2026 QB Superlatives: Which Passers Have the Best Traits?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I love ranking players based on individual aspects of their game. We spend the vast majority of our time talking about holistic rankings, but I also like highlighting individual traits.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In this fun (hopefully) piece, I'm declaring a "best in the class" for several key traits. Who is the most accurate 2026 passer? Most athletic? Strongest arm? Find out these and more in this 2026 QB superlatives piece.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2026 QB Superlatives</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Most Accurate: [player_tooltip player_id='690769' first='Gannon' last='Jones'], Cardinal Gibbons</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I see so much Bo Nix in Jones' game, a guy who thrives on dialing in seemingly easy throws to maximize yards after the catch. Jones doesn't often get the accolades he deserves because a lot of his damage is done by putting short-to-medium throws in the perfect place. It's a skill that doesn't get talked about enough, and it turns eight-yard plays into 18-yard plays. The Wake Forest commit has thrown just eight picks in two years, and that's not due to an unwillingness to push the ball down the field, but because of pure accuracy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Others Considered:</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='284090' first='Faizon' last='Brandon'], Grimsley</strong>; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='771299' first='Kaleb' last='Williams'], Rolesville</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Strongest Arm: [player_tooltip player_id='1099168' first='Lan' last='Farmer'], Shelby</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This one was tough as there are plenty of players in the 2026 class with excellent, but non-elite arm talent. There isn't one guy who we can immediately point to as having crazy arm strength, but a bunch who can generate a bunch on velocity. Farmer gets the nod here as he displays his arm strength more often, with plenty of throws both over the middle and over the top. On a down-to-down basis, Farmer trusts his arm strength, firing balls into coverage and throwing bombs with relative ease.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Others Considered: [player_tooltip player_id='1159651' first='John' last='Kirkpatrick'], Randleman; [player_tooltip player_id='525514' first='Cole' last='Hough'], South Meck</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Most Athletic: [player_tooltip player_id='612118' first='Brody' last='Norman'], Lake Norman</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are several supremely athletic quarterbacks in this class, so I'm sorry that the guys in second and third place have to compete with Norman here. Norman broke records at the Carolina Coaches' Combine: not quarterback records, but player records, putting up the all-time combine record in the vertical jump, running a 4.55 40 and broad jumping well over 10 feet. It's freakish athleticism that put him on the map and ultimately landed him at Temple.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Others Considered: [player_tooltip player_id='1144640' first='Ely' last='Hamrick'],</strong> <strong>Crest</strong>; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1655113' first='Kaleb' last='Pone'], North Johnston</strong>; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1243204' first='Aiden' last='Smalls'], Clayton</strong>; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='657710' first='Jaxson' last='Kemp']</strong>, <strong>Northern Guilford</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Highest Upside: [player_tooltip player_id='284090' first='Faizon' last='Brandon'], Grimsley</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It feels almost like cheating with a truly elite prospect sitting in the middle of the state, but I don't just want to skip over a highest upside category simply because the answer feels obvious. Brandon earned a highest upside accolade from On3 at this week's Elite 11 competition and it's easy to see why. He's never been asked to really sling it, as Grimsley stays remarkably balanced on offense, often abandoning the pass once they get up a few touchdowns. So, while Brandon is an elite talent, he's never put up elite numbers. He's consistent, accurate, and an underrated runner, and when he gets to the college level, he could far exceed his high school output.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Others Considered: [player_tooltip player_id='896157' first='Zaid' last='Lott'], Providence Day; [player_tooltip player_id='620328' first='Jackson' last='Debe'], Providence</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Best Footwork: [player_tooltip player_id='267064' first='Haines' last='Robitzer'], West Forsyth</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Robitzer has bounced around a few schools, but his drops have always been solid and he's as on-time as any player in the state, even in different offensive systems. You know what you'll get from Robitzer and that translates on the field in the form of solid dropback passing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Others Considered: [player_tooltip player_id='1099168' first='Lan' last='Farmer'], Shelby; [player_tooltip player_id='896157' first='Zaid' last='Lott'], Providence Day</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Best Mechanics: [player_tooltip player_id='896157' first='Zaid' last='Lott'], Providence Day</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lott has transformed from a high-upside passer to a fairly polished all-around quarterback. He throws a tight spiral and generates some velocity from a compact throwing motion. We like his footwork as well (and we considered him there) but his best trait as an all-around solid passer is his ability to repeat his motion. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Others Considered: [player_tooltip player_id='735579' first='Landon' last='Melton'], Jordan; [player_tooltip player_id='1201581' first='Jacob' last='Smith'], Reagan</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Disagree? Tell me what I got wrong on Twitter (@<a href="https://x.com/whelms21">whelms21</a>)</em>. <em>Want to send this to someone else? They can get 30% off their first billing cycle of any subscription with the code Helms30</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->