Report Card Grades for Top 20 College Football QBs after Week 10

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. Austin Simmons, Missouri

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Week 10 Passing Stats: 23-of-43, 252 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Week 10 Rushing Stats: 3 carries, -1 yard
Week 10 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★★ (Texas)
Week 10 Outcome: Loss (20-34)

Despite his fifth 250-yard, two-touchdown performance of the season, Austin Simmons was unable to lead Missouri to victory over Texas, and the Tigers have now dropped two of their last three games.

The Ole Miss transfer still ranks among the SEC leaders in passing yards (2,204, fourth) and passing touchdowns (18, second), though his 61.8 percent completion rate lags behind and his 20 incompletions on Saturday were a season high.

Week 10 Grade: C

19. Brad Jackson, Texas State

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Week 10 Passing Stats: 16-of-20, 214 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Week 10 Rushing Stats: 12 carries, 87 yards, 1 TD
Week 10 Quality of Opponent: ★★★ (Oregon State)
Week 10 Outcome: Win (42-21)

Brad Jackson had 3,224 passing yards, 744 rushing yards and 38 total touchdowns during the 2025 season, and he was arguably the best mid-major quarterback in the country to stay put rather than entering the transfer portal.

He leads the new-look Pac-12 in completion percentage (68.3) and passer rating (159.9), and while the Bobcats are 5-4 on the year, he has now led them to quality wins over North Texas and Oregon State.

Week 10 Grade: B

18. Caden Veltkamp, Florida Atlantic

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Week 10 Passing Stats: 17-of-25, 210 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT
Week 10 Rushing Stats: 7 carries, 26 yards
Week 10 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (UTSA)
Week 10 Outcome: Win (60-29)

Caden Veltkamp threw for 3,641 yards and 24 touchdowns last season, but he also led the nation with 17 interceptions, and he has taken a significant step forward this season.

He leads the AAC in completion percentage (71.6) and passing touchdowns (27), and has slashed his interception rate from 3.3 to 1.5 percent, throwing just five picks through nine games. Thursday's performance came against a 7-1 UTSA team pushing for a spot in the AP Top 25.

Week 10 Grade: A

17. Michael Hawkins Jr., West Virginia

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Week 10 Passing Stats: 11-of-16, 303 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Week 10 Rushing Stats: 19 carries, 88 yards, 3 TD
Week 10 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Texas Tech)
Week 10 Outcome: Loss (48-53)

For the fifth time this season, Michael Hawkins Jr. tallied at least four total touchdowns, and his 303 passing yards on Saturday were his second-highest total of the year and came against a good Texas Tech defense.

His 31 touchdowns rank second among all FBS players, trailing only Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker (33), and his rushing talents have helped open up the passing game for an FBS-leading 10.9 yards per attempt.

Week 10 Grade: A

16. Gunner Stockton, Georgia

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Week 10 Passing Stats: 9-of-15, 186 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT
Week 10 Rushing Stats: 6 carries, 28 yards, 1 TD
Week 10 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Ole Miss)
Week 10 Outcome: Win (42-7)

Georgia built a 28-0 lead in the first half on Saturday and leaned heavily on the running game to get to the finish line, with Gunner Stockton attempting just 15 passes against the team's 48 rushing attempts.

Four of his nine completions went for touchdowns, and he sits atop the SEC leaderboard in passing touchdowns (20), yards per attempt (9.5) and passer rating (180.1). The Bulldogs don't need him to throw it 40 times per game to be effective with their running game and defense.

Week 10 Grade: A

15. Ethan Grunkemeyer, Virginia Tech

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Week 10 Passing Stats: 28-of-38, 291 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Week 10 Rushing Stats: 11 carries, -1 yard, 1 TD
Week 10 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (SMU)
Week 10 Outcome: Loss (28-51)

With an interception and a lost fumble, Ethan Grunkemeyer did not have his best individual performance of the season on Friday, but getting blown out 51-28 by SMU was a total team effort by the Hokies.

Despite the dud, he has still put together a terrific first season with Virginia Tech after transferring from Penn State during the offseason. His 71.7 percent completion rate ranks fifth among FBS quarterbacks, and he has 2,431 passing yards and 18 touchdowns with only three interceptions.

Week 10 Grade: C

14. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina

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Week 10 Passing Stats: 20-of-31, 251 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Week 10 Rushing Stats: 6 carries, 34 yards, 1 TD
Week 10 Quality of Opponent: ★★★ (Texas A&M)
Week 10 Outcome: Win (17-9)

After an 0-3 start to SEC play, South Carolina has won four in a row, and victories over Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Texas A&M during that span have vaulted them to No. 20 in the AP poll.

LaNorris Sellers has 1,041 passing yards, 246 rushing yards and 15 total touchdowns during that four-game winning streak, and he led a pair of fourth-quarter scoring drives to turn a 9-7 deficit into a 17-9 victory.

