Quarterback competitions to watch in Big 12 ahead of 2026 season

With just a few weeks before the college football season, fall camps are up and running around the Big 12. That means that several quarterback battles are in full effect.

Around the Big 12, quarterback play is going to be a major question this season. Several teams are leaning on transfers, hoping to turn their season around. Then, there's a layer of returning starters who are looking to leap forward. Still, not every team has decided their starter for the upcoming season.

With that in mind, here are some of the key quarterback battles in the Big 12. 

Cincinnati Bearcats

The Big 12 ended up mired in drama around quarterback Brendan Sorsby and Texas Tech this offseason. Lost in that was the fact that he left one Big 12 team for another, as Cincinnati was left looking for a quarterback for the 2026 season.

JC French IV is leading that battle at this point, but nothing is fully settled yet. French comes in as a transfer from Georgia Southern. But Liam O'Brien is an experienced Ivy League transfer, and while Samaj Jones lacks that same type of experience, he does offer dual-threat ability. 

Houston Cougars

On paper, Houston should be all set at quarterback. Veteran Conner Weigman returns to Houston, and he did very well last season, leading the Cougars to a 10-3 record. That was on 2,705 passing yards and 25 touchdowns.

There is a major caveat to that, though. Freshman quarterback Keisean Henderson was a five-star recruit. