College football teams with best QB depth situations for 2026

In college football, the best quarterback depth isn’t just about having bodies — it’s about having a ready-to-win option for sustained success when the game’s most important position is in flux. For 2026, there are a handful of programs that have positioned themselves in enviable spots: a proven, high-end starter paired with a backup who is more than capable of stepping in without a significant drop-off.

The transfer portal has added a new layer to many of these situations, with quarterbacks making up nine of the 25 highest-rated transfers in the 2026 portal cycle.

The strength of these rooms goes beyond just raw talent. Experience matters just as much as potential, and for the most part, the best setups feature a backup who has seen the field, learned the offense and can execute at a high level when called upon. Some programs even boast two quarterbacks with starting experience, giving coaches the rare luxury of a true contingency plan while keeping competition sharp in practice. Others pair a polished starter with a former five-star recruit, a player whose ceiling may be even higher than the veteran on the roster.

It’s the subtle advantages like these that often go unnoticed until the season turns on a single play. When injuries strike or performance dips, teams with a capable backup can often avoid the turbulence that derails lesser-prepared squads. So, which college football teams have the best starter-backup quarterback situation for 2026?

Oregon

2026 QB depth: Dante Moore, Dylan Raiola

Oregon couldn’t have drawn this up any better. Not only did the Ducks get Dante Moore — a potential top-five pick in the 2026 NFL Draft — back but they also landed Dylan Raiola, one of the crown jewels of this year’s transfer portal. Both were five-star recruits coming out of high school, and it shows: Moore ranked top-10 nationally in completion rate (71.8%) and passing touchdowns (30), while Raiola was on pace to break Nebraska’s single-season completion rate before a season-ending injury on Nov. 1. Between the two, they have 42 career starts, giving Oregon a quarterback room that has two more-than-capable talents to run the show.

LSU

2026 QB depth: Sam Leavitt, Husan Longstreet

Lane Kiffin went all out to secure the No. 1 transfer portal prospect in former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt. But his ambition didn’t stop there, soon landing another prized talent in USC transfer Husan Longstreet to bolt-strengthen the LSU quarterback room. While Leavitt projects to be the starter in Week 1, Longstreet gives the Tigers a ready-to-play option as a backup and high-upside piece for the future as a former five-star recruit.

Leavitt arrives in Baton Rouge after a productive two-year stint at Arizona State, throwing for 4,652 yards and 36 touchdowns with 11 interceptions, while adding 816 yards and 10 scores on the ground. He posted a 16-4 record that includes a Big 12 Championship and a CFP appearance in 2024.

Houston

2026 QB depth: Conner Weigman, Keisean Henderson

Competition breeds excellence, and that’s exactly what Houston hopes for in 2026. Not only do the Cougars return their starter in Conner Weigman, who seemed to turn his career around as one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12 in 2025, but Houston also added Keisean Henderson, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2026 high school class. Weigman saw improvement across the board in his first year after transferring from Texas A&M, leading the Cougars to a 10-3 record while throwing for 2,711 yards and 25 touchdowns with nine interceptions, adding 700 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. With Henderson waiting in the wings, but likely pushing Weigman a bit more, Houston now boasts a starter-backup duo that raises the ceiling for what Houston can do in 2026 and beyond.

Texas

2026 QB depth: Arch Manning, MJ Morris, KJ Lacey, Dia Bell

Steve Sarkisian is always going to attract high-end talent at the quarterback position, and his ability to retain multiple capable quarterbacks even in the transfer portal era gives the Longhorns one of the deepest rooms in the country — even if it lacks experienced depth. Arch Manning enters 2026 as the obvious starter after a 2025 campaign that quieted critics and established him as one of college football’s top returning players. But there isn’t much experience behind him entering 2026. Sarkisian brought in veteran MJ Morris, who made stops at NC State, Maryland, and Coastal Carolina, appearing in 20 games with 10 starts over the past four years. Still, there’s no guarantee Morris is the backup with two rising talents in KJ Lacey and incoming five-star freshman Dia Bell, the No. 4 quarterback in the 2026 class, pushing the room.

Texas Tech

2026 QB depth: Brendan Sorsby, Will Hammond

Texas Tech wasted no time after the 2025 season ended addressing questions at quarterback by landing Brendan Sorsby, a Cincinnati transfer and No. 2 quarterback in the portal class. Sorsby arrives with three years of starting experience, including 5,613 passing yards, 45 touchdowns, and a 62.9% completion rate in two seasons at Cincinnati, while also rushing for 1,027 yards and 18 touchdowns. He joins a room that already has rising redshirt sophomore Will Hammond, who missed the final two months of the 2025 season with a torn ACL but showed promise in eight appearances, including two starts, with 680 passing yards, 299 rushing yards and 12 total touchdowns. With Sorsby providing a proven starter under center, Hammond can regain his form and develop, giving Texas Tech one of the more intriguing quarterback rooms in the Big 12.

Ole Miss

2026 QB depth: Trinidad Chambliss, Deuce Knight

Ole Miss enters 2026 with some uncertainty in the quarterback room. Senior Trinidad Chambliss had a deal to return under Pete Golding, but the NCAA denied his sixth-year waiver; a preliminary injunction hearing is scheduled for Feb. 12 that could ultimately determine the Rebels’ starter. Chambliss would be one of the top returning players in college football after throwing 3,927 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2025, while adding 520 rushing yards and eight scores, fueling the Rebels’ College Football Playoff run.

With Chambliss’ future unresolved, Ole Miss played the insurance route and added former blue-chip recruit Deuce Knight as a transfer from Auburn. He made one start against FCS Mercer as a true freshman in 2025, completing 15 of 20 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 162 yards and four additional scores on the ground. Knight gives the Rebels a high-upside option if Chambliss is unable to return — and a strong developmental piece even if he does.

Utah

2026 QB depth: Devon Dampier, Byrd Ficklin

Kyle Whittingham left Utah and took offensive coordinator Jason Beck with him to Michigan. But quarterback Devon Dampier and rising backup Byrd Ficklin remain in Salt Lake City for 2026. Dampier is coming off a breakout season in which he threw for 2,490 yards and 24 touchdowns while adding 835 rushing yards and 10 scores, posting an 11-2 record as a starter. Behind him, Ficklin gives the Utes one of the more intriguing backup situations in the country. As a true freshman, he accounted for 13 total touchdowns and averaged a nation-best 9.0 yards per carry. Dampier is the established starter, while Ficklin gives Utah a legitimate alternative with game-breaking ability.

Ohio State

2026 QB depth: Julian Sayin, Tavien St. Clair

This is the first time in four years that Ohio State won’t have a quarterback competition leading into a new season. Returning starter Julian Sayin is back after being a Heisman Trophy finalist in his first year leading the Buckeyes’ offense. He led the FBS with a 77% completion rate while throwing for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns with just eight interceptions. And while Ohio State boasts one of the best starters in the country, it may also have one of the best backup situations, with former five-star Tavien St. Clair — the No. 3 quarterback in the loaded 2024 recruiting class — waiting in the wings.