Conference USA is often an overlooked quarterback conference. Last year the league produced the nation’s sixth-leading passer and third-leading rusher (among quarterbacks). Yet, neither of those players — Nick Minicucci nor Caden Creel — was a Week 1 starter. However, both Minicucci and Creel return as stars of the conference in 2026.
Will we discover more hidden gem quarterbacks this fall? Here’s a full overview of the quarterback situations across Conference USA entering the 2026 season. For each
team, the Week 1 starter is projected, and for teams engaged in quarterback battles, other starting candidates are presented.
Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens
- Projected starter: Nick Minicucci (Sr.)
- Other potential starters: N/A
- Backups: Braden Streeter (Jr.), Riley Trujillo (Jr.), EJ Archield Jr. (So.), Tyler Bell (Fr.)
Delaware returns Nick Minicucci, who enters 2026 with palpable hype. Minicucci earned Second Team All-CUSA honors in 2025 after accumulating 3,683 passing yards (6th in the FBS), along with 23 passing touchdowns and a team-high 10 rushing scores. It’s hard to believe Minicucci didn’t even enter 2025 atop the depth chart. Rather, he took over for Zach Marker who suffered a knee injury in the opening quarter of the season, and Delaware never looked back at the position. Minicucci led the Fightin’ Blue Hens to a 7-6 record and bowl victory in their first year as an FBS program.
Braden Streeter threw 19 passes as a backup last year, primarily in a lopsided November contest vs. Wake Forest. He likely returns as the second-string behind the All-CUSA quarterback. Riley Trujillo, a former UCF commit, made two appearances last season for the Fightin’ Blue Hens but never dropped back to pass. A rarity in the modern transfer portal era, Delaware added no quarterbacks through the portal this offseason.
FIU Panthers
- Projected starter: JJ Kohl (Jr.)
- Other potential starters: N/A
- Backups: Zach Marker (Sr.), Zachary Waters (R-Sr.), DJ Alexander (Fr.)
FIU loses its three-year starting quarterback Keyone Jenkins to an in-state school in UCF, forcing the Panthers to start anew at quarterback in year two of the Willie Simmons era. The Panthers consulted the portal and now enter 2026 with two experienced starters in JJ Kohl and Zach Marker. Kohl started six games for Appalachian State last fall, posting 1,465 passing yards with a respectable ratio of 12 touchdowns to two interceptions (finishing interception-free in five of six starts).
Marker was Delaware’s Week 1 starter last year, but his season was limited to a single quarter. Marker suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opener vs. Delaware State. It wasn’t his first serious knee issue, as he also suffered an ACL injury in 2023. Marker hopes for a full recovery as enters his seventh-year senior campaign in a new home. Zachary Waters is the only incumbent in the room who has worn the FIU uniform, but he has yet to throw a pass.
Jacksonville State Gamecocks
- Projected starter: Caden Creel (R-Jr.)
- Other potential starters: N/A
- Backups: Greg Jones (Sr.), Kadyn Mitchell (R-Fr.), Jack Moran (R-Fr.)
Jax State changed head coaches last year, but the offensive system under Charles Kelly remained extremely similar to the championship-winning formula established under Rich Rodriguez. That involved a run-heavy quarterback with mastery of the zone read, and Caden Creel perfectly fit that model. Creel earned his first start when the Gamecocks were 2-3, and he turned the season around, finishing 7-2 as a starter with a CUSA Championship Game appearance and a Salute to Veterans Bowl victory — where he won MVP. The mobile quarterback finished 30th in the FBS in rushing and third among quarterbacks with 1,076 yards. As a passer, he took excellent care of the ball, firing eight touchdowns against two interceptions in his nine starts.
Two years in a row, Jax State switched its starting quarterback after a slow start and the change worked. Don’t expect a repeat of that trend with Creel returning and little proven experience behind him. Greg Jones enters from Independence Community College, while Kadyn Mitchell and Jack Moran are redshirt freshmen waiting for their first opportunity.
Kennesaw State Owls
- Projected starter: Rickie Collins (R-Jr.)
- Other potential starters: Landon Varnes (So.)
- Backups: Skyler Williams (R-Fr.), Jamarcus Harrison (Fr.)
