Report Card Grades for Top 20 College Football QBs after Week 9

Every Tuesday morning throughout the 2026 college football season, we will be grading the performance of the top 20 quarterbacks in the nation, then re-ranking a new top 20 for next week's report card assignment.

Included are each player's numbers through the air and on the ground, their game's outcome, and the quality of their opponent. A 1-5 star system was used to highlight the quality of the opponent, using the most recent version of The Athletic's ranking of all 138 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. 101-138 in the rankings or an FCS opponent

Each quarterback's performance was given a grade of A, B, C, D or F. Those grades were factored into the reordering of the rankings for the following week.

20. Maddux Madsen, Boise State

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Week 9 Passing Stats: 24-of-33, 236 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Week 9 Rushing Stats: 7 carries, -2 yards, 2 TD
Week 9 Quality of Opponent: ★★ (Texas State)
Week 9 Outcome: Win (46-45)

With less than eight minutes remaining and Boise State trailing 39-28 following an interception return touchdown by Texas State on the Broncos' previous possession, Maddux Madsen was knocked out of the game with a left knee injury.

Max Cutforth replaced him and promptly led three straight drives that all ended in passing touchdowns, as he finished 8-of-13 for 131 yards and three scores to help Boise State avoid the upset.

Madsen eventually returned to the sidelines on crutches, and his status going forward is unclear.

Week 9 Grade: Incomplete

19. JC French IV, Cincinnati

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Week 9 Passing Stats: 16-of-30, 263 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Week 9 Rushing Stats: 7 carries, -2 yards, 1 TD
Week 9 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★★ (Utah)
Week 9 Outcome: Loss (25-49)

After throwing a career-high four touchdown passes in an upset victory over Texas Tech in Week 8, JC French IV had a significantly less impactful game against Utah on Saturday.

It was his second game this season without a touchdown pass, and his 53.3 percent completion rate was the worst single-game showing of the year. The schedule doesn't get any easier next week when the Bearcats hit the road to face No. 17 Houston.

Week 9 Grade: D

18. Austin Simmons, Missouri

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Week 9 Passing Stats: 20-of-31, 179 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Week 9 Rushing Stats: 3 carries, 3 yards
Week 9 Quality of Opponent: ★★★ (Arkansas)
Week 9 Outcome: Win (34-10)

With 211 rushing yards as a team, including another big game from Jamal Roberts (23 carries, 138 yards, 1 TD), Missouri didn't need Austin Simmons to shoulder the offensive load in Saturday's lopsided victory over Arkansas.

It wasn't the most efficient passing game for the Ole Miss transfer, but he still added two more touchdowns to his season total, and his 16-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio on the year remains excellent. Now the grind begins for the Tigers, as they face Texas, Georgia and Kentucky the next three weeks.

Week 9 Grade: C

17. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina

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Week 9 Passing Stats: 19-of-24, 301 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
Week 9 Rushing Stats: 13 carries, 96 yards, 2 TD
Week 9 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Oklahoma)
Week 9 Outcome: Win (42-25)

After an 0-3 start to SEC play, South Carolina has won three in a row against Florida, Tennessee and Oklahoma, and that is enough to make them the highest-ranked three-loss team in the latest AP poll at No. 23.

During that three-game winning streak, LaNorris Sellers has piled up 790 passing yards, 212 rushing yards and 13 total touchdowns. There is still room to clean up his decision making, with his two interceptions on Saturday bringing his season total to seven, but his dynamic dual-threat playmaking has been the catalyst for their rise to relevance.

Week 9 Grade: A

16. Tayven Jackson, North Texas

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Week 9 Passing Stats: 33-of-46, 404 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT
Week 9 Rushing Stats: 5 carries, 41 yards
Week 9 Quality of Opponent: ★★ (Florida Atlantic)
Week 9 Outcome: Win (48-41)

In a matchup of two of the best Group of Six quarterbacks in the nation, Tayven Jackson and North Texas outpaced Caden Veltkamp (37/56, 452 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT) and Florida Atlantic to improve to 6-2 overall and stay undefeated in AAC play.

After stops at Tennessee, Indiana and UCF, Jackson is finally realizing the potential that made him a 4-star recruit out of high school. He leads the AAC in completion percentage (72.3) and passing yards (2,577), and his passer rating (176.8) is good for fifth among all FBS quarterbacks.

