It seems as if every week the discussion for who is in the QB1 conversation changes. Last week, it was Fernando Mendoza following a strong performance against Oregon. Garrett Nussmeier, LaNorris Sellers, and others have been in the conversation throughout the season as well. That inconsistency at quarterback could work in favor of the Los Angeles Rams who hold two first round picks in 2026. At the same time, it can be hard to warrant spending that much draft capital on a quarterback.
However, after Week 8 of college football action, another quarterback may be beginning to separate himself. That quarterback is Ty Simpson from Alabama. Simpson had a fantastic performance against Tennessee, throwing for 253 yards and two touchdowns. At the same time, a quarterback like Carson Beck took a step back with four interceptions against Louisville. Let’s get into this week’s performances.
Ty Simpson, Alabama
Over the past month, Ty Simpson has been gaining momentum. With that said, he may have entered the QB1 conversation with his performance against Tennessee. Simpson displayed the ability to layer throws over the middle of the field and also showed pin-point accuracy. He keeps his eyes downfield under pressure and does a good job maneuvering in the pocket while looking for an open wide receiver.
An argument can be made that Simpson is the most accurate intermediate passer in this class. This specific throw over the middle in the clip below against Tennessee is insane. At this point, you want to see quarterbacks look comfortable and be able to throw with anticipation. Simpson does that on a near-weekly basis. The Alabama quarterback is definitely in the first round conversation and could make his way into the QB1 conversation.
Player Performance Rating: 9/10
Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
When it comes to these college quarterbacks, it’s important to see development over the course of the season. That’s been the case for Sam Leavitt. He has grown a lot since throwing two interceptions in a tight loss to Mississippi State.
Texas Tech has one of the better defenses in the country. Without much of a run game, Leavitt threw for 319 yards and a touchdown. Trailing 22-19 in the fourth quarter, Leavitt went 5-for-8 for 61 yards and set the Sun Devils up to score the game-winning touchdown. Arizona State has won 11 straight games against Big 12 opponents when Leavitt starts. Leavitt is extremely dynamic with the ability to extend plays with his legs, but can make all of the throws with his arm. He may not be in the QB1 conversation, but if he continues this over the second half of the season, he should be considered for the first round.
Player Performance Rating: 8/10
Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Mendoza continues to show why he’s probably the leader for QB1 at the moment. The arm talent can simply be effortless. It was only Michigan State, but Mendoza went 24-for-28 for four touchdowns on Saturday. It will be interesting to see how he performs this week against a UCLA team that has been playing better. However, at this point, Mendoza has shown that no opponent is too big for him. Mendoza consistently displays good arm strength and the ability to throw receivers open. Frank Cignetti’s offense has certainly benefitted Mendoza, but the Indiana quarterback has also shown the ability to hit all the throws. To be doing what he’s doing at Indiana is nothing short of impressive.
Player Performance Rating: 8/10
Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
Nussmeier may not longer be in the QB1 conversation, but his performance against Vanderbilt is certainly worth mentioning. He’s been dealing with an injury for much of the season and hasn’t looked right for much of it. He consistently put his team in a bad spot a few weeks ago against Ole Miss and threw two interceptions just last week against South Carolina. He needs to show better ball security. However, he was efficient against Vanderbilt. Nussmeier was 19-for-28 for 225 yards and two touchdowns. LSU will have a big matchup this week against a very good Texas A&M team before playing Alabama.
Player Performance Rating: 7.5/10
Taylen Green, Arkansas
Taylen Green is a project to say the least, but the tools are most definitely there. There aren’t many quarterbacks in the country who could make the throw from the clip below. With that said, he’s reminiscent of another quarterback that came from the SEC two years ago in Joe Milton III. Green is extremely athletic and has a huge arm. However, it takes more than athleticism and a big arm to win in the NFL.
The Arkansas quarterback can sometimes struggle with accuracy and his feet can have happy feet in the pocket. He’s going to be a day three project that a team will need to take time and develop. Unfortunately, teams rarely display that level of patience in the modern NFL. With that said, he’s a fun quarterback to watch and his three touchdown performance against Texas A&M was impressive.
