Five Lexington QBs to Watch in 2026

As we enter the month of June, the 2026 high school football season is getting closer and closer. The offseason is in full swing and players across the state of Kentucky are looking to make a name for themselves. With that being said, I wanted to take a look at the city of Lexington in particular and highlight some players at each position to keep an eye on this season. To kick things off, here are five quarterbacks to watch in Lexington this upcoming season.    [player_tooltip player_id='2074536' first='Gage' last='Pennington'] had a strong junior season, completing 102/163 passes for 1,447 yards, 17 touchdowns, and four interceptions in 11 games. Pennington has a strong arm which he uses to stretch the field with ease in the deep passing game. He has also shown impressive ball placement, putting the ball in a spot where only his intended receiver can catch it. Pennington also ran the ball 54 times for 170 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior. I expect college coaches to have their eyes on Gage heading into his senior year.       [player_tooltip player_id='2222911' first='Dominic' last='Faulkner'] is another quarterback who impressed as a junior. This past season, Faulkner completed 59/130 passes for 1,018 yards, 14 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 10 games. He is an accurate passer, showing the ability to hit receivers out of their breaks where only they can make a play on the ball. Faulkner has also shown the arm strength to lead his receivers down the field in the deep passing game. He also showed impressive dual-threat ability as a junior, carrying the ball 98 times for 405 yards and five touchdowns. Faulkner     [player_tooltip player_id='1200569' first='CJ' last='Carpenter'] has been on my radar for a while now and continued to put together some solid film last season. As a junior, he completed 61/116 passes for 877 yards, nine touchdowns, and eight interceptions in 11 games. Carpenter has impressive arm strength which he uses to stretch the field in the deep passing game. He has also shown the ability to get the ball out of his hands quickly and hit his receivers out of their breaks so that they can make catches in stride. Carpenter also scored one rushing touchdown as a junior. CJ has looked impressive on the camp circuit this summer and will be an intriguing player to watch during his senior season.     [player_tooltip player_id='951327' first='Nash' last='Whelan'] was very impressive in his first season at quarterback for the Eagles, completing 170/259 passes for 2,526 yards, 28 touchdowns, and six interceptions in 15 games. Whelan throws an impressive deep ball, using his arm strength to stretch the field and touch to put the ball away from opposing defensive backs where only his intended receiver can catch it. He is also very dangerous as a ball carrier, finishing this past season as his team's leading rusher with 156 carries for 1,047 yards and 16 touchdowns. Whelan also made an impact on defense as a sophomore, recording 41 tackles, six tackles for loss, and an interception. Nash recently picked up an offer from Eastern Kentucky and I wouldn't be surprised to see more come his way soon.     My final quarterback in Lexington to watch this upcoming season is [player_tooltip player_id='1145692' first='Jayden' last='Guzman']. Jayden showed tremendous growth throughout his freshman year, completing 106/189 passes for 1,228 yards, 14 touchdowns, and four interceptions in 13 games. Guzman is an accurate passer, showing the ability to fit passes into tight coverage where only his intended receiver has a chance to catch it. He has also shown the ability to scramble outside the pocket when necessary while keeping his eyes down the field to make throws on the run. Jayden currently holds an offer from Grambling State and I expect more to come his way as he continues to develop over the next few seasons.

As we enter the month of June, the 2026 high school football season is getting closer and closer. The offseason is in full swing and players across the state of Kentucky are looking to make a name for themselves. With that being said, I wanted to take a look at the city of Lexington in particular and highlight some players at each position to keep an eye on this season. To kick things off, here are five quarterbacks to watch in Lexington this upcoming season.