The Battle for QB1: 2026 signal callers compete for the No. 1 spot

The race for the No. 1 quarterback prospect in the 2026 cycle is heating up. Attention has fully turned to the 2026 crop of signal callers, with junior seasons in the books and the off-season camp circuit underway. February’s 2026 On300 update saw eight quarterbacks land inside the top 100 overall prospects.

The 2026 group follows a banner 2025 cycle at the position that touted one of the deepest collections of high-end quarterback talent we’ve seen come through the high school ranks in years. Michigan signee Bryce Underwood was the first wire-to-wire No. 1 prospect in On3’s history. Alabama signee Keelon Russell finished No. 2 overall in both the On300 and the On3 Industry Ranking. In all, six quarterbacks finished as five-star prospects in the On300.

While it’s unlikely the 2026 quarterback cycle will rival the 2025 group, there are some intriguing prospects among the rising seniors. It’s also early in the cycle from an evaluation standpoint. We’re likely to see a good bit of movement from here on out, especially during the senior season – which typically proves to be the best indicator of future success.

Let’s take a look at where the race for the top quarterback in the 2026 stands.

Jared Curtis and Dia Bell lead the way early on

Two quarterbacks, Jared Curtis (No. 3) and Texas commit Dia Bell (No. 5), currently rank inside the On300’s top five overall prospects.

Curtis is the top arm talent in the cycle and perhaps in all of high school football currently. His arm was among the four strongest we saw in person last year, along with three 2025 prospects: Bryce Underwood (Michigan), Husan Longstreet (USC), Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (Cal).

At 6-foot-3.5, 225 pounds, Curtis pairs a big frame with the elite arm and plus movement skills. The arm is quick and elastic. Curtis has a deep Rolodex of throws and shows the ability to attack all areas of the field. He’s a creative playmaker with improvisational skills and the ability to pick up yards as a power runner. No 2026 quarterback put more impressive individual plays on film than Curtis last fall. He also showed improvement in accuracy and overall consistency, completing over 70% of his passes for 2,830 yards while accounting for 58 total touchdowns and leading his team to a state title.

With that said, Curtis isn’t without questions as a prospect. He plays a lower level of competition at Nashville (Tenn.) Nashville Christian and is the oldest top 2026 quarterback with a late December 2006 birthday. It also remains to be seen if we’ll see him on the national camp circuit this offseason as he works his way back from injury. The one-time Georgia commit is set to announce between the Bulldogs and Oregon on May 5.

Dia Bell joins Curtis as a top-five overall prospect for On3. The Texas commit is a well-rounded prospect who may be the safest quarterback in the 2026 cycle. The son of long-time NBA veteran Raja Bell checks in at around 6-foot-2.5, 220 pounds, and is a clean, precise passer. Bell has easy downfield arm strength and smooth mechanics. He’s relaxed and composed in the pocket.

The Longhorn pledge’s play made an impressive jump as a junior, his second season as a varsity starter at Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) American Heritage, where he plays the toughest competition of any top 2026 quarterback. We saw Bell add a rushing element to his game, as he ran for 561 yards as a junior, ripping off long touchdown runs against top teams. He missed the last few weeks of the season with an ankle injury, but is back to full speed, recently impressing On3 at the Elite 11 Austin Regional.

Bell may not have the pure ‘wow factor’ of Curtis’ arm talent, but the translatable skill set, track record against top competition, and steady improvement to this point make him the top challenger for the No. 1 quarterback spot at this point.

Faizon Brandon is a wildcard

Tennessee commit Faizon Brandon (No. 34) follows Jared Curtis and Dia Bell as the No. 3 quarterback prospect in the On300. Brandon helmed a conservative attack at Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley as a junior, making him a tougher evaluation than his highly-ranked peers.

Over 35% of his completions were behind or around the line of scrimmage. Close to two-thirds of the completions were less than 10 yards past the line of scrimmage. The offense was predicated on the short passing game with a disproportionate percentage of easy access throws. Brandon attempted under 14 passes per game as a junior, making him the lowest usage and least productive of the top six 2026 quarterbacks on a per-game basis.

