South Carolina’s 2026 schedule won’t feature every headline quarterback in the sport, but it still comes with a tough run of passers who can change a game in a hurry. The Gamecocks are less than two months from kicking off the season, and the slate includes three quarterbacks who helped push their teams into the College Football Playoff last year, along with several others stepping into new roles at major programs.
Here’s a look at the five quarterbacks South Carolina is set to see this fall.
Gunner Stockton tops the list for a reason. In his first full season as Georgia’s starter, he earned third team All-SEC honors from the league’s coaches after throwing for 2,894 yards, 24 touchdowns and only five interceptions.
He added another layer with his legs, running for 462 yards and 10 scores. Stockton has command of Mike Bobo’s offense, doesn’t often put the ball in harm’s way and can keep drives moving with his running ability.
Georgia also brings back Nate Frazier as its lead back and has a strong group at receiver. South Carolina gets the Bulldogs at Williams-Brice Stadium on Nov. 21 in the second-to-last game of the regular season.
John Mateer lands at No. 2 after a season that started strong before a thumb injury slowed him down. In his first year at Oklahoma, he passed for 2,885 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while also rushing for 431 yards and eight touchdowns.
The Sooners didn’t get much help from their run game last season, and Mateer was clearly banged up late. A healthier year, plus perimeter targets like Isaiah Sategna, Parker Livingstone and Trell Harris, should give him a better setup in Year 2.
South Carolina heads to Norman on Oct. 31 for just the second trip to Oklahoma in program history. Mateer threw for 150 yards and a touchdown against the Gamecocks last season.
Marcel Reed comes in at No. 3, though there’s a strong argument for him to be even higher. The Texas A&M quarterback is another player who helped guide his team to the College Football Playoff, and his numbers jump off the page: 3,169 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, plus 493 rushing yards and six scores.
The issue is consistency through the air. In the back half of the 2025 season, he threw two interceptions in four of the final six games.
If he sharpens that part of his game, he has the tools to become one of the SEC’s best because he can hurt defenses on the ground too. Texas A&M visits Williams-Brice Stadium on Nov.
- Reed has already seen South Carolina twice, throwing for 206 yards against the Gamecocks in 2024 and then posting a season-high 439 yards in College Station last season during the Aggies’ comeback.
Kamario Taylor is the wildcard on this list, but he’s a name worth tracking. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Mississippi State quarterback is back after starting the final two games last season.
In the Egg Bowl against Ole Miss, the dual-threat sophomore threw for 178 yards and ran for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Against Wake Forest in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, he added 241 passing yards.
Taylor now has two starts under his belt and will face an early test at Minnesota in Week 2. South Carolina opens SEC play against Mississippi State in Williams-Brice Stadium on Sept. 19, with kickoff set for 4:15 p.m. on SEC Network.
Kenny Minchey rounds out the top five. Kentucky’s new starter is set to run Will Stein’s first offense in Lexington after spending three seasons at Notre Dame backing up Riley Leonard and CJ Carr.
Minchey was in the mix for the Irish’s starting job last season before they went with Carr. In his college career, the dual-threat quarterback has thrown for 212 yards and rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns.
Last season, he completed 20 of 26 passes for 196 yards and ran for 86. He entered the transfer portal ranked as the No. 17 quarterback and originally committed to Nebraska before flipping to Kentucky.
The Wildcats come to Williams-Brice Stadium on Oct. 3 for the second straight season.