Week 10 Grade: B

13. Devon Dampier, Utah

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Week 10 Passing Stats: 14-of-26, 177 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Week 10 Rushing Stats: 20 carries, 89 yards, 2 TD
Week 10 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★★ (BYU)
Week 10 Outcome: Win (28-20)

The Utes scored the first 14 points and the last 14 points of Saturday's marquee matchup against BYU, and while the offense stalled during BYU's run of 20 unanswered points, they still came out on top to improve to 9-0 on the year.

It was just the second time this season and first since Week 2 against Arkansas that Devon Dampier recorded multiple passing touchdowns and rushing touchdowns, and his 27 total scores this year are good for eighth on the FBS leaderboard.

Week 10 Grade: A

12. CJ Carr, Notre Dame

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Week 10 Passing Stats: 29-of-40, 319 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
Week 10 Rushing Stats: 1 carry, 3 yards
Week 10 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★★ (Miami)
Week 10 Outcome: Win (31-24)

By almost any measure, CJ Carr outperformed Heisman Trophy favorite Darian Mensah (24/43, 276 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT) in Saturday's marquee victory over No. 1 Miami to vastly improve Notre Dame's playoff outlook.

It was the first time this season that Carr has thrown for more than 300 yards, and with the Hurricanes defense slowing down the running game (29 carries, 93 yards), he stepped up in a big way.

Week 10 Grade: A

11. Lincoln Kienholz, Louisville

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Week 10 Passing Stats: 17-of-25, 182 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Week 10 Rushing Stats: 9 carries, 81 yards
Week 10 Quality of Opponent: ★★ (Georgia Tech)
Week 10 Outcome: Win (44-17)

Louisville has won four in a row since a disappointing 2-3 start, and Lincoln Kienholz has piled up 882 passing yards, 236 rushing yards and 10 total touchdowns during that winning streak.

His 9.8 yards per attempt are tops in the ACC and fourth in the nation, and he has 25 total touchdowns with 14 passing and 11 rushing. The former Ohio State recruit has proven to be a great fit in Jeff Brohm's offensive scheme and one of the more productive transfer quarterbacks in the country.

Week 10 Grade: B

10. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss

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Week 10 Passing Stats: 18-of-34, 170 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Week 10 Rushing Stats: 9 carries, -12 yards
Week 10 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★★ (Georgia)
Week 10 Outcome: Loss (7-42)

Trinidad Chambliss has four touchdown passes and five interceptions over his last three games, and losses to Texas and Georgia during that stretch have effectively removed Ole Miss from the College Football Playoff conversation.

After throwing just three interceptions all season in 2025, Chambliss has struggled protecting the football while also seeing a dip in his completion percentage (66.1 to 62.7), yards per attempt (8.8 to 7.1) and passer rating (155.4 to 135.3).

Week 10 Grade: D

9. Tayven Jackson, North Texas

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Week 10 Passing Stats: 18-of-31, 303 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Week 10 Rushing Stats: 5 carries, 2 yards, 2 TD
Week 10 Quality of Opponent: ★ (Rice)
Week 10 Outcome: Win (52-23)

Tayven Jackson has now recorded five straight 300-yard passing games, completing 68.2 percent of his throws for 1,693 yards and 17 touchdowns against three interceptions in wins over Tulsa, Charlotte, Navy, Florida Atlantic and Rice.

Saturday was not his most efficient passing performance, especially against a 1-8 Rice team, but he offset that with a pair of rushing touchdowns. Zooming out, North Texas is now 7-2 and 5-0 in AAC play, and they might be the No. 3 team in the Group of Six picture behind Boise State and New Mexico.

Week 10 Grade: B

8. Sam Leavitt, LSU

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Week 10 Passing Stats: 35-of-47, 380 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Week 10 Rushing Stats: 15 carries, 16 yards
Week 10 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Alabama)
Week 10 Outcome: Loss (13-31)

Sam Leavitt was rolling going into LSU's bye week, turning in his two best individual performances of the season in wins over Mississippi State (31/38, 289 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT) and Auburn (32/45, 388 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT).

He had a season-high 35 completions and another gaudy yardage game on Saturday against Alabama, but failed to find the end zone for the first time this season while throwing his SEC-leading ninth interception.

Week 10 Grade: C

7. Keelon Russell, Alabama

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Week 10 Passing Stats: 17-of-24, 206 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
Week 10 Rushing Stats: 8 carries, 25 yards
Week 10 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (LSU)
Week 10 Outcome: Win (31-13)

Keelon Russell didn't have the same eye-popping passing yardage as counterpart Sam Leavitt in Saturday's victory over LSU, but he delivered when it counted with three touchdown passes and zero turnovers.

He has rebounded nicely from Alabama's back-to-back losses to Georgia and Tennessee, throwing for 517 yards with six touchdowns and one interception in a pair of victories. Saturday was essentially an elimination game from the College Football Playoff conversation, and the Crimson Tide weathered the storm.