Player Performance Rating: 7/10
John Mateer, Oklahoma
John Mateer looked much better against South Carolina, but we are beginning to see some of his limitations as a passer. He’s likely not a first round player and that’s ok. This is a quarterback worth taking a chance on in the second or third round. He didn’t have any ‘wow’ throws against South Carolina, but he looked a lot more comfortable than he did the previous week against Texas. The next two weeks against Ole Miss and Tennessee will be a big test for Mateer.
Player Performance Rating: 6.5/10
Jayden Maiava, USC
Heading into Week 8, Maiava had a big test against a good Notre Dame team. Maiava had shown flashes at times, but we needed to see it against a good opponent. The USC quarterback had some good moments against Notre Dame, but the down-to-down consistency simply wasn’t there. He’s someone that probably benefits from going back to school. Against pressure, he was just 4-for-13 for 74 yards and two interceptions. He’s on a good development path, but another year in college and he’ll be in the conversation next season. Maiava reminds me of Dak Prescott if he can get more consistent.
Player Performance Rating: 6/10
Nico Iamaleava, UCLA
After a strong two weeks, we’re pumping the brakes a little bit on Nico Iamaleava. He showed a lot of toughness coming back into the game after an injury to lead the game-winning drive. That’s certainly commendable and what you like to see from a starting quarterback. His touchdown pass to put UCLA up 14-10 late in the fourth quarter was an impressive throw. Hopefully Iamaleava is healthy for Saturday’s game against Indiana.
Player Performance Rating: 5.5/10
LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
There is no questioning LaNorris Sellers’ athleticism and arm strength. The Anthony Richardson comparison isn’t a fair one as Sellers is much more experienced. However, he still hasn’t taken that step that many were hoping for coming into the season. In fact, taking his season as a whole, he’s begun to develop some bad habits because of the poor situation around him. The South Carolina offensive line isn’t good which causes Sellers to drop his eyes and try to make too many hero plays with his legs.
I’m probably out on Sellers for 2026. He needs to return to school and gain more experience. Transferring to a school that can give him the best situation to succeed would probably be in his best interest. There’s no denying the tools and the good with him is very good. Sellers is just a very difficult evaluation given the situation around him.
Player Performance Rating: 5/10
Carson Beck, Miami
To put it simply, Carson Beck didn’t have his best game against Louisville. He threw four interceptions against an unranked team that led to Miami losing. This is a situation in which multiple things can be true. Beck imploded and it wasn’t the performance that he needed. At the same time, it simply confirms what we speculated about Beck. These are the performances that he’s susceptible to. In the same way that an Andy Dalton, early-career Jared Goff, or Jimmy Garoppolo were susceptible to it, Beck is likely in that same category.
It’s easy to overreact to one performance, but it’s simply one piece of the larger puzzle that we are able to finally put together. Beck has put out some good tape over the last two months, but we are beginning to realize that this is who he is. When he has a good supporting cast, he can help keep that ship on track. Still, if a team can get pressure on Beck and force him to quicken his process, he can be forced into these types of mistakes. We’ll see how Beck responds this week.
Player Performance Rating: 3/10
Who to Watch This Week
- UCLA @ Indiana: 10/25, 12 p.m. – Fernando Mendoza & Nico Iamaleava
- Ole Miss @ Oklahoma: 10/25, 12 p.m. – John Mateer
- Auburn @ Arkansas: 10/25, 12:45 p.m. – Taylen Green
- Alabama @ South Carolina: 10/25, 3:30 p.m. – Ty Simpson & LaNorris Sellers
- Wisconsin @ Oregon: 10/25, 7 p.m. – Dante Moore
- Stanford @ Miami: 10/25, 7 p.m. – Carson Beck
- Texas A&M @ LSU – 10/25, 7:30 p.m. – Garrett Nussmeier
- Houston @ Arizona State: 10/25, 8 p.m. – Conner Weigman & Sam Leavitt
- North Dakota State @ South Dakota State: 10/25, 8 p.m. – Cole Payton
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