As the saying goes, you’re only as good as your backup quarterback. The cliché gets repeated for a reason. Every year, at least a few teams lose their starting quarterback to injury, and the bottom falls out (just ask Syracuse last season).
Quality backup quarterbacks have never been harder to find. The transfer portal has made it nearly impossible to stockpile depth at the position because any backup worth having can usually find a starting job elsewhere. But there are a handful of cases where teams have managed to roster more than one quarterback with legitimate starting experience.
This year’s list features a little bit of everything: former five-star recruits biding their time behind established starters, seasoned portal veterans who’ve already won conference championships and journeymen with more career starts than most people realize. Most of these quarterbacks won’t see meaningful snaps this season, but the teams that have them are quietly better off than most.
Here are the top 10 backup quarterbacks in college football for 2026 (in no particular order).
Dylan Raiola, Oregon
The Ducks enter 2026 with a rare situation: two former five-star quarterbacks on the roster, both with at least 20 career starts. Raiola transferred to Eugene, knowing Dante Moore could return for another season as the starter, but the chance to develop in Oregon‘s system made the move worthwhile. Even if his time at Nebraska didn’t fully match the massive expectations that followed him as a recruit, Raiola still showed plenty of promise. In 22 starts, he threw for 4,819 yards and 31 touchdowns, while completing 69.1% of his passes, a Nebraska program record.
|
Dante Moore |
20 |
5,208 |
8.2 |
8.1 |
65.7% |
41 |
19 |
|
22 |
4,816 |
7.3 |
7.4 |
68.7% |
31 |
17 |
There are concerns about Raiola’s lack of mobility — he was sacked on nearly 25% of pressures faced — and his reluctance to push the ball downfield. Among the 145 returning FBS quarterbacks with at least 100 career pass attempts, Raiola ranks 120th in air yards per attempt. That could be an issue if he’s pressed into starting duty.
Tavien St. Clair, Ohio State
There is no quarterback competition in Columbus this year. Returning Heisman finalist Julian Sayin is firmly entrenched as Ohio State‘s starter, but that says more about Sayin than the talent behind him. St. Clair, a five-star prospect in the loaded 2025 quarterback class, looks like the next name in the Buckeyes’ quarterback pipeline that has produced college stars like C.J. Stroud, Justin Fields, Dwayne Haskins and J.T. Barrett. His limited college sample as a redshirt freshman — just 12 snaps and two incomplete pass attempts — hardly says anything about his long-term outlook. At Bellefontaine (Ohio), St. Clair threw for more than 10,000 yards and 104 touchdowns in four seasons, reinforcing why many view him as Ohio State’s quarterback of the future.
Austin Mack OR Keelon Russell, Alabama
This has been, and will remain, the most closely watched quarterback competition heading into the 2026 season. Whether it’s Russell, the former five-star recruit, or Mack, the Washington transfer who followed Kalen DeBoer to Tuscaloosa, that wins the starting job, the loser will immediately become one of the top backup quarterbacks in the country.
Sources told CBS Sports this spring that Russell, who was the No. 2 overall recruit in the 2025 class, is viewed as the slight favorite. But nothing has been decided yet.
Russell offers the higher long-term ceiling. He has the arm talent and natural playmaking ability to become Alabama‘s next star under center. Mack, meanwhile, brings familiarity with both DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, as well as a little more college experience, giving the Crimson Tide a high-floor option if called upon.
Deuce Knight, Ole Miss
Granted, Knight’s lone start at Auburn last season came against FCS Mercer, but the former five-star still delivered a performance that reinforced why he was viewed as one of the nation’s top quarterback prospects. With a coaching change at Auburn and Alex Golesh bringing in his own quarterback from South Florida, Knight transferred to Ole Miss, expecting to earn the starting job. But after Trinidad Chambliss won his legal battle for a sixth year of eligibility, Knight now projects as one of the most talented backups in the country.
Knight was part of the same loaded 2025 class as Tavien St. Clair and Keelon Russell, ranking as the No. 6 quarterback in the cycle. He also earned a spot on Andrew Ivins’ 2025 Freaks List, a reflection of his rare athletic profile. In his lone start as a true freshman, Knight completed 15 of 20 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns while adding 162 rushing yards and four (!!) additional scores on the ground.