Week 10 Grade: A

6. Braden Atkinson, Oregon State

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Week 10 Passing Stats: 20-of-36, 192 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Week 10 Rushing Stats: 4 carries, 6 yards
Week 10 Quality of Opponent: ★★ (Texas State)
Week 10 Outcome: Loss (21-42)

After eight consecutive 300-yard passing games to open the season, Braden Atkinson was held to a season-low 192 yards while also going without a touchdown pass for the first time this year in a lopsided loss to Texas State.

That same Texas State secondary gave up 492 passing yards against North Texas in September, and 367 yards just one week prior in a loss to Boise State.

Despite the stumble, Atkinson still leads the nation with 3,169 passing yards, and his 25 passing touchdowns trail only Drew Mestemaker (29), Darian Mensah (28) and Caden Veltkamp (27).

Week 10 Grade: D

5. Kevin Jennings, SMU

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Week 10 Passing Stats: 24-of-32, 350 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
Week 10 Rushing Stats: 5 carries, 17 yards
Week 10 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★ (Virginia Tech)
Week 10 Outcome: Win (51-28)

The side-by-side of Kevin Jennings in 2025 and so far this season shows a veteran passer who has taken another step forward to become one of the best quarterbacks in college football.

2025: 13 G, 66.1 cmp%, 3,641 yards, 26 TD, 13 INT, 146.6 passer rating
2026: 9 G, 73.9 cmp%, 2,764 yards, 25 TD, 6 INT, 180.8 passer rating

The Mustangs face No. 11 Wake Forest and No. 3 Notre Dame the next two weeks, and winning both of those games would put them in the College Football Playoff conversation, even as a two-loss ACC team.

Week 10 Grade: A

4. Noah Fifita, Arizona

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Week 10 Passing Stats: 24-of-37, 313 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Week 10 Rushing Stats: 11 carries, 38 yards, 1 TD
Week 10 Quality of Opponent: ★★★ (TCU)
Week 10 Outcome: Win (29-28)

Arizona trailed 28-20 with 6:35 remaining in the fourth quarter, but managed to spark a comeback when Noah Fifita led an 11-play, 75-yard drive capped off by a 15-yard touchdown pass to Quincy Craig.

The Wildcats failed the ensuing two-point conversion to tie, but recovered a pooch kick and took the lead on a 37-yard field goal with 38 seconds remaining. It was not Fifita's most efficient game of the season, but a clutch touchdown drive and another 300-yard passing performance still keep him among the nation's upper echelon of quarterbacks.

Week 10 Grade: B

3. Conner Weigman, Houston

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Week 10 Passing Stats: 17-of-24, 227 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Week 10 Rushing Stats: 6 carries, 30 yards, 1 TD
Week 10 Quality of Opponent: ★★★ (Cincinnati)
Week 10 Outcome: Win (31-24)

For the seventh time in nine games, Conner Weigman produced at least three total touchdowns, bouncing back from a rocky performance in Houston's Week 9 loss to Utah when he was kept out of the end zone entirely.

With a 22-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio and 29 total touchdowns on the year, he has been the driving force behind the Cougars' 7-2 record and No. 14 ranking in the latest AP poll.

Week 10 Grade: A

2. Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State

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Week 10 Passing Stats: 22-of-28, 313 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
Week 10 Rushing Stats: 3 carries, 11 yards, 1 TD
Week 10 Quality of Opponent: ★★ (Kansas State)
Week 10 Outcome: Win (66-28)

Since throwing four interceptions in his first two games, Drew Mestemaker has been arguably the best quarterback in college football. In seven games since that rocky start, he has completed 69.6 percent of his passes for 2,404 yards and 26 touchdowns with just four interceptions, adding two rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown for good measure.

He has been particularly hot of late, tossing 11 touchdown passes over his last three games against Colorado, Iowa State and Kansas State, and the case continues to grow for him to be QB1 in the 2027 NFL draft.

Week 10 Grade: A

1. Darian Mensah, Miami

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Week 10 Passing Stats: 24-of-43, 276 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT

Week 10 Rushing Stats: 11 carries, 28 yards

Week 10 Quality of Opponent: ★★★★★ (Notre Dame)

Week 10 Outcome: Loss (24-31)

Saturday marked the first time all season that Darian Mensah failed to complete at least 66 percent of his passes, and he threw three consecutive incompletions on the potential game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter to turn it over on downs.

The Hurricanes star still leads the nation with a 76.8 percent completion rate, but he clearly missed top target Malachi Toney, who was sidelined following ankle surgery. How will Mensah respond next weekend against Duke?

Week 10 Grade: C

Updated Top 20 Quarterbacks List

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Gio Lopez

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.

Week 11 CFB Quarterback Rankings

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