6 Quarterbacks Ready to Take Off in the Class Of 2026

<p>The Arizona high school football season is approaching quickly and teams are starting to get a real feel for how their skill positions are going to look next season with all the seven-on-seven tournaments going on. As these teams continue to play, one thing continues to stand out: the class of 2026 has some serious talent at the quarterback position. With some of these players coming off an incredibly productive season at the varsity level, and some in the midst of a battle to win the starting job, all of these guys have what it takes to lead their teams to success. </p>    <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='292113' first='Dominic' last='Kramer'] is coming off a very impressive sophomore season where he threw for over 2,000 yards while completing 67% of his passes. He has an incredibly compact delivery which makes him really hard for the rush to get to because he can get rid of the ball so quickly. Kramer consistently shows good touch on deep balls down the sideline, often hitting his receivers right in stride. Even more impressive was his accuracy when throwing over the middle of the field. With a strong base, he's able to put zip on the ball to fit it into tight windows if needed and isn't afraid to test those windows either. With the Peoria quarterback having a full year of varsity experience under his belt, Kramer could take a big jump from his already impressive 19/9 TD/INT ratio. </p>      <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='283577' first='Antonio' last='Casias'] managed to average just a tick under 200 yards a game through the air as just a sophomore for Cactus. Maybe even more impressive than that, Casias was able to show that he's an incredibly tough player who's not only willing to put his body on the line for a play but will hop right up afterward too. At 6'0" 170lbs, Casias has a strong arm that can get the ball to all parts of the field. Showing an ability to work through progressions, he does a nice job of not staying locked on any one receiver for too long. Although Casias lost his top target in [player_tooltip player_id='704778' first='Nikko' last='Boncore'], Cactus also gained another very talented wideout in [player_tooltip player_id='401167' first='Julian' last='Moncivaiz'] too. With Casias at the helm, Cactus is going to be an incredibly fun team to watch. </p>      <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1177566' first='Ivan' last='Higuera'] is more than just a quarterback for Douglas, he's a true all-around athlete. Excelling multiple sports, Higuera earned 1st Team All-Region honors for both baseball and football, where he also claimed the region's Offensive Player of the Year. The athleticism jumps off the tape when watching him play quarterback. With his combination of burst and agility, he's incredibly hard for defenders to even get their hands on. He's not just a threat to run the ball though, Higuera can really spin it with impressive touch, especially outside the numbers. You can see the baseball player come out whenever he lets one rip while on the run. He's very natural throwing from any arm angle without sacrificing accuracy. Throwing and rushing for over 1,000 each and averaging over 200 total yards a game as a sophomore, the sky's the limit for Higuera in 2024. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/itsmeivan_02/status/1723796208013988101 </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='739447' first='Chase' last='Brown'] is a methodical quarterback out of Flagstaff with a very calm demeanor. His 6'3" 180 lbs frame isn't very common to see in someone heading into just their junior season. Brown is a player I truly think is underrated, and perhaps his biggest strength is one of the biggest reasons. He's not a quarterback who's going to force the deep ball and is very willing to take what the defense is giving to him. Brown was able to spread the ball around so much last season that Flagstaff had six different pass-catchers surpass 100 yards, and two with more than 400. That's not to say he can't throw it deep; with his frame, Brown boasts an excellent arm and some nice touch to go with it. With some focus on keeping his eyes downfield and trying to stay in the pocket a touch longer, Brown's average of 170 yards a game could easily skyrocket up over 200.</p>      <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='401151' first='Case' last='Vanden Bosch'] enters the offseason in a heated quarterback competition at Brophy after graduating senior Charlie McGinnis. Throwing on his sophomore season film, he already plays the position more mature than many of the seasoned varsity quarterbacks I watch. There's not even a thought of panicking in tough situations for the athletic quarterback. Whether it's sitting in the pocket and going through his progressions or effortlessly getting around pass rushers, he doesn't ever seem to be caught off guard. At 6'2" and 185 lbs, I was not expecting to see the quick twitch and slipperiness that jumped off the screen. If Vanden Bosch is able to win the starting job for Brophy, his calm, cool, and collected attitude mixed with his impressive athleticism will make for a scary offense. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/PeteKnow_/status/1782988939323977776 </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">Being named one of the top performers at the Army Bowl Combine by well-respected media member Just Chilly, [player_tooltip player_id='401147' first='Aidan' last='Welchman'] is a name I've been hearing a lot throughout the offseason. At 6'5" he has some very long arms but is still able to maintain great upper-body mechanics. Not the most athletic player, he's still able to gracefully dance around the pocket with really impressive footwork. There's still some room for him to add some weight on his frame to help him with extending plays outside the pocket. But even with that being said, Welchman's play within the pocket is so refined that it's good enough to lead a team to success on its own. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/JUSTCHILLY/status/1799326032958456204 </div></figure>

The Arizona high school football season is approaching quickly and teams are starting to get a real feel for how their skill positions are going to look next season with all the seven-on-seven tournaments going on. As these teams continue to play, one thing continues to stand out: the class of 2026 has some serious talent at the quarterback position. With some of these players coming off an incredibly productive season at the varsity level, and some in the midst of a battle to win the starting job, all of these guys have what it takes to lead their teams to success.