Report Card Grades for Top College Football QBs After Week 2
Every Wednesday morning throughout the 2025 college football season, we will be grading the performance of the top 20 quarterbacks in the nation.
The rankings will then be shuffled to provide a fresh top 20 list to grade the following week, providing an updated view of the top-tier quarterback landscape across college football.
Included is each player's production through the air and on the ground, the outcome of their game and the quality of their opponent. A 1-5 star system was used to highlight quality of opponent, using the most recent version of The Athletic's ranking of all 136 FBS teams, with stars awarded as follows:
5 stars: No. 1-10 in the rankings
4 stars: No. 11-40 in the rankings
3 stars: No. 41-70 in the rankings
2 stars: No. 71-100 in the rankings
1 star: No. 101-136 in the rankings or an FCS opponent
Finally, each quarterback's performance was given a grade of A, B, C, D or F, and those grades were factored into the shuffling of the rankings for the following week.
Let's get started.
20. Arch Manning, Texas
1 of 21
Week 2 Passing Stats: 19-of-30, 295 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
Week 2 Rushing Stats: 4 carries, 23 yards, 1 TD
Week 2 Quality of Opponent: ★★ (San Jose State)
Week 2 Outcome: Win (38-7)
After a heavily scrutinized Week 1 loss to Ohio State, Arch Manning rebounded with a stellar showing against San Jose State, racking up five total touchdowns and looking much more like a Heisman Trophy favorite.
"I thought he played aggressively," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters. "He threw the ball down the field. I thought he did a great job extending plays. He used his arm to create explosive plays. He used his legs, scrambles for a touchdown."
Week 2 Grade: A
19. Behren Morton, Texas Tech
2 of 21
Week 2 Passing Stats: 18-of-26, 258 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
Week 2 Rushing Stats: 1 carry, 4 yards
Week 2 Quality of Opponent: ★ (Kent State)
Week 2 Outcome: Win (62-14)
A year ago, Behren Morton threw for 378 yards and five touchdowns in Texas Tech's opener, but he struggled with 24 incompletions and two picks in a Week 2 loss to Washington State.
There was no letdown this time, as he followed up a stellar Week 1 performance against Arkansas-Pine Bluff with another strong showing against Kent State on Saturday.
A tougher test awaits next week in Oregon State, but the Beavers are off to an 0-2 start.
Week 2 Grade: A
18. Taylen Green, Arkansas
3 of 21
Week 2 Passing Stats: 17-of-26, 239 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT
Week 2 Rushing Stats: 9 carries, 151 yards, 1 TD
Week 2 Quality of Opponent: ★★ (Arkansas State)
Week 2 Outcome: Win (56-14)
There are some things for Taylen Green to clean up after he threw a pair of interceptions against Arkansas State, but it's hard to find too much fault in a game where he threw four touchdown passes and ran for 151 yards and another score on only nine carries.
After completing just 60.4 percent of his throws a year ago, Green has upped that to a far more efficient 71.9 percent completion rate this season. He currently leads all SEC quarterbacks in passing touchdowns (10), total touchdowns (11) and passer rating (205.5)
Week 2 Grade: B
17. Blake Horvath, Navy
4 of 21
Week 2 Passing Stats: 6-of-8, 168 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Week 2 Rushing Stats: 18 carries, 72 yards, 2 TD
Week 2 Quality of Opponent: ★ (UAB)
Week 2 Outcome: Win (38-24)
Blake Horvath continues to add a dynamic wrinkle to Navy's traditional triple-option, run-heavy offensive attack with his passing skills, as he has completed 12-of-15 pass attempts for 234 yards and two touchdowns.
He also led the team in carries (18) on Saturday while recording his first two rushing touchdowns of the season, and there will likely be plenty more of those to come after he racked up 1,246 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns a year ago.
Week 2 Grade: A
16. Darian Mensah, Duke
5 of 21
Week 2 Passing Stats: 23-of-34, 334 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Week 2 Rushing Stats: 7 carries, 2 yards
Week 2 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Illinois)
Week 2 Outcome: Loss (19-45)
An NIL deal that was reportedly worth $8 million is going to put Darian Mensah under a microscope all season, and after hanging 389 passing yards and three touchdowns on the Elon defense in Week 1, he did not have the same success against a very good Illinois team on Saturday.
