Ranking the new quarterbacks' debuts, from Darian Mensah masterclass to DJ Lagway head-scratcher

Ranking the new quarterbacks’ debuts, from Darian Mensah masterclass to DJ Lagway head-scratcher originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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In today’s modern era of college football, teams have new guys starting at quarterback seemingly every season. From true freshmen, to guys who worked their way up the depth chart or transfer-portal stars, we have several guys who made their starting debuts in 2026. 

Miami started Duke transfer Dariah Mensah, Indiana turned to TCU transfer Josh Hoover and Tennessee started true freshman Faizon Brandon. 

Let’s take a look at how 16 new 2026 quarterbacks did during their Week 1 debuts. 

MORE:College football Week 1 overreactions: Is Dabo is done? Is Oregon a fraud?

Week 1 new QB debuts, from best to worst

1. Miami QB Darian Mensah

Miami fell just one play short against Indiana last season in the national championship game. The belief was that the Canes were just one better-than-Carson-Beck quarterback away from going back to the national championship this season.

Enter Duke transfer Darian Mensah, who had an absolutely sensational debut for the Canes on the road against Stanford on Friday night.

He was close to perfect during Miami’s 45-6 win, going 27-for-30 with 401 yards and five touchdowns, three of them going to his favorite target, star receiver Malachi Toney. Miami was up so big in the third quarter that head coach Mario Cristobal pulled him for the fourth.  

DARIAN MENSAH JUST HAD A DREAM DEBUT FOR MIAMI 🔥

27/30, 400 PYDS, 5 PTD, 0 INT pic.twitter.com/uSm6zWRMPs

— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) September 5, 2026

Look for Mensah to make some serious Heisman noise this season. 

2. LSU QB Sam Leavitt

In the battle of two Tiger quarterbacks making their debuts in Death Valley in Clemson-LSU, Leavitt was the big winner. Although he did have an early interception thrown that allowed Clemson to take a 3-0 lead, he responded well. 

On the night, he went 16-of-28 for 230 yards for a touchdown, averaging 15.2 yards per completion. He also impressively led LSU in rushing, getting 113 yards on 12 carries with two touchdowns. 

My favorite part of Leavitt’s night though, was when Holly Rowe described his “readiness routine” which sounds something out of a Tom Brady playbook: 

Sam Leavitt taking care of his mind and body 🧘‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/VdwC0JoSMK

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 6, 2026

3. Tennessee QB Faizon Brandon

The Vols opted to go with a true freshman under center for the first time since Erik AInge in 2004. In his Knoxville debut, the former five-star lived up to the hype. He finished 13-of-17 with 226 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 13.3 yards a throw. He added another 10 carries for 62 yards and two scores. One of his best throws came on a 57-yard bomb in the third quarter:

57 yard TOUCHDOWN! Faizon Brandon to Mike Matthews

FAIZBOMB BRANDON pic.twitter.com/hxen9LWJyf

— gmannVOLS (@gmannVOLS) September 5, 2026

Yes, the Vols opened against FCS Furman, but Brandon’s start also made a little SEC history. He joined Auburn’s Cam Newton as the first SEC player to throw for three touchdowns and run for two in his first start. We’ll see how he does going on the road against Georgia Tech next week.

MORE:Lane Kiffin arrives for LSU coaching debut flanked by Livvy Dunne and Theo Von

4. Indiana QB Josh Hoover

New Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover is not as much of an unknown as Fernando Mendoza, putting together three solid seasons at TCU before transferring to Indiana. 

But it looks like the Hoosiers won’t take a big step back under center this year, as Hoover finished with 231 yards passing and four touchdowns, missing on just three of his 16 pass attempts. Perhaps most impressive is that he played through literally bleeding from his face: 

Josh Hoover is profusely bleeding, he remains in the game for now#iufb#untpic.twitter.com/JiCcM4UvSE

— Carter Lowe 🦡 (@carterjlowe) September 5, 2026

Good thing Indiana’s jerseys are red. 

SN BIG BOARD: Top 100 players for 2027 NFL Draft

5. Alabama QB Keelon Russell 

Alabama’s offense got off to a slow start, scoring just 10 points in the first quarter. The Tide found its groove in the second quarter, but was mostly led by the run game. Russell got his first score on a three-yard rushing touchdown to give Alabama a 38-7 halftime lead.

While Russell did not find the end zone in the passing game, he went 18-of-30 for 256 yards with no interceptions. He was most impressive in the run game, getting 86 yards on 13 carries. Russell showed off some impressive wheels, too:

I mean, what are you supposed to do to stop Keelon Russell here? Unreal. pic.twitter.com/NFOTbXC2hl

— Gabe Burggraf (@GabeBurggraf) September 5, 2026

Russell’s next big test is a road trip to Kentucky next week. 

6. Florida QB Aaron Philo

Aaron Philo has had to wait his turn to get a shot at being a starting quarterback. After spending two seasons backing up Haynes King at Georgia Tech, he transferred to Florida, following Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner to Gainesville.

