Entering the 2025 FCS season, the quarterback position was a question mark.
Known standouts like Monmouth’s Derek Robertson, South Dakota’s Aidan Bouman, SFA’s Sam Vidlak, Tarleton State’s Victor Gabalis, Harvard’s Jaden Craig, and others were back. But most of the top teams had unknowns at signal-caller. Six of the top eight preseason teams had new starting quarterbacks — No. 1 North Dakota State, No. 2 Montana State, No. 3 South Dakota State, No. 5 UIW, No. 7 Montana (had a part-time starting QB returning), and No. 8 UC Davis.
Now entering the 2026 season, QB will be a strength in the FCS.
Several standouts have announced their return. And with there no longer being a spring transfer portal period, coaches and fans can now breathe easier knowing who they’ll have returning for 2026.
This article looks at returning All-Conference quarterbacks or QBs who led their team to the playoffs. More starters are returning beyond these players.
New Customer Offers at BetMGM
Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Add’l Terms
5/7 All-Americans Returning
Of the seven FCS Football Central All-American quarterbacks, five are returning (Brungard, Ah Yat, Parson, Farrell, Williams), one graduated (Payton), and one is currently in the transfer portal (Dickens).
Walter Payton Award Winner Is Back
Youngstown State’s Beau Brungard highlights the group of returners after First Team All-MVFC honors and winning the Walter Payton Award. Brungard threw for 3,234 yards, 26 touchdowns, and three interceptions while rushing for 1,468 yards and 27 scores.
Big Sky Returns 4/5 All-Conference QBs
The state of Montana will be home to two top-tier FCS quarterbacks. First Team All-Big Sky selection Keali’i Ah Yat had a breakout season, throwing for 4,070 yards, 33 TDs, and nine interceptions, along with eight rushing touchdowns. The sophomore led the FCS in passing yards. Justin Lamson is also back after leading Montana State to its first FCS national championship in 41 years. The Second Team All-Big Sky selection passed for 3,172 yards, 26 touchdowns, and three interceptions while rushing for 734 yards and 16 TDs.
Sticking in the Big Sky, two All-Conference Honorable Mention players are returning in Northern Arizona’s Ty Pennington and Idaho State’s Jordan Cooke, making it four of the five All-Big Sky QBs returning in 2026. Pennington threw for 3,116 yards, 19 TDs, and four interceptions in 2025. Cooke recorded 3,052 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, and nine picks.
More All-Americans Running It Back
Three more FCS Football Central All-American quarterbacks are returning in 2026
Austin Peay’s Chris Parson had an electric season, throwing for 3,003 yards, 23 touchdowns, and five interceptions, plus 743 rushing yards and 14 scores. He was named on the All-UAC First Team.
Rhode Island’s Devin Farrell earned First Team All-CAA honors and finished No. 2 in FCS passing yards. He threw for 3,745 yards, 24 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
Southern Illinois’ DJ Williams was named an All-MVFC Honorable Mention, throwing for 2,846 yards, 22 TDs, and five interceptions while adding 847 yards and 18 scores on the ground.
Check out the latest episode of the FCS Football Talk podcast.
You can also find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, and Spreaker.
SUBSCRIBE: FCS Football Talk
Top Patriot League QB Returns
First Team All-Patriot League quarterback Hayden Johnson is returning after leading Lehigh to back-to-back playoff appearances. In 2025, the sophomore threw for 2,510 yards, 18 touchdowns, and six interceptions while rushing for 451 yards and four TDs.
2 All-Ivy League QBs Are Back
Second Team All-Ivy League quarterbacks will return in Brown’s James Murphy and Dartmouth’s Grayson Saunier. Murphy passed for 2,798 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions in 2025. Saunier posted 2,143 yards passing, nine touchdowns, and seven interceptions, along with 413 rushing yards and 11 more scores.
3 All-PFL QBs Returning
The Pioneer Football League will have three 2025 Honorable Mention quarterbacks back next season. Butler’s Reagan Andrew threw for 1,553 yards, 12 TDs, and six interceptions, plus 615 rushing yards and eight scores. Dayton’s Bryce Schondelmyer passed for 1,412 yards, 16 touchdowns, and no interceptions in seven games. Marist’s Sonny Mannino threw for 1,818 yards, 11 touchdowns, and three interceptions, along with 395 rushing yards and six TDs.
Transfers To The FBS
While more All-Conference QBs are returning than leaving, a chunk is transferring to the FBS.
Braden Atkinson, Mercer to Oregon State
EJ Colson, UIW to UTEP
Caden Pinnick, UC Davis to Washington State
Tyler Hughes, William & Mary to Wyoming
Matt Vezza, New Hampshire to Ohio
Dean DeNobile, Lafayette to Florida State
*Jaden Craig, Harvard to TCU
*Liam O’Brien, Penn to Cincinnati
Craig and O’Brien had to transfer to play their final season at another school due to their conference not allowing grad students.
Western Carolina’s Taron Dickens and Alabama State’s Andrew Body are still in the transfer portal as of this writing. The two All-Conference performers are likely FBS-bound.
2 FCS All-Conference QBs Transferring To Another FCS School
All-OVC-Big South Honorable Mention QB Zolten Osborne has transferred from Charleston Southern to Tennessee Tech. Osborne threw for 2,216 yards, 12 touchdowns, and six picks in 2025.
All-Pioneer First Teamer Collin Hurst is following head coach Steve Englehart from Presbyterian to West Georgia. Last season, Hurst passed for 2,684 yards, 26 scores, and 11 interceptions.
Playoff QBs Returning
While not earning All-Conference honors, five more quarterbacks return after leading their teams to the 2025 playoffs — North Dakota’s Jerry Kaminski, South Dakota State’s Chase Mason, Lamar’s Aiden McCown, Yale’s Dante Reno, and Drake’s Logan Inagawa.
Kaminski threw for 2,570 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions, plus 607 yards and eight scores on the ground. Mason passed for 2,005 yards, 15 TDs, and four interceptions in nine games, adding 174 yards rushing and six TDs. McCown had 1,436 passing yards, 10 TDs, and six interceptions while rushing for 225 yards and four touchdowns. Reno threw for 2,498 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Inagawa recorded 1,393 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and four interceptions, plus 398 rushing yards and nine TDs.
Final Thoughts
The FCS quarterback play will be excellent in 2026.
The top two conferences — Big Sky and MVFC — especially have a good bulk of their top signal-callers returning. Brungard is the headliner, but Ah Yat and Lamson also have arguments to be considered the top quarterbacks in the subdivision. Williams will be a legit challenger for the Walter Payton Award, Kaminski provided UND its best QB play in years en route to the playoffs, especially in the first half of the season, and Mason has NFL buzz on an SDSU team that many expect to be back in the national title hunt.
But players like Farrell and Parson shouldn’t be glossed over. Parson had as electric a season as anyone in 2025. And Farrell puts up monster numbers on a playoff squad. Plus, keep an eye on Yale with the returning Reno after an impressive postseason debut.
The transfer portal takes its toll on the FCS’ depth. Offensive linemen and cornerbacks are coveted the most. But bags of money also get thrown at quarterbacks. It’s refreshing to see some players valuing reps over money. Although let’s be real, a lot of us would take the money if the reported amounts were put in front of us. But that’s the iffy part – how much of that money is real, and how much of it is guaranteed? For every success story of an FCS player getting a bag in the FBS while also increasing their NFL Draft stock, there are 2-3 stories of FCS standouts going from being the guy to being just another guy on the bench, and sometimes the dollar amount offered isn’t met.