The future Volunteer was efficient in his game manager role, completing 77.1% of his passes for 2,814 yards and 35 touchdowns against two interceptions while piloting his team to a 16-0 record and state title. Grimsley was replacing two Power 4 wide receivers last season (Terrell Anderson and Alex Taylor). Brandon is a younger quarterback and was in just his second season as a varsity starter. The offensive attack clearly led to great team success.

Brandon, who debuted in the initial On300 (March 2024) at No. 12 overall, has a comparable frame (over 6-foot-3, 200 pounds) and athleticism to Curtis and Bell. While we still like his overall talent, we left the junior film with more questions than answers. We hope to have a clearer picture of where he stacks up after the off-season camp circuit and especially after his senior season.

Trio of productive playmakers look to challenge the top group

A trio of productive playmakers follows the top three of Curtis, Bell, and Brandon: Arizona State commit Jake Fette (No. 39), Bowe Bentley (No. 47), and Ryder Lyons (No. 51). The group touts similar physical skill sets, checking in at under 6-foot-2 with compact builds. The play styles and production are also similar.

Jake Fette is a playmaking, dual-threat signal caller who stresses defenses with his arm and legs. The top prospect to come from El Paso, Texas, in recent memory, Fette has flashed a live arm on film and in the camp setting. The Sun Devil commit delivered some impressive tight window throws over the middle of the field as a junior. He’s a twitchy athlete with palpable burst in the open field. Fette had a strong junior season at El Paso (Texas) Del Valle, totaling 3,077 yards and 43 touchdowns against 1 interception.

Bowe Bentley (No. 47) made a meteoric rise as a junior, turning in a great season while leading his Celina (Texas) High team to a state title in his first year as a varsity starter. Bentley showed well-rounded dual-threat ability, accounting for 4,134 total yards and 63 touchdowns. He has a live downfield arm and made an array of impressive throws down the stretch in the state playoffs. Bentley has a compact, powerful build at around 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, allowing for strong contact balance both in the pocket and as a power runner between the tackles. He recently announced a top three of Georgia, LSU, and Oklahoma.

Ryder Lyons (No. 51) is arguably the top scramble artist in the cycle. The Folsom (Calif.) High standout is at his best when working off-script. Lyons’ play style resembles backyard football. He’s a reactive playmaker with the quickness to make pass rushers whiff in space. Lyons keeps his eyes downfield and makes high-level improvisational plays with his arm and legs. There’s a level of frenetic chaos to his game that can be a double-edged sword against tougher competition. On some occasions, we see Lyons turn down open receivers. We’d like to see him show more comfort in working through his progressions from inside the pocket. Like Fette and Bentley, Lyons had a productive junior season, accounting for over 4,000 yards and 60 total touchdowns. He plans to take a LDS mission and will join a college program as a midyear enrollee prior to the 2027 season.

More outside challengers

We’ll likely see some quarterbacks off the national radar rise well inside the On300 by the end of the cycle. While that group of late risers can be hard to forecast before the senior season, several more high-profile names could figure into the discussion.

USC commit Jonas Williams (No. 91) has a well-rounded skill set that stacks up well among the group. Williams has a quality arm and is a good athlete. He’s already had a few positive showings this off-season.

Once considered an athlete prospect, Keisean Henderson is now a full-blown quarterback. The Houston commit rose inside the top ten of the On3 Industry Ranking following a great showing at the Navy All-American Bowl in January. While Henderson made some splash plays in the all-star setting, the junior film and subsequent off-season evaluations show a quarterback who is still getting his feet wet. He’s in the nascent stages of development when it comes to mechanics, accuracy, and decision-making. Henderson averaged just 8.3 yards per attempt as a junior, the lowest among On300 quarterbacks. There is a notable upside, but we feel like his On3 ranking (No. 97 overall) is an accurate snapshot of his need for continued development over the next year.

Landon Duckworth (No. 110) is similar to Keisean Henderson in the sense that both are top athletes who have room to improve as passers. Duckworth is a dynamic two-sport athlete who excels as a high-flying dunker on the hardwood. He has a big frame that should easily tack on extra weight. Duckworth is capable of delivering some impressive passes, but has some tightness in his throwing motion that can cause his accuracy to fluctuate.