Rams Rookie QB Watch: Who’s QB1 after the regular season?

The college football regular season has officially come to a close. Next week is conference championships followed by the College Football Playoffs. When it comes to the regular season, the 2026 quarterback class had mixed reviews. While it was supposed to be one of the better classes in recent memory, many of the players expected to be at the top had disappointing seasons. Still, that doesn’t mean that this class is bad. That also doesn’t mean that there aren’t good quarterbacks in this class.

With the Rams having two first-round picks in April and Matthew Stafford at 37 years old, they need to start planning for the future. Every week of the college football season, I’ve been keeping track of each quarterback’s performance. Below are my top-10 following the regular season.

1. Dante Moore, Oregon

It could be a case of recency bias, but following a three-game slump, Dante Moore is back on track and quarterbacking at a high level. Still, even in his slump, he showed that he had the arm talent and accuracy to unlock all areas of the field. He’s not mobile, but displays good pocket mobility and is athletic enough to make plays with his legs while not relying on that part of his game.

Moore’s worst game of the season came against Indiana, but against a good Penn State team at the time, he led a win in overtime, throwing the game-winning touchdown pass. In tough conditions on the road at Iowa, he led a game-winning drive. This is exactly the type of quarterback that would excel in Sean McVay’s offense. At just 20 years old, he’s also the perfect candidate to sit for a year or two behind Matthew Stafford.

2. Ty Simpson, Alabama

Ty Simpson had some strong moments in the Iron Bowl against Auburn. Early in the game, he threw an impressive pass fading away from A-gap pressure to his wide receiver in the back of the end zone. It was a perfectly placed ball in the face of pressure. Late in the fourth quarter on 4th-and-2 with the game on the line, Simpson threw an accurate ball into a tight window for a touchdown to give Alabama the lead.

Simpson’s play style would make him a perfect fit in the McVay offense and he also has the necessary athleticism to pick up yards with his legs and extend plays. The inexperience is certainly worth noting, but he has shown the arm strength and accuracy over the intermediate areas of the field required in a west coast system.

He had been on a heater and his tape against Missouri may have been the best of the season. Simpson was in a slump the last few weeks, but a three touchdown performance at Auburn in which he led a game-winning drive was good to see.

3. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

Mendoza checks all of the boxes for what a team should want in a quarterback. He has the arm strength and athleticism. A few weeks ago, he showed the ability to perform in the clutch on the road against Penn State. The big test for Mendoza will be how he performs against Ohio State’s defense. There are some questions with how he deals with pressure as that was an issue in the Penn State game. His release can look a little awkward, but he can also access different arm angles and throws with accuracy in the pocket and on the move.

Putting Mendoza at this spot isn’t a negative as he is clearly a first round arm talent. What he’s doing at Indiana is very impressive. With that said, it is worth wondering how much the situation around him has been a benefit. Frank Cignetti had this Indiana team in the playoffs with a good offense last season with Kurtis Rourke. In my eyes, his release is a little odd and his footwork within the pocket needs improvement. Still, he has all of the tools that make a good quarterback.

4. Jayden Maiava, USC

If this quarterback class were 2016, the Dak Prescott of this class is Jayden Maiava. Maiava has 33 games played in his career and has shown the arm talent. However, he’s still being criminally underrated because of some of the interceptions and USC isn’t a contender for the College Football Playoff. However, at 6’4, 230-pounds, Maiava is built like an NFL quarterback that has no issue picking up yards with his legs and has very good pocket presence.

Maiava lacks consistency over the middle of the field with accuracy and decision making. He relies on his arm strength too much at times which results in him trying to fit the ball into tight windows down the seam or do too much. That’s where some of the interceptions happen. Maiava may go on day two of the NFL Draft, but if he ends up in a place that can develop him, there is a good quarterback here.

5. Carson Beck, Miami

At this point, we know what Carson Beck is. If a team is looking for a low-ceiling, high-floor player, that is Carson Beck. He’s likely a high-level back-up or low-level starter at the next level. His skillset is primed for a McVay or Shanahan style of offense that allows him to play on time and schemes open wide receivers. This is also one of the more experienced quarterbacks in college football.

