Report Card Grades for Top 20 College Football QBs After Week 3
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 dive into the Week 3 grades.
20. Darian Mensah, Duke
1 of 21
Week 3 Passing Stats: 30-of-51, 313 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
Week 3 Rushing Stats: 1 carry, 2 yards
Week 3 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Tulane)
Week 3 Outcome: Loss (27-34)
Despite a third straight 300-yard passing game from Darian Mensah, the Duke Blue Devils fell to 1-2 on the season with a road loss to one of the best Group of Five teams in the nation in Tulane.
It was a homecoming for Mensah, who threw for 2,723 yards and 22 touchdowns as Tulane's quarterback last season before entering the transfer portal and landing at Duke with a high-profile NIL deal.
Week 3 Grade: B
19. DJ Lagway, Florida
2 of 21
Week 3 Passing Stats: 33-of-49, 287 yards, 1 TD, 5 INT
Week 3 Rushing Stats: 9 carries, 19 yards
Week 3 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★★ (LSU)
Week 3 Outcome: Loss (10-20)
DJ Lagway became the first Florida quarterback since Shane Matthews in 1992 to throw five interceptions in an ugly performance against LSU on Saturday night, but the Gators still have high hopes for their young signal caller.
"It's important, OK, for everyone to understand that he's still a young player," head coach Billy Napier told reporters. "I think it's important for everybody, and he's an incredible teammate and he's an incredible young man, and he works as hard as any player that I've been around, and I think that tonight is not indicative of who he is as a teammate, a football player, and a leader on our team."
Week 3 Grade: F
18. Julian Sayin, Ohio State
3 of 21
Week 3 Passing Stats: 25-of-32, 347 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
Week 3 Rushing Stats: 2 carries, -2 yards
Week 3 Quality of Opponent: ★★★ (Ohio)
Week 3 Outcome: Win (37-9)
Ohio State led just 13-3 at halftime against an Ohio University team that were favored to beat by 31.5 points, but they pulled away in the second half thanks to a pair of touchdown passes from Julian Sayin.
The first-year starter has found some good early chemistry with star wideout Jeremiah Smith, as he has 20 receptions for 315 yards and three touchdowns through their first three games.
Week 3 Grade: C
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17. Devon Dampier, Utah
4 of 21
Week 3 Passing Stats: 27-of-41, 230 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Week 3 Rushing Stats: 13 carries, 86 yards
Week 3 Quality of Opponent: ★ (Wyoming)
Week 3 Outcome: Win (31-6)
The comfort level Devon Dampier has with offensive coordinator Jason Beck after following him from New Mexico to Utah during the offseason has been abundantly clear during a 3-0 start that has the Utes up to No. 16 in the latest AP poll.
He has completed 73 percent of his passes for 628 yards with seven touchdowns and zero interceptions, and he is also the team's leading rusher with 198 yards on 33 carries. A big matchup against No. 17 Texas Tech awaits this weekend.
Week 3 Grade: B
16. Dante Moore, Oregon
5 of 21
Week 3 Passing Stats: 16-of-20, 178 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Week 3 Rushing Stats: 2 carries, 5 yards
Week 3 Quality of Opponent: ★★ (Northwestern)
Week 3 Outcome: Win (34-14)
The potential that Dante Moore showed as a true freshman starter at UCLA in 2023 has turned into high-level production this season in his first year as starter at Oregon, replacing Dillon Gabriel.
After punting on their first possession, Oregon rattled off five straight scoring drives to build a 24-0 lead while relying mostly on the run game. Moore was efficient under center, and while he was picked off on the opening drive of the fourth quarter, the game was already well in hand at that point.
Week 3 Grade: C
15. Jayden Maiava, USC
6 of 21
Week 3 Passing Stats: 17-of-28, 282 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
Week 3 Rushing Stats: 7 carries, 10 yards, 1 TD
Week 3 Quality of Opponent: ★★ (Purdue)
Week 3 Outcome: Win (33-17)
After a 412-yard, four-touchdown performance against Georgia Southern in Week 2, Jayden Maiava had a quieter performance on Saturday against Purdue, but he still played a clean game while recording his second rushing touchdown of the season.
