.png?w=1280)
Report Card Grades for Top 20 College Football QBs After Week 6
Every Tuesday morning during 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 6 grades.
20. Drew Allar, Penn State
1 of 21
Week 6 Passing Stats: 19-of-26, 200 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Week 6 Rushing Stats: 11 carries, 78 yards
Week 6 Quality of Opponent: ★★ (UCLA)
Week 6 Outcome: Loss (37-42)
Coming off a loss to Oregon, the Nittany Lions had a prime opportunity to bounce back against a UCLA team that was 0-4 to start the year and in the midst of a coaching change.
Instead, they fell behind 27-7 at halftime, and were unable to bridge the gap while playing catch up during the second half. Allar had a solid individual game from a statistical standpoint, but he has yet to show this year that he is a quarterback capable of stepping up and putting the team on his shoulders.
Week 6 Grade: C
19. Arch Manning, Texas
2 of 21
Week 6 Passing Stats: 16-of-29, 263 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Week 6 Rushing Stats: 15 carries, 37 yards
Week 6 Quality of Opponent: ★★★ (Florida)
Week 6 Outcome: Loss (21-29)
After completing 18-of-21 pass attempts for 309 yards and three touchdowns while adding two more scores on the ground against Sam Houston, there was some hope that Arch Manning might be ready to turn a corner coming out of their bye week against Florida.
The Longhorns fell behind 22-7 midway through the third quarter and battled back to make things interesting, but the end result was another lackluster performance from Manning and another loss for the No. 1 team in the preseason AP poll.
Week 6 Grade: D
18. Rocco Becht, Iowa State
3 of 21
Week 6 Passing Stats: 30-of-48, 314 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Week 6 Rushing Stats: 11 carries, 22 yards, 2 TD
Week 6 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Cincinnati)
Week 6 Outcome: Loss (30-38)
The Cyclones leaned heavily on the passing game after falling behind 31-7 in the first half on Saturday, and Rocco Becht ended up tallying a career-high 48 pass attempts while leading a frantic comeback.
Both of his passing touchdowns came in the second half, capping off drives of 14 plays and 75 yards, and 13 plays and 75 yards, but the Cyclones ran out of time and suffered their first loss of the season.
Week 6 Grade: B
.jpg?w=256)
17. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M
4 of 21
Week 6 Passing Stats: 13-of-23, 180 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Week 6 Rushing Stats: 6 carries, 30 yards, 1 TD
Week 6 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Mississippi State)
Week 6 Outcome: Win (31-9)
Marcel Reed and the Aggies took care of business against an upstart Mississippi State team that was exceeding expectations in the early going this season, rattling off 28 unanswered points.
With multiple passing touchdowns in four of his first five games, Reed is making a major impact for the No. 5 team in the country, and the Aggies should be favored at home against Florida and on the road against Arkansas in their next two games.
Week 6 Grade: B
16. Aidan Chiles, Michigan State
5 of 21
Week 6 Passing Stats: 9-of-23, 85 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT
Week 6 Rushing Stats: 13 carries, 23 yards
Week 6 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Nebraska)
Week 6 Outcome: Loss (27-38)
Through his first four games this season, Aidan Chiles completed 68.6 percent of his passes for 868 yards with nine touchdowns and one interception, adding another 154 yards and two scores on the ground.
That performance vaulted him onto our top 20 list for the first time heading into Week 6, but a dud against Nebraska will no doubt send him tumbling back out of the rankings going forward. Can the former 4-star recruit find consistency over the second half of the season?
Week 6 Grade: F
15. Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati
6 of 21
Week 6 Passing Stats: 13-of-25, 214 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Week 6 Rushing Stats: 9 carries, 64 yards, 1 TD
Week 6 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Iowa State)
Week 6 Outcome: Win (38-30)
Brendan Sorsby had a quietly solid season for Cincinnati last year after transferring from Indiana, throwing for 2,813 yards and 18 touchdowns while also doing damage with his legs with 447 rushing yards and nine more touchdowns.
Since turning in a clunker against Nebraska in the season opener, he has 1,188 passing yards, 195 rushing yards and 15 total touchdowns, and the Bearcats are a team on the rise following back-to-back wins against Kansas and Iowa State.
Week 6 Grade: A
14. CJ Carr, Notre Dame
7 of 21
Week 6 Passing Stats: 15-of-23, 189 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Week 6 Rushing Stats: 3 carries, 25 yards
Week 6 Quality of Opponent: ★★★ (Boise State)
Week 6 Outcome: Win (28-7)
The Fighting Irish have bounced back nicely from their 0-2 start, and CJ Carr has hit his stride under center, completing 72.3 percent of his throws for 766 yards with eight touchdowns and zero interceptions over the last three games.
The No. 6 quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class has lived up to the hype after sitting behind Riley Leonard last year, and Notre Dame is still alive in their hunt for a spot in the playoff field.
