RADIO
Dominick's Week 3 college football quarterback rankings for 2025. His top national QBs for Week 3, including Garrett Nussmeier, Dante Moore, and more.
2025 is a difficult season to write rankings of quarterbacks in college. There is no Caleb Williams, there is no Joe Burrow or Trevor Lawrence, and the players everyone expected to shine have instead fallen flat.
Despite saying this, there are still good quarterbacks, and we are told people love rankings. So, here we go with the first of a weekly ranking of the top 10 college quarterbacks for the 2025 season, plus one bonus pick. It's not the No. 11 QB, but a QB we are watching for fun or one we are concerned about.
You might be shocked at some of the names left or put on. Things change, and the ranks are fluid. So, if your favorite QB did not make it, it does not mean they won’t in future weeks.
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Dante Moore, Oregon
The Oregon Ducks are flying through two weeks. Much of this is due to the play of first-year starter Dante Moore, who has led Oregon to a combined 128-16 margin of victory against Montana State and Oklahoma State.
While these are not the elite teams of the Big Ten, such as an upcoming September 27 showdown at Penn State, it shows the level of talent the Ducks possess, something which analysts were worried about after losing several key members of the team to the draft and a season-ending injury.
Will Stein and Dante Moore feeling it pic.twitter.com/yPxPFZDUUd
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) September 6, 2025
The Stats for Moore may not be there. But the success of the team is undeniable. Having barely played in one full game, Moore is 34 of 44 for 479 yards and a 77.3% completion rate. Moore has six touchdowns, zero interceptions, and with a trip this week to the lakeside of Northwestern, look for the numbers to just get higher.
Moore has the fourth-best odds to win the Heisman currently. This can only go up after Week 3 in Evanston.
Sawyer Robertson, Baylor
Robertson leads the Power Four in passing yards with 859 on only 61 completions. He has seven TDs and zero INT, and despite this, his Baylor team is just 1-1, having played two good Power Four opponents in Auburn and SMU.
After a tough 38-24 loss to Auburn at home, Robertson was able to take the Bears on the road against Kevin Jennings and the SMU Mustangs for a 48-45 win in double OT.
Having played a tough schedule not seen by other QBs on this list, Robertson has the experience of continuing to build on his numbers and potentially on becoming the best QB in a week or two.
John Mateer, Oklahoma
Mateer has only four TDs and two INTs so far this season. He is also 51 of 71 with 662 yards for an undefeated Oklahoma team that is coming off a much-needed win over the Michigan Wolverines. The defense was the key to the victory, but Mateer proved that the rise in competition from Washington State is not going to be too much for him in the 2025 season.
Some guys just have it. John Mateer has it. He’s a gamer.
Finished 21-of-34 passing with one touchdown through the air, and added 19 carries for 74 yards and two more scores on the ground. pic.twitter.com/wGqEmvQHlc
— Brody Lusk (@BrodyLusk) September 7, 2025
Oklahoma might just have the most difficult schedule of all time in 2025. If he continues to play at this level, NFL scouts will take notice, and Mateer might be the next Burrow or Baker Mayfield. Let us hope it does not mean a trip to Cleveland.
Josh Hoover, TCU
Hoover has only played one game. But what a game it was against an overmatched UNC team in Chapel Hill.
In this game, Hoover completed 27 of 36 passes for 284 yards, two TDs, and one INT. Not a run-first QB, Hoover had just one rush for three yards in the game, but as the season continues, this number will also go up in conference play.
In a season where nothing is certain, the Horned Frogs are a serious contender for the Big XII title. If they make it to the championship game, it will be on the arm of Hoover.
Luke Altmyer, Illinois
Altmyer has a 75.0% completion rate as he has completed 39 of 52 passes on the year.
In what was supposed to be a difficult game for Illinois on Saturday, Altmyer led the Illini to a rousing 45-19 victory. Much of this score was due to the Blue Devils’ inability to hold on to possession of the ball. But, without a QB to cash in on the opportunities, it still would have been close.
While Darian Mensah was getting the off-season publicity and a reported four million dollars to leave Tulane, it was Altmyer who led his team to the more important victory with 296 yards and three passing TDs.
This might be the highest in the rankings for Altmyer if Illinois does not clean up its offensive line. A line which allowed four sacks against Duke a week after allowing three to Western Illinois University. But, if the Illini coaches and players can get this figured out before heading into conference play, their role as Cinderella for 2025 is cemented in place.
Byrum Brown, South Florida
Boise State? No problem, Drill Sergeant. Florida on the road? No problem, Drill Sergeant.
In two games against two ranked opponents, South Florida and Byrum Brown took down both opponents and, in turn, knocked both out of the rankings.
Brown only has one passing TD on the season. This is coming in Week Two against the Gators. But in a turn towards the present and future of football, he is lethal on the ground.
Brown ran 14 times for 43 yards and two TDs against Boise State before rushing for 66 yards on 17 carries against Florida. Even when Florida was able to contain Brown, he was able to pass the ball for 263 yards and the only TD of the season.
𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸🏈
Byrum Brown x @USFFootball 🤘#BuiltToRise x #AmericanFB pic.twitter.com/Cw7nV8pky2
— The American (@American_Conf) September 8, 2025
After two hard games in the first two weeks, USF faces its toughest challenge this week when it goes to South Florida to take on Miami and Carson Beckt. If this game goes the way of the past two, USF can all but write its own ticket to the Group of Six playoff berth. Even if they do not win, the berth is theirs to lose moving forward.
