Quarterback recruiting: Where things stand with the top prospects in the 2025 cycle

Quarterbacks, typically the centerpiece of any recruiting class, tend to commit earlier than most high school players. Signing day is still eight months away, yet 21 of the top 25 quarterbacks in the 2025 cycle have already issued a pledge.

As recruiting intensifies over the next few months and into the summer, let’s take stock of the quarterback picture and check in on which committed players might be looking around.

Note: All rankings are from the 247Sports Composite

Every one of the top 10 quarterback prospects in the 2025 cycle has issued a commitment — some as early as last June (such as Tavien St. Clair and KJ Lacey) and others more recently (such as Matt Zollers and Husan Longstreet).

Though all of these quarterbacks are committed, there is still some intrigue with this group. Julian Lewis, for example, committed to USC last summer but took visits to Alabama, Georgia, Auburn and Colorado in addition to USC earlier this spring and has set a summer visit schedule that includes USC, Auburn and Colorado.

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Georgia was thought to be in play, but the Bulldogs recently took a commitment from four-star quarterback Ryan Montgomery and landed Arizona State transfer Jaden Rashada, who will have three years of eligibility remaining after the upcoming season.

Auburn looms as a threat, and there’s a clear path toward a starting opportunity at Colorado in 2025. So USC has suitors to fight off for Lewis, who is one of four five-star quarterbacks in this class.

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The other player to watch in this group is Keelon Russell, who committed to SMU in December. That was before some high-profile programs came calling. Russell visited Ole Miss this weekend and has received an offer from Alabama and some interest from Texas, where he could potentially join Lacey.

Several programs have stayed after Deuce Knight, but the Mississippi native remains firm with Notre Dame.

This group is where some dominoes still have to fall. Antwann Hill is the highest-rated uncommitted quarterback in the country. He was committed to Colorado but reopened his recruitment in November. Since then, Florida, Florida State and Ole Miss have emerged as contenders, and Hill recently told Rivals that Duke and Memphis are also in the mix.

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There’s no concrete timetable for a decision from Madden Iamaleava, who told The Athletic he’d like to commit before his senior season but is comfortable with his recruitment going into the season. UCLA seems like a school to watch, but he is also interested in Nebraska, Alabama and Missouri.

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Like Iamaleava, TJ Lateef is a Southern California product who has yet to pick a school. It’s been a relatively quiet process for Lateef, but Nebraska seems to be in heavy pursuit, and the four-star signal caller recently attended the Cornhuskers spring game.

The most recent commitments from this group are Kevin Sperry to Oklahoma in March and Montgomery to Georgia in mid-April.

Adam Schobel’s commitment was a recent development for Oklahoma State, which flipped the Columbus, Texas, native from Baylor. Credit Mike Gundy for bolstering his 2025 class while also delivering a blow to a conference foe in the process.

Blake Hebert is one of nine blue-chip commits in Clemson’s class, which ranks fifth in the national rankings. Lloyd Jones is the highest-rated player in Texas Tech’s class that ranks 15th nationally. Luke Nickel has been committed to Miami since last summer.

Malik Washington, who plays at Archbishop Spalding in Severn, Md., recently visited Virginia Tech for the Hokies spring game. That would be a strong get for Brent Pry, but there will be plenty of competition. Washington told 247Sports that he also has official visits set for UCF, Syracuse and Maryland, along with some interest in Penn State.

There are four other blue-chip quarterbacks — based on the current rankings — in this class and all are committed: Michael Tollefson (Arizona State), Tramell Jones Jr. (Florida State), Stone Saunders (Kentucky) and Wyatt Becker (Utah).

Which programs to watch

There are several programs in the SEC without a quarterback commitment, most notably Alabama. It’s Kalen DeBoer’s first full cycle with the Crimson Tide, and he has a great track record with quarterbacks so we’ll see if he can make a splash at some point in the next few months.

Auburn, as mentioned, is trying to make a push for Lewis.

Florida signed five-star DJ Lagway in its 2024 class so it may be tough to bring in a highly touted quarterback during this cycle — and the Billy Napier hot seat talk probably doesn’t help, either.

South Carolina also doesn’t have a quarterback commit after missing out on Montgomery. The Gamecocks are expected to host three-star AJ Brand, an in-state prospect from nearby Irmo High, for an official visit, but they are reportedly recruiting him as an athlete. So Shane Beamer and staff could likely still be in the market for a quarterback even if they land Brand.

Nebraska is in a similar position as Florida, having brought in a highly touted five-star prospect in Dylan Raiola in the 2024 cycle. The Cornhuskers also signed in-state prospect Daniel Kaelin. So that’s a daunting situation for a 2025 QB to walk into — though Lateef seems very interested.

Colorado has been extremely reliant on the portal but will need a quarterback once Shedeur Sanders exhausts his eligibility after the season. There’s a clear path toward a starting role and a significant platform — if Deion Sanders stays — so the Buffaloes could be a team to watch with one of the committed prospects.

(Photos of Carter Smith, Antwann Hill and Akili Smith Jr.: Manny Navarro / The Athletic)