With USC entering the AP poll for the first time this week in the No. 25 spot, expectations are climbing for the Trojans. A huge road game against No. 9 Illinois is on the horizon for Week 5, but they can't overlook Aidan Chiles and Michigan State at home next week.
Week 3 Grade: B
14. Taylen Green, Arkansas
7 of 21
Week 3 Passing Stats: 22-of-35, 305 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Week 3 Rushing Stats: 14 carries, 115 yards, 1 TD
Week 3 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Ole Miss)
Week 3 Outcome: Loss (35-41)
It's difficult to give a quarterback an "A" grade in a game he doesn't win, otherwise Taylen Green would have received top marks for his performance against an Ole Miss squad that was a 6.5-point favorite in Fayetteville.
With his second 300-yard passing game of the season and second straight 100-yard rushing performance, Green has quickly solidified his status as one of the elite dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation. To that point, he leads the SEC in passing touchdowns (11) and yards per carry (9.6).
Week 3 Grade: B
13. Behren Morton, Texas Tech
8 of 21
Week 3 Passing Stats: 23-of-35, 464 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
Week 3 Rushing Stats: 5 carries, -9 yards
Week 3 Quality of Opponent: ★★ (Oregon State)
Week 3 Outcome: Win (45-14)
With a career-high 464 passing yards and a lopsided 45-14 victory over a major conference opponent in Oregon State, Behren Morton continues to be one of the most underrated quarterbacks in college football on a national level.
He leads the Big 12 in passing touchdowns (11), yards per attempt (11.4) and quarterback rating (208.4), and the Red Raiders sit at No. 17 in the latest AP poll with their first major test of the season on tap this weekend with a road game against No. 16 Utah.
Week 3 Grade: A
12. Blake Horvath, Navy
9 of 21
Week 3 Passing Stats: 6-of-10, 94 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
Week 3 Rushing Stats: 21 carries, 159 yards, 1 TD
Week 3 Quality of Opponent: ★ (Tulsa)
Week 3 Outcome: Win (42-23)
The Navy offense is not built around passing, but a big reason Blake Horvath has made such an impact during his time steering the Midshipmen's offense is because he is capable of hurting a team with his arm.
Saturday's game against Tulsa got off to a disastrous start with an interception, lost fumble and another interception to fall behind 14-0, but props to Horvath for having the composure necessary to rebound from those three early turnovers to still lead the team to victory.
Week 3 Grade: C
11. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
10 of 21
Week 3 Passing Stats: 18-of-25, 177 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Week 3 Rushing Stats: 11 carries, 24 yards
Week 3 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (South Carolina)
Week 3 Outcome: Win (31-7)
The legend of Diego Pavia continues to grow following an upset victory over South Carolina, a year after he piloted an upset win over No. 1 Alabama and a road win against Auburn.
The Commodores are 3-0 for the first time since 2017, and their No. 20 ranking in the latest AP poll is the highest they have climbed since 2008. They have a clear path to a 5-0 start with non-conference games against Georgia State and Utah State up next.
Week 3 Grade: B
10. Rocco Becht, Iowa State
11 of 21
Week 3 Passing Stats: 14-of-25, 265 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Week 3 Rushing Stats: 5 carries, 4 yards, 1 TD
Week 3 Quality of Opponent: ★★ (Arkansas State)
Week 3 Outcome: Win (24-16)
The No. 14 Iowa State Cyclones became the highest-ranked team to ever play a game at Arkansas State on Saturday, and while it wasn't a pretty win, they got the job done to start 4-0 for the second year in a row.