He did reach 300 passing yards for the second week in a row, but he also threw an interception and lost a fumble in the red zone, and the Blue Devils have a minus-six turnover margin through two games.
A unique test awaits this weekend, when Mensah squares off against the Tulane team he left behind when he entered the transfer portal.
Week 2 Grade: C
15. Avery Johnson, Kansas State
6 of 21
Week 2 Passing Stats: 15-of-25, 172 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Week 2 Rushing Stats: 3 carries, 14 yards
Week 2 Quality of Opponent: ★ (Army)
Week 2 Outcome: Loss (21-24)
After a grind-it-out loss to Iowa State in Dublin to kick off the season, Kansas State survived a scare at the hands of FCS opponent North Dakota in Week 1, with Avery Johnson logging 318 passing yards, 43 rushing yards and three touchdowns in a 38-35 victory.
However, the Wildcats fell to 1-2 with a loss to Army on Saturday, and Johnson threw an interception on the final drive as the team tried to get in range for a game-tying field goal attempt.
After ranking No. 17 in the preseason AP poll, K-State has now tumbled out of the rankings entirely and will look to right the ship on Friday against Arizona.
Week 2 Grade: D
14. Kevin Jennings, SMU
7 of 21
Week 2 Passing Stats: 16-of-22, 295 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
Week 2 Rushing Stats: 14 carries, 16 yards
Week 2 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Baylor)
Week 2 Outcome: Loss (45-48, 2 OT)
After connecting on a pair of 75-yard touchdown strikes during regulation and another score in the first overtime, Kevin Jennings was unable to get anything going on SMU's drive to kick off the second overtime period against Baylor, and a missed field-goal attempt handed the Bears the game on a platter.
Jennings led SMU to 11 wins and a spot in the College Football Playoff last year, despite a Week 2 loss to BYU, but the margin for error has shrunk considerably for the Mustangs.
Week 2 Grade: C
13. Luke Altmyer, Illinois
8 of 21
Week 2 Passing Stats: 22-of-31, 296 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
Week 2 Rushing Stats: 7 carries, 4 yards
Week 2 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Duke)
Week 2 Outcome: Win (45-19)
Luke Altmyer enjoyed a breakout season under center for Illinois last year, tallying 2,717 passing yards and 22 touchdowns. And a deeper dive into the numbers shows he has taken another significant step forward in the early going this season.
His completion percentage (60.8% to 75.0%), yards per attempt (7.8 to 9.9) and passer rating (144.0 to 195.9) have all spiked through two games, and last weekend's road victory against Duke was far from a cupcake, vaulting the Fighting Illini to No. 9 in the latest AP poll.
Week 2 Grade: A
12. Haynes King, Georgia Tech
9 of 21
Week 2 Passing Stats: Did Not Play
Week 2 Rushing Stats: Did Not Play
Week 2 Quality of Opponent: ★ (Gardner-Webb)
Week 2 Outcome: Win (59-12)
It was announced just before kickoff on Saturday that Haynes King would not be starting for Georgia Tech against Gardner-Webb due to a "nagging lower-body injury," and he spent the entire game on the sidelines.
After he logged 19 carries for 156 yards and three touchdowns against Colorado in Week 1, resting him against an overmatched opponent in Week 2 to get fully healthy for this weekend's huge matchup against Clemson was a smart move for a Yellow Jackets team eyeing a jump into the AP poll.
Week 2 Grade: N/A
11. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
10 of 21
Week 2 Passing Stats: 12-of-18, 193 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Week 2 Rushing Stats: 11 carries, 61 yards
Week 2 Quality of Opponent: ★★★ (Virginia Tech)
Week 2 Outcome: Win (44-20)
At 24 years old, Diego Pavia is older than five current NFL starting quarterbacks: JJ McCarthy (22), Drake Maye (23), Cam Ward (23), Caleb Williams (23) and C.J. Stroud (23).
The seasoned veteran has Vanderbilt off to a 2-0 start after a quality win over Virginia Tech on Saturday, though a much tougher test awaits this weekend as it travels to No. 11 South Carolina.
Week 2 Grade: B
10. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
11 of 21
Week 2 Passing Stats: 10-of-22, 82 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
Week 2 Rushing Stats: 8 carries, 25 yards
Week 2 Quality of Opponent: ★★ (Mississippi State)
Week 2 Outcome: Loss (20-24)
After attempting just 23 passes as a true freshman at Michigan State in 2023, Sam Leavitt was one of the biggest surprises of the 2024 season at quarterback, throwing for 2,885 yards and 24 touchdowns while leading Arizona State to a Big 12 championship and the College Football Playoff.
