As we gear up for the start of spring practice, we here at CBS Sports spent this week ranking the quarterbacks across each of the four power conferences. However, we know that the College Football Playoff picture will not be limited to the Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Big 12, as the current 12-team format provides a path for nearly every FBS team. The path may be narrow, but Boise State, Tulane and James Madison have already broken through to give three different conferences a claim to a CFP appearance in the last two seasons.
So, as we extend the conversation to the Group of Six, we are looking for quarterbacks of note, yes, but also for those who could be in those impactful late-season games. There may be bigger names based on recruiting rankings or track record, but these quarterbacks seem like ones who will have a say in which teams are battling for CFP bids.
As it is, there are teams with unsettled quarterback situations who we consider contenders in these conversations. We have given them their own spotlight section, with a general survey of the quarterbacks involved in the battle as spring practice gets underway. It should come as no surprise that the unknown in each of these position battles is especially high, as all four feature programs with new coaches. In all four situations, the job was open because the previous coach left for a power conference opportunity, so while we might not know the depth chart, we can have confidence that there’s no need for a complete rebuild.
It is important to note also that the Group of Six has undergone a major shake-up since the conclusion of the 2025 season. The Pac-12 has re-formed with the addition of five schools from the Mountain West, plus Texas State. The Mountain West will be welcoming in North Dakota State, Northern Illinois and UTEP. There are also moves within the Sun Belt and Conference USA, leaving the American Athletic Conference as the only Group of Six league that is carrying the same football roster from 2025 into 2026.
So with some of those conference changes in mind, let’s begin our quarterback spotlight out in Honolulu, where a star quarterback returns looking to build on a strong finish to his redshirt freshman season.
Check out all of our spring quarterback rankings by conference here: SEC | ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten
Micah Alejado, Hawai’i
The Mountain West Freshman of the Year ranked No. 8 nationally in passing yards per game (282.4) and helped lead the Warriors to their winningest season since 2019. Alejado entered the offseason buzzing off a three-touchdown comeback against Cal in the Hawai’i Bowl, giving the budding star a leg up on Bears’ quarterback Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele.
Alejado was a three-time state champion at the Nevada high school powerhouse Bishop Gorman, setting state records and earning all-state honors in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons. Another year of development with Timmy Chang and the offensive staff has Alejado poised for a big season, and Hawai’i finds itself in an interesting spot in the new Mountain West.
The Warriors were one of six teams to finish with a winning record in conference play last season, but now only UNLV and New Mexico remain after the exits of Boise State, San Diego State and Fresno State. With Alejado returning and the conference power dynamics shifting, the 2026 season could be a huge one for Hawai’i.
Maddux Madsen, Boise State
Even in a new Pac-12, Boise State enters the fall as one of the teams to beat. It was the same way in the WAC and the Mountain West and now again in the Pac-12, because the Broncos’ standard has not changed — even through multiple phases of conference realignment.
Boise State did not make the CFP last season, but it did win the Mountain West for the third straight year and sends the Broncos out the door with seven conference championships since 2012.
Madsen enters 2026 as a third-year starter, looking to bounce back from a season disrupted by a midseason injury but one that ended on a high note with a four-touchdown, MVP effort in the Mountain West title game. The last time Madsen played a full season, he was one of the most productive and efficient passers in the conference, though he also had the benefit of Ashton Jeanty in the backfield.
For Madsen, 2026 offers an opportunity to string together consistent performances — hopefully with better health — and lead the Broncos into conference title contention after the program’s third conference move of the 21st century.
Jackson Arnold, UNLV
This is stop number three for Arnold, who brings with him a collection of highlights and lowlights from Oklahoma and Auburn. Can Dan Mullen put all the pieces together for a player who ranks as a five-star prospect and top-10 overall player in his recruiting class?
All evidence points to Mullen getting the most out of his quarterbacks, and the Rebels have some of the same opportunities through conference realignment that Hawai’i does in the re-made Mountain West. This is a program that has won 30 games over the last three seasons through the transition from Barry Odom to Mullen, proving there’s an infrastructure in place to find success out in the desert.
Arnold can be a nightmare to defend because of his dual-threat abilities, and Mullen can put him in winning situations against defenses that are not on the same level as the ones he faced at his two previous stops. It’s not hard to envision a world where Arnold is tearing up the Mountain West, and this pair of SEC ex-pats makes some noise in the playoff race.
Jayden Denegal, San Diego State
The Aztecs saw a six-win improvement from Year 1 to Year 2 with Sean Lewis, and among the changes was the addition of Jayden Denegal as a transfer from Michigan. Denegal averaged 20.3 passes and 5.58 rushing attempts per game, and with Lewis guiding the way there’s an opportunity to build on his best season as a college player.
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound senior was 9-3 as a starter but did not have the best finish to the season, with passing efficiency and completion percentage dropping in the month of November, plus five interceptions over his last five games. Denegal underwent surgery on his non-throwing shoulder after the regular season that kept him out of the bowl game, but he’s expected to be back in the mix for spring practice as he eyes improvement heading into 2026.
San Diego State lacked the splashy wins to get the attention of the CFP committee last year, but it was one of the four teams tied for first place at the end of the season in the Mountain West standings. The 2026 schedule provides a unique CFP opportunity early with games against UCLA and James Madison in September, meaning the Aztecs can make a playoff statement early before starting Pac-12 play.
