Spring football is on the horizon for the 13 FBS programs in the state of Texas. That means it is time to shift focus forward and rank the 10-best players at each position across the state, starting with quarterbacks. 

The Lone Star State sent 10 programs to bowl games and two to the College Football Playoffs as only Rice, UTEP, and Houston missed out on the postseason after the 2024 season. The 2025 season looks like another big year for the Great State because of the returning talent and added star power from the transfer portal. 

1. Arch Manning, Texas 

2024 review: 939 passing yards, 9 TD, 2 INT; 108 rushing yards, 4 TD

The offseason hype machine around Arch Manning will be turned up to 11 until the Longhorns start the season with a road game against defending national champion Ohio State – the team that knocked Texas out of the College Football Playoffs in the semifinals. A game that many believe Texas at least takes to overtime if Steve Sarkisian plays Manning in a Tim Tebow role on the goal line series that eventually became an Ohio State fumble return for a touchdown. 

But is it really hype? His grandfather, Archie, is in the Hall of Fame. So is his uncle, Peyton. Eli will be soon enough – fair or foul. Arch was a five-star prospect who has looked the part when given the reins while Quinn Ewers was injured. Arch has a bigger arm and is more Archie than Peyton in the athleticism department. He’s good. Maybe great. And that puts the Horns right back into national championship contention. 

If Arch is a bust, we’ll crack the egg onto our own face. But we’re betting he thrives in 2025 and leads Texas to another CFP berth. 

2. Kevin Jennings, SMU 

2024 review: 3,245 passing yards, 23 TD, 11 INT: 354 rushing yards, 5 TD

Jennings built a reputation as a winner at South Oak Cliff in his prep career and furthered his legend in Dallas by leading SMU to the ACC championship game and a spot in the College Football Playoff. He wasn’t the starter until Game 4 of the SMU season, taking over for Preston Stone following the home loss to BYU. Jennings’ dual-threat ability and efficiency unlocked the Ponies as he went 9-2 as the starter in 2024. The only losses were to Clemson on a last-second field goal in the ACC championship and at Penn State in the first round of the CFP. 

3. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor

2024 review: 3,071 passing yards, 28 TD, 8 INT; 230 rushing yards, 4 TD

Robertson entered 2024 as a backup without a clear future at Baylor. He’ll enter 2025 as the reason many feel his Bears are a true Big 12 championship contender. The revelation helped save Dave Aranda’s job in Waco and rebuild faith in the fan base. Robertson accounted for 18 touchdowns over the last seven games of the season while leading Baylor to a 6-1 record. 

4. Josh Hoover, TCU 

2024 review: 3,949 passing yards, 27 TD, 11 INT; 4 rushing TD

Hoover is one of the more efficient quarterbacks in America. He was asked to do too much in 2024 as the Horned Frogs struggled to run the football consistently. That led to games with too many turnovers from Hoover. Still, he broke the TCU single-season passing yards record while completing 61 passes for at least 20 yards – tops among all returning FBS quarterbacks.  He completed 66.5 percent of his passes – third-best in TCU history – while averaging 303.8 yards per game. 

5. Behren Morton, Texas Tech 

2024 review: 2,976 passing yards, 25 TD, 7 INT; 1 rushing TD 

The former four-star recruit proved he is one of the most prolific quarterbacks in America when healthy. He’ll need to be the leader of the offense in 2025 with the Red Raiders losing Tahj Brooks. Former offensive coordinator Zach Kittley became the head coach at FAU, which led to Texas Tech hiring Texas State’s Mack Leftwich to fill the void. Don’t expect Morton’s production to drop, however. 

6. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M 

2024 review: 1,864 passing yards, 15 TD, 6 INT; 547 rushing yards, 7 TD

Another quarterback on the list who began 2024 as a backup but ended the season as the clear starter. Reed led the Aggies to an unforgettable comeback win over LSU and never looked back. He ended up starting seven games and was a two-time SEC Freshman of the Week. Reed’s 4.7 yards a carry topped the SEC. The combination of being the starter in spring and summer ball and Year 2 in the same offensive system should only help Reed take the next step as an efficient passer. 

7. Owen McCown, UTSA

2024 review: 3,424 passing yards, 25 TD, 10 INT; 340 rushing yards, 3 TD

Replacing a legend is never easy, and that’s exactly what was asked of McCown when he took over for hometown hero Frank Harris as starting quarterback for the Roadrunners. McCown wavered a bit early under the pressure as UTSA started slowly before eventually finding his footing and staking a claim as one of the best G5 quarterbacks in the country heading into 2025. 

8. Hunter Watson, Sam Houston 

2024 review: 1,811 passing yards, 12 TD, 8 INT; 647 rushing yards, 9 TD

Watson is a gamer who must earn the starting job once again for the Bearkats, this time for new head coach Phil Longo and his Air Raid system. We’re not sure how Watson would fit in a traditional Air Raid, or if Longo would tweak his preferred style for his returning quarterback. Of course, Sam Houston could lean on a transfer to start at quarterback if Watson is more of a square peg in a round hole. Don’t count out Watson, however, as he’s proven to be a player that likes beating the odds. 

9. Conner Weigman, Houston 

2024 review: 819 passing yards, 3 TD, 5 INT; 101 rushing yards 

Maybe a fresh start in his hometown allows Weigman to avoid the injury bug and reach his potential. We’ve seen him bump up against his ceiling a few times when healthy as an Aggie before season-ending injuries stole the promise. He was a star at nearby Cypress Bridgeland and is the expected starter for the Coogs as he battles with Zeon Chriss. Houston was 133 out of 134 in scoring offense last year. 

10. Gevani McCoy (Texas State) 

2024 review: 1,300 passing yards, 3 TD; 328 rushing yards, 5 TD

This spot is wide open and could easily go to another Texas State quarterback transfer like Holden Geriner or to North Texas import Reese Poffenbarger or even to UTEP transfer Malachi Nelson. We’ll give it to McCoy because of his three seasons at Idaho, which included a 2023 season that ended as a Walter Payton Award finalist.