Jared Curtis, Faizon Brandon headline 2026 high school football quarterback recruits
When taking a look at the high school football quarterback talent in the Class of 2026, it’s evident this could be a special group of prospects.
Now, yes, you could certainly make that argument for nearly every class to come though the high school level, but when taking a look at the 2026 cycle alone, there is certainly potential with this group down the road.
In the 2026 cycle, there are a total of five five-star prospects, each of which is ranked as a Top 20 overall player in this class. Many of those same names are already committed, as are some of the top four-stars in the class.
Here is a look at the 10 highest-rated quarterback recruits in the Class of 2026 and what each did a year ago at the high school level.
NOTE: Recruiting rankings according to 247Sports Composite as of May 6, 2025.
10. Jake Fette, Del Valle (TX)
We begin this list with Jake Fette, a long-time Arizona State commit who is considered the No. 115 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class out of Del Valle High School in Texas.
Rated as a four-star prospect, Fette is coming off a junior season in which he posted a completion percentage of 60.7% with 2,488 yards and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 32-to-1 across 11 games while also rushing for 589 yards and 11 more touchdowns.
9. Bowe Bentley, Celina (TX)
Bowe Bentley currently ranks as the nation’s No. 93 overall prospect, and he has interest from multiple college programs, including Georgia, LSU, and Oklahoma.
A four-star prospect out of Celina High School in Texas, Bentley is coming off a junior season in which he threw for 3,211 yards with a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 47-to-7. He also rushed for 923 yards and 16 more scores for a Bobcats team that went undefeated at 16-0.
8. Jonas Williams, Lincoln-Way East (IL)
A USC commit, Jonas Williams is currently considered the nation’s No. 91 overall prospect and the No. 2 player out of the state of Illinois, where he attends Lincoln-Way East High School.
As a junior, Williams led the Griffins to a 12-1 overall record and an average of 39.2 points per game.
7. Brady Smigiel, Newbury Park (CA)
A former Florida State commit who is currently committed to Michigan, Brady Smigiel is ranked as the nation’s No. 80 overall player out of Newbury Park High School in California.
Rated as a four-star prospect, Smigiel posted a completion percentage of 65.2% with 3,521 yards and a stellar touchdown-to-interception ratio of 49-to-3 across 15 games as a junior. He also rushed for 435 yards and 11 more scores.
6. Landon Duckworth, Jackson (AL)
Alabama’s top 2026 signal caller is Landon Duckworth out of Jackson High School. The four-star prospect is ranked as the nation’s No. 55 overall player.
A former South Carolina commit, Duckworth posted a completion percentage of 66.7% with 3,439 yards and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 39-to-10 across 15 games. He also rushed for 648 yards and 12 more scores.
5. Keisean Henderson, Legacy the School of Sport Sciences (TX)
Currently committed to Houston, Keisean Henderson ranks as the nation’s No. 19 overall player and the No. 2 prospect in the state of Texas, where he attends Legacy the School of Sport Sciences.
A five-star prospect, Henderson is coming off a junior season in which he posted a completion percentage of 65.7% with 2,689 yards and 25 touchdowns. He also rushed for 347 yards with seven more scores.
4. Ryder Lyons, Folsom (CA)
Ryder Lyons, a five-star prospect out of Folsom High School in California, is ranked as the nation’s No. 17 overall player in the 2026 class. He is currently uncommitted with interest from a number of college programs, including BYU, Ole Miss, Oregon, and USC.
As a junior, Lyons held a completion percentage of 68.1% with 3,011 yards passing and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 46-to-6 across 13 games. He also rushing for 585 yards and 14 more scores.
3. Dia Bell, American Heritage (FL)
Florida’s highest-rated 2026 quarterback is Dia Bell, who is ranked as the nation’s No. 12 player out of American Heritage High School.
Bell, a five-star prospect and a long-time Texas commit, had an injury-shortened season a year ago. In that season, he appeared in 11 games as a junior, completing 70.6% of passes for 2,597 yards with a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 29-to-6 and rushing for 561 yards and five touchdowns.
2. Faizon Brandon, Grimsley (NC)
When it comes to 2026 quarterback prospects, you could certainly make the argument that it is 1A/1B atop the class, with the first of those two names being Faizon Brandon. The five-star recruit out of Grimsley High School in North Carolina is ranked as the nation’s No. 5 overall player.
A long-time Tennessee commit, Brandon is coming off a stellar junior season in which he had a completion percentage of 77.1% with 2,814 yards and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 35-to-2 across 16 games. He also rushed for 625 yards and nine touchdowns.
1. Jared Curtis, Nashville Christian (TN)
The second of those two aforementioned quarterbacks atop the 2026 class is Jared Curtis, a five-star prospect who ranks as the No. 2 overall player nationally and as the No. 1 recruit in the state of Tennessee, where he attends Nashville Christian School.
A recent Georgia commit, Curtis is coming off a junior season in which he posted a completion percentage of 70.2% with 2,830 yards and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 40-to-3 in 13 games. He also rushed for 637 yards and 18 touchdowns.
