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RotoBaller's top 25 college football quarterback rankings for Week 7 of the 2025 season, featuring Sawyer Robertson, Dante Moore, Carson Beck, and more.
Top 25 College Football Quarterback Rankings For Week 7
There were a lot of overhyped quarterbacks coming into the season who have not lived up to expectations. From rumors of injury to offensive inefficiency, those big names have struggled. Garrett Nussmeier, Arch Manning, and DJ Lagway were all thought to be in the top 10 of quarterbacks coming into the season. Now, none of them are in the top 25. Who took their places? Who will continue to move up the list? Here are our top 25 FBS quarterback rankings heading into Week 7 of the 2025 college football season.
25. Devon Dampier, Utah
Dampier made the jump to Utah after a huge season at New Mexico last year. Dampier only completed 57.9% of his passes last year, but this year he’s at a robust 72.5%. He has only thrown three interceptions after throwing 12 last year. Dampier’s next passing touchdown for the Utes will tie his number from last year (12). He’s not going to be a 1000-yard rusher for the Utes, but Dampier still has 258 rushing yards in five games.
24. Chandler Morris, Virginia
Morris is at his fourth school in six years. He rekindled his career at North Texas last year and has been just as good with Virginia this year. The 69.9% completion percentage is the best of his career so far. Morris already has 1,428 passing yards with 11 touchdowns. The four interceptions are a little much, but Morris has been a big part of the running game as well. His four rushing touchdowns already tie a career high. His 176 rushing yards are only 73 yards short of his personal best. Morris saved the best for his last college season.
23. Noah Fifita, Arizona
Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan burst on the scene in 2023, pushing Arizona back into the forefront of college football. They both came back in 2024, but the Wildcats failed spectacularly. Both players struggled. This year, with lifelong friend McMillan leaving for the NFL, we wondered how Fifita would do without McMillan for the first time since 7th grade. Fifita has adjusted very well. He has 1,341 yards, putting him on pace for his first 3,000-yard passing season. After throwing 12 interceptions last season, Fifita has only thrown three so far this year. His 13 touchdown passes so far also put Fifita on pace for a career high. Arizona has also made Fifita more of a part of the run game. He has scored three rushing touchdowns already.
22. Trinidad Chambliss, Mississippi
Chambliss is the only player on the list so far who did not start the season as the starting quarterback. Austin Simmons went down early in the Arkansas game. Chambliss took over and hasn’t looked back. He has 1,033 passing yards in just three games, topping 300 yards in every start. More importantly, he’s not making mistakes. Simmons threw four interceptions in two games. Chambliss has only thrown one in three games. He is also making plays with his legs. Simmons has 266 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. The stage hasn’t been too big for the Division II national champion from Ferris State.
21. Drew Mestemaker, North Texas
Mestemaker went from a guy who was given a tryout as a favor to the starting quarterback in about a year. He has completed 67.9% of his 156 passes for 1,247 yards so far this season. The best part is that Mestemaker has yet to throw an interception. He threw two in his first career start in the First Responder Bowl against Texas State last year. Mestemaker’s play has the Mean Green as a Group of 5 sleeper team with a monster matchup on Friday night. Regardless of where he ends the season on this list, Mestemaker is one of the best stories in college football this year.
20. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
Pavia had a great year for New Mexico State in 2023 and wasn’t expected to be the starter at Vanderbilt in 2024. He won the job in the spring, and the rest is history. He beat Alabama, helping restore Vanderbilt to prominence. Pavia’s 71.4% completion percentage is 11 points higher than any other season of his career. His 1,409 yards put him on pace for around 4,000 passing yards. His career best is 2,973. The only downside to Pavia so far in 2025 is that he has already thrown as many interceptions as he did last season (4). We’ll live with it because Pavia has been more productive in the passing game and is still making plays with his legs.
19. Carson Beck, Miami (FL)
Miami hit the portal for another veteran quarterback to replace Cam Ward, the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Beck has been exactly what Miami wanted. He doesn’t have the huge numbers that Ward did, but Miami’s early schedule has been a bear. Beck’s 73.4% completion percentage is his best in a full season. Beck threw 12 interceptions last year after just six in 2023. He has been more selective this year, throwing for 11 touchdowns and only three interceptions. This is shaping up to be a season almost identical to his 2023 season at Georgia.
18. Joe Fagnano, Connecticut
Fagnano, in his seventh collegiate season, is putting together some big numbers. The 67.2% completion percentage is the best since his 2019 freshman season at Maine. He already has 1,556 passing yards with 11 touchdowns and no interceptions. Fagnano has been an efficient force for both the Maine and Connecticut offenses in his career, but this year, he is throwing more with better results.
17. Josh Hoover, TCU
Hoover had a breakout year in 2024 with 3,949 passing yards and 27 touchdowns. His numbers have been even better through the first five games of 2025. Hoover already has 1,517 passing yards and 15 touchdowns. His rating is also 16.7 points higher than last year, and his 67.3% completion percentage is the best of his career. The four interceptions are a little high, but he threw 11 last year. Those come with the territory. Hoover does enough good to offset a little higher than normal interception total.