He threw just six interceptions in 350 attempts last year, but he has already been picked off three times in 61 passes this season.
Even with the rushing attack racking up 251 yards and nearly five yards per carry, he was unable to find any success in the passing game against Mississippi State in a tough Week 2 loss.
Week 2 Grade: D
9. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor
12 of 21
Week 2 Passing Stats: 34-of-50, 440 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT
Week 2 Rushing Stats: 6 carries, 20 yards
Week 2 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (SMU)
Week 2 Outcome: Win (48-45, 2 OT)
Sawyer Robertson ended the 2024 regular season on a roll, throwing for 1,581 yards and 17 touchdowns while leading Baylor on a six-game winning streak.
He capped things off with a 445-yard explosion in the Texas Bowl against LSU, and he has picked up right where he left off with back-to-back 400-yard performances to start the 2025 campaign.
Two of his four touchdown passes came late in the fourth quarter to bridge a 38-24 gap and force overtime, and the Bears came away with a big win over No. 17 SMU after falling to Auburn in their opener.
Week 2 Grade: A
8. Rocco Becht, Iowa State
13 of 21
Week 2 Passing Stats: 18-of-27, 134 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Week 2 Rushing Stats: 5 carries, 11 yards
Week 2 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Iowa)
Week 2 Outcome: Win (16-13)
With a second straight win over in-state rival Iowa, Rocco Becht has taken another step toward cementing his legacy as one of the greatest quarterbacks in Iowa State history, and the Cyclones are now up to No. 14 in the latest AP poll.
Through three games, he has completed 68 percent of his passes for 595 yards and six touchdowns, and he has taken a nice step forward with his efficiency after connecting on just 59.4 percent of his throws a year ago.
Week 2 Grade: A
7. Carson Beck, Miami
14 of 21
Week 2 Passing Stats: 22-of-24, 267 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Week 2 Rushing Stats: 0 carries, 0 yards
Week 2 Quality of Opponent: ★ (Bethune-Cookman)
Week 2 Outcome: Win (45-3)
After leading Miami to a huge Week 1 win over Notre Dame in his Hurricanes debut, Carson Beck had a chance to pick apart a much less intimidating defense last weekend. And he was near-perfect before heading to the bench after leading a touchdown drive to open the third quarter.
Upstart South Florida is up next, and the Bulls defense did a good job keeping Boise State's Maddux Madsen (25-of-46, 225 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT) and Florida's DJ Lagway (23-of-33, 222 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) in check en route to upset victories during a surprise 2-0 start.
Week 2 Grade: A
6. D.J. Lagway, Florida
15 of 21
Week 2 Passing Stats: 23-of-33, 222 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Week 2 Rushing Stats: 6 carries, 9 yards
Week 2 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (South Florida)
Week 2 Outcome: Loss (16-18)
The potential is there for DJ Lagway to be a star, and he showed flashes of that last season in wins over LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State to close out the regular season and in Florida's first bowl game win since 2019.
After an efficient season debut against Long Island University, he struggled on Saturday against South Florida, and the Gators were handed an upset loss that knocked them out of the AP poll.
Can Lagway rebound on the road against LSU this weekend?
Week 2 Grade: C
5. Cade Klubnik, Clemson
16 of 21
Week 2 Passing Stats: 18-of-24, 196 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Week 2 Rushing Stats: 5 carries, -4 yards
Week 2 Quality of Opponent: ★ (Troy)
Week 2 Outcome: Win (27-16)
Clemson didn't exactly cruise to victory over Troy on the heels of their season-opening loss to LSU. And while Cade Klubnik had a better game under center, he still threw a pick and finished shy of 200 passing yards.
Both of his touchdown passes came in the second half on Saturday, after the Tigers fell behind 16-3 at halftime, and perhaps that will be the wakeup call his season needed after he entered the year as one of the Heisman Trophy favorites.
Week 2 Grade: B
4. John Mateer, Oklahoma
17 of 21
Week 2 Passing Stats: 21-of-34, 270 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Week 2 Rushing Stats: 19 carries, 74 yards, 2 TD
Week 2 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Michigan)
Week 2 Outcome: Win (24-13)
After a prolific individual season at Washington State last year, John Mateer picked up his first career win over a ranked opponent on Saturday when he led Oklahoma to a 24-13 victory over No. 15 Michigan.