Week 9 Grade: A

15. Marcus Stokes, Memphis

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Week 9 Passing Stats: 29-of-35, 371 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT
Week 9 Rushing Stats: 7 carries, 30 yards, 1 TD
Week 9 Quality of Opponent: ★★ (Army)
Week 9 Outcome: Win (49-22)

Memphis is 5-1 in its last six games, and while Marcus Stokes had a three-interception dud in the lone loss to Tulane, he has 18 touchdown passes and zero interceptions in the five victories during that stretch.

He leads the AAC in passer rating (178.5) and yards per attempt (9.8), and he is tied for the FBS lead in passing touchdowns (25) and total touchdowns (28) in his first season at the FBS level.

A tough game on the road against South Florida is up next, as the Bulls' defense is surrendering just 14.5 points per game.

Week 9 Grade: A

14. Josh Hoover, Indiana

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Week 9 Passing Stats: 8-of-19, 119 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Week 9 Rushing Stats: 3 carries, 2 yards
Week 9 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Minnesota)
Week 9 Outcome: Win (23-16)

After a shaky first half where he also took a big hit just before halftime, Josh Hoover was benched in favor of Grant Wilson, who ultimately threw the game-winning touchdown pass on the first play of overtime.

With 12 of his 19 touchdown passes this season coming against North Texas, Howard and Rutgers, Hoover's overall numbers look better than the recent results. In his last four games, he has completed just 48.5 percent of his passes with four touchdowns and two interceptions. With a bye this weekend, the Hoosiers have two weeks to sort out who is going to start against USC on Nov. 14.

Week 9 Grade: F

13. Devon Dampier, Utah

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Week 9 Passing Stats: 22-of-29, 260 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
Week 9 Rushing Stats: 9 carries, 45 yards
Week 9 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Cincinnati)
Week 9 Outcome: Win (49-25)

The Utes scored on all four of their offensive possessions during the first half of Saturday's game, and the defense also added a pair of scores to build a 42-6 halftime lead.

That meant the running game took center stage after the break, but Devon Dampier still put together a strong overall game, and he capped off the scoring with his third touchdown pass of the day late in the third quarter. A solid bounce-back performance after his shaky showing against Houston in Week 8.

Week 9 Grade: B

12. Lincoln Kienholz, Louisville

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Week 9 Passing Stats: 20-of-28, 250 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Week 9 Rushing Stats: 9 carries, 62 yards, 1 TD
Week 9 Quality of Opponent: ★★ (Stanford)
Week 9 Outcome: Win (52-24)

For the fourth time this season, Lincoln Kienholz had at least two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. He is now up to 23 total touchdowns on the year, with 12 passing and 11 rushing, and the Louisville offense ranks fifth in the nation with 40.5 points per game.

After a disappointing 2-3 start to the year, the Cardinals have outscored the opposition 130-70 during a three-game winning streak against Florida State, Syracuse and Stanford. With one year of eligibility left, Kienholz is laying the groundwork for what could be a legitimate star turn in 2027.

Week 9 Grade: A

11. Aidan Chiles, Northwestern

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Week 9 Passing Stats: 22-of-38, 281 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT

Week 9 Rushing Stats: 14 carries, 93 yards, 1 TD

Week 9 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Oregon)

Week 9 Outcome: Loss (26-34)

After building a 20–6 lead with two touchdowns and two field goals on their first four possessions, Northwestern's offense stalled in the second half. The Wildcats punted three times and attempted three field goals, making two, en route to their second loss of the year.

With 13 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns on the year after his two first-half scores on Saturday, Aidan Chiles is now one of only four FBS quarterbacks with double digits in both categories. Lincoln Kienholz (Louisville), Michael Hawkins Jr. (West Virginia) and Ashton Daniels (Florida State) are the others.

Week 9 Grade: C

10. CJ Carr, Notre Dame

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Week 9 Passing Stats: 19-of-29, 210 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Week 9 Rushing Stats: 2 carries, 4 yards
Week 9 Quality of Opponent: ★ (Navy)
Week 9 Outcome: Win (35-13)

The Fighting Irish led just 14-13 at halftime against Navy, but they responded with three straight touchdown drives spanning 219 total yards to take control of the game in the second half.

While all three of those scoring drives were punctuated by rushing touchdowns, CJ Carr did have a pair of touchdown passes, bouncing back from a lackluster performance in the Week 7 loss to BYU. Eight games into the season, Carr has a remarkably similar completion percentage (66.6 to 66.7) and passer rating (168.1 to 162.5) to a year ago.

Week 9 Grade: B

9. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss

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Week 9 Passing Stats: 22-of-34, 263 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Week 9 Rushing Stats: 7 carries, 65 yards, 1 TD
Week 9 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Auburn)
Week 9 Outcome: Win (45-15)

The Rebels led 17-15 midway through the third quarter before rattling off 28 unanswered points to close out the game, and that decisive stretch included all three of Trinidad Chambliss' touchdowns.

The SEC leader in completions (189), passing yards (2,189) and passing touchdowns (18), he also threw his eighth interception of the season on Saturday. He has a chance at a career-defining game this Saturday against No. 2 Georgia, with a victory likely putting Ole Miss comfortably in the playoff picture.

Week 9 Grade: B

8. Jayden Maiava, USC

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Week 9 Passing Stats: 15-of-22, 222 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Week 9 Rushing Stats: 1 carry, -9 yards
Week 9 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★★ (Ohio State)
Week 9 Outcome: Win (30-18)

Jayden Maiava became the first quarterback this season to complete more than 65 percent of his passes against the Ohio State defense, and that efficiency helped the Trojans pull off the upset victory.

He has now reached 20 touchdown passes for the second straight season, and leads the Big Ten in that category, as well as completions (198) and passing yards (2,524).

One week after falling out of the AP Top 25 entirely after a loss to Wisconsin, the Trojans are back to No. 18 with an extra week to plan for their Nov. 14 matchup with Indiana.

Week 9 Grade: A

7. Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State

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Week 9 Passing Stats: 27-of-42, 323 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT
Week 9 Rushing Stats: 4 carries, 16 yards
Week 9 Quality of Opponent: ★★★ (Iowa State)
Week 9 Outcome: Loss (49-51)

Most weeks, 49 points is going to win a college football game, but that wasn't enough on Saturday as Oklahoma State took a 51-49 loss to Iowa State for its second Big 12 loss and third loss overall.

With his seventh 300-yard passing performance in eight games, Drew Mestemaker did his part, also tossing five touchdown passes for the second time this season. Now tied for the FBS lead with 25 touchdown passes, Mestemaker is making a solid case to be QB1 on the 2027 NFL draft board, but there's a lot of season left.

Week 9 Grade: A

6. Noah Fifita, Arizona

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Week 9 Passing Stats: 33-of-45, 417 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Week 9 Rushing Stats: 10 carries, -25 yards
Week 9 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Texas Tech)
Week 9 Outcome: Loss (26-34)

Arizona led 23-17 midway through the third quarter in Saturday's high-profile showdown with Texas Tech, but the Wildcats offense went punt, turnover on downs, punt, punt and field goal over their final five possessions to give the Red Raiders a path to victory.

With just 12 rushing yards on 30 carries, the Arizona offense landed almost exclusively on Noah Fifita's shoulders. With 33 completions and 417 passing yards, he did everything he could, but Texas Tech's defense did just enough down the stretch to secure the win.

Week 9 Grade: B

5. Kevin Jennings, SMU

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Week 9 Passing Stats: 29-of-36, 351 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Week 9 Rushing Stats: 13 carries, -5 yards
Week 9 Quality of Opponent: ★★ (Syracuse)
Week 9 Outcome: Loss (27-30)

Kevin Jennings had a strong individual performance on Saturday, but the end result was a crushing loss to a Syracuse team that entered the game 3-4 overall and 1-4 in ACC play.

Syracuse snatched the victory with 10 unanswered points to close out the game, sandwiched around a three-and-out for the SMU offense where Jennings took a six-yard loss on a sack on second down. He was sacked six times total, and SMU averaged just 2.2 yards per carry.

