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

Florida State

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?

LSU

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.

Ole Miss

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.

Colorado

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.

North Carolina

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.

Alabama

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.

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.