With college football ready to kickoff in a week-plus, USA Today ranked all 17 ACC QBs going into the 2026 campaign. From bottom to top, we dissect where these signal callers stand this fall.
USA Today’s Eddie Timanus dealt with a lot of transfer QBs this season. There are a lot of familiar faces in new places and a good amount didn’t even the ACC itself!
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So without further ado, let’s dive into USA Today’s ranking of all 17 QBs in the ACC this season. We will begin in the Northeast where Boston College hopes they found a diamond in the rough.
McKenzie is at the bottom of USA Today’s QB rankings going into 2026. He transferred in from Saginaw Valley State, although he was pretty darn good there. In 25 games, he had over 4,300 yards, 31 touchdowns, over 1,600 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground.
Edwards traveled from Maryland to Wisconsin but was hampered by a knee injury in 2025, never getting a chance to showcase his abilities. A running QB, he could provide that dual threat element for Bill Belichick’s offense. In 2024 with the Terps, Edwards had 2,881 yards, 15 touchdowns, nine interceptions, a 65% completion percentage, 148 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.
Warren transferred from Michigan this offseason and actually was the starter in 2024, which included a win over Ohio State. His stats didn’t jump off the page but new head coach Tavita Pritchard could make something out of Warren. In 2024, Warren had 1,199 yards, seven touchdowns, nine picks and a 64.1% completion percentage.
Lopez is the next QB on this list and transferred out of North Carolina this past season. UNC was a borderline disaster all around, so this is a fresh start with the Demon Deacons. Lopez finished last fall with 1,747 yards, 10 touchdowns, five interceptions, a 65.1% completion percentage, 133 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.
Daniels is the fifth straight transfer QB on this list as he came over from Auburn this offseason. With Mike Norvell on the hot seat, he needs something big out of Daniels and others. Daniels played just four games last year, throwing for 797 yards, three touchdowns, two picks and a 57.1% completion percentage.
Duke went from one of the best QB situations with Darian Mensah to a bottom half one in the ACC. More on Mensah later of course. Eget played four years at San Jose State and takes over for Manny Diaz’s squad. He threw for 3,051 yards, 17 touchdowns, nine interceptions and a 59% completion percentage last year.
Once Angeli transferred from Notre Dame to Syracuse last year, he looked like one of the best QBs in the ACC. But an injury ended his season in Game 4 after a hot start and they struggled without him. Angeli had 1,317 yards, 10 touchdowns, two picks and a 62.8% completion percentage in a third of a season.
Kienholz left Ohio State to find a spot where he could compete for the starting QB gig. He should have a good time in Jeff Brohm’s offense this year. In limited action, Kienholz is 21-of-36 passing for 250 yards, one touchdown and zero picks in mop up duty over the last three years.
When he got extended action last year at Penn State, Grunkemeyer played rather well. He was 123-of-178 passing for 1,339 yards, eight touchdowns, four interceptions and a 69.1% completion percentage. Now, he’s a starting QB for James Franklin again in Blacksburg,
Vizzina is another QB who had limited action over the course of 14 games the last three seasons. Clemson will be inexperienced at the most important position this year. Vizzinia has a career line of 64-of-105 for 406 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.
Pribula transferred again, this time from Missouri to Virginia. Tony Elliott named the dual threat QB the starter over Pitt transfer Eli Holstein. With the Tigers last year, Pribula had 1,941 yards, 11 touchdowns, nine picks, a 67.4% completion percentage, 297 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns.
The younger brother of Heisman QB Fernando Mendoza, Alberto backed him up last year and transferred to Georgia Tech and will be their starting QB. He replaces Haynes King, which is no easy task. Alberto Mendoza will now get his first real extended action as looks to keep the vibes high at Georgia Tech.
Bailey improved as a sophomore for the Wolfpack last year and returns as one of the better QBs in the ACC. Last year, he had 3,105 yards, 25 touchdowns, nine interceptions, a 68.8% completion percentage, 215 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns.
Heinstschel is slightly ahead of Bailey on the QB list from USA Today. Granted his stats aren’t as gaudy, but he’s due for a big step up in Year 2 as the starter. He threw for 2,354 yards, 16 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 63.6% completion percentage in 2025.
Cal did well by being able to keep Sagapolutele home after a solid freshman campaign. He could emerge as one of the best QBs in the country before too long. Sagapolutele threw for 3,454 yards, 18 touchdowns, nine interceptions and a 642% completion percentage in 2025.
Jennings is a Heisman candidate if Rhett Lashlee has his way. Although he might have a point regarding his veteran QB. Jennings has 49 touchdown passes over the last two years and nearly 7,000 yards passing. He also has nine touchdowns on the ground.
The crown jewel of the ACC QB rankings going into 2026. Mensah was a star at Tulane and then Duke the last two years. Now at Miami, he’s expected to be the leader for a national championship team. In two years, Mensah has 6,696 yards, 56 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 66.5% completion percentage.
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