Week 9 Grade: B

4. Gunner Stockton, Georgia

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Week 9 Passing Stats: 13-of-23, 101 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
Week 9 Rushing Stats: 12 carries, 45 yards
Week 9 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Florida)
Week 9 Outcome: Win (27-8)

With 42 rushing attempts for 217 yards and two touchdowns, the Georgia offense leaned heavily on the running game in Saturday's victory, largely taking things out of Gunner Stockton's hands.

He did tie for the team lead with 12 carries for 45 yards, but his season-low 101 passing yards came on the heels of a two-interception game in their Week 7 loss to Auburn.

It's fair to wonder if Stockton will be relegated to more of a game-manager role going forward, or if this was just a Florida-specific game plan.

Week 9 Grade: C

3. Gio Lopez, Wake Forest

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Week 9 Passing Stats: 13-of-21, 229 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Week 9 Rushing Stats: 13 carries, 64 yards
Week 9 Quality of Opponent: ★★★ (Virginia)
Week 9 Outcome: Win (51-7)

In five games since losing to Miami in their ACC opener, Wake Forest has outscored the opposition 217-58, and they don't face another ranked opponent the rest of the way. They currently sit at No. 14 in the AP poll, but this team has a legitimate path to the College Football Playoff field.

A big part of their success has been the play of Gio Lopez, who has completed 67.1 percent of his passes for 2,176 yards and 18 touchdowns against only one interception. He also has 317 rushing yards and six rushing scores, and he should have a chance to pad his stats against FCS opponent Merrimack on Saturday.

Week 9 Grade: B

2. Braden Atkinson, Oregon State

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Week 9 Passing Stats: 33-of-59, 373 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Week 9 Rushing Stats: 9 carries, -14 yards
Week 9 Quality of Opponent: ★★ (Fresno State)
Week 9 Outcome: Loss (22-38)

While those 373 passing yards jump off the page, the high-powered Oregon State offense sputtered with three turnovers on downs, two lost fumbles and two punts, and Braden Atkinson was responsible for both fumbles.

He still leads the nation with 2,977 passing yards, while his 25 touchdown passes are tied atop the FBS leaderboard, but the Beavers' third loss is a critical blow to their hopes of chasing down Boise State for the Group of Six playoff spot.

Week 9 Grade: D

1. Darian Mensah, Miami

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Week 9 Passing Stats: 22-of-29, 274 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
Week 9 Rushing Stats: 4 carries, 36 yards
Week 9 Quality of Opponent: ★★★ (North Carolina)
Week 9 Outcome: Win (38-35)

The Miami defense was the reason Saturday's game against North Carolina was closer than expected, as the Hurricanes surrendered 407 total yards and 35 points, both season-high marks in a regulation game.

On offense, Darian Mensah was his usual efficient self under center, while Malachi Toney (7 catches, 75 yards, 2 TD) still did damage even in a game where he was somewhat contained. Mensah remains the Heisman Trophy front-runner, and Miami avoided taking a loss in its worst defensive performance of the season.

Week 9 Grade: A

Updated Top 20 Quarterbacks List

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To keep things fresh and include breakout performers, we will re-rank the top 20 quarterbacks each week. That will then reset the field for next week's report cards.

Quarterbacks with a Week 10 bye who are performing at a top-20 level were still included in the updated rankings to show how they stack up to the field.

However, since there will be no Week 10 performance to grade, they are presented with "***" rather than a ranking number and will not appear in next week's article.

Week 10 CFB Quarterback Rankings

1. Darian Mensah, Miami
2. Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State
3. Conner Weigman, Houston
4. Noah Fifita, Arizona
5. Gio Lopez, Wake Forest
6. Kevin Jennings, SMU
7. Braden Atkinson, Oregon State
8. Keelon Russell, Alabama
9. Sam Leavitt, LSU
***Jayden Maiava, USC
***Marcus Stokes, Memphis
10. Tayven Jackson, North Texas
11. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
12. Lincoln Kienholz, Louisville
13. Aidan Chiles, Northwestern
14. CJ Carr, Notre Dame
15. Devon Dampier, Utah
16. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
17. Ethan Grunkemeyer, Virginia Tech
18. Gunner Stockton, Georgia
19. Michael Hawkins Jr., West Virginia
20. Caden Veltkamp, Florida Atlantic