The Class of 2023 quarterbacks carried enormous expectations when they were in the recruiting spotlight a few years ago. That crop of QBs is now three years into their college careers.

Some, like Dante Moore and Arch Manning, have played well. Some, like Darian Mensah and Colton Joseph, have emerged from the lower end of the recruiting rankings to become high-level performers. Some, like Jaden Rashada and Malachi Nelson, have yet to find a true home.

Now that we have three seasons’ worth of data, it’s a good opportunity to re-rank these players and take a look at where they are in their respective careers.

(You can find our previous re-ranks here: 2022, 2021 and 2020.)

Note: All rankings are from the 247Sports Composite.

1. Dante Moore, Oregon (via UCLA)

Original ranking: No. 4 overall, No. 3 QB

Why he’s here: Moore threw for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns with 10 interceptions and delivered several clutch performances as he led the Ducks to the College Football Playoff semifinals in his first year as their starter. He likely would’ve been a top-five pick in the upcoming NFL Draft but opted to return to Oregon for another season.

For all the positives Moore displayed this season — notably his natural arm talent and poise under pressure — the CFP semifinal loss to Indiana demonstrated that he still has plenty of room to grow. He’s been a starter for only one full season. Now that he’s coming back to school, Moore should be a Heisman Trophy contender and one of the best quarterbacks in college football next season.

2. Arch Manning, Texas

Original ranking: No. 1 overall, No. 1 QB

Why he’s here: Manning settled in over the second half of the season after a slow start. There was some thought of putting him at the top of the list, but Moore did not hit the same sort of lows that Manning did against Ohio State, UTEP, Kentucky, etc.

After Manning experienced some high-profile growing pains, he seemed to find a groove and punctuated his season with a 221-yard passing, 155-yard rushing, four-touchdown effort against Michigan in the Citrus Bowl. That was a look at what Manning can be at his best.

Texas made a concerted effort to improve the personnel around Manning during the transfer portal cycle. That, coupled with the valuable experience he gained last season, should help him play with more consistency in 2026 — and will likely make him appealing to NFL decision-makers.

3. Darian Mensah, Miami (via Duke and Tulane)

Original ranking: No. 2,289 overall, No. 135 QB

Why he’s here: Mensah redshirted at Tulane during his first year on campus, then led the Green Wave to the American Conference Championship Game in 2024. He then transferred to Duke and led the Blue Devils to an ACC championship in 2025. Over those two seasons, he threw for 6,696 yards, 56 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 66.5 percent of his passes.

Last month, he entered the portal at the 11th hour and transferred to Miami, where he’ll have a slew of playmakers — headlined by receiver Malachi Toney — to throw to. Mensah will be at his third school in as many years, and his last-second portal entry, despite signing a two-year revenue-sharing agreement with Duke, has made him a polarizing figure. But he’ll be playing with more talent than ever and should put the Hurricanes in position to reach the College Football Playoff again.

4. Sam Leavitt, LSU (via Arizona State and Michigan State)

Original ranking: No. 311 overall, No. 21 QB

Why he’s here: Leavitt is experienced, productive and athletic. That’s why he was such a popular target in the portal. LSU coach Lane Kiffin has a stellar track record with quarterbacks, so this should be a productive marriage. Leavitt, though, will have to be more consistent if LSU is to reach its goals. Is he the quarterback who passed for 319 yards and beat an elite Texas Tech defense, or is he closer to the signal caller who completed 10 of 22 attempts for 82 yards in a loss to Mississippi State?

5. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M

Original ranking: No. 296, No. 20 QB

Why he’s here: Reed threw for 3,169 yards, rushed for 493 yards and accounted for 31 touchdowns in his first full season as a starter. The Aggies won 11 games and reached the Playoff, which felt like a breakthrough. But an 11-0 start was spoiled by a loss to rival Texas in the regular-season finale and a first-round CFP loss to Miami.

Reed threw four interceptions and no touchdowns in those two games, including a pick in the end zone in the final moments against the Hurricanes. So while Reed had a really encouraging 2025, he’ll have to be better against tougher competition. He threw 15 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions against Power 4 opponents this season.

6. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina

Original ranking: No. 256 overall, No. 18 QB

Why he’s here: Sellers had a disappointing 2025 season after he was expected to be one of the most exciting quarterbacks in the sport. The Gamecocks won just four games in 2025 after going 9-4 the previous year.

Sellers still has tremendous potential, but his completion percentage, passing yardage, touchdown passes, rushing yardage and rushing touchdowns all declined while his interceptions increased. He was also sacked a whopping 42 times, which was among the most in the country. In 2026, he will be playing for his third offensive coordinator in three seasons, with Kendal Briles now running the show in Columbia.

Sellers will need to be better this season, but so will the people around him.

7. Nico Iamaleava, UCLA (via Tennessee)

Original ranking: No. 3 overall, No. 2 QB

Why he’s here: Given how bad UCLA’s roster was this past season, Iamaleava’s play was actually pretty commendable. But the numbers were still underwhelming. He threw for 1,928 yards, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions and rushed for 505 yards and four scores. And the Bruins went 3-9.

When he transferred from Tennessee last spring, it was well known that Iamaleava was leaving a good offensive situation for a bad one. He demonstrated strong character this past season because he played hard every week for a very bad team.