Beau Pribula, Missouri
He is only a runner. That is what we saw at Penn State and what everyone was told.
Like Will Levis before him, Pribula has proven to be a lot more than that.
Coach James Franklin is a great coach. But adjusting offenses to fit his quarterback is not a talent he possesses. He instead wants them to conform to his way. This is not the way to get to the promised land. He is learning it again as Pribula brought Missouri back from a double-digit halftime deficit to beat Kansas 42-31. This came a week after Pribula entered as the backup in a 61-6 beatdown of Central Arkansas.
After entering the game, Pribula managed to throw two TDs and 283 yards on 23 of 28 passing. He also showed that rushing ability with 10 carries for 65 yards and two more TDs on the ground. This was the opposite against Kansas.
The Jayhawks were ready for the run game and limited him to six yards on nine carries. But Pribula said that is ok, as he went 30 for 39 for 336 yards and three passing TDs as the newly minted starter.
Coach Eliah Drinkwitz has a weapon in Pribula. With the rushing ability of Kyler Murray and the seeming throwing potential of Garrett Nussmeier, Pribula is a dangerous addition to a Missouri offense that is allowing Missouri to win games while its defense gets back on track.
Tommy Castellanos, Florida State
Take out the 77-3 win over East Texas A&M on Saturday. Instead, look at the confidence Castellanos showed both in the off-season and during the game against Alabama in Week 1 of the season.
Just like we drew it up...@Tommy_casto & @Ducerobinson2#NoleFamily | #KeepCLIMBing pic.twitter.com/y4Wb2SGukU
— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) September 6, 2025
In the game as a 14-point underdog, Castellanos put the Seminoles on his shoulders and led them to a massive 31-17 win. By doing this, he showed that his actions, much like those of Diego Pavia at Vanderbilt, can back up his trash talk. The only people to feel for in this case are the players on UL-Monroe who had to play Alabama in Week 2 and had the Crimson Tide’s frustrations let loose on them.
On only 25 pass attempts, Castellanos has 389 yards and three TDs. But this belays his real importance. He also ran for 78 yards and one TD on 16 carries against Alabama. His ability to find space gave Florida State the ability to keep the Alabama offense off the field. By doing so, it has left the Seminoles with a real chance to return to 2023 form and forget about the 2-10 record of 2024.
Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
Of all the preseason QBs who we thought had a chance to be great, Nussmeier is the one who has performed to this point.
With 469 yards and two TDs, Nussmeier has the LSU Tigers at No. 3 in the country after defeating Clemson in Week 1. While Week 2 left a lot to be desired, LSU was playing mostly backups against Louisiana Tech to get them some experience. This meant Nussmeier was not asked to do much, and for this reason, he didn’t.
Unlike Altmyer at Illinois, Nussmeier has an offensive line in front of him that has been great thus far. This was in flux during the off-season as the line lost both tackles in Will Campbell and Emery Jones Jr. to the draft. After an offseason where the Tigers spent money after losing Bryce Underwood to Michigan, they were able to rebuild the line. As SEC play starts and the defenses get stronger, the line will be counted on to continue their play and keep Nussmeier upright.
We will have to keep an eye on the Tigers' signal caller to see how things progress from here, but he has the talent to move up quite a bit.
For those of you asking why Nussmeier is on this list and Arch Manning is not, it is simple. Nussmeier played his best game against their toughest opponent. Manning played his worst game in the same scenario. But don’t worry. Manning will be here soon.
Jackson Arnold, Auburn
It was not pretty for Arnold at Oklahoma. This could have left him broken and beaten. Instead, he has overcome this point, which is why he was chosen for the final spot.
In his first start, Arnold took the Tigers into Waco to take on the Baylor Bears. After the 38-24 win, it was still unclear how good Baylor was. It was also unclear how good Arnold was as a passer. He was just 11 for 17 for 103 yards. On the other hand, his rushing was not in question as he ran the ball 16 times for 137 yards and two TDs on the ground.
Jackson Arnold takes it in himself for a TD 🔥@AuburnFootball pic.twitter.com/5iWfKWwNvg
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) August 30, 2025
Much like most of the other QBs here, Arnold only has one game to really look at for any importance. While the passing will need to pick up, his dual-threat ability allows Auburn to have a real player behind center. Rather than whatever they threw out there in 2024.
DJ Lagway, Florida
All the talent in the world does nothing if you cannot remain healthy. You can ask any number of five-star prospects or professional players about this. There is a reason they say availability is the best ability. Just ask Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III if they want to be sitting home now instead of still playing on Sunday.
Lagway, while not having an injury so far in 2025, missed the entire offseason program for the Gators and Coach Billy Napier. The ascension of Lagway is just as important for Napier as it is for him. The only reason Napier was brought back on the team was because of Lagway not wanting to play for another coach. If Lagway continues to be hurt or injured, Florida may not care what he wants. It will be about what the next in line wants.
With 342 yards, four TDs, and one INT, Lagway is not far behind in terms of numbers. But after playing LIU, yes, Long Island University does have a football team, the Gators lost as 17.5-point favorites to an overmatched USF Bulls team. This was the dream game that USF wanted. They got the chance, and they took it.
For Lagway, this meant a line of 22 for 32 for 222 yards, one TD, and one INT. A known dual threat, Lagway has only rushed the ball nine times in 2025 for a total of 12 yards and no TDs. He has not continued the rise that many assumed he would after the end of 2024. He may have declined, but he remains on the list for now.
