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RotoBaller's top 25 college football quarterback rankings for Week 9 of the 2025 season, featuring Sawyer Robertson, Dante Moore, Byrum Brown, and more.
Top 25 College Football Quarterback Rankings For Week 9
There was some ugly quarterback play this weekend. We may see more of this with conference play in full swing. Even the matchup between the FBS leaders in passing yards was a letdown, as one of them threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter alone and the other failed to hit 250 yards. It wasn’t all bad. A couple of quarterbacks set themselves apart with big games. Some of them were in big situations. That shook up our rankings a little bit!
25. Devon Dampier, Utah
Last week: NR
Result: 20-36, 244 yards, 2 TD, INT; 15 carries, 64 yards
Season totals: 138-201, 1,375 yards, 13 TD, 4 INT; 80 carries, 442 yards, 5 TD
Dampier already has a career high in touchdown passes in 189 fewer attempts than last year at New Mexico. He has also slashed the interceptions. Utah isn’t requiring Dampier to run as much as he did at New Mexico last year. His growth as a passer has more than made up for it.
24. Avery Johnson, Kansas State
Last week: 18 (⇓6)
Result: BYE
Season totals: 140-223, 1,561 yards, 13 TD, 2 INT; 60 carries, 238 yards, 3 TD
A lot has been said about Johnson making bad decisions, but those criticisms have quieted lately. Johnson has only thrown one interception since the loss to Army on September 6 and still has only thrown two on the season. That’s a huge improvement over last year, when Johnson threw 10 interceptions. He’s not running as much as he did last year, but Johnson still has 238 rushing yards and three more touchdowns on the ground. His 1,561 passing yards put him on pace for close to 3,000 this year.
23. Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, Marshall
Last week: 25 (⇑2)
Result: 22-32, 277 yards, TD, INT; 17 carries, 88 yards
Season totals: 90-121, 1,133 yards, 12 TD, INT; 84 carries, 347 yards, 4 TD
What makes Del Rio-Wilson’s numbers more impressive is that he has only started four games for the Herd. He didn’t throw his first interception until last week, which was a big problem for him at Syracuse. Del Rio-Wilson has done it all for Marshall, and should continue to fly up this list thanks to easier opponents.
22. Anthony Colandrea, UNLV
Last week: NR
Result: 18-30, 215 yards, 2 TD, INT; 13 carries, 87 yards, TD
Season totals: 127-190, 1,618 yards, 12 TD, 4 INT; 77 carries, 410 yards, 4 TD
Colandrea has flourished this year in Vegas. Interceptions were a problem the last two years at Virginia, but he has only thrown four this season. He already has a career high in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. He is only one touchdown pass away from tying his total in each of his first two years at Virginia.
21. Joey Aguilar, Tennessee
Last week: NR
Result: 28-44, 268 yards, TD, INT
Season totals: 146-226, 1,948 yards, 15 TD, 6 INT; 34 carries, 97 yards, 2 TD
Aguilar played well enough to win against a team like Alabama. The bad news is that his one interception was returned for a touchdown as the clock expired to go to halftime. Overall, Aguilar has thrived in Josh Heupel’s offense. He’s on pace for his third 3,000-yard passing season. The good news is that Aguilar has cut the interceptions, which helps land him on the list.
20. Trinidad Chambliss, Mississippi
Last week: 21 (⇑1)
Result: 19-36, 263 yards, TD; 9 carries, 42 yards, 2 TD
Season totals: 104-166, 1,549 yards, 8 TD, INT; 70 carries, 323 yards, 5 TD
Chambliss has nearly 1,500 passing yards in five starts. The passing touchdowns may not be what we want, but he is a force on the ground and doesn’t hesitate to take off and help his team. He has been great at taking care of the ball and leading the offense. I doubt Ole Miss would be 5-1 without the emergence of Chambliss. Austin Simmons turned it over four times in two games. The opponents were Georgia State and Kentucky.
19. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
Last week: NR
Result: 14-22, 160 yards, TD; 17 carries, 86 yards, 2 TD
Season totals: 129-183, 1,569 yards, 15 TD, 4 INT; 77 carries, 438 yards, 4 TD
LSU wasn’t giving Pavia anything through the air, so he got it done on the ground. The 70.5% completion percentage is the best of his career by over 10%. He has always been good about taking care of the ball. Vanderbilt is letting Pavia run more as the season wears on. It has been a key part of his game (2,674 rushing yards and 25 career touchdowns), and it helps make Pavia hard to defend.
18. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor
Last week: 1 (⇓17)
Result: 25-52, 318 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
Season totals: 183-300, 2,376 yards, 21 TD, 7 INT; 27 carries, -1 yard, TD
Robertson leads FBS in passing yards and is tied for the lead in touchdown passes. He is also second in FBS in pass attempts. Only nine quarterbacks have thrown more interceptions than Robertson. Two of them have already lost their starting jobs. I knocked Robertson down a lot because all three interceptions that he threw last week were in the fourth quarter.