Trades don’t exist (at least not as of 2026) in the college football universe, but Syracuse and Kennesaw State essentially completed a QB trade this offseason. Kennesaw State’s 2025 CUSA champion quarterback Amari Odom headed to upstate New York, and in return, the Owls received a transfer commitment from Syracuse quarterback Rickie Collins. Collins started five games for Syracuse last year after starter Steve Angeli suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in September. He gained valuable experience against some of the ACC’s top competition but was unable to register a victory. Collins finished the year with 1,042 passing yards, six passing touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and 126 rushing yards, hoping to flourish in a different environment.
No other Kennesaw State quarterback has FBS experience, but Landon Varnes is an intriguing option after rising to stardom at the JUCO level. At Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Varnes led the country in an array of passing statistics, ranging from his 3,296 passing yards to 31 touchdowns. He could contend for the starting job as the Owls aim to become the first repeat CUSA champion since 2022 UTSA.
Liberty Flames
- Projected starter: Jaylen Henderson (R-Sr.)
- Other potential starters: Deshawn Purdie (Jr.), Ethan Vasko (R-Sr.)
- Backups: Ethan Houck (R-Fr.), Jachin Davis (Fr.)
Liberty enters 2026 with not only the most intriguing quarterback battle in Conference USA, but arguably one of the most fascinating competitions in the country. Not many rosters have three quarterbacks with at least five FBS starts, and Liberty must select one prior to a highly-anticipated Week 1 showdown at James Madison. The Flames retain their incumbent starter Ethan Vasko, who started 10 of 12 games in 2025. Vasko, who followed head coach Jamey Chadwell from Coastal Carolina to Liberty, recorded 1,961 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in Lynchburg.
Vasko has 26 career starts at Coastal and Liberty, but he missed spring ball while recovering from shoulder surgery. With Vasko sidelined, Liberty launched a spring QB battle between Deshawn Purdie and Jaylen Henderson. Purdie started six games at Charlotte in 2024 and two at Wake Forest in 2025, totaling 2,420 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Jaylen Henderson started four games at Texas A&M in 2023 and one at West Virginia in 2025, totaling 814 passing yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions. But of the three QBs, Henderson has proven the most as a rusher, and quarterback mobility has been of utmost importance to the success of Chadwell’s spread option offense. After missing that element last year, Henderson could use that as his gateway to QB1.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
- Projected starter: Roman Gagliano (R-So.)
- Other potential starters: Peter Costelli (Gr.)
- Backups: Stanley Anderson-Lofton (R-Fr.), Peter Grandjean (R-Fr.), Rocco Williams (Fr.), Mason Mallory (Fr.)
It felt like Nicholas Vattiato would be Middle Tennessee’s starting quarterback forever, but he’s finally out of eligibility after 39 starts over five years. Roman Gagliano, who claimed QB1 duties after a Vattiato injury last November, likely assumes the starting role in 2026. Gagliano thrived in his three starts, finishing his redshirt freshman campaign with 1,011 passing yards (306 per start), seven passing touchdowns, and zero interceptions. And his presence translated to winning, as Gagliano finished 2-1 as a starter in the midst of a 3-9 season. He also flashed mobility, combining for 176 rushing yards in those three starts.
Stanley Anderson-Lofton, the third-stringer from 2025, is back for 2026 after playing five snaps and throwing one completion. Middle Tennessee also brought in sixth-year senior Peter Costelli from FCS Northern Colorado in the portal. Costelli, a former 4-star recruit with previous stops of Utah and Troy, attained 858 passing yards across two years at Northern Colorado and provides valuable experience in an otherwise youthful quarterback room.
Missouri State Bears
- Projected starter: Skyler Locklear (Sr.)
- Other potential starters: Henry Belin IV (Sr.)
- Backups: Cole Feuerbacher (Jr.), Eian Finkley (Jr.), Elijah Leonard (So.), Brett Ottensmeyer (Fr.)
The Casey Woods era commences in Springfield, MO, and it begins with a quarterback battle. The Bears brought in two experienced quarterbacks at a similar time to replace the graduated senior Jacob Clark. Skyler Locklear arrives from UTEP with 16 career starts, totaling 3,001 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions in two years with the Miners. He also arrives with familiarity with the coaching staff, as his offensive coordinator Mark Cala also made the move from El Paso to Springfield.