Week 6 Grade: B
13. Demond Williams Jr., Washington
8 of 21
Week 6 Passing Stats: 28-of-41, 275 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Week 6 Rushing Stats: 14 carries, 54 yards
Week 6 Quality of Opponent: ★★★ (Maryland)
Week 6 Outcome: Win (24-20)
Demond Williams Jr. was held in check by the Ohio State defense in Week 5, but bounced back to lead Washington to victory over a previously undefeated Maryland team on the road.
His 1,472 total yards of offense rank third in the Big Ten, behind only USC quarterback Jayden Maiava (1,644) and Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer (1,565), and he will have an opportunity to pad his stats against a mediocre Rutgers team next weekend.
Week 6 Grade: B
12. Chandler Morris, Virginia
9 of 21
Week 6 Passing Stats: 19-of-31, 149 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Week 6 Rushing Stats: 7 carries, 7 yards
Week 6 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Louisville)
Week 6 Outcome: Win (30-27, OT)
Originally an Oklahoma recruit who also spent three years at TCU, the well-traveled Chandler Morris had a huge season at North Texas last year, throwing for 3,774 yards and 31 touchdowns.
That landed him back at a Power Five program during the offseason when he transferred to Virginia, and while he didn't have his best game of the season on Saturday, the Cavaliers defense picked up the slack to help them improve to 4-1 on the year.
Week 6 Grade: C
11. Josh Hoover, TCU
10 of 21
Week 6 Passing Stats: 23-of-33, 275 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT
Week 6 Rushing Stats: 8 carries, 20 yards, 1 TD
Week 6 Quality of Opponent: ★★★ (Colorado)
Week 6 Outcome: Win (35-21)
Josh Hoover had an excellent start to the season, but stumbled against Arizona State in a 27-24 loss in Week 5 when he threw a pair of interceptions and the Horned Frogs suffered their first loss of the year.
That performance is now a distant memory after his third game of the season with four passing touchdowns, and he is up to 1,517 passing yards and 15 touchdowns through five games as he is on track for career-high counting numbers.
Week 6 Grade: A
10. Dylan Raiola, Nebraska
11 of 21
Week 6 Passing Stats: 16-of-24, 194 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Week 6 Rushing Stats: 9 carries, -17 yards
Week 6 Quality of Opponent: ★★★ (Michigan State)
Week 6 Outcome: Win (38-27)
Dylan Raiola had his first game of the season where he completed less than 70 percent of his passes and failed to throw multiple touchdowns against Michigan State on Saturday, but the Cornhuskers still pulled out the victory to improve to 4-1 on the year.
He was sacked five times by the Spartans defense and struggled to settle in under center during the first half, but his 59-yard touchdown pass to Nyziah Hunter with 6:45 remaining in the fourth quarter made it a two-score game and sealed the victory.
Week 6 Grade: C
9. Luke Altmyer, Illinois
12 of 21
Week 6 Passing Stats: 19-of-22, 390 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Week 6 Rushing Stats: 8 carries, 3 yards
Week 6 Quality of Opponent: ★★ (Purdue)
Week 6 Outcome: Win (43-27)
With 12 touchdowns and zero interceptions, Luke Altmyer now leads the nation in touchdown throws without being picked off, and he also racked up a career-high 390 yards through the air against the Purdue secondary.
He ranks among the FBS leaders in passing yards (1,573, sixth), completion percentage (73.6, sixth) and passer rating (189.7, fourth), and is backing up his preseason All-Big Ten selection.
Week 6 Grade: A
8. Behren Morton, Texas Tech
13 of 21
Week 6 Passing Stats: 28-of-40, 345 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Week 6 Rushing Stats: 7 carries, 1 yard
Week 6 Quality of Opponent: ★★★ (Houston)
Week 6 Outcome: Win (35-11)
After making an early exit in Week 4 with a neck injury and watching Will Hammond shine in his absence, Behren Morton got healthy during Texas Tech's bye week and reasserted himself as the clear starter in Lubbock.
An uptick in his completion percentage (63.3 to 69.3 percent) and yards per attempt (7.2 to 10.1) have made him one of the nation's elite passers in the early going this year, and it's a bonus for the Red Raiders to have a quality backup waiting in the wings.
Week 6 Grade: B
7. Jalon Daniels, Kansas
14 of 21
Week 6 Passing Stats: 18-of-26, 235 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
Week 6 Rushing Stats: 10 carries, 25 yards
Week 6 Quality of Opponent: ★★ (UCF)
Week 6 Outcome: Win (27-20)
Jalon Daniels has shown glimpses of greatness throughout his time under center at Kansas, struggling to stay healthy long enough to put together a true breakout performance. He threw for 2,454 yards and 14 touchdowns last season, but also had 12 interceptions and a lackluster 57.0 percent completion rate.
This year, he has bumped that up to a 67.3 percent completion rate with 16 touchdowns and two interceptions, and he currently leads the Big 12 with a 181.4 passer rating that is also good for sixth in the nation.
Week 6 Grade: B
6. Darian Mensah, Duke
15 of 21
Week 6 Passing Stats: 22-of-30, 265 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Week 6 Rushing Stats: 2 carries, -18 yards
Week 6 Quality of Opponent: ★★★ (California)
Week 6 Outcome: Win (45-21)
Darian Mensah has now eclipsed 250 passing yards in each of his first six games this season, and his 1,838 passing yards rank second in the nation. He has done it without a true go-to receiver, spreading things around in the passing game while taking the Duke offense to a new level.
