College Football Breakout Quarterbacks (2025)
Six under‑the‑radar arms backed by stats, scheme intel & spring buzz
There are a plethora of college football breakout lists on the internet, and I wanted to get a bit unique here. I’m avoiding the players who have already somewhat broken out but will get even better. Someone I’ve been seeing a lot of is LaNorris Sellers, as if we all don’t already know that he’s going to be elite this season.
Instead of the “obvious” choices, I’m trying to get a bit more into the thick of college football with these. Some are obvious choices, while others are a bit more “shocking.” Regardless, none of them have found high-end success in the NCAA at this point.
If you haven’t yet, check out my other Breakout articles:
Breakout Wide Receivers (2025)
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Austin Simmons (Ole Miss)
If there’s one aspect of college football that I will blindly trust, it’s Lane Kiffin’s quarterbacks. His ability to develop and produce quarterbacks is one of the most consistent parts of college football. Dating back to his time at Tennessee in 2009, he virtually hasn’t missed with a quarterback.
Simmons saw very limited opportunities as a freshman behind Jaxson Dart. In his only extended action, he completed 7 of 16 attempts for 111 yards and 1 touchdown against Furman. Overall, he threw for 282 yards and 2 touchdowns in mop-up duty last season.
Kiffin’s already stated that they’re building the offense around Simmons. There won’t be a competition, and he’s going to be the focal point. Ole Miss added several high-end receiving options to help their young quarterback.
De’Zhaun Stribling is someone who I’ll outline more in the wide receivers section of this series. Harrison Wallace, Deuce Alexander, and Caleb Odom are all transfers who will fight for snaps with Cayden Lee. Luke Hasz is also a high-upside option at tight end with Dae’Quan Wright.
This isn’t necessarily about my confidence in Simmons specifically. I’d back virtually anyone Kiffin feels comfortable putting in his system at quarterback, specifically with this cast around them. Simmons is that guy, and he should find plenty of success in his first year as a starter.
DJ Lagway (Florida)
Lagway is heading into his second season as the unquestioned starter for the Florida Gators. He saw some time on the field as a freshman because of an injury to Graham Mertz. He threw for 1,915 yards with 12 touchdowns and 9 interceptions across 12 games. He also added 101 yards on the ground.
The sophomore flashed at times last season. He threw for 456 yards and 3 touchdowns on only 25 attempts in a 45-7 win over Samford. Granted, the competition is well below what he’ll see consistently, but this shows the flashes of potential greatness.
Lagway was the top quarterback recruit in 2024, and he was the third overall player coming out of high school. He has rare physical traits that very few other players can replicate. It was always known that there would be growing pains, but he saw more time on the field than most expected last season, speeding up that process.
Florida returns Eugene Wilson, and they added J Michael Sturdivant in the transfer portal. Most importantly, the Gators return four starting offensive linemen for this season. This type of stability will be crucial for Lagway as he becomes one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country.
Aidan Chiles (Michigan State)
It’s easy to forget that development is a very real part of college football. Chiles was a 4-star recruit coming out of high school. He was the seventh overall quarterback and 58th overall player when he signed with Oregon State.
Chiles played sparingly as a freshman at Oregon State, throwing for 309 yards and 4 touchdowns with 79 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground. He transferred to Michigan State, playing in 12 games as a sophomore. He saw mixed results, posting 2,415 yards with 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions on 323 pass attempts. He also recorded 225 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground.
It was clear that Chiles was progressing as the season went on, though. He threw 7 interceptions in his first four games compared to 4 interceptions in his final eight. He also threw for 5 touchdowns with 0 interceptions across his final three games last season.
Michigan State’s offense saw a bit of an overhaul this offseason with several new linemen and wide receivers coming in. These were all to help Chiles, and Nick Marsh is returning for his sophomore campaign.
I don’t love the offense Michigan State runs, and I don’t believe Chiles has the upside as some of the other players on this list. They are going to take vertical shots, though, and I’m expecting a major step forward for the former 4-star recruit.
Ty Simpson (Alabama)
Speaking of the developmental process of college football, Simpson is entering his fourth year for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He’s recorded 50 pass attempts and 22 rush attempts over 16 total games in 3 years. Overall, he owns 381 passing yards, 130 rushing yards, and 3 rushing touchdowns.