He opened the game with a 12-play, 75-yard drive that was capped off by a nine-yard touchdown pass to Deion Burks, then added a pair of rushing touchdowns while leading the Sooners in carries (19) and rushing yards (74).
A signature win and his dual-threat production makes him one of the early Heisman Trophy favorites.
Week 2 Grade: A
3. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
18 of 21
Week 2 Passing Stats: 11-of-19, 128 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Week 2 Rushing Stats: 8 carries, 23 yards
Week 2 Quality of Opponent: ★ (South Carolina State)
Week 2 Outcome: Win (38-10)
LaNorris Sellers announced himself as a rising star last season with a six-game winning streak. During that stretch, he had two games with 300 passing yards, two games with 100 rushing yards and 17 total touchdowns.
That explosive playmaking has been largely absent to start the 2025 season, and he managed just 151 total yards against FCS opponent South Carolina State, despite playing the entire game.
A long weather delay before kickoff took some of the life out of the game, but he'll need a breakthrough performance soon to remain among the upper echelon of quarterbacks.
Week 2 Grade: C
2. Drew Allar, Penn State
19 of 21
Week 2 Passing Stats: 19-of-33, 200 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Week 2 Rushing Stats: 2 carries, -11 yards
Week 2 Quality of Opponent: ★ (FIU)
Week 2 Outcome: Win (34-0)
The Nittany Lions have not exactly been tested so far this season, posting a 46-11 victory over Nevada in their opener before pitching a 34-0 shutout against Florida International this past weekend.
That won't change this weekend when they host an FCS opponent in Villanova, but through two lopsided games, Drew Allar has completed 41-of-59 pass attempts for 417 yards and three touchdowns.
Can he establish himself as QB1 in the 2026 NFL draft as the season unfolds?
Week 2 Grade: B
1. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
20 of 21
Week 2 Passing Stats: 26-of-41, 237 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Week 2 Rushing Stats: 3 carries, -27 yards
Week 2 Quality of Opponent: ★ (Louisiana Tech)
Week 2 Outcome: Win (23-7)
The LSU Tigers were 36.5-point favorites against Louisiana Tech last weekend, so a 23-7 victory qualified as something of a letdown, though a win is a win for a team chasing a national championship run.
Garrett Nussmeier had 15 incompletions, threw an interception on LSU's opening drive of the game and was sacked three times for a combined loss of 27 yards.
"I think there's some things that he would wish that he had done better," head coach Brian Kelly told reporters. "Obviously, making good decisions relative to whether you can leave the pocket and pick up some yardage."
It will take a cleaner performance to hold off Florida on Saturday night.
Week 2 Grade: C
Updated Top 20 CFB Quarterbacks List
21 of 21
In an effort to keep things fresh and allow for the inclusion of breakout performers, we will be re-ranking the top 20 quarterbacks in college football each week on this final slide. That will then set the stage for the 20 QBs whose performance will be graded the following week.
With only two games in the books for most of these players, preseason expectations and past track record still play a significant factor in the rankings, but a few new faces have crept into the top 20.
Jayden Maiava (USC), Dante Moore (Oregon), Devon Dampier (Utah) and Julian Sayin (Ohio State) all join the top 20 for the first time in the fledgling season, while Sam Leavitt (Arizona State), Kevin Jennings (SMU), Avery Johnson (Kansas State) and the injured Haynes King (Georgia Tech) fall out, but they are each one strong performance away from climbing right back into the rankings.
For now, here is the updated top 20 list, which is who we will be grading next Wednesday:
1. Drew Allar, Penn State
2. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
3. John Mateer, Oklahoma
4. Carson Beck, Miami
5. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor
6. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
7. Cade Klubnik, Clemson
8. Arch Manning, Texas
9. Luke Altmyer, Illinois
10. Rocco Becht, Iowa State
11. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
12. Blake Horvath, Navy
13. Behren Morton, Texas Tech
14. Taylen Green, Arkansas
15. Jayden Maiava, USC
16. Dante Moore, Oregon
17. Devon Dampier, Utah
18. Julian Sayin, Ohio State
19. DJ Lagway, Florida
20. Darian Mensah, Duke
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