Despite playing in just eight games across his last two seasons, the lights weren’t too bright for him during his first start for the Gators. He finished with 275 yards passing with four total touchdowns, three in the air and one rushing.

He did have an interception right before halftime, but with 27 seconds left it didn’t amount to much. Florida scored 66 points—the most in a season-opener since 1994. Philo was even able to rest in the fourth quarter, his offense was up so big.

7. Penn State QB Rocco Becht

Becht followed his head coach Matt Campbell from Iowa State, and the Nittany Lions new head coach is likely happy he did. During a 45-0 rout of Marshall, Becht threw for 271 yards and four touchdowns, notching 15.1 yards per throw.

8. Mississippi State QB Kamario Taylor 

There’s been plenty of buzz surrounding Mississippi State starting quarterback Kamario Taylor in Starkville this season. Although he saw playing time last season mostly as a running quarterback, this is his first as the Bulldogs’ full-time starter. 

He did not disappoint, throwing for 354 yards with four touchdowns,  adding another 59 rush yards and a touchdown on the ground. His legs could give some defenses some problems this season:

Kamario. Taylor. @KamarioTaylor || 📺: ESPNU https://t.co/eDpfF6Ttvmpic.twitter.com/OtX6UFn6sT

— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) September 6, 2026

9. Wake Forest QB Gio Lopez

Last year’s starter at UNC, Gio Lopez, looks to start fresh at another Wake Forest school. In the Demon Deacon’s 38-16 win over Akron, he went 21-of-32 for 350 yards with three touchdowns.

10. Georgia Tech QB Alberto Mendoza

On Thursday night, Alberto Mendoza—the younger brother of our beloved Fernando—made his Georgia Tech debut against Colorado.

He had a mixed bag of a debut, going 17-of-23 for 237 yards and zero touchdowns. He showed flashes of what he can do though, like creating this magic on 3rd and 12 in the second quarter:

ALBERTO MENDOZA CAN PLAY pic.twitter.com/fwYWQtwBVZ

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 4, 2026

He also took three sacks, and appeared to be in pain after getting rolled up on in the first half. His best throw of the night came on a 42-yard bomb to Dalen Penson with 37 second left that should have set up a Georgia Tech game-winning field goal, but Tech had it blocked. His next game won’t exactly get easier, getting No. 20 Tennessee at home.  

11. Oklahoma State QB Drew Mestemaker

Oklahoma State lost to Tulsa 24-10, as the Golden Hurricane successfully spoiled new head coach Eric Morris’ Stillwater debut.

Although the expectations for Mestemaker were high, as he threw for over 4,000 yards last season with Morris at North Texas. But the signal-caller threw for 249 yards with just one touchdown and two interceptions. One of his picks came on what should have been a OK-State touchdown: 

The Tulsa defense is going to a problem in the American this season.

Elite defensive front and above average secondary. Just stuffed Mestemaker, Hawkins, Young, Coleman etc.

The American literally has 9 teams that win the conference title. pic.twitter.com/NYNebyx1Js

— Garrett Armbrust (@4thandsaturday) September 5, 2026

He also had a fumble, and his two turnovers came in the fourth quarter.  

12. Clemson QB Chris Vizzina

About as bad as you could get for a debut. He finished with just 10 completions for 83 yards and an interception. His backup. Tait Reynolds even saw playing time, it was so bad. We’ll see if Dabo Swinney makes a quarterback change to Reynolds permanently.

MORE: Frustration with Dabo Swinney grows after rout

13. Baylor QB DJ Lagway

There has been plenty of offseason hype surrounding Lagway as he is playing back in his home state of Texas at Baylor.

But in his first game against Auburn in Atlanta, Ga., he looked like the same old Lagway at Florida that struggled with turnovers and misfires, all while continuing to be injury-prone. 

In his first possession, he fumbled, which set up an Auburn field goal. He threw an interception on Baylor’s next offensive possession: 

DJ Lagway throws the pick in Auburn territory!

It’s his second turnover of the first quarter. pic.twitter.com/WAaxsf8UXw

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 5, 2026

He did his best to rebound, scoring a touchdown pass at the end of the second quarter. With the game on the line, he tried to lead the Bears to a furious late-game comeback. He made a great throws to get Baylor deep in Auburn territory late: 

DJ Lagway with an absolute dime with the game on the line to Gavin Freeman pic.twitter.com/p1karp6LuN

— Underdog CFB (@UnderdogCFB) September 5, 2026

He scored a five-yard touchdown pass, but his under thrown ball on the two-point conversion attempt that would have tied it gave Auburn the win: 

Baylor goes for the 2-PT conversion to win the game and gets stopped by Auburn!

DJ Lagway throws the ball behind his receiver pic.twitter.com/rADcrCpsnc

— Underdog CFB (@UnderdogCFB) September 5, 2026

Of course, it’s a long college football season, especially for quarterbacks. But we saw some great performances for a number of guys across the country. If it’s any indication, the 2026 season will be a fun one under center.