Rocco Becht led a five-play, 75-yards drive in 28 seconds late in the second quarter, capped off by a 27-yard touchdown pass to Dominic Overby. That came after the Red Wolves took a 10-9 lead with a 17-play, 70-yard drive that lasted over eight minutes of game time and seemed to give them all the momentum heading into halftime. That's the type of clutch performance that good quarterbacks provide.
Week 3 Grade: C
9. Luke Altmyer, Illinois
12 of 21
Week 3 Passing Stats: 17-of-26, 196 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Week 3 Rushing Stats: 5 carries, 0 yards, 1 TD
Week 3 Quality of Opponent: ★ (Western Michigan)
Week 3 Outcome: Win (38-0)
Luke Altmyer had a breakout 2024 season, throwing for 2,717 yards and 22 touchdowns, but he completed just 60.8 percent of his passes while throwing to an experienced group of wide receivers.
With a new-look receiving corps this year, he has taken another step forward, throwing for 709 yards with eight touchdowns and zero interceptions while upping his completion percentage to 71.8 percent. Hank Beatty (19 catches, 289 yards, 1 TD) has been his favorite target.
Week 3 Grade: B
8. Arch Manning, Texas
13 of 21
Week 3 Passing Stats: 11-of-25, 114 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Week 3 Rushing Stats: 9 carries, 51 yards, 2 TD
Week 3 Quality of Opponent: ★ (UTEP)
Week 3 Outcome: Win (27-10)
"I've got to play better," Arch Manning told reporters. "A lot of quarterbacks -- a lot of players -- want to be great. I know I'm better than this."
Those comments came after the hyped Texas quarterback was booed by Longhorns fans during another shaky performance that resulted in a 17-point win in a game where they were 40.5-point favorites. Things won't get any easier from here as SEC play gets underway in Week 4.
Week 3 Grade: D
7. Cade Klubnik, Clemson
14 of 21
Week 3 Passing Stats: 15-of-26, 207 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Week 3 Rushing Stats: 17 carries, 62 yards, 1 TD
Week 3 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Georgia Tech)
Week 3 Outcome: Loss (21-24)
Cade Klubnik finished in the top 10 in the nation in passing yards (3,639, 10th) and passing touchdowns (36, 3rd) last year, and he entered the 2025 season as one of the Heisman Trophy favorites, but things simply have not clicked in the early going.
The Tigers are off to a disappointing 1-2 start following Saturday's loss to Georgia Tech, and Klubnik has completed just 59.1 percent of his throws with three touchdowns and three interceptions.
Week 3 Grade: C
6. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
15 of 21
Week 3 Passing Stats: 6-of-7, 94 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Week 3 Rushing Stats: 3 carries, -3 yards
Week 3 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Vanderbilt)
Week 3 Outcome: Loss (7-31)
A brutal helmet-to-helmet hit that resulted in a targeting penalty and ejection for Langston Patterson knocked LaNorris Sellers out of Saturday's game against Vanderbilt late in the second quarter, and he did not return.
Head coach Shane Beamer said he is "optimistic" that Sellers will be available for Week 4 against Missouri, but he will need to be cleared by medical staff as he is monitored as part of concussion protocol.
Week 3 Grade: INJ
5. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor
16 of 21
Week 3 Passing Stats: 23-of-37, 211 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
Week 3 Rushing Stats: 3 carries, 11 yards
Week 3 Quality of Opponent: ★ (Samford)
Week 3 Outcome: Win (42-7)
After back-to-back 400-yard passing games against Auburn and SMU, Sawyer Robertson had his worst game of the season against FCS opponent Samford on Saturday, though the end result was still a blowout victory.
His 356.7 passing yards per game trail only Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli (357.3) among FBS quarterbacks, and up next he faces an Arizona State defense that allowed 279 yards and three touchdown passes to Blake Shapen in a Week 2 loss to Mississippi State.