16. CJ Bailey, North Carolina State
Bailey beat out MJ Morris for the starting quarterback job in 2024 as a true freshman. He took some lumps last year, but Bailey also had a strong season, throwing for 2,413 yards and 17 touchdowns despite 10 interceptions. This year, Bailey has made better decisions. He has already thrown for 1,660 yards and 13 touchdowns. The four interceptions are a little much, but Bailey has completed 74.6% of his passes. That’s tied for seventh in FBS. The scary part is that Bailey is still improving!
15. Taylen Green, Arkansas
Green had a reputation for being reckless with the ball at Boise. That was true in his first year at Arkansas last year. In all fairness, Green was sacked a staggering 32 times last year behind a bad Arkansas line. The line is better this year, having only allowed six sacks so far. Green has responded by completing 62% of his passes, a career high. His 12 touchdown passes are only three off his career best. Green has become a more polished passer this year, but hasn’t lost any of the elusiveness. He has 441 rushing yards already, which is well on pace to break his career high of 602 last year.
14. Bryson Barnes, Utah State
Barnes was a casualty of the Cameron Rising saga at Utah, transferring to Utah State last year when it was thought that Rising was healthy enough to play. Barnes then lost out on his job to Iowa transfer Spencer Petras, not regaining it until the bowl game. This year, Barnes is the clear-cut top quarterback for the Aggies and is playing accordingly. He has completed 65.9% of his 129 passes, a career high. His 1,143 passing yards are already the second-highest total of his career. The real difference has been in his decision-making. Barnes has thrown 11 touchdowns (12 is his career high) with just one interception. He threw six last year in three fewer pass attempts.
Barnes has also made plays on the ground. He has 245 rushing yards and has already scored six rushing touchdowns. The crazy part is that Barnes and the Aggies have already played two SEC teams this year. Barnes has been sacked 18 times already, losing 114 rushing yards. His numbers on the ground will only improve as the season goes on.
13. CJ Carr, Notre Dame
Carr was a virtual unknown coming into the season and struggled a bit in the opener against Miami. We now know why. Miami is the best team in the country right now. The Miami game was Carr’s first college action. He hadn’t played in a college game before that. He is completing passes at a 67.7% clip with 1,280 yards, 11 touchdowns, and only two interceptions. Those numbers have been amassed against four Power 4 teams and Boise State, which made the CFP last year. Carr is doing this against elite competition. Carr’s strong play has been instrumental to Notre Dame’s offensive resurgence in 2025.
12. Behren Morton, Texas Tech
Morton already has 1,410 passing yards this year, which has him at 22nd in the country. He missed a game and a half with an injury. Morton is the leader of one of the most high-profile offenses in the country. Morton’s 69.3% completion percentage is by far a career high. His 12-3 TD-INT ratio is right about in line with last year, his only full season as the starter. The only thing that can hold Morton back is injury. The bad news for opponents is that his backup, Will Hammond, might be even better. He lit up Utah after Morton went down.
11. Maverick McIvor, Western Kentucky
McIvor brought his talents from a pass-happy system at Abilene Christian to a hyper-focused passing attack in the western hills of Kentucky. His 1,704 passing yards are third in FBS. He has already thrown 223 passes, and only two of them have been picked off. McIvor’s 67.7% completion percentage is the best of his career so far, and he has only thrown two interceptions after being picked off seven times at Abilene Christian last year.
10. Dante Moore, Oregon
It’s hard to reconcile this version of Dante Moore with the Dante Moore that we saw as a freshman at UCLA in 2023. That Dante Moore was erratic and inconsistent. This Dante Moore is a freaking beast! Moore sat behind Dillon Gabriel last year, only throwing eight passes in 2024 (completing seven of them). He showed enough in camp that Oregon didn’t go get a quarterback in the portal this year. Now we see why. Moore has completed 74.6% of his 134 passes for 1,210 yards, 14 touchdowns, and just one interception. He has also made an impact with his legs, running for 122 yards on the ground.
9. Jalon Daniels, Kansas
We all remember the magic that Jalon Daniels created during the 2022 season. It was the culmination of Lance Leipold’s recruiting, and Kansas was going places. The 2023 season was derailed after Daniels was hurt in the fourth game of the season. Last year, Kansas was thrown off schedule by not being able to play games in its home stadium. Daniels was mostly healthy, but he only threw 14 touchdowns to 12 interceptions.
Through the first month of the 2025 season, Daniels is following up on the promise of the 2022 season. Daniels is tied for second in FBS with 16 passing touchdowns, which is just two off of his 2022 total. His 1,497 passing yards are good for 13th in the country. He is also completing 67.3% of his passes and has only thrown two interceptions. Daniels has also rushed for 239 yards and another touchdown on the ground.
8. Luke Altmyer, Illinois
Altmyer came into his own last year in his second year at Illinois, throwing 22 touchdowns to only six interceptions with 2,717 yards. Altmyer has been even better this year. His 73.6% completion percentage is by far the best of his career. Altmyer already has 1,573 passing yards in just five games. He has 12 touchdown passes and still hasn’t thrown an interception. His 390 passing yards against Purdue last week were a career high, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he breaks that mark again this season.