Cale Hellums, Army
It is incredibly difficult to fill the shoes of a program legend like Bryson Daily. Some minor injuries early last eason season saw Hellums answer the call and put together an impressive 2025 campaign. Hellums played in all 13 games, starting 10, and totaled 1,251 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns.
Now a senior, the excitement for Army lies in Hellums growing comfort executing an offense that relies on rhythm and timing. Army’s ceiling in the conference title race or the top 25 rankings is usually set by the effectiveness of the quarterback. With Daily thriving in 2024, the Black Knights won the American Athletic Conference and finished with 12 wins and No. 21 final ranking.
After going 4-4 in conference play last season, Hellums’ development is going to be the key that unlocks Army’s potential to make a run back to the top of the league.
Braxton Woodson, Navy
Woodson faces a tough assignment following in the footsteps of Blake Horvath, who led the Midshipmen to 11 wins and a top-25 finish in 2024. This is not, however, new territory for Woodson. The 6-3, 215-pound senior from Altamonte Springs, Fla. was called into action for key November games against North Texas, Notre Dame and USF when Horvath was dealing with minor injuries.
Woodson’s shining moment was 103 yards rushing and two scores in a 41-38 win over USF, living up to the “next man up” mentality that comes naturally to the Mids. We are projecting that Woodson moves up into the QB1 role, though it’s possible that Navy does utilize a committee approach. But with 21 wins over the last two seasons (including a 13-3 record against AAC opponents), Brian Newberry’s squad has to be considered one of the Group of Six teams to watch.
TBD, USF
Brian Hartline is one of the most intriguing head coaching hires of the cycle. He put was a part of some of the most potent offenses of the last decade at Ohio State, and now he gets a chance to make his own mark outside the shadow of Ryan Day.
Now it’s acknowledged that there is a different talent level with the Bulls than what he was working with in Columbus, but Hartline’s track record and recent program history suggest USF will be able to score some points in 2026. The key, of course, is quarterback, and spring practice will be the first step to shaking out what seems to be a three-player battle between former Luke Kromenhoek, Michael Van Buren and KJ Cooper.
Are all journeymen — Kromenhoek has checked off stops at Florida State and Mississippi State, Van Buren at Mississippi State and LSU and Cooper at JUCO and FCS Texas Southern. All three carry slightly different skill sets. Ohio State tweaked its offense to match the quarterback under Hartline’s guidance. The expectation is USF will do the same, but if one of these third-stop all-stars hits, the Bulls could once again be a factor in the American.
TBD, Tulane
Will Hall was fired by Southern Miss midway through his fourth season, but found a home as an assistant back at Tulane, where he was an offensive coordinator for Willie Fritz, for the 2025 season.
The Green Wave promoted Hall to the full-time job after Jon Sumrall left for Florida, and now Hall gets a chance to take over a program that’s buzzing off its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance and two conference titles in the last four seasons.
The quarterback battle here seems to be focused on Zeon Chriss-Gremillion, a transfer from Houston, and Kadin Semonza, who joined Tulane in spring 2025 but did not play last fall. Semonza was the MAC Freshman of the Year in 2024 after throwing for a conference-leading 25 touchdowns, but the additions of both Jake Retzlaff and Brendan Sullivan left him sidelined for last season’s conference title run. He’s got the advantage of an established relationship with Hall, but doesn’t have the same experience that Chriss-Gremellion, a redshirt senior with 29 games of experience across stops at Louisiana and Houston, brings to the table.
TBD, Memphis
Look out, Trinidad Chambliss, we might have another Division II star ready to make a splash at the FBS level.
Marcus Stokes arrives at Memphis after a breakthrough season at West Florida that saw him total 40 touchdowns (30 passing, 10 rushing), earn Offensive Player of the Year honors in his conference and finish as a finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy, given to the most valuable player D-II football.
His competition for the starting job in Year 1 for Charles Huff is Air Noland, a former blue-chip recruit who started at Ohio State but then transferred to South Carolina and has seen little action at either stop. For both Stokes and Noland, there is plenty to prove following up on what were high hopes as high school prospects, and with Memphis’ position in the league and Huff’s recent track record of success, it’s going to be fascinating to see which player emerges to take the reins of an offense expected to contend in the American.
TBD, Washington State
Excuse me for being a little bit bullish on Washington State, but the Kirby Moore hire absolutely generates some intrigue into what the Cougars can accomplish in the re-built Pac-12.
Moore will be just 36 years old when he puts on the headset for his first game as a head coach this fall, but his foundation as an assistant at Fresno State and Missouri suggests a bright future.
It’s tough to draw family comparisons when his big brother, Kellen, is already the coach of the New Orleans Saints, but there is something to be said for how the offensive gene seems to be strong in that pool.
Moore’s first quarterback competition in Pullman appears to start with Julian Dugger, a dual-threat playmaking quarterback who saw limited action as a freshman last season, and Caden Pinnick, an FCS transfer from UC Davis. Pinnick describes himself as a “pass first, run when needed” quarterback, but that approach seemed to do just fine as he tore up the Big Sky last season en route to winning Big Sky Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-America honors. The edge likely points to Pinnick here, but Dugger’s decision to re-sign with the team in January keeps him in the conversation until Moore announces an official QB1.
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