True quarterback battles are a dying breed at the Power Four level now that money is part of the equation. There’s simply not enough to go around for two stars on the same team, and the player who feels like the odd man out can leave for a payday and starting snaps. But quarterback competitions still thrive at the G5 level. In fact, five of the six G5 programs in Texas will enter fall camp without a named starting quarterback. UTSA’s Owen McCown is the only sure-bet starter.

Let’s break down the five quarterback battles across the state — and predict who we’ll see under center in Week 1. Or in Sam Houston’s case, Week 0.

TEXAS STATE

Contenders: Brad Jackson, Holden Geriner, Keldric Luster

G.J. Kinne has decided to take an NFL approach to finding a starting quarterback. He’s populating the quarterback room with multiple options and then letting the players duke it out in the spring and over the summer. He did it in Year 1 when he brought in T.J. Finley after spring practices to compete with Malik Hornsby. He’s done it again in 2025 by adding SMU transfer Keldric Luster after the spring to compete with Brad Jackson and Holden Geriner, who transferred to Texas State from Auburn in the winter window. 

Jackson left spring as the odds-on favorite because of his familiarity with the system. He’s a redshirt freshman from San Antonio Reagan who was handpicked by Kinne and former offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich. Jackson played in three games last year while maintaining a redshirt. His rushing ability — 164 yards and four TDs on 22 carries last year — gives him a unique skill set. Luster appeared in seven games over two seasons at SMU as a third-string quarterback. Geriner was a big-time recruit out of high school with a strong arm and a big 6-foot-3 frame. 

Was Luster added to compete with Jackson for the starting spot or to provide depth as QB2 while competing with Geriner for the backup role? That’s the big question in San Marcos. As we mentioned above, Kinne isn’t afraid to start a quarterback who didn’t arrive until the summer — as he did with Finley in 2023. We get the feeling that this is Jackson’s job to lose and that his legs could be the X-factor as the Bobcats enter 2025 with a loaded running back room and a case to be the top rushing team in the Sun Belt. 

Our prediction: Jackson 

NORTH TEXAS 

Contenders: Reese Poffenbarger, Drew Mestemaker 

This might be the most intriguing quarterback battle in the Lone Star State, and we expect that it rages until the first game — maybe even longer. Miami transfer Reese Poffenbarger and returner Drew Mestemaker split snaps during the spring as the coaching staff tried to compare the two with as few variables as possible. This is the third time in three seasons that head coach Eric Morris has had to break in a new quarterback. Chandler Rogers didn’t enter 2023 as the starter but won the job after the second game. Chandler Morris was added after spring last year from TCU and was the unquestioned QB1 in 2024. 

Poffenbarger is at his fourth school. He spent last season as the primary backup to Heisman finalist Cam Ward, who played for Morris at Incarnate Word and Washington State. Poffenbarger spent 2022 and 2023 at Albany, where he started 26 games and threw for 5,969 yards and 56 touchdowns. He redshirted at Albany in 2021. 

Mestemaker is one of the more unique stories in college football. He is a former walk-on who wasn’t a starter at Vandegrift High School — at least not at quarterback. He was an all-district safety and a backup QB for the Vipers during his varsity career. He had thrown five total passes in college before a breakout performance in the bowl loss to Texas State at the end of last season. He racked up 447 yards of total offense and three touchdowns in the 30–28 thriller. 

This one is anyone’s guess, and we’re not sure the battle is settled — so even Morris might not know who the Mean Green’s starting QB will be in Week 1. 

Our prediction: Mestemaker 

UTEP 

Contenders: Skyler Locklear, Malachi Nelson, Shay Smith

Bringing a former five-star quarterback to El Paso made headlines this offseason when Malachi Nelson transferred to UTEP to play for Scotty Walden. But will he even be the starter for the Miners in 2025? We’re not so sure. Nelson wasn’t the first or second quarterback to trot out onto the field during the spring game. Nelson was a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year as a prep star in California before beginning his collegiate career at USC. He transferred to Boise State last season but couldn’t win the job. 

Locklear followed Walden to UTEP from Austin Peay and started nine times in 10 appearances last season for the Miners. He led the team with 1,583 passing yards and 10 touchdowns. He also added 237 yards and two scores on the ground. Smith is a local prospect from El Paso Franklin who played in four games last season and is a dark horse in the QB competition. 

Our prediction: Locklear

RICE

Contenders: Drew Devillier, Chase Jenkins, AJ Padgett

This one feels more like a battle in theory than in practice. New head coach Scott Abell runs an option attack that thrives when the quarterback can move, and Chase Jenkins is the best option for that. He was moved to wide receiver at one point by the previous staff but returned to quarterback with the arrival of Abell and took the first-string snaps in the spring game. 

Our prediction: Jenkins

SAM HOUSTON 

Contenders: Hunter Watson, Mabrey Mettauer

This is another one that might not be a true open competition. Watson was a leader and a winner for the Bearkats last season. He’s a tough, hard-nosed quarterback who thrived in the JUCO ranks and immediately won over his teammates with his willingness to put his nose into the fray. That hurt him at times last season — literally — as his body struggled to handle his playstyle at the FBS level. Air Raid disciple Phil Longo arrived in the offseason and brought Mettauer — a former four-star prospect from The Woodlands — with him from Wisconsin. Mettauer, who is only a redshirt freshman, is the future and might end the season as the starter, but our guess is that Watson is the man when the Bearkats travel to Western Kentucky in Week 0. 

Our prediction: Watson