Florida State is coming off back-to-back losing seasons, so with the expectations in Tallahassee, Mike Norvell will need more than just a return to a bowl game to save his job. Unfortunately for the seventh-year head coach of the Seminoles, his team drew one of the toughest schedules in the ACC, and that’s on top of two non-conference matchups against SEC opponents, Florida and Alabama.Â
A tough schedule means Florida State and defensive coordinator Tony White are set to face many of the best quarterbacks in the ACC. White will be tasked with slowing them down, while Auburn transfer Ashton Daniels will be asked to outduel them with Norvell calling the plays.Â
Fall camp can still reshape this list, but for now, let’s take a look at the 12 likely starting quarterbacks FSU is set to face in 2026 and which will give the Seminoles the toughest time.Â
12. Walker White, Central Arkansas
The former four-star, top-100 recruit in the country has bounced around in his young career. After spending his freshman season at Auburn, where he attempted just five passes, he transferred to Baylor, where he did not see the field. Now, he’s looking to revitalize his career at Mike Norvell’s alma mater. There’s no guarantee that he starts, but whoever does likely won’t be one of the best 10 QBs FSU faces.Â
11. Adam Damante, New Mexico State
Adam Damante took over for Logan Fife down the stretch last season, and though New Mexico State lost three of the four games he saw the field for, he threw for 564 yards and five touchdowns with another on the ground over the final two games of the year, though he did have three interceptions.Â
10. Mason McKenzie, Boston College
Mason McKenzie, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound transfer from Division II Saginaw Valley State, is reportedly the front-runner to win the starting job in Chestnut Hill. In 25 career DII games, he threw for 4,300 yards and 31 touchdowns with another 1,600 yards on the ground. There is clearly some dual-threat ability here, which has never been Bill O’Brien’s preference, but if he taps into it, he could be a bit of a pleasant surprise for what is likely to be one of the five worst Power 4 teams in the country.Â
9. Christopher Vizzina, Clemson
A top 100 recruit in the 2023 class, Vizzina has waited patiently for his turn to take over the Tigers, and now that Cade Klubnik is in the NFL, it appears that he’ll get it. Vizzina made his first career start last October in a 35-24 loss to SMU. His numbers were excellent, going 29-for-42 for 317 yards and three touchdowns, but the tape wasn’t quite so impressive.Â
As is often the case with a Garrett Riley offense, it was screens, short passes, and the occasional shot. He happened to hit a few deep balls, and when he gets it out with anticipation, he has decent touch downfield. Still, he struggled to drive the ball into tight windows, wasn’t particularly comfortable in the pocket, and though Riley tried to lean on his ability as a big-bodied runner in short yardage, he lacks the explosiveness to make the juice worth the squeeze. Now, new offensive coordinator Chad Morris will be tasked with maximizing his skill set.
8. Beau Pribula, Virginia
Two years ago, there was a significant faction of the Penn State fanbase calling for Beau Pribula to unseat Drew Allar as the starting QB. In small doses, his combination of dart-throwing accuracy in the RPO game and athleticism as a designed runner is alluring. But last season at Missouri, we saw the limitations he has as a downfield passer. With little to no vertical threat, Pribula needs to lean on his dual-threat ability to stress the defense horizontally, but that led to injuries.Â
He may take a step forward against ACC defenses, but if they can play downhill with little-to-no threat of getting beat over the top, the results won’t be much different than they were in the SEC.Â
7. Lincoln Kienholz, Louisville
Reportedly, Kienholz gave Julian Sayin a pretty serious push for the starting job in Columbus last year, and considering how Sayin performed, losing out isn’t much to be ashamed of. At 6-foot-3, 214 pounds, the South Dakota native is a big-bodied runner, which he’s showcased in gadget packages for the Buckeyes, but the real question is how far along he is as a passer. I’m willing to bet on the upside over a known commodity like Pribula, but they may ultimately be quite similar archetypes.Â
6. Mason Heintschel, Pitt
Mason Heintschel impressed as a true freshman after taking over for Eli Holstein in October, but there are cracks in the foundation that lead me to believe it was a bit of high-variance fool’s gold. There are playmaking traits to his play for sure, but he has a high pressure-to-sack rate at 21.3 percent, a long time to throw, a testament to his never-say-die attitude, and a high turnover-worthy play rate. If he cleans up those aspects and plays more on schedule, he could grow into a top QB, but he’d sacrifice some of the big-play ability that came off-script, so it could be net neutral.Â
5. Keelon Russell, Alabama
There’s a real chance that if you did this re-ranking at the end of the season, Russell would be No. 1 or No. 2. There’s also a possibility that the former five-star isn’t on the list at all if he loses the starting job to Austin Mack in fall camp. There are shades of Jayden Daniels in his game as a lanky playmaker with a live arm and fluid movement skills. But it took Daniels years to grow into his ability. Will Russell tap into that talent as a redshirt freshman? It remains to be seen.Â
4. Kevin Jennings, SMU
Many people will never be able to wipe Jennings’ putrid first half against Penn State in the 2024 College Football Playoff first round from their memory, and honestly, that’s fair. It was all his worst tendencies cranked up to 11 and showcased on a national stage. He’ll take chances with the ball; he’ll hunt boom-or-bust plays, and his athleticism gets him into trouble almost as much as it gets him out of it.Â
Still, he’s entering his third year as the starter for SMU, and last season, his time to throw and average depth of target came down; two clear signs his willing to take what the defense is giving him more often. If that maturation continues and he uses his superpowers for good more than evil in 2026, SMU could be an ACC Title contender.Â
3. Aaron Philo, Florida
Georgia Tech appeared to have a perfect succession plan. Once Haynes King exhausted his eligibility, it was Aaron Philo’s turn to assume the mantle in Atlanta. Then, Jon Sumrall was hired in Gainesville, poached Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, and Philo followed his play-caller to the SEC.Â
Philo has been sharp in limited work. He has an arm to stress every level of the defense, and in his lone start last year, granted against Gardner-Webb, he went 21 of 28 for 373 yards and a touchdown with one interception. That’s a highly efficient downfield attack, and while it likely won’t be replicated against better defenses, the ability he put on display will translate to a higher level of competition.Â
2. CJ Bailey, NC State
Forget the ACC, CJ Bailey is one of the most underrated players in the entire country. The 6-foot-6, 210-pound passer generates easy velocity with his lanky frame, but unlike most quarterbacks of his height, has fairly replicable mechanics that allow him to remain consistently accurate. He completed nearly 70 percent of his passes last year, threw for 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns to just nine interceptions. His only issue is pressure, as it is for most long-legged QBs navigating a muddy pocket, but if he figures that out, he could become a real NFL prospect.Â
1. Darian Mensah, Miami
Mario Cristobal really flexed his muscles this offseason, prying Darian Mensah away from Duke late in the Transfer Portal window after striking out on his other veteran targets. Honestly, Mensah might be better than Sam Leavitt, who went to LSU. Mensah made the jump from Tulane to Duke last offseason and got better in the ACC. He isn’t always the easiest thrower, but despite being closer to a max-effort thrower than NFL scouts would prefer, his downfield ball placement doesn’t suffer, and his anticipation allows him to layer and throw with touch, rather than turning everything into a fastball.Â
Mensah is a legit NFL prospect for good reason. He’s an upgrade over Carson Beck and will be the best QB in the ACC this year. He’ll also make it incredibly tough for FSU to pull an upset over its rival to the south.
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