7. Ty Simpson, Alabama
Who would have thought that Simpson would be so high on the list after the opener against Florida State? Simpson only completed 23 of his 43 passes in that game. Since then, Simpson has completed 88 of 115 passes (76.5%) against the likes of Wisconsin, Georgia, and Vanderbilt. Even if you take out his perfect 17-for-17 against Monroe, Simpson is still completing 72.4% of passes against three FBS opponents (two ranked) since the Florida State game. He’s got the yards to go with it. Simpson has 998 yards and eight passing touchdowns over the last three games with just one interception — the only one he has thrown this season.
6. Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati
Sorsby had a bit of a gunslinger mentality at Indiana in 2023 and in his first year at Cincinnati last year. This year, we are seeing a more polished product. Sorsby’s 65.9% completion percentage is the best mark of his career so far. The 12 touchdown passes are only six off his career high set last season. He has only thrown one interception in 132 passes after throwing seven last year in 389 attempts.
What has really set Sorsby apart at Cincinnati is his rushing ability. He ran for 447 yards and nine touchdowns in 2024. This year, Sorsby already has 291 yards and five touchdowns on only 44 attempts. Yes, that includes sack yardage. It also helps that Sorsby has only been sacked once in 2025. Some of that is his escapability, but the Cincinnati offensive line is also much better than it was last year.
5. Jayden Maiava, USC
Maiava took over for Miller Moss in the second half of the 2024 season with moderate success. He threw 11 touchdowns to six interceptions with 1,201 yards. His debut season at UNLV was a rousing success, seeing Maiava throw for 3,085 yards and 17 touchdowns while piling up 277 rushing yards.
One thing that Maiava hasn’t been until this year is accurate. He only completed 63.5% of his passes in his freshman season and was even worse last year at 59.8%. That number is up to 70.5% in 2025. Maiava is also making better decisions. He threw 16 interceptions in 522 attempts over the last two seasons. He has just one interception in 139 passes this year. Maiava’s 1,587 passing yards are good for fifth in the nation. His 191.1 rating only ranks behind Julian Sayin and Fernando Mendonza among qualified passers.
4. Darian Mensah, Duke
Mensah was the first big transfer portal domino to fall last year. He committed to Duke in early December and was even spotted in the Cameron Crazies before he started classes at Duke. The Blue Devils definitely got their money’s worth out of Mensah. His 1,838 passing yards are second in the country, and he has only been picked off twice. Mensah’s 15 touchdown passes are tied for fourth in the country. He is completing 69.8% of his 205 passes. We’ve seen the Duke offense come to life after the loss to Illinois. Mensah is a big reason why.
3. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Mendoza turned in two successful years at Cal into a ticket to a high-powered offense and a sweet NIL deal at Indiana. He has only thrown 122 passes so far, but Mendoza has completed 73% of those (a career high) for 1,208 yards and 16 touchdowns, which is second in the country. After throwing 16 interceptions over his first two years at Cal, Mendoza has only been picked off once this year. He’s still making plays with his legs as well. Mendoza has 102 rushing yards on just 30 attempts for a pair of touchdowns. Kurtis Rourke was a good fit for Indiana last year. He was like a Honda Accord. Mendoza is a Cadillac.
2. Julian Sayin, Ohio State
Sayin leads the country with an 80.2% completion percentage on 126 passes. That’s an incredible number! He is also second in QB rating at 197.0. Sayin has 1,313 yards to go with 13 touchdowns and three interceptions. He has topped 300 passing yards in three of the last four games and hasn’t thrown an interception in the last two games against solid Minnesota and Washington defenses. Believe it or not, he’s still getting better.
The question now becomes how can guys like Sayin and Ty Simpson succeed, whereas DJ Lagway, Arch Manning, and to some extent, Dylan Raiola have struggled? All of these players have talent around them. The difference that I have seen is that Sayin and Simpson have strong mechanics and throw the ball the right way even when pressured. Patrick Mahomes has the same effect on college quarterbacks as Steph Curry has had on the NBA. Curry nails a ton of three-pointers, so now everyone thinks they can do the same. Mahomes has the arm strength to throw sidearm passes with zip, so many college kids think they can do the game. A sidearm pass is a handy tool to have, but it shouldn’t be used all of the time. The quarterbacks who are having great success this year are mechanically strong and only use sidearm passes when the situation calls for it. When pressured, Lagway and Manning have especially reverted to bad practices such as not setting their feet or not following through (or the dreaded sidearm pass). Sayin and Simpson have made it a point to get set again or just throw it away.
1. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor
Robertson leads all of FBS in passing yards with 2,058 and in touchdown passes with 19. His 63.7% completion percentage (on 248 passes already) is the best of his career so far. We saw Robertson throw for 3,071 yards last year at Baylor after he took over as the starter after the first game. Robertson is only nine touchdowns off of his 2024 pace. We’ll forgive the four interceptions if he’s going to keep putting up numbers like this!