Week 3 Grade: C
4. Carson Beck, Miami
17 of 21
Week 3 Passing Stats: 23-of-28, 340 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
Week 3 Rushing Stats: 6 carries, 28 yards, 1 TD
Week 3 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (South Florida)
Week 3 Outcome: Win (49-12)
Despite throwing two interceptions, Carson Beck again did a solid job running the Miami offense while accounting for four total touchdowns in a lopsided victory over upstart South Florida.
The Georgia transfer leads all qualified quarterbacks with a 79.3 percent completion rate, and after throwing an SEC-leading 12 interceptions a year ago, he has looked more in control this year even with the two giveaways in Week 3.
Week 3 Grade: B
3. John Mateer, Oklahoma
18 of 21
Week 3 Passing Stats: 20-of-34, 282 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Week 3 Rushing Stats: 7 carries, 63 yards, 1 TD
Week 3 Quality of Opponent: ★ (Temple)
Week 3 Outcome: Win (42-3)
John Mateer had 29 passing touchdowns, 15 rushing touchdowns and 3,965 total yards of offense last season at Washington State, and his dual-threat skills have translated nicely to the Oklahoma offense through the first three games of the new season.
His 1,105 total yards this year trail only Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green (1,173) among all FBS players, and he has tallied at least one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown in all three games. The SEC grind starts next weekend with a home game against Auburn.
Week 3 Grade: B
2. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
19 of 21
Week 3 Passing Stats: 15-of-27, 220 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Week 3 Rushing Stats: 1 carry, 5 yards
Week 3 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Florida)
Week 3 Outcome: Win (20-10)
Garrett Nussmeier is still searching for his first 300-yard passing performance of the season after reaching that mark eight times last year en route to a 4,052-yard season, and he has also yet to have a multi-touchdown game.
However, he is doing a much better job protecting the football, and LSU is 3-0 with and slotted at No. 3 in the AP poll, so it's hard to complain about his play in the grand scheme of things. A cupcake against Southeastern Louisiana next should give him an opportunity for a gaudy stat line.
Week 3 Grade: C
1. Drew Allar, Penn State
20 of 21
Week 3 Passing Stats: 16-of-29, 209 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Week 3 Rushing Stats: 2 carries, 18 yards
Week 3 Quality of Opponent: ★ (Villanova)
Week 3 Outcome: Win (52-6)
While Drew Allar put together a lackluster individual performance against Villanova, the Nittany Lions run game pounded out 237 yards and three touchdowns against an overmatched opponent on the way to a blowout win.
After a nearly perfect Week 1 game against Nevada, Allar has completed just 35-of-62 pass attempts the last two weeks, and he is still searching for a true go-to target in a post-Tyler Warren world. Penn State has a bye week on Saturday, giving them extra time to prepare for a huge Week 5 game against Oregon.
Week 3 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.
Players who are headed into a bye week were also temporarily removed from the list, to provide a list of 20 quarterbacks that can all be graded on Week 4 performance in next week's article.
That notably removed Drew Allar (Penn State), Rocco Becht (Iowa State), Blake Horvath (Navy), Julian Sayin (Ohio State), Marcel Reed (Texas A&M), Ty Simpson (Alabama) and Gunner Stockton (Georgia).
1. Carson Beck, Miami
2. Behren Morton, Texas Tech
3. Taylen Green, Arkansas
4. John Mateer, Oklahoma
5. Jayden Maiava, USC
6. Dante Moore, Oregon
7. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
8. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
9. Devon Dampier, Utah
10. Luke Altmyer, Illinois
11. Joey Aguilar, Tennessee
12. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor
13. Dylan Raiola, Nebraska
14. Beau Pribula, Missouri
15. Darian Mensah, Duke
16. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
17. Arch Manning, Texas
18. Cade Klubnik, Clemson
19. Jake Retzlaff, Tulane
20. Haynes King, Georgia Tech
This is the final week Garrett Nussmeier, Arch Manning and Cade Klubnik will be propped up by preseason expectations, as their 2025 performance alone will need to justify their spot in the top 20 going forward.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