New coach Bob Chesney turned the roster over with the hope of improving Iamaleava’s surrounding cast and maximizing the season with a talented quarterback, who has displayed flashes of why he was such a top-flight recruit.

8. Devon Dampier, Utah (via New Mexico)

Original ranking: No. 1,693 overall, No. 88 QB

Why he’s here: The dual-threat ability Dampier showed at New Mexico translated to Utah and the Big 12. He threw for 2,490 yards and 24 touchdowns with five picks and rushed for 835 yards and 10 scores in his first season with the Utes. Dampier lost his head coach, Kyle Whittingham, and offensive coordinator, Jason Beck, to Michigan this offseason, but opted to return and will give new coach Morgan Scalley a playmaker to build around.

9. Avery Johnson, Kansas State

Original ranking: No. 104 overall, No. 9 QB

Why he’s here: While Johnson hasn’t been the transcendent player the Wildcats fan base hoped for, he’s been productive. He’s a two-year starter with more than 5,000 passing yards, 1,000 rushing yards and 58 total touchdowns in that span.

That said, Johnson is still pretty raw, even with his considerable experience. But now he’s reunited with former Wildcats offensive coordinator Collin Klein, who will be in his first season as head coach after two years overseeing Texas A&M’s offense. The hope is that Klein gets Johnson to play closer to his ceiling as he enters his senior season.

10. Colton Joseph, Wisconsin (via Old Dominion)

Original ranking: No. 1,857 overall, No. 103 QB

Why he’s here: Joseph had no power-conference offers coming out of high school and landed at Old Dominion. He made the most of his time with the Monarchs and earned Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year honors this past season with 2,624 passing yards, 1,007 rushing yards and 34 total touchdowns. He showcased his athleticism with 179 rushing yards against Indiana in the season opener. That dual-threat skill set should be a major boost for his new team, Wisconsin, this coming season.

Keep an eye on

Aidan Chiles, Northwestern (via Michigan State and Oregon State), No. 168 overall, No. 13 QB: Chiles has the tools but hasn’t consistently put everything together. A coaching change at Michigan State led him to the portal, and he landed at Northwestern, where he and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly should make for an interesting tandem.

Kenny Minchey, Kentucky (via Notre Dame), No. 170 overall, No. 14 QB: We haven’t seen much of Minchey yet, but he pushed CJ Carr harder for the Irish’s starting role than most expected. He’s in a good situation at Kentucky, where he will work with new head coach Will Stein, previously the offensive coordinator at Oregon.

Lincoln Kienholz, Louisville (via Ohio State), No. 194 overall, No. 15 QB: Kienholz could never rise to the top of a crowded quarterback group with the Buckeyes, but he is in line to be the starter for the Cardinals. Louisville coach Jeff Brohm has done well with transfer QBs.

Austin Mack, Alabama (via Washington), No. 230 overall, No. 16 QB: Mack has spent three seasons with Kalen DeBoer and served as Alabama’s backup this past season. He’ll compete with former five-star Keelon Russell for the starting role.

Austin Simmons, Missouri (via Ole Miss), No. 292 overall, No. 19 QB: Simmons opened the season as the Rebels starter but suffered an injury, which allowed Trinidad Chambliss to take over. Now Simmons will get a new opportunity with the Tigers.

Gio Lopez, Wake Forest (via North Carolina and South Alabama), No. 1,324 overall, No. 63 QB: Lopez was Bill Belichick’s hand-picked QB at North Carolina last season, but that marriage lasted just one season. Lopez should be in line to start at Wake Forest, where he will reunite with Rob Ezell, who was his offensive coordinator at South Alabama.

Anthony Colandrea, Nebraska (via UNLV and Virginia), No. 1,463 overall, No. 72 QB: Colandrea wasn’t Nebraska’s first choice, but he’s a true dual threat (3,459 yards passing, 649 yards rushing in 2025) and was a solid fallback option for the Cornhuskers.

What happened to the other top 10 QBs?

Jackson Arnold (No. 8 overall, No. 4 QB): Arnold has struggled in his two starting opportunities, at Oklahoma and Auburn, and will look to revive his career with Dan Mullen at UNLV.

Malachi Nelson (No. 11 overall, No. 5 QB): Syracuse will be Nelson’s fourth school in as many seasons. He finally earned a starting role at UTEP last season but was benched midway through the year. He spent his first two college seasons at USC and Boise State, respectively.

Christopher Vizzina (No. 75 overall, No. 6 QB): Vizzina has patiently waited behind Cade Klubnik at Clemson and figures to start this fall.

Jaden Rashada (No. 84 overall, No. 7 QB): Rashada was committed to Miami, signed with Florida, left after an NIL dispute and later signed with Arizona State before transferring to Georgia, then transferring to Sacramento State, where he started and was benched. Now, he’s at Mississippi State.

Eli Holstein (No. 86 overall, No. 8 QB): Holstein landed at Virginia this offseason, but isn’t guaranteed to start because the Cavaliers brought in Missouri transfer Beau Pribula as well. Holstein spent the past two years at Pitt — and was benched early this past season — after beginning his career at Alabama.

Austin Novosad (No. 126 overall, No. 10 QB): Novosad had trouble climbing the depth chart at Oregon and will receive a starting opportunity at Bowling Green this year.