2026 PA Rankings Update: Detailing a Promising Future QB Class
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Semaj Beals PA #4 QB #1 HEIGHT 6'1" WEIGHT 155 POS QB CLASS 2026 View Profile Semaj Beals Instagram Twitter State: Pennsylvania School: Roman Catholic The crown jewel of the class, a prospect truly worthy of being called the class’s…
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Continue ReadingThe crown jewel of the class, a prospect truly worthy of being called the class’s top player. He’s ranked behind Trinity’s Messiah Mickens Messiah Mickens 5’10” | 185 lbs | RB Harrisburg | 2026 State PA , who places at the top spot. The two are interchangeable, as is Elias Coke Elias Coke 6’2″ | 195 lbs | ATH Harrisburg | 2026 State PA .
Beals out classes all quarterbacks listed in this piece in terms of recruitment. He’s approaching the 20 total offer mark, coming off a freshman tape that placed him squarely on the radars of Power Five programs across the nation. Roman Catholic is setting the stage for Beals to separate himself away from the “underclassman with promise” discussions. We all want to see him put forth a dominant year and cement his status in the state. He’s capable of doing that as a sophomore, especially at Roman.
Highlights
Gavin Sidwar Gavin Sidwar 6’3″ | 185 lbs | QB LaSalle College | 2026 State PA is back at the two-spot. A PCL Red rivalry is likely setting itself up this Fall, with both Beals and Sidwar separating themselves in terms of recruiting. Sidwar is the only quarterback outside of Beals to hear back from Power Five coaches in the form of an offer. Ton of traditional qualities show up in Sidwar’s game. You see the upright, feet-grounded, tall stance in the pocket. The kid is 6’3 and growing, he’s got the frame developing the way it should. The type of quarterback to not let a pass-rush deter him. Sidwar’s got a bit to prove solely because of the late-season injury he suffered that left many of us wanting to see more. The young man is advanced beyond his years between the ears. I’m expecting a huge year out of Gavin, both in terms of wins and production.
Jalen Harris Jalen Harris 6’1″ | 170 lbs | QB Chester | 2026 State PA moves down a couple notches, only because I figured he’d have a high-level offer at this point. The high praise on my end has set high expectations. I don’t plan on changing the young man’s grade, his tape has earned him this spot on our ranks regardless of recruitment status. Harris, Sidwar, and Beals separate themselves from the rest of the loaded pack. I’m expecting another electrifying season out of Harris and the Clippers. They won’t be catching anyone off guard this Fall. The state is fully aware of the special group they can deploy on both sides of the ball.
Peyton Falzone Peyton Falzone 6’5″ | 200 lbs | QB Nazareth Area | 2026 State PA is a new name on the rankings, one that leap-frogged some prominent quarterbacks. Names like Dante Carr Dante Carr 6’4″ | 200 lbs | QB Minersville | 2026 State PA , Cam Walter, Xavier Stearn Xavier Stearn 6’5″ | 200 lbs | QB Germantown Academy | 2026 State PA , they dropped for the likes of Nazareth’s Peyton Falzone Peyton Falzone 6’5″ | 200 lbs | QB Nazareth Area | 2026 State PA .
6’5, 195, 4.0 GPA, also contributes in Swimming, T&F. Peyton Falzone Peyton Falzone 6’5″ | 200 lbs | QB Nazareth Area | 2026 State PA is a kid who completely flew under my radar last Fall, even some in the offseason. His extensive work at collegiate camps forced his hand in terms of getting on my radar. Falzone getting eyes on from college coaches is 10x more important than eyes from PRZ, yet I now like his tape more than anyone not ranked inside the top 25. Narrowly missing the top 50, Falzone shows off fantastic impromptu abilities when plays break down. He’s a phenomenal athlete with improvisational skills that rival anyone in the state. Natural in the open field, a long stride that catches kids off guard too. Plenty of teardrops dropped in buckets on tape too. Nearly ten minutes of tape as a freshman. He’s got work to do pre-throw as a passer, I can see clunky footwork, a well-drawn-out release, yet this kid has too much potential to not acknowledge. Very excited to see him work this Fall.
Carr and Falzone are interchangeable in terms of ranking. You can see that based on how close the two are in overall rank. 51st and 52nd respectively. Minersville Area’s stud sophomore is back and ready to double down on what was a promising freshman season.
6’4, 200, 4.0 GPA
19 total touchdowns and nearly 1,500 total yards accounted for. There’s a real chance we see a more comfortable and confident Carr this coming Fall, which is saying something considering he already exudes confidence well beyond his years. Talking with coaches in the know, he’s already on the map among FBS coaches recruiting the area. Like many of us, they are in wait-and-see mode. I would love to get a glimpse of Carr work in person, I know my colleague Dylan Callaghan-Croley is interested as well.
Highlights
One of my favorite tapes to watch. Put aside recruiting, put aside measurables, put aside the hype, Cameron Walter Cameron Walter 6’1″ | 180 lbs | QB Woodland Hills | 2026 State PA ‘s freshman tape stacks up well against some seniors and juniors in the state.
1,000+ yards, 8 scores to his name, I’m more interested in the type of throws Walter is willing to attempt and complete on tape. Talk about supreme confidence in his arm, Walter is seen either running from defenders or full-on getting popped in the mouth while still delivering a catchable ball downfield. A ton of splash plays downfield, there’s a clear emphasis on attacking vertically, Woody High has a kid behind center who is willing to stretch the field and give his guys a shot. Arm strength is solid, I’m impressed further by his confidence to attempt vertical shots. Can get active with feet too, either when improvising or deliberately when in zone-read sets. Don’t be surprised to see him explode statistically.