In that time, most people likely forgot that Simpson was a 5-star recruit coming out of high school. He was the fourth overall quarterback and 29th-best player in the 2022 class. He had a “prediction” of a first-round pick once he was eligible. That shows how highly he was thought of as a recruit.
It’s time to put that talent on display. There was an argument that he needed a year to adjust to the speed of college football. He’s had three years sitting behind Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe. There aren’t many flaws in his game, and we’re at the point where he’s ready to dominate college football.
One of the biggest keys to Simpson’s game is his ability to move in the pocket and find yards with his legs. He has a strong, accurate arm with the ability to read the field. His ability to maneuver the pocket and escape for chunk games is going to create an entire other problem for defenses.
We’re also at the point where head coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb are going to bring their offense from Washington to Alabama with Milroe in the NFL. If you aren’t aware of this offense, it’s when Michael Penix threw for 4,903 yards with 36 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2023. Penix posted similar numbers in 2022 as well.
We’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves here. Simpson isn’t going to put up those numbers. That’d be far more than a breakout. He doesn’t even technically have the job yet, as DeBoer hasn’t named anyone the starter. He was the only quarterback without a turnover at their A-Day, and several reporters have stated that Simpson is clearly ahead of Austin Mack and Keelon Russell on the depth chart.
The final aspect of this is that the quarterback likely doesn’t need to be elite to put up incredible numbers in this offense. Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard are returning, while Isaiah Horton transferred in.
Assuming he wins the job, Simpson is arguably my favorite breakout option at quarterback.
Devin Brown (California)
You’re probably seeing a bit of a pattern here. Brown was another high-end prospect coming out of high school, as he was a 4-star recruit. Simply put, he couldn’t solidify the starting job at Ohio State throughout his three seasons there. We’ve seen other Ohio State quarterbacks leave and find high-end success at other programs.
In essentially two seasons, Brown saw very limited snaps. He recorded 331 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception on 48 pass attempts. He also isn’t an elite rusher, although he can pick up some yards at times.
Cal doesn’t have elite skill players, but their group is respectable. They have solid depth with a few players that boast solid upside. It’s important to have depth at the receiver position, as Cal is expected to run an up-tempo, pass-heavy offense this season.
Brown is the player that I’m least confident in taking the starting job this season. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele comes with plenty of upside, and Cal can set itself up better for the future if he wins the starting job. I expect them to go with the veteran early in the season, though, giving Brown every chance to break out.
Zevi Eckhaus (Washington State)
If you don’t know who Zevi Eckhaus is yet, you will quickly into this season. He’s already been labeled the QB1 for Washington State with John Mateer transferring to Oklahoma. Let’s start at the beginning, though.
Eckhaus played three seasons at Bryant, where he was one of the best players in the FCS. He threw for 8,527 yards with 75 touchdowns and 25 interceptions across three seasons. He recorded 28 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions in 2023. He also added 760 yards and 5 touchdowns on the ground.
The transfer saw very limited snaps throughout the entire regular season. He drew the start against Syracuse in the Holiday Bowl once Mateer announced he wouldn’t play and was entering the transfer portal. In his first FBS start, Eckhaus threw for 363 yards with 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He added 28 yards and 1 touchdown on the ground.
New head coach Jimmy Rogers immediately named Eckhaus the starter, giving him a vote of confidence early in camp. Washington State is expected to continue to use its air raid offense from last season, giving Eckhaus ample opportunities to find success. There are reports that they’ll be adding more RPO and QB-run looks into the offense, though.
Eckhaus isn’t a player who is going to set the NCAA on fire. He will be able to put up stats in this offense, though. He found elite success at Bryant, and he’s a strong option for a breakout senior season.
Conclusion
These players aren’t listed in any type of order, but here is my order of confidence in terms of breakout potential for the season:
Austin Simmons (Ole Miss)
Ty Simpson (Alabama)
DJ Lagway (Florida)
Aidan Chiles (Michigan State)
Zevi Eckhaus (Washington State)
Devin Brown (California)
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