The Big Ten’s quarterback picture is crowded, and the top of the list is loaded with proven playmakers, rising stars and a few guys stepping into much bigger roles. Heading into the 2026 season, the conference’s best signal-callers are separated by production, situation and upside - and the order reflects all three.
At the top sits Sayin, who enters the year as the Big Ten’s clear No. 1 quarterback. The days of him looking like a first-year starter trying to survive a conference schedule are gone. Coaches and teammates see a louder, more assertive presence now, and Ohio State’s offense is being shaped around him.
The setup in Columbus is still strong, even with Carnell Tate gone to the NFL. Jeremiah Smith remains a major weapon, but the question at WR2 is real. New play caller Arthur Smith also wants to raise the pace, and Sayin looks ready to lead a national championship contender from the opening week.
Moore comes in at No. 2 after passing on the NFL and betting on himself for another run at the College Football Playoff. He’s also getting more control in a system with a familiar face calling the shots, since new offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer was his tight ends coach before the promotion.
The receiver room helps too. Evan Stewart is back after missing the 2025 season with a torn patellar tendon, and Dakorien Moore is coming off a breakout sophomore year. With those pieces in place, Oregon’s offense has a chance to hit stride immediately.
Maiava is another quarterback with a full season of expectation in front of him, and he’s doing it with total command of Lincoln Riley’s offense for the first time. There’s no competition and no adjustment period left to worry about.
The challenge now is replacing the production that left with Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane, both now in the NFL. Even so, Maiava’s ability to create off-script and attack downfield gives USC some wiggle room while the new pass catchers settle in. He’s also a senior in his final college season, and he already got off to a clean start in Week 0 with 286 passing yards and three total touchdowns in a 42-26 win over San Jose State.
Williams lands next as the Big Ten’s most dangerous dual-threat quarterback. Washington spent the offseason building around him, and the Huskies return one of the biggest offensive lines in the country to keep him upright.
The burden is heavier now. Jonah Coleman, the team’s leading rusher, and Denzel Boston, its leading receiver, both moved on to the NFL. That leaves more on Williams’ shoulders, but if last year’s flashes become the norm, he has the profile of a real Big Ten Player of the Year candidate.
Hoover checks in after making the jump to Indiana, where Curt Cignetti brought him in from TCU early in the offseason to replace Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza. It was less a quarterback battle than a formality, given Hoover’s experience.
He arrives with big-game reps from the Big 12 and steps into a system that led the Big Ten in scoring last season. Offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan doesn’t need to rebuild anything; the job is to keep Indiana’s attack rolling.
Underwood enters his second season in a completely different environment than the one he had as a true freshman. Michigan moved on from its head coach and hired Kyle Whittingham, who brought in offensive coordinator Jason Beck, a former quarterback and quarterbacks coach known for developing passers.
The talent that made Underwood the top-ranked recruit in the country is still there. Now the infrastructure around him has a chance to catch up.
Washington is the centerpiece at Maryland after setting the school’s freshman passing record last season on a team that won only one Big Ten game. That kind of production says plenty about both his ability and the lack of help around him.
Mike Locksley returns, and Washington’s decision to come back gives Maryland some much-needed stability. His arm talent and mobility give the Terrapins a higher ceiling than most rebuilding teams can claim.
Lindsey rounds out the top eight, and he doesn’t have the gaudy numbers of the quarterbacks ahead of him. What he does have is the best ball security in the group.
He set a program record for wins by a freshman starter last season and now heads into 2026 without his top target, Le’Meke Brockington, who is in the NFL. Javon Tracy and Jalen Smith are back as the top returning receivers, and Minnesota is counting on Smith to take a bigger step. Lindsey’s job is simple: keep the offense steady and keep taking care of the football.
Just missed: Rocco Becht, Penn State; Nico Iamaleava, UCLA.
In Other News...
Ohio State Defense Faces An Early Test It Can't Dodge
Ohio States defense has no shortage of names to sort through after losing a wave of elite production from last season, and the first real chance to start answering those questions comes against Ball State. The Buckeyes are trying to replace proven playmakers at multiple spots, with the linebacker room drawing particular attention and several transfers expected to be part of the solution as the staff figures out what this group looks like in live action.
Jay Timmons is one of the more intriguing pieces in that mix, a freshman cornerback whose role could grow as the season settles in. For a defense that needs both confidence and chemistry, a game like this matters beyond the final score because it gives Ohio State a chance to see which combinations hold up, which ones need more time, and where the early uncertainty still lingers. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Is Giving Jim Tressel One Of Its Highest Honors
Ohio State is adding Jim Tressel to one of the programs most visible tributes, with his name set to join the Ring of Honor at Ohio Stadium. It is a fitting nod to a coach whose tenure in Columbus helped define an era, from the 2003 national championship to eight Big Ten titles, all of which will now be part of the display alongside his name.
Tressels place in Buckeyes history has long been secure, and this honor only reinforces how central his run from 2001 through 2010 remains to the programs identity. Already in the College Football Hall of Fame, he now gets another permanent reminder inside the stadium where his teams built so many of their biggest moments. [Read more 🡒]
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Just Reopened A Debate Ohio State Fans Never Settled
Jaxon Smith-Njigba revisited one of the most lingering Ohio State what-ifs during an appearance on The Ryen Russillo Show, where he addressed the hamstring injury that kept him out of the College Football Playoff and his decision not to play. He said he wanted to be on the field to help Ohio State win a national championship, but the injury left him unable to go, putting a painful cap on a season that had already made him one of the Buckeyes most electric playmakers.
Since then, Smith-Njigba has only added to the intrigue around that missed opportunity. He has become one of the NFLs top receivers, leading the league in receiving yards and earning a contract extension, which only sharpens the old debate over how much Ohio State might have gained if he had been able to suit up. For Buckeyes fans, it is the kind of conversation that never really dies, especially when the player at the center of it has gone on to prove just how high his ceiling really was. [Read more 🡒]