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ESPN Projects Only One Five-Star QB From Class of 2025 to Start Next College Football Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kevin Borba | Last updated Jan 16, 2025 7:55 PM ET

A college football champion will be crowned on Monday as the No. 8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes and No. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish will face off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Although those two fan bases are excited about the game, the rest of the fans around the country are already looking ahead to the 2025 season with hopes they'll be among the final teams standing next year. However, a large population of those teams are hoping they are a quarterback away from getting there, and there are only a handful of elite quarterbacks to go around, especially regarding the recruiting ranks.

As seen in On3's 2025 recruiting rankings, just five quarterback recruits rank as five stars. While fans may expect each of them to be the program's next superstar or saving grace, ESPN's college football staff recently predicted just one of the five-star recruits will start.

The lone projected starter was Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who recently transferred from Oregon.

"The Bears are expected to add a veteran transfer to their QB room this offseason, but for now, Sagapolutele has to like his chances of battling for the starting job," wrote ESPN. "The prized recruit flipped to Oregon on signing day but quickly regretted his decision upon enrolling and transferred to Cal. He wants to be a Day 1 starter and knew his chances of beating out Dante Moore weren't good. He's one of the highest-profile recruits of the Justin Wilcox era and certainly intends to push for the starting job."

Cal lost both Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) and Chandler Rogers to the portal, giving Sagapolutele, who ranks as the No. 4 signal caller, a clear path to the field. Something that cannot be said by the other four quarterbacks.

One spot below Sagapolutele is Ohio State's Tavien St. Clair, who is projected to sit behind a five-star in last year's class, Julian Sayin . USC five-star Husan Longstreet, who flipped from Texas A&M and ranks as the No. 3 quarterback, is expected to back up former UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava, who replaced Miller Moss (Louisville) as the starter down the stretch for the Trojans.

Although the No. 2 ranked quarterback and Alabama signee, Keelon Russell, was told he'd start, the staff at ESPN is giving the nod to former five-star Ty Simpson, who has waited his turn for three years. The same fate is expected for the No. 1 quarterback and top player in the class, Bryce Underwood, who signed with Michigan. Although Michigan is paying Underwood a reported $10.5 million for four years, ESPN projected that Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene will start over the superstar freshman.

Only time will tell, but it wouldn't be shocking to see a few fan bases call for the freshmen immediately if these predictions come to fruition and the veteran struggles. It's a common practice, and fans always love the backup more than the starter. Just ask Quinn Ewers about Arch Manning.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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