2026 Stock-Risers: Quarterbacks

I started with a breakdown of the defensive line on Monday when we updated the 2026 rankings, but I'm back to work on the quarterbacks now. It's an interesting class with several high-profile guys who lack consistent playing time and some under-the-radar guys who have played consistently well in their careers. To be frank, I expect more movement after the season than in this update, but that doesn't mean we didn't make some moves within the rankings.   Here are the quarterbacks who moved up our rankings and earned the title "stock-riser."   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2026 Quarterback Stock-Risers</h2>    Don't take the fact that he's not ranked as the top overall prospect in this class and think we don't love Brandon's game. The Grimsley signal-caller is a complete quarterback. While he has truly elite arm talent, he's never out of control with his throwing motion, which is simple and repeatable, leading to consistently positive results. We've seen elsewhere that he's listed as a pro-style quarterback, but don't let that fool you. Just because he's a pass-first guy doesn't mean he doesn't have high-level athleticism.     All it takes is a quick look at the offer lists of some of the players near Farmer in our rankings to know what we think of the Shelby signal-caller. In fact, there was a discussion had about listing him above some players with dozens of Power Four offers. We have a true Power Four grade on Farmer and unless something changes drastically this fall, we'll stand by that. Maybe it's the perceived competition level that's held him back on the recruiting trail, but he has elite arm talent and pinpoint accuracy. The pocket movement here is extremely advanced as well.     Admittedly, there's a bit of projection here as Jones' on-field numbers haven't quite reached the level of some of the other guys in this range, but he has the physical tools needed to be a solid FCS-FBS prospect. His arm talent and ability to throw from multiple arm slots is evident on film and when we saw him throw at a Prep Redzone camp, we were impressed.     We're looking for more consistency here from Kemp as the arm talent, footwork and flashes or high-level accuracy are all there. One of the best RPO decision-makers in the state, his game should seamlessly transition to the college level and he has two years to cut down on the wasted throws that kept his completion percentage low last season.     Payne is one of the guys I'm buying low early before he blows up. After spending last year as a backup, Payne transferred and the word out of West Carteret is that he's a special talent. The arm strength and accuracy are there on his limited film and he's got the size to easily make the transition to starter. Maybe just as important, he's got some talent to work with, so don't be surprised if you see his name near the top of some leaderboards this season.

I started with a breakdown of the defensive line on Monday when we updated the 2026 rankings, but I'm back to work on the quarterbacks now. It's an interesting class with several high-profile guys who lack consistent playing time and some under-the-radar guys who have played consistently well in their careers. To be frank, I expect more movement after the season than in this update, but that doesn't mean we didn't make some moves within the rankings.