17. Josh Hoover, TCU
Last week: 20 (⇑3)
Result: 22-31, 231 yards, 3 TD
Season totals: 161-246, 2,124 yards, 21 TD, 6 INT; 33 carries, 7 yards, 2 TD
Hoover won the quarterback duel with the previous guy on the list because he didn’t turn it over. He’s still second in FBS in passing yards, and in a three-way tie for first in touchdown passes. The six interceptions are a little high, but Hoover is on pace for 36 touchdown passes this year. We can live with it.
16. Joe Fagnano, Connecticut
Last week: NR
Result: 23-31, 362 yards, 4 TD; 6 carries, 25 yards, TD
Season totals: 154-226, 1,918 yards, 15 TD; 27 carries, 94 yards, 2 TD
If you read his stat line, you’ll notice the conspicuous absence of one thing: interceptions. It’s not a typo. Fagnano hasn’t thrown an interception in 226 pass attempts this year. Fagnano is having a career year. He only threw four interceptions last season, so this isn’t a fluke. He has only thrown 17 interceptions in 1,207 college pass attempts.
15. Bryson Barnes, Utah State
Last week: NR
Result: 22-31, 326 yards, TD; 16 carries, 54 yards, TD
Season totals: 121-186, 1,644 yards, 13 TD, 2 INT; 97 carries, 363 yards, 7 TD
Barnes has accounted for 20 touchdowns already this year, including three of them against Vanderbilt and two more against Texas A&M. As he was at Utah, Barnes has been at his best in the biggest games. His 65.1% completion percentage is the best of his career, and the 13 touchdown passes are already a career high. He has a career high in yards as well, all while throwing just two interceptions.
14. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M
Last week: 23 (⇑9)
Result: 23-32, 280 yards, 3 TD; 6 carries, 55 yards, TD
Season totals: 125-202, 1,770 yards, 15 TD, 4 INT; 51 carries, 241 yards, 4 TD
Reed’s running ability gives him something a little extra. Reed was good at taking care of the ball as a freshman last year. He has done so this year as well. He had a big game against Arkansas last week to vault him up the list.
13. Noah Fifita, Arizona
Last week: 19 (⇑6)
Result: 24-26, 269 yards, 2 TD; 10 carries, 18 yards
Season totals: 155-235, 1,829 yards, 17 TD, 4 INT; 58 carries, 78 yards, 3 TD
Fifita has grown up a lot this year. The absence of Tetairoa McMillan has forced him to trust his other receivers. He and McMillan were a great duo, but it felt like Fifita used that as a crutch at times in the last two years. This year, Fifita is coming into his own as a passer. He’s only eight touchdown passes off his career high. At the rate he’s going, he should get there in early November.
12. Drew Mestemaker, North Texas
Last week: 22 (⇑10)
Result: 22-35, 277 yards, 4 TD; 6 carries, 7 yards, TD
Season totals: 158-237, 1,860 yards, 17 TD, 3 INT; 32 carries, 72 yards, 4 TD
Mestemaker is responsible for 21 touchdowns already. All three of his interceptions were thrown in the South Florida game. He rebounded in a big way against UTSA, even though he didn’t play for over a quarter because of the blowout. Not bad for a guy who is starting for the first time since eighth grade, aside from the bowl game last year.
11. Walker Eget, San Jose State
Last week: 14 (⇑3)
Result: 27-49, 340 yards, 2 TD; 3 carries, 19 yards
Season totals: 170-280, 2,149 yards, 15 TD, 3 INT; 18 carries, 17 yards
Eget is about as mobile as Peyton Manning, but he’s not here to run. He’s here to throw, and he throws a lot. Eget is fourth in FBS in passing yards. He has at least 295 passing yards in four straight games, with 12 of his 15 touchdowns in that span. He hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 2 against Texas. Eget’s performance last week was done on a sore ankle without all-world receiver Danny Scudero at full strength. Imagine what he’ll do once the team is back to full strength!
10. Dante Moore, Oregon
Last week: 16 (⇑6)
Result: 15-20, 290 yards, 4 TD, INT; 3 carries, 49 yards
Season totals: 136-188, 1,686 yards, 19 TD, 4 INT; 36 carries, 144 yards
Oregon hasn’t leaned on Moore much, but he has shown that he can score with the best of them. His 19 touchdown passes are tied for fourth in FBS. The 72.3% completion percentage is sixth among qualifying quarterbacks in FBS. If Moore can cut out the interceptions, he’ll be elite. He’s already close.
9. Byrum Brown, South Florida
Last week: 17 (⇑8)
Result: 14-24, 256 yards, 3 TD; 14 carries, 111 yards, TD
Season totals: 128-202, 1,695 yards, 16 TD, 5 INT; 99 carries, 475 yards, 6 TD
The 22 touchdowns trail only Fernando Mendoza in FBS. Brown is never going to be the most efficient guy, but he has a great deep arm, and this offense aims to take advantage of it. Brown is finally completely healthy again. He has 355 rushing yards and four touchdowns in the last three games. He has also thrown 14 of his 16 TD passes in the last four games.
