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RotoBaller's top 25 college football quarterback rankings for Week 11 of the 2025 season, featuring Fernando Mendoza, Dante Moore, Byrum Brown, and more.
Top 25 College Football Quarterback Rankings For Week 11
The media is so desperate to give the Heisman Trophy to a quarterback that there is a lot of discourse over who the best quarterback is in a season where none is standing well above the rest. What makes a better quarterback? Is it passing stats? Rushing stats? Wins? I know that the quarterback is the face and the leader of the team, but he is only one of 22 starters, and one of probably 40 players who see regular playing time. Wins seem like a stat that shouldn’t fall completely on the quarterback, good or bad. I don’t consider wins heavily in my rankings. Decision-making and taking care of the ball are factored, and that feels like enough.
You will see a lot of movement on this list from week to week. The stats on some of these quarterbacks are so close that an average week can knock them down several pegs. It’s not a knock on your favorite quarterback. I don’t have a horse in this race. My quarterback hasn’t come close to making this list. I’m not hating on your team’s quarterback. I promise. I also have no issues giving love to quarterbacks at smaller schools who are doing great things. You won’t see that on ESPN!
25. Luke Altmyer, Illinois
Last week: NR
Result: 19-31, 235 yards, 4 TD, INT; 7 carries, 88 yards, TD
Season totals: 180-257, 2,255 yards, 19 TD, 4 INT; 59 carries, 108 yards, 3 TD
The 88 rushing yards were the most since October of 2023, when he ran for 100 yards against Wisconsin. Altmyer lit up Rutgers to get back onto the list. He was a resident here until the subpar game against Washington. The concern with Altmyer is that all four interceptions have come in the last three games.
24. Haynes King, Georgia Tech
Last week: NR
Result: 25-35, 408 yards, 2 TD, INT; 20 carries, 103 yards, 2 TD
Season totals: 158-219, 1,888 yards, 9 TD, 2 INT; 133 carries, 754 yards, 14 TD
The 408 passing yards by King were by far the most of his career. He ran for over 100 yards in a game for the fifth time in eight games this year. King had multiple rushing touchdowns for the fifth time as well. He’s not just a passer. In fact, the passing numbers are rather pedestrian. However, King leads FBS with 14 rushing touchdowns.
23. Joey Aguilar, Tennessee
Last week: 20 (⇓3)
Result: 29-45, 393 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
Season totals: 195-297, 2,737 yards, 21 TD, 8 INT; 48 carries, 85 yards, 2 TD
Aguilar had his way with the Oklahoma defense, but the two interceptions proved costly. It also moved him down the list despite throwing for nearly 400 yards. Turnovers are judged more harshly on this list than on most others. Taking care of the ball is one of the top priorities. You can’t score without the ball, right?
22. Josh Hoover, TCU
Last week: 19 (⇓3)
Result: BYE
Season totals: 185-285, 2,371 yards, 22 TD, 6 INT; 35 carries, 4 yards, 2 TD
Hey, at least Hoover didn’t lose to West Virginia. If we learned nothing else in Week 10, we learned that losing to West Virginia is indeed possible.
21. Colton Joseph, Old Dominion
Last week: NR
Result: 12-22, 231 yards; 16 carries, 72 yards, 3 TD
Season totals: 142-230, 2,231 yards, 19 TD, 9 INT; 106 carries, 620 yards, 9 TD
Joseph’s 28 touchdowns rank third in FBS behind the top two guys on this list. The big difference is the interceptions. Joseph has thrown five of those in the last four games. The Monarchs are back in action in the middle of next week against Troy, so you don’t have to wait long to see him for yourself. The sophomore is exciting to watch. It may just be anxiety over the interceptions. Who knows?
20. Taylen Green, Arkansas
Last week: 25 (⇑5)
Result: 19-31, 194 yards, TD; 17 carries, 46 yards, TD
Season totals: 171-274, 2,372 yards, 19 TD, 8 INT; 107 carries, 649 yards, 6 TD
Again, we’re willing to put up with interceptions if the guy turns into Randall Cunningham running the ball. Green is the only bright spot on an otherwise lost Arkansas team. The disaster against Auburn sent him to the brink of falling off the list. A decent game against Mississippi State marks the beginning of the ascension back up.
19. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
Last week: 23 (⇑4)
Result: 27-38, 365 yards, 3 TD; 14 carries, 43 yards, TD
Season totals: 166-240, 2,063 yards, 18 TD, 5 INT; 99 carries, 501 yards, 6 TD
Pavia set a new career high in passing yards against the vaunted Texas defense. That will move him back up the list in a hurry. He still threatened the Longhorns with his legs as well. This may have been Pavia’s best all-around game of the year, even though it was a losing effort.
18. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor
Last week: 24 (⇑6)
Result: 29-40, 267 yards, 3 TD; 4 carries, 8 yards
Season totals: 230-366, 2,780 yards, 26 TD, 7 INT; 39 carries, 13 yards, 2 TD
Robertson was solid against Central Florida. He’s starting to crawl back up the list since he hasn’t thrown an interception since the three-pick mess against TCU in the Revivalry. Robertson still leads FBS in passing yards and passing touchdowns. The interceptions are the only blemish on his record.
17. Evan Simon, Temple
Last week: 9 (⇓8)
Result: 11-20, 80 yards, INT
Season totals: 143-229, 1,690 yards, 21 TD, INT; 58 carries, 181 yards, 2 TD
It was a dreadful game for Simon against East Carolina. He threw his first interception of the season and didn’t even hit 100 yards passing. Yes, that’s worse than a bye week. It should be a little easier against Army this week, but another clunker could knock Simon off this list entirely.
16. Walker Eget, San Jose State
Last week: 17 (⇑1)
Result: 20-40, 458 yards, 2 TD; 6 carries, 25 yards
Season totals: 190-320, 2,607 yards, 17 TD, 3 INT; 24 carries, 42 yards
Eget has thrown for 798 yards in the last two games alone and hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 2 against Texas. So what if he doesn’t have the rushing stats? Eget is fourth in FBS in passing yards. His percentage suffers since he throws a lot of deep passes, but he still completes more than most.
15. Braylon Braxton, Southern Mississippi
Last week: 14 (⇓1)
Result: BYE
Season totals: 159-237, 1,959 yards, 18 TD, 4 INT; 75 carries, 215 yards, TD
Braxton went into the bye with one of his best games of the season. The senior will get to go out in a bowl game. Whether Charles Huff will be coaching that bowl game remains to be seen.
14. Noah Fifita, Arizona
Last week: 21 (⇑7)
Result: 11-19, 213 yards, 4 TD; 4 carries, 6 yards
Season totals: 166-254, 2,042 yards, 21 TD, 4 INT; 62 carries, 84 yards, 3 TD
Fifita has calmed down over the last two games. He hasn’t thrown an interception and has tacked on six touchdowns. Arizona is relegated to playing spoiler this year, but they should be bowl-bound. That’s a nice change from the disaster that was the 2024 season.
13. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M
Last week: 12 (⇓1)
Result: BYE
Season totals: 137-223, 1,972 yards, 17 TD, 6 INT; 64 carries, 349 yards, 6 TD
Reed slipped a spot thanks to the bye week. The Aggies have a favorable November schedule, so we should see Reed back in the top 10 very shortly.
12. Trinidad Chambliss, Mississippi
Last week: 12 ⇔
Result: 12-21, 231 yards, TD, INT; 15 carries, 59 yards, TD
Season totals: 140-231, 2,023 yards, 10 TD, 2 INT; 97 carries, 435 yards, 6 TD
Chambliss was kept in check by the Gamecocks in the passing game, but he made up for it on the ground. Every week, we discover another facet of Chambliss’ game that is going to help propel Mississippi into the College Football Playoff.
11. Jalon Daniels, Kansas
Last week: 13 (⇑2)
Result: 13-19, 110 yards, 2 TD; 6 carries, 28 yards
Season totals: 160-240, 1,991 yards, 20 TD, 3 INT; 88 carries, 271 yards, 2 TD
Daniels didn’t need to do much in the win over Oklahoma State, but he still rose up the charts thanks to many bye weeks for the guys in front of him. He needed a methodical day like this after what Kansas State did to him last week.
10. Avery Johnson, Kansas State
Last week: 22 (⇑12)
Result: 16-33, 199 yards, TD, 2 INT; 15 carries, 88 yards, 2 TD
Season totals: 167-273, 1,991 yards, 16 TD, 4 INT; 81 carries, 343 yards, 7 TD
Johnson didn’t do much through the air against Texas Tech, but he led the team in rushing and scored three more touchdowns. That overshadows the interceptions and vaults him up the list thanks to the touchdowns. Texas Tech has the best run defense in the country, and Johnson still ran for 88 yards and two scores against them. The passing left something to be desired, but the overall performance was still a strong one.
