, and we believe a fresh approach and new energy is the best course of action for our team moving forward.”
Mike DeBartolo, the club’s senior vice president and assistant general manager, was named interim GM on Sunday night. DeBartolo will oversee all aspects of baseball operations, including the MLB draft. An announcement will be made on the interim manager Monday, a day before the club begins a series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Rizzo has been the top decision-maker in Washington since 2013, and Martinez has been on board since 2018. Under Rizzo’s leadership, the team made the postseason four times: in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2019. The latter season was Martinez’s lone playoff appearance.
“When our family assumed control of the team, nearly 20 years ago, Mike was the first hire we made,” Lerner said. “Over two decades, he was with us as we went from a fledging team in a new city to World Series champion. Mike helped make us who we are as an organization, and we’re so thankful to him for his hard work and dedication — not just on the field and in the front office, but in the community as well.”
The Nationals are in the midst of a rebuild that has moved slower than expected, though the team didn’t augment its young core much during the winter. Led by All-Stars James Wood and MacKenzie Gore, Washington has the second-youngest group of hitters in MLB and the sixth-youngest pitching staff.
The team lost 11 straight games in a forgettable stretch last month. And during a 2-10 run in June, Washington averaged just 2.5 runs. Since June 1, the Nationals have scored one run or been shut out seven times. In Sunday’s 6-4 loss to Boston, they left 15 runners on base.
There was industry speculation over the winter that the Nationals would spend money on free agents for the first time in several years, but that never materialized. Instead, the team made minor moves, signing free agents Josh Bell and Michael Soroka, trading for first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and re-signing closer Kyle Finnegan. Now, the hope is a new management team, both on and off the field, can help change the franchise’s fortunes.
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David Schoenfield
The rosters for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game will feature 19 first-timers — and one legend — as the pitchers and reserves were announced Sunday for the July 15 contest at Truist Park in Atlanta.
Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young Award winner who made his first All-Star team in 2011, was named to his 11th National League roster as a special commissioner’s selection.
Kershaw, who became only the fourth left-hander to amass 3,000 career strikeouts, is 4-0 with a 3.43 ERA in nine starts after beginning the season on the injured list. He joins Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera as a legend choice, after the pair of sluggers were selected in 2022.
Kershaw said he didn’t want to discuss the selection Sunday.
Among the first-time All-Stars announced Sunday: Dodgers teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto; Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood and left-hander MacKenzie Gore; Houston Astros ace Hunter Brown and shortstop Jeremy Pena; and Chicago Cubs 34-year-old left-hander Matthew Boyd.
“It’ll just be cool being around some of the best players in the game,” Wood said.
First-time All-Stars previously elected to start by the fans include Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson, Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn and Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Overall, the 19 first-time All-Stars is a drop from the 32 first-time selections on the initial rosters in 2024.
Kershaw would be the sentimental choice to start for the National League, although Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, who leads NL pitchers in ERA and WAR, might be in line to start his second straight contest. Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler, a three-time All-Star, is 9-3 with a 2.17 ERA after Sunday’s complete-game victory and also would be a strong candidate to start.
“I think it would be stupid to say no to that. It’s a pretty cool opportunity,” Skenes said about the possibility of being asked to start by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “I didn’t make plans over the All-Star break or anything. So, yeah, I’m super stoked.”
Kershaw has made one All-Star start in his career, in 2022 at Dodger Stadium.
Among standout players not selected were New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto, who signed a $765 million contract as a free agent in the offseason, and Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, who had made eight consecutive All-Star rosters since 2016.
Soto got off to a slow start but was the National League Player of the Month in June and entered Sunday ranked sixth in the NL in WAR among position players while ranking second in OBP, eighth in OPS and third in runs scored.
The players vote for the reserves at each position and selected Wood, Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres as the backup outfielders. Kyle Stowers also made it as a backup outfielder as the representative for the Miami Marlins.
Unless Soto later is added as an injury replacement, he’ll miss his first All-Star Game since his first full season in 2019.
The Dodgers lead all teams with five representatives: Kershaw, Yamamoto and starters Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith. The AL-leading Detroit Tigers (57-34) and Mariners have four each.
Tigers ace Tarik Skubal will join AL starters Riley Greene, Gleyber Torres and Javier Baez, while Raleigh, the AL’s starting catcher, will be joined by Seattle teammates Bryan Woo, Andres Munoz and Julio Rodriguez.
Earning his fifth career selection but first since 2021 is Texas Rangers righty Jacob deGrom, who is finally healthy after making only nine starts in his first two seasons with the Rangers and is 9-2 with a 2.13 ERA. He has never started an All-Star Game, although Skubal or Brown would be the favorite to start for the AL.
The hometown Braves will have three All-Stars in Acuna, pitcher Chris Sale (his ninth selection, tied with Freeman for the second most behind Kershaw) and first baseman Matt Olson. The San Francisco Giants had three pitchers selected: Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and reliever Randy Rodriguez.
The slumping New York Yankees ended up with three All-Stars: Aaron Judge, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Max Fried. The Mets also earned three All-Star selections: Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz.
“Red carpet, that’s my thing,” Chisholm said. “I do have a ‘fit in mind.”
Rosters are expanded from 26 to 32 for the All-Star Game. They include starters elected by fans, 17 players (five starting pitchers, three relievers and a backup for each position) chosen in a player vote and six players (four pitchers and two position players) selected by league officials. Every club must be represented.
Acuna, Wood and Raleigh are the three All-Stars who have so far committed to participating in the Home Run Derby.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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