Keisean Henderson, Houston
The No. 1 overall recruit in the 2026 class, Henderson arrives at Houston as the long-term face of the program, but he is also walking into a situation where patience may serve him well. With returning starter Conner Weigman in place, Henderson is expected to open his career in a developmental role, though the gap between “future” and “present” is not expected to be large. The jump from a Texas high school independent schedule to Big 12 competition only adds to the learning curve.
Henderson has already checked every box at the high school level. He was the MVP of the Navy All-American Bowl and finished his senior season with 3,880 yards passing and 45 touchdowns, completing 74.5% of his attempts. He also added 522 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground, showing the dual-threat ability that makes him one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the country. Even in a backup role, his talent level makes him difficult to keep off the field.
Eli Holstein, Virginia
Holstein was benched last season at Pittsburgh after an uneven stretch as the starter, during which the Panthers began 7-0 before going 2-5 in his final seven starts. As turnovers became more of an issue, Mason Heintschel ultimately took over the job, and Holstein eventually entered the transfer portal. Now at Virginia, where Beau Pribula is projected to open the season as the starter, Holstein still brings something most backup quarterbacks on this list do not: experience.
The upside is he threw for 3,309 yards and 29 touchdowns. The downside is his interception rate rose from 2.4% in 2024 to 4.8% in 2025, a key factor in his midseason benching. Even so, Holstein brings rare Power Four starting experience for a backup, making him one of the most game-ready QB2s in the country.
Byrd Ficklin, Utah
Ficklin carved out a defined role in Utah‘s offense last season as a true freshman while starter Devon Dampier earned Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year honors. Both quarterbacks bring mobility to the Utes’ system, but Ficklin’s efficiency as a runner stood out. He averaged 8.4 yards per carry, the second-best mark among FBS quarterbacks with at least 25 rush attempts. His 55 designed carries also ranked fifth nationally among quarterbacks with fewer than six starts.
He was effective as a passer in limited action as well, completing 21 of 35 attempts for 301 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. More importantly, Utah has already shown a clear willingness to build packages around him, using his athleticism alongside the starter to create a unique wrinkle in the offense. That role is likely to expand, even without full-time starting duties.
Mikey Keene, Arizona State
There are eight returning quarterbacks in the FBS this season with at least 2,000 career snaps, but only one is not projected to open the year as a starter. Keene fits that distinction after a long, winding college career that now spans four programs: UCF (2021–22), Fresno State (2023–24), Michigan (2025), and Arizona State (2026). After not seeing the field for Michigan last season while competing for the starting job, he now finds himself in another quarterback battle in Tempe.
Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley is the presumed favorite to win the starting job, leaving Keene in the familiar role of experienced insurance policy. His 34 career starts (22-12 record) are tied for third-most among active quarterbacks. Keene has thrown for 8,245 yards and 65 touchdowns while completing 67.8% of his passes. That’s the résumé of a reliable backup option.
Amari Odom, Syracuse
Let’s assume Steve Angeli regains the starting job after a season-ending Achilles injury cut short what was shaping up as a breakout year. Syracuse went 3-1 with Angeli before he went down against Clemson, and he led the FBS in passing yards at the time. That leaves Kennesaw State transfer and First Team All-Conference USA quarterback Amari Odom as the backup heading into 2026.
Odom helped the Owls to a conference championship with a 7-2 record as the starter, throwing for 2,594 yards and 19 touchdowns. If Angeli were to go down again, Syracuse should have a capable safety net in Odom to avoid going winless without him again.
Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, Michigan
Did you also forget that Michigan added Fowler-Nicolosi? The Colorado State transfer wasn’t in Ann Arbor this spring but was set to arrive this summer as one of the more under-the-radar portal additions for the Wolverines.
Fowler-Nicolosi departed Fort Collins following the midseason firing of coach Jay Norvell and loss of the starting job, but he leaves as one of the program’s most productive passers ever with 6,938 yards and 38 touchdowns across 28 career starts.
There are real questions surrounding Bryce Underwood after a dismal spring, and true freshman Tommy Carr turned heads early, but if Fowler-Nicolosi can pick up the system quickly once he arrives, he could be capable of keeping Michigan’s season from crumbling if Underwood gets pulled.