9. Demond Williams Jr., Washington
Last week: 10 (⇑1)
Result: BYE
Season totals: 163-223, 2,117 yards, 14 TD, 4 INT; 89 carries, 429 yards, 4 TD
How did Williams gain a spot during a bye week? That’s how bad a day that the No. 9 player from last week had.
8. Byrum Brown, South Florida
Last week: 8 ⇔
Result: BYE
Season totals: 154-245, 1,964 yards, 17 TD, 6 INT; 120 carries, 596 yards, 8 TD
With the 25 total touchdowns, we’ll put up with a few more interceptions. Most quarterbacks are throwing more interceptions in conference play anyway. It really makes us appreciate those who take care of the ball even more at this time of year.
7. Julian Sayin, Ohio State
Last week: 7 ⇔
Result: 20-23, 316 yards, 4 TD; 2 carries, 13 yards
Season totals: 176-218, 2,188 yards, 23 TD, 3 INT; 21 carries, 30 yards
Sayin actually raised his completion percentage to 80.7% with another superb game. He is 7.6% ahead of second place in FBS in completion percentage. Sayin is also third in FBS in touchdown passes. He is starting to separate himself from other freshmen in this class.
6. Ty Simpson, Alabama
Last week: 3 (⇓3)
Result: BYE
Season totals: 177-261, 2,184 yards, 20 TD, INT; 51 carries, 79 yards, 2 TD
The bye week knocks Simpson down a bit. His bit of work on the ground keeps him ahead of Julian Sayin for now, but it’s close. The fact that Simpson only has one interception on the season helps his cause as well. He’s taking care of the ball, which is something that Jalen Milroe struggled with last season for Alabama.
5. Drew Mestemaker, North Texas
Last week: 4 (⇓1)
Result: 19-24, 234 yards
Season totals: 214-310, 2,702 yards, 21 TD, 4 INT; 39 carries, 51 yards, 4 TD
Caleb Hawkins scored all four touchdowns for the Mean Green against Navy. Mestemaker still had a very efficient day, but he wasn’t able to add to the touchdown total. He slipped to third in passing yards in FBS, but only trails leader Sawyer Robertson by 78 yards. Mestmaker has five fewer touchdowns, but three fewer interceptions.
4. Darian Mensah, Duke
Last week: 6 (⇑2)
Result: 27-41, 361 yards, 4 TD
Season totals: 202-290, 2,572 yards, 21 TD, 2 INT; 31 carries, -67 yards
Mensah came back from the bye and lit up the Clemson secondary. He threw four more touchdowns and still hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 3 against Tulane. The fact that Mensah takes care of the ball despite a high volume of throws makes up for his lack of rushing ability. Tulane had him run a bit last year. Duke is content to have him sit back there and tear defenses apart.
3. Joe Fagnano, Connecticut
Last week: 5 (⇑2)
Result: 23-30, 267 yards, 4 TD
Season totals: 209-304, 2,529 yards, 22 TD; 35 carries, 91 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 304 pass attempts this year. Fagnano has flown up this list with 15 touchdowns in the last four games alone. Jim Mora Jr.’s offense is humming. The defense is another story. On the flip side, that also means more opportunities for Fagnano to turn the heads of NFL scouts.
2. Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati
Last week: 2 ⇔
Result: 11-33, 221 yards, TD, INT; 4 carries, 28 yards, TD
Season totals: 144-237, 2,064 yards, 21 TD, 2 INT; 73 carries, 453 yards, 8 TD
Despite a tough game against the Utah defense, Sorsby had a hand in both Cincinnati touchdowns to keep pace with Fernando Mendoza in the FBS touchdown race. The two who were ranked behind Sorsby last week had a bye, so he gets a mulligan in the sense that he can hold on to the No. 2 slot in the rankings.
1. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Last week: 1 ⇔
Result: 14-21, 201 yards, TD, INT; 4 carries, 24 yards, TD
Season totals: 162-224, 2,124 yards, 25 TD, 4 INT; 50 carries, 220 yards, 4 TD
Mendoza’s 25 touchdown passes still lead FBS after a pedestrian game in the rout of Maryland last week. His 29 total touchdowns tie for the FBS lead. Mendoza got a little more careless with the ball last week, but he’s still putting up video game numbers in this offense. Mendoza’s line keeping him upright is allowing those who only look at the stat sheet to see that he can make plays with his legs as well. He was sacked a staggering 41 times at Cal last season. That puts a huge dent in your rushing totals.