8. Jalon Daniels, Kansas
Last week: 6 (⇓2)
Result: BYE
Season totals: 130-186, 1,752 yards, 18 TD, 2 INT; 65 carries, 199 yards, TD
Daniels has the highest completion percentage of his career (69.9%) and has already tied a career high in touchdown passes. The Jayhawks still have five games left, plus a bowl game. It has been exactly what we hoped for in Daniels’ senior season, but the team around him, especially the defense, is struggling.
7. Taylen Green, Arkansas
Last week: 11 (⇑4)
Result: 19-32, 256 yards, 3 TD; 12 carries, 85 yards, 2 TD
Season totals: 138-221, 1,910 yards, 17 TD, 5 INT; 83 carries, 589 yards, 5 TD
10 of Green’s passing touchdowns came in the first two games. However, since the switch back to Bobby Petrino as coach, Green has only thrown one interception. It was against Notre Dame. Ask Jayden Maiava how tough that Notre Dame defense has been lately. His dual-threat ability and Petrino’s willingness to let him run more have energized the Arkansas offense. It hasn’t translated to wins yet, but it could soon with the way Green is playing.
6. Jayden Maiava, USC
Last week: 2 (⇓4)
Result: 22-42, 328 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Season totals: 145-213, 2,180 yards, 15 TD, 4 INT; 23 carries, 41 yards, 4 TD
The Notre Dame defense made life rough for Maiava. It was by far his worst completion percentage (52.4%) of the season. The two interceptions doubled his season total. Maiava is still third in FBS with 2,180 passing yards and leads FBS with a 92.1 QBR. However, all four of his interceptions have come in the last three games. He’s going the wrong way.
5. Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati
Last week: 10 (⇑5)
Result: 21-30, 284 yards, 4 TD; 6 carries, 13 yards, TD
Season totals: 120-183, 1,732 yards, 18 TD, INT; 58 carries, 340 yards, 6 TD
Sorsby’s 24 touchdowns lead FBS. He has come a long way since the Nebraska game, right? Especially as a passer. Sorsby’s only interception on the season was thrown in that Week 1 game. Since then, Sorsby has had 158 pass attempts without an interception and all 18 of his passing touchdowns. Sorsby’s 13 rushing yards last week were by far his lowest total of the season, but it was a blowout game, and he didn’t need to run. Look for those stats to increase again as Cincinnati needs him to get out and get some yards.
4. Julian Sayin, Ohio State
Last week: 8 (⇑4)
Result: 36-42, 393 yards, 4 TD; 5 carries, 7 yards
Season totals: 156-195, 1,872 yards, 19 TD, 3 INT; 19 carries, 17 yards
Sayin has completed 80% of his passes this year. Fernando Mendoza is second at 73.5%. He is incredibly efficient and hasn’t made a lot of mistakes in his first year as a starter. Having Jeremiah Smith to throw to helps his cause, as does a line that can keep him upright. However, there are plenty of other quarterbacks who have good receivers behind a good line that aren’t producing like Sayin is. He hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 3 against Ohio.
3. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Last week: 3 ⇔
Result: 24-28, 332 yards, 4 TD; 5 carries, 18 yards
Season totals: 133-181, 1,755 yards, 21 TD, 2 INT; 41 carries, 151 yards, 2 TD
Mendoza’s 21 touchdown passes are tied for the FBS lead. The others have seven interceptions and six, respectively. Mendoza is producing a ton of points without the turnovers. The 73.5% completion percentage is by far the best of his career, and it’s getting better by the week. Mendoza’s 87.7 QBR is fifth in FBS. He is doing all of this while leading Indiana to its highest ranking in school history.
2. Ty Simpson, Alabama
Last week: 4 (⇑2)
Result: 19-29, 253 yards, 2 TD; 5 carries, 8 yards
Season totals: 153-218, 1,931 yards, 18 TD, INT; 14 carries, 86 yards, TD
The most impressive thing about Simpson has been how locked in he has been during the recent run for Alabama. The Tide has played four consecutive ranked teams. His only interception was thrown against Vanderbilt, and he has 1,069 yards with nine touchdowns to go with that interception in that span.
1. Darian Mensah, Duke
Last week: 5 (⇑4)
Result: 32-44, 373 yards, 2 TD
Season totals: 175-249, 2,211 yards, 17 TD, 2 INT; 27 carries, -61 yards
Mensah jumped up to second in FBS with the huge performance against an undefeated Georgia Tech team. He once again excelled at taking care of the ball. Mensah’s two interceptions on the season are the fewest among the top 20 quarterbacks in pass attempts. He’s 10th in attempts. Mensah isn’t running like he did at Tulane last year, but he hasn’t needed to. This Duke offense is built for him to stay in the pocket and pick apart defenses, a job that he has done very well.
