Perhaps earlier than ever, the quarterback dominoes are beginning to topple for the crop of soon-to-be high school juniors.
As it stands now, six of the top-10 QBs in the Top247 rankings for the Class of 2026 are off the board, with five of them making commitments in the last month. We also know the class’ No. 1 player, Greensboro (North Carolina) Grimsley five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon, wants to announce in August according to 247Sports National Analyst Anna Adams. For reference: Of the current top 10 QBs in the 2025 class, which will be seniors this fall, only one of them, Belleville (Mich.) High five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, was committed by this date a year ago, to LSU.
To catch you up to speed, let’s look at what’s happened so far, how we got here, and what’s next.
The QBs who are off the board
Despite it being seven months from the 2025 recruiting cycle coming to a close, there are plenty of class of 2026 quarterbacks already off the board. Let’s take a look at some soon-to-be juniors that have already announced a commitment.
– Nashville (Tenn.) Christian School quarterback Jared Curtis, the No. 3 quarterback in the country, committed to Georgia on March 23. The 6-4, 225-pounder selected the Bulldogs over Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee, and others.
– Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) American Heritage quarterback Dia Bell, the nation’s No. 4 quarterback, committed to Texas on June 17. The 6-2, 195-pounder chose the Longhorns over offers from Florida State, Penn State, Miami, LSU, and others.
– Newbury Park (Calif.) High quarterback Brady Smigiel, the country’s No. 5 overall quarterback, committed to Florida State on June 22. The 6-5, 205-pounder chose the Seminoles over Auburn, Cal, Miami, and others.
-Harbor City (Calif.) Narbonne quarterback Jaden O’Neal, the nation’s No. 6 quarterback, picked Oklahoma on June 24. The 6-3, 200-pounder chose the Sooners over Miami, Ohio State, Washington, and others.
– Cocoa (Fla.) High quarterback Brady Hart, the No. 9 signal-caller in the class, committed to Michigan on June 18. The 6-4, 180-pounder chose the Wolverines over Clemson, Indiana, LSU, Missouri, and others.
– Tampa (Fla.) Jesuit quarterback Will Griffin, the country’s No. 10 quarterback, picked Florida on June 1. The 6-3, 225-pounder chose the Gators over Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and others.
– Lake Mary (Fla.) High quarterback Noah Grubbs, the nation’s No. 11 quarterback overall, committed to Notre Dame on June 1. The 6-4, 188-pounder picked the Fighting Irish over offers from Auburn, Louisville, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and others.
– San Marcos (Calif.) Mission Hills quarterback Troy Huhn, the country’s No. 12 quarterback, picked Penn State on June 25. The 6-4, 205-pounder chose the Nittany Lions over offers from Auburn, Cal, Nebraska, Oregon, and others.
– Downey (Calif.) High quarterback Oscar Rios, the No. 21 quarterback in the country, picked Purdue on June 21. The 6-3, 175-pounder chose the Boilermakers over Arizona, Auburn, Cal, Nebraska, and others.
– Cartersville (Ga.) Cass quarterback Brodie McWhorter, the No. 23 quarterback this cycle, committed to West Virginia on June 24. The 6-2, 195-pounder chose the Mountaineers over offers from Oregon, Virginia Tech, Boston College, NC State, and others.
Programs looking to strike soon for a QB
As noted above, five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon, the nation’s No. 1 overall player, is scheduled to come off the board Aug. 3.
