The FCS has an elite group of quarterbacks returning this year, featuring several All-American and All-Conference performers.
The wide receiver position isn’t too shabby either, returning five players who have posted 1,000-yard seasons and another two who have gone over 950 yards.
Some standout QBs will have new weapons to work with. And some standout WRs will have new signal-callers. The lucky ones have each other, and numerous dynamic QB-WR duos are returning this fall.
RELATED: Top Returning FCS Quarterbacks
RELATED: Top Returning FCS Wide Receivers
Here are the Top 6 quarterback-wide receiver duos heading into the 2026 season.
Best FCS QB-WR Duos
In alphabetical order
Austin Peay: Chris Parson + Jaden Robinson
Parson was an electric factory last season. The four-star prospect out of high school transferred from Mississippi State to Austin Peay and had a fabulous debut year as a sophomore, going 206/326 passing (63%) for 3,003 yards, 23 touchdowns, and five interceptions while rushing for 743 yards and 14 scores. Parson was named to the All-UAC First Team and earned All-American honors from Stats Perform and FCS Football Central. He also finished No. 10 in Walter Payton Award voting.
One of his top targets was Robinson, who was another underclassman as a sophomore. He transferred in from Kennesaw State and recorded 43 catches for 579 yards and six touchdowns. Expect those numbers to rise in 2026.
Idaho State: Jordan Cooke + Chedon James
Cooke and James reunite and look to replicate an elite 2023 season. That fall, James led the FCS with 102 catches and ranked No. 6 with 1,045 receiving yards while scoring eight touchdowns. He garnered All-Big Sky First Team honors and All-American accolades. James transferred to Fresno State in 2024 and UIW last year before returning to the Bengals this offseason.
Cooke is one of the more physically gifted passers in the subdivision. In that 2023 standout season with James, Cooke threw for 2,453 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He redshirted in 2024 after playing in only one game. Then last season, Cooke passed for 3,052 yards, 16 TDs, and nine interceptions, getting named an All-Big Sky Honorable Mention.
Check out the latest episode on the FCS Football Talk Network. You can also find the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, and Spreaker.
SUBSCRIBE: FCS Football Talk Network
Montana: Keali’i Ah Yat + Brooks Davis
Ah Yat was awesome last year as just a sophomore, going from a guy with potential to a top-tier FCS quarterback. He finished No. 1 in FCS passing yards, going 325/470 (69%) for 4,070 yards, 33 touchdowns, and nine interceptions, plus eight rushing TDs. He was named on multiple All-American teams, the All-Big Sky First Team, and finished No. 9 in Walter Payton Award voting.
Ah Yat’s favorite target, Michael Wortham, graduated after going over 1,200 receiving yards. But he has a young star returning in Davis. The Freshman All-American and All-Big Sky Honorable Mention selection caught 54 passes for 698 yards and five scores. It was the most productive season for a freshman receiver in Montana history. Davis appears primed for a 1,000-yard season this fall.
Montana State: Justin Lamson + Taco Dowler
The fourth-and-10 Lamson-to-Dowler game-tying overtime touchdown in the national championship game (which set up the game-winning PAT) and the 87-yard touchdown on third-and-20 to break the game open in the semifinals vs. Montana will be remembered for decades in the state. The two eye more magical moments in 2026.
Lamson transferred to MSU from Stanford last offseason and led the Bobcats to their first national title in 41 years. He delivered an excellent season, going 255/356 (71.6%) for 3,172 yards, 26 touchdowns, and three interceptions while rushing for 734 yards and 16 TDs. The All-Big Sky Second Team selection and Newcomer of the Year was also named the national championship game’s Most Outstanding Player. Lamson finished No. 7 in Walter Payton Award voting.
Dowler is a household name. The Montana native caught 38 passes for 597 yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2024. Last season was even better, totaling 77 receptions for 1,025 yards and seven TDs while returning 24 punts for 323 yards (13.5 average) and another score. Dowler earned Second Team All-Big Sky honors as a receiver and was a First Teamer as a return specialist.
RELATED: 2026 FCS Preseason Preview Central
Rhode Island: Devin Farrell + Marquis Buchanan
Rhode Island fans received a New Year’s gift when the FCS All-American QB-WR duo of Devin Farrell and Marquis Buchanan announced their return for the 2026 season. The two enter their third year together as Buchanan looks to be a four-time All-CAA selection and Farrell eyes his third All-Conference honor.
Buchanan led the FCS in receiving yards last year, racking up 78 catches for 1,337 yards and eight touchdowns, earning All-CAA First Team and multiple All-American accolades. The previous season included more All-American honors for Buchanan and a spot on the All-CAA Second Team after grabbing 82 catches for 1,124 yards and eight TDs. As a redshirt freshman in 2023, he had 42 receptions for 638 yards and four scores, earning All-CAA Honorable Mention.
Farrell started his college career at Virginia Tech before transferring to Rhody in 2023. He hit the starting lineup in 2024 and threw for 1,670 yards, 11 touchdowns, and eight interceptions while rushing for 302 yards and five scores, earning Third Team All-CAA honors. Last year was a big leap for Farrell, finishing No. 2 in FCS passing yards with 3,745. He recorded 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions on 267/410 passing (65%), plus three rushing TDs. Farrell was named an FCS Football Central All-American and earned a spot on the All-CAA First Team.
South Dakota State: Chase Mason + Lofton O’Groske
Mason is receiving NFL Draft hype with his size, athleticism, and whistling arm strength, while O’Groske showed signs of being a top-tier FCS wide receiver last season. The 2026 campaign will be a special one for both if they stay healthy. Due to injuries, Mason was limited to nine games last season, and O’Groske only played in six.
The Jackrabbits were 8-1 with Mason as a starter. He finished 146/225 passing (64.9%) for 2,005 yards, 15 TDs, and four interceptions, plus 174 yards and six scores on the ground. O’Groske totaled 27 catches for 355 yards and four touchdowns. He shined in the first three games before his injury in Game 4. O’Groske had five catches for 76 yards vs. Sac State, 12 catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns at Montana State, and six catches for 78 yards vs. Drake.
