Fernando Mendoza was QB4 and the 20th overall player on Dane Brugler's summer big board, published by The New York Times on August 21, 2025.
Garrett Nussmeier was QB3 and ranked 10th; Drew Allar was QB5 and ranked 27th; Cade Klubnik was QB6 and ranked 30th.
Then the season happened.
Arch Manning (QB1), LaNorris Sellers (QB2), and Sam Leavitt (QB7) returned to school a few short months after being projected to be Top 50 NFL prospects.
Ty Simpson, who missed the cut last summer, heads into the NFL Combine as QB2 with a chance to rise into the 1st-round discussion