He leads the ACC in completions (143), passing yards (1,838) and passing touchdowns (15), and while the result so far has been a 4-2 start, the Blue Devils feel like a program on the rise.
Week 6 Grade: B
5. Julian Sayin, Ohio State
16 of 21
Week 6 Passing Stats: 23-of-27, 326 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
Week 6 Rushing Stats: 2 carries, 2 yards
Week 6 Quality of Opponent: ★★★ (Minnesota)
Week 6 Outcome: Win (42-3)
Julian Sayin is living up to his billing as a 5-star recruit in his first year under center for Ohio State, and he turned in another extremely efficient performance against Minnesota in his second start in Big Ten play.
He has completed a staggering 80.2 percent of his passes with 1,313 yards, 13 touchdowns and only three interceptions, and he is taking his shots down field with 10.4 yards per attempt.
Week 6 Grade: A
4. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor
17 of 21
Week 6 Passing Stats: 25-of-39, 345 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Week 6 Rushing Stats: 3 carries, 2 yards
Week 6 Quality of Opponent: ★★ (Kansas State)
Week 6 Outcome: Win (35-34)
Sawyer Robertson is the first quarterback to reach 2,000 passing yards this season, eclipsing that mark last weekend with his fourth 300-yard performance of the year to help the Bears secure a one-point victory over Kansas State.
He still has a ways to go to chase down Nick Florence (4,309 yards in 2012) for the single-season passing record at Baylor, but he is on track to give that number a serious run, and he is playing in an offense that will give him every opportunity to get there this year.
Week 6 Grade: B
3. Carson Beck, Miami
18 of 21
Week 6 Passing Stats: 20-of-27, 241 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT
Week 6 Rushing Stats: 3 carries, -1 yard
Week 6 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★★ (Florida State)
Week 6 Outcome: Win (28-22)
Carson Beck had his worst game of the season in Week 4 against Florida, though the end result was still a 26-7 victory over Florida, and he came out of the other side of a bye week with a brilliant performance over Florida State.
All four of his touchdown passes came in the first three quarters of their victory over the Seminoles, with two long strikes to Malachi Toney who finished with seven receptions for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Beck might now be the co-favorite alongside Oregon's Dante Moore in the early Heisman Trophy race.
Week 6 Grade: A
2. Ty Simpson, Alabama
19 of 21
Week 6 Passing Stats: 23-of-31, 340 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Week 6 Rushing Stats: 9 carries, -6 yards
Week 6 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Vanderbilt)
Week 6 Outcome: Win (30-14)
A week after putting together a fantastic all-around performance in a 24-21 victory over Georgia, Ty Simpson once again looked the part of a Heisman Trophy contender on Saturday against No. 16 Vanderbilt.
After the Crimson Tide fell behind 14-7 in the second quarter with 1:33 remaining before halftime, he led a six-play, 78-yard drive capped off by a 27-yard touchdown pass to Germie Bernard to steal the momentum. Alabama went on to score 16 unanswered points after the break to come away with the victory.
Week 6 Grade: B
1. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
20 of 21
Week 6 Passing Stats: 21-of-36, 198 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
Week 6 Rushing Stats: 12 carries, 58 yards
Week 6 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★★ (Alabama)
Week 6 Outcome: Loss (14-30)
A year after beating No. 1 Alabama in Nashville, Diego Pavia talked a big game heading into this year's matchup with the Crimson Tide, but he failed to back it up with his worst individual performance of the year.
He is still having a strong individual season overall, leading the SEC with 14 touchdown passes to go along with 1,409 passing yards, 352 rushing yards and a vastly improved 71.0 percent completion rate. Now he gets a bye week to reset before the Commodores welcome LSU and Missouri to town in back-to-back weekends.
Week 6 Grade: D
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 temporarily removed from the list, to provide a list of 20 quarterbacks that can all be graded on Week 7 performance in next week's article.
That notably removed Carson Beck (Miami), Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt), Sawyer Robertson (Baylor), Darian Mensah (Duke), Chandler Morris (Virginia) and Brendon Lewis (Memphis) from consideration.
1. Dante Moore, Oregon
2. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
3. Julian Sayin, Ohio State
4. Ty Simpson, Alabama
5. Jayden Maiava, USC
6. Luke Altmyer, Illinois
7. Behren Morton, Texas Tech
8. Jalon Daniels, Kansas
9. CJ Bailey, NC State
10. Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati
11. CJ Carr, Notre Dame
12. Josh Hoover, TCU
13. Joey Aguilar, Tennessee
14. Demond Williams Jr., Washington
15. Beau Pribula, Missouri
16. Noah Fifita, Arizona
17. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
18. Rocco Becht, Iowa State
19. Arch Manning, Texas
20. Drew Mestemaker, North Texas
.jpg?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Latest NBA Mock Draft 📝")