However, Beck has a tendency to occasionally throw a dud. He’s going to have a few throws per game that have coaches holding their breath. This season, he simply needed to keep the Miami train on the tracks and lost two of three games to Louisville and SMU. Against Louisville he threw four interceptions. He has played well at times, but Beck also isn’t a player that’s going to elevate an offense. When the situation around him isn’t perfect, he becomes mistake prone.

6. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina

There’s no arguing the arm talent and athleticism of LaNorris Sellers. The comparisons to Anthony Richardson are unfair and aren’t necessarily accurate. A more accurate comparison may be Justin Fields. Sellers has more experience and consistently shown a higher level of mental processing as Richardson did at this stage. It is worth wondering how much the situation around him has affected his play. South Carolina’s offensive line has been one of the worst in college football. They also fired their offensive coordinator midseason.

Sellers would likely be a first round pick if he declared, but he probably needs to return to school. If he goes to Miami and shows that he can win in a better situation, it will answer a lot of questions. Right now, Sellers is more of an idea than a reality. That’s a risk for any team even if he’s going to sit and develop. His quarterback style also likely isn’t a fit for a McVay offense.

7. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

This is another quarterback in which it’s fair to question how the situation around him affected his play this year. For much of the season, the LSU offensive line wasn’t very good. Additionally, Brian Kelly was fired midseason after Nussmeier was benched. This is a team that should have been competing for the SEC title this season.

The good for Nussmeier shows a NFL starting caliber quarterback. While that may be more in the range of Andy Dalton, Nussmeier has shown the ability to throw into tight windows and throw with anticipation. However, he’s also susceptible to making mistakes that leave you scratching your head. A team will take a chance on Nussmeier on day two or early day three.

8. Cade Klubnik, Clemson

The 2025 season didn’t go how it was supposed to for Cade Klubnik at Clemson. This is a team that was supposed to be competing for a spot in the College Football Playoff. Instead, Clemson finished eighth in a bad ACC. Some of that has been because of Klubnik’s inconsistency. There’s simply too much variance in his game. He has made some of the easy things look hard and the hard things look easy. Klubnik clearly has the arm talent that had him in the discussion as a first round pick entering the season.

Like many of the quarterbacks on this list, Klubnik just didn’t take the step forward that was expected. Still, he showed the ability to layer throws between defenders and hit tight windows. As a day two or three dart throw, that may be worth developing. His decision-making is questionable at times as well. It’s just too much of a risk for a first-round pick.

9. John Mateer, Oklahoma

It would have been interesting to see John Mateer play the full season healthy. He hasn’t been the same since his hand injury and the limitations as a passer have crept up more. Early in the season, Mateer was a quarterback who was making plays with his arm who could also run. Since the injury, his ability as a runner has been a much more featured aspect of his game. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s also not sustainable and not how the Rams want to operate on offense.

Mateer will likely end up back at Oklahoma next year and try to improve his draft stock. He is much more of a day two or day three pick right now than a first round player. Another year at Oklahoma could turn him into a Sooners legend.

10. Cole Payton, North Dakota State

It will be interesting to see how Cole Payton performs during the FCS playoffs. North Dakota State will be the favorite and he should play against some better competition. When it comes to the FCS, it can be difficult to gauge how good a player is due to the level of competition. With Payton, he shows the athleticism to make plays with his legs, but the flashes in the passing game are intriguing. He layers throws over defenders and delivers the ball with accuracy. The arm strength and arm talent are clearly there.

Payton may not be the first round talent that Carson Wentz or Trey Lance were coming out of North Dakota State. He is raw and has a bit of an elongated throwing motion. That’s to be expected with inexperience and switching to quarterback from running back. Still, this could be a project worth developing.

Who to Watch This Week

• Georgia vs. Alabama: 12/6, 4 p.m. – Ty Simpson

• Indiana vs. Ohio State: 12/6, 8 p.m. – Fernando Mendoza

• North Dakota State vs. Illinois State: 12/6, 1 p.m. – Cole Payton