Class of 26' Watchlist: Rising QBs to Watch Out For Pt. 2

I did a list of the top QBs from Iowa for the class of 2026 last week, but the group that performed over last season shined so brilliantly that I knew that the list was not large enough. Having split the lists in half, we've compiled another 8 QBs that represented themselves well in their junior seasons, affirming their roles as leaders of the offense, and have gained plenty of traction heading into their senior campaigns. This is part two of the Iowa QB Class of 2026 Watchlist!    Mount Vernon had one of the best defenses in all of Iowa last season, and while the offense was overlooked as a result, I was really impressed with Kellen Haverback's blossoming development over the course of the season. Haverback finished with over 2200 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions, while rushing for 10 touchdowns on the ground. Haverback's confidence and his willingness to take chances down the field grew over the course of the year, and he became a force to be reckoned with offensively, showing great touch and accuracy on his sideline throws, and overall great arm strength. Haverback will look to push Mount Vernon toward a state championship in 2025 after coming just short last season.     [player_tooltip player_id='1242284' first='Brady' last='Boulton'] is our latest addition to the talented 8-man QBs that have shined in Iowa this season. Boulton finished his second year as a starter with over 1300 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions, while rushing for over 1100 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground. Boulton's passing numbers from his sophomore season slipped a bit, but 2024 was a great opportunity for Boulton to flash his speed, agility, and athleticism as he ran all over defenders, while still delivering with solid effectiveness over the air. Boulton led Montezuma to a quarterfinals appearance this season, and he'll look to aim for a state title game to cap off his final year in 2025.     Playing in the toughest class in all of Iowa, [player_tooltip player_id='401870' first='Drake' last='DeGroote'] continued to develop on his passing mechanics as he led Valley WDM to a state title appearance this season. DeGroote ended the year with over 1800 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions, while rushing for 212 yards and 4 touchdowns. DeGroote lived up to the hype surrounding him this year, displaying pinpoint accuracy, hitting on ridiculous windows on the sideline, while also being able to scramble out and extend the play. To be able to play at the level that DeGroote is at in the most difficult division in Iowa is impressive to watch, and I'm excited to see how he continues to develop heading into his senior year.     [player_tooltip player_id='1221934' first='Garrett' last='Luett']'s number saw a bit of a decline after such an exciting sophomore year, but Luett still was largely productive in 2024. Luett finished with over 2100 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions, while rushing for 410 yards and 8 touchdowns. Luett's progressions are still a work in progress, but when he hits, he's hitting darts at balloons. Luett continued to showcase impressive throwing power and sharp accuracy at all three levels of the field. Luett already has solidified his future playing baseball for the Hawkeyes, but he has just as much talent on the gridiron, and he'll look to finish off his time at Underwood by helping the team to the state championship.     [player_tooltip player_id='1657101' first='Kyle' last='Tracy'] took over the reins of the Regals' offense in 2024, and despite entering the year under immense pressure, Tracy found his footing under Center pretty quickly. Tracy finished the year with over 1900 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions, while rushing for 751 yards and 9 touchdowns. Tracy looked comfortable in the pocket, showcasing great throwing power and accuracy on deep seams and sideline throws throughout the year, while also proving dangerous as an open-field runner. The Regals' offense stayed in the right direction this year with Tracy, and the Regals will once again be a force to be reckoned with under Tracy's guidance.     Building off of a solid sophomore debut in 2023, Peyton Welch expanded on his passing capabilities and proved to be an excellent signal-caller for South Hardin this season. Welch finished with over 1800 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions, while rushing for 261 yards and 3 touchdowns. Welch had stronger synergy this year with his offensive weapons, improving on his reads and progressions, and showing more arm strength to stretch the ball down the field to partner with the team's effective run game. However, with their top RB Jaxson Drury graduating this year, Peyton Welch will have to step it up in 2025 to keep South Hardin on track once again.     Cedar Rapids Jefferson posted their first winning season in 2024 since 2015, largely thanks to the unexpected breakout campaign for [player_tooltip player_id='1234329' first='Vernon' last='Benda'] under Center. Benda finished with over 1800 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions over the air, along with 4 rushing touchdowns. Benda was not afraid to air the ball out, taking a lot of shots down the field, and he was largely successful in the process, giving plenty of touch and depth on his deep ball to allow his receivers to get ahead of the defenders and burn them deep. Benda will look to lead the J-Hawks to greater heights in 2025.     Wrapping up this list is Class 2A standout [player_tooltip player_id='1242935' first='Brock' last='Badding'], who continued to flash great potential as a leader despite his numbers slipping from his sophomore year. Badding finished with over 2100 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions, while rushing for 4 touchdowns. Badding had a larger workload in 2024 manning the offense, and while he had his peaks and valleys, Badding for the most part showed further progression in his mechanics, improving on his accuracy on the run, as well as the ability to extend the play to find his receivers in stride. Badding will look to further hone his mechanics to reclaim the statistical prowess he held last year heading into his senior season.

I did a list of the top QBs from Iowa for the class of 2026 last week, but the group that performed over last season shined so brilliantly that I knew that the list was not large enough. Having split the lists in half, we've compiled another 8 QBs that represented themselves well in their junior seasons, affirming their roles as leaders of the offense, and have gained plenty of traction heading into their senior campaigns. This is part two of the Iowa QB Class of 2026 Watchlist!