Challenging Locklear for the role of QB1 is former Duke quarterback Henry Belin IV. Belin earned a start in 2023 to relieve an injury-riddled Blue Devil quarterback room, defeating NC State behind 107 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also started the 2024 TaxSlayer Bowl defeat to Ole Miss and arrives with 540 career passing yards, along with 92 rushing yards. Cole Feuerbacher also returns to the group despite the coaching staff change, and he threw eight passes during lopsided contests last fall.
New Mexico State Aggies
- Projected starter: Trey Hedden (Jr.)
- Other potential starters: Adam Damante (R-Jr.)
- Backups: Kalani McLeod (So.), Parker Stofa (R-Fr.), Trey Arnold (Fr.)
New Mexico State has not enjoyed quarterback stability since the Diego Pavia era. In Tony Sanchez’s two years at the helm in Las Cruces, the Aggies started five different quarterbacks. Attaining a sense of stability is a desire for the 2026 season, but it appears another QB battle must materialize this summer. New Mexico State brought in Furman two-year starter Trey Hedden. At the FCS level, Hedden eclipsed 4,700 passing yards over the past two seasons, dishing out 30 touchdowns to 22 interceptions. Efficiency was one of the hallmarks of his game, registering a 68.5 completion rate in 2025.
Adam Damante is the incumbent in the room, starting each of the last two contests for the Aggies in 2025. Damante finished with 711 passing yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions in a limited sample size, but he guided New Mexico State to one of its four wins last year — and lost his other start in overtime. Also joining Hedden and Damante at quarterback is Kalani McLeod, who excelled at the community college level in California a year ago.
Sam Houston Bearkats
- Projected starter: Landyn Locke (So.)
- Other potential starters: N/A
- Backups: DJ Bailey (R-So.), Mason Holtzclaw (Fr.), Noah Normand (So.), Brett Holloway (Fr.)
All signs point to Landyn Locke as QB1 heading into the second year of Phil Longo’s tenure. Locke formerly committed to Wisconsin but decommitted the same week Longo accepted the head coaching position at Sam Houston. In 2025, Locke accrued valuable experience by starting the final three games for the Bearkats — including an upset victory over Delaware. Locke posted 765 passing yards, four touchdowns, and four interceptions on a 50.4 completion rate, highlighted by a career-best 281 yards against Middle Tennessee.
Experience is thin behind Locke. Bailey threw three passes and attempted three runs in the season finale vs. FIU last November. Noah Normand has yet to log a collegiate snap, and the remainder of the group is comprised of true freshmen. Locke is likely the Week 1 starter, but with such a young quarterback room, playing time could be allocated to anybody throughout this season.
WKU Hilltoppers
- Projected starter: Rodney Tisdale Jr. (R-So.)
- Other potential starters: Brock Glenn (R-Jr.)
- Backups: Caleb McMickle (R-So.), Cam O’Hara (Fr.)
If you want to lead the nation in passing, committing to WKU is always a safe bet. The Hilltoppers produced the nation’s top passer in four of the 12 years of the College Football Playoff era, as Tyson Helton’s offense has largely relied upon slinging the ball around. Rodney Tisdale Jr. took over as the starter of that offense in the middle of 2025 and excelled in the system, producing back-to-back 300+ yard, 3+ touchdown showings on 70%+ completion rates in his second and third starts. He showcased some mobility as well (which has been a bit more rare for WKU quarterbacks) and ultimately guided the Hilltoppers to their eighth bowl win in a 12-year span. Tisdale enters as the favorite to retain his role in 2026.
Tisdale started six games last year, yet he doesn’t have the most FBS starts on the roster. Brock Glenn rolls into Bowling Green, KY after starting seven games over three years at Florida State — including starts in the 2023 ACC Championship Game (a victory over Louisville) and 2023 Orange Bowl after the infamous injury to Jordan Travis. Glenn threw for 895 yards, six touchdowns, and seven interceptions in garnet and gold. After more limited playing time in 2025, the former 4-star recruit aims to challenge for the starting job in new surroundings.