Ranked eighth, tough to find a proper spot for Germantown’s Xavier Stearn Xavier Stearn 6’5″ | 200 lbs | QB Germantown Academy | 2026 State PA . I personally think the young man has a higher ceiling than Falzone and Carr, it’s just tough considering we haven’t seen him in pads much. The off-season, however, has me fully expecting him to tear up defenses all Fall. Stearn has to grow from a visual perspective, seeing things on the field is vastly different from making his reads in a camp or 7v7 setting. So long as Stearn sees and understands what’s in front of him, we’ll see a promising sophomore Fall unfold behind center. Mental processing is huge for every player on this list, no matter who the grade either. Excited to see how far the kid has come along since we last saw him this past Winter.
Highlights
Maybe I’m reaching, maybe I’m too low on Penn Charter’s Tom McGlinchey Tom McGlinchey 6’6″ | 205 lbs | QB William Penn Charter | 2026 State PA . I’ve heard rumblings from QB trainers, Facebook posts, those in the know, that this kid could be better than any QB on this list. That’s high praise for a prospect I’ve never personally seen throw the football live.
The last name might ring a bell, as might the high school associated with McGlinchey. McGlinchey’s 6’6 frame should elude to NFL ties if the rest doesn’t do the trick. I admittedly get giddy thinking about young developing QBs who have elite size like this. I imagine Tom is dabbling into basketball, a no-brainer in my opinion. We are projecting here with McGlinchey, I’m often at Penn Charter games, so I’ll be able to report what I see on here fairly quickly.
This list would look a lot different had we ranked quarterbacks to win you a football game. If I had to pick a kid 1-10 to win me a football game on Friday night, I might go with Colt Sprankle Colt Sprankle 6’0″ | 155 lbs | QB Armstrong | 2026 State PA . I’ve had the chance to be around the kid more than most, I’ve had the chance to take a liking to his overall demeanor. We know how important intangibles are to the position. Sprankle brings a level of leadership and accountability beyond his years. Let’s not get it twisted, the kid also puts forth impressive tape. I get the feeling many are hand-cuffing Sprankle because of his size. Despite Smith and Keating being better prototypical builds, I can’t deny two things. Sprankle’s current tape and production, as well as the growth I’ve seen up close from February to July. He’ll be in the mix for years to come.
Pat Smith Pat Smith 6’2″ | 205 lbs | ATH Mt. Lebanon | 2026 State PA narrowly misses the top ten cut, yet strictly in terms of tape provided after freshman campaigns, Smith is certainly in the top ten, even top five discussions. As you can see, Pat Smith Pat Smith 6’2″ | 205 lbs | ATH Mt. Lebanon | 2026 State PA is still inside the top 100, as his two-way, dual-threat capabilities are too good to ignore. We look at Walter, Sprankle ranked ahead of Smith, you watch all three, and coming to the conclusion that Smith is the better prospect among the three isn’t a far-fetched notion. He’s got an upperclassman build suitable for LB play, blended with playmaking ability on the offensive side of the football. The gap between Smith and Falzone is a lot closer than it might seem. Miniscule, hair-splitting details are what landed him at 11. Expect him to climb if given the keys at Mt. Lebanon.
I see inklings of a future advanced passer when watching Noah Keating Noah Keating 6’3″ | 200 lbs | QB Pennridge | 2026 State PA throw the football. Good footwork in the pocket, clean mechanics, tough to tell on tape but the kid looks to keep feet just outside shoulder width apart. Keating looks to be in position to throw more often than he isn’t, again, this says a ton about a kid new to high school football, especially in District One. There’s command, there’s purpose to his throw and decisions. I get this from a small sample size, I imagine the young man still has a ways to go in terms of having complete control of an offense. Some seniors don’t obtain that level of control until mid-season. That being said, the confidence and pre-throw mechanic package looks promising. Hope to see him produce heavily this Fall.
Highlights
Torin TD Evans is primed for yet another breakout year, doubling down on the promising start to his career at Susquehanna Township.
All-conference honors, 4.0 GPA with a self-reported 4.6 40 time. Much of what Evans did last Fall came as almost a surprise to many I talked to, despite the kid having a stellar skillset as an eighth grader. There’s nothing flukey about what Evans did last Fall, I feel better about saying that after seeing him work in person at our camp. Plenty of torque behind the ball, plenty of power behind his throws. What I’m always interested in seeing is the growth of confidence from year 1 to year 2. There isn’t anything Evans should take from his freshman season to deter him from replicating what he did last Fall. If anything, the kid should come out more confident than ever.
We can group Aliquippa’s Marques Council with the other projections in this list. No tape, not much to work with, yet Avery Hawkins and many out west are buzzing about this young man, so much so that the buzz has made it’s way back to me in Philly. Xavier Stearn Xavier Stearn 6’5″ | 200 lbs | QB Germantown Academy | 2026 State PA has come out and won MVP at our camps, I’ve had coaches read out to me about McGlinchey, I just don’t know enough about Council to rank him with that group just yet. I have a feeling that’ll change sooner rather than later.
Two-sport prospect, 6’3, 170, 4.1 GPA. I imagine Quentin Goode Quentin Goode 5’11” | 165 lbs | QB Aliquippa | 2024 State PA isn’t going anywhere behind center, as he shouldn’t. We’ll likely wait and see with Counsel, just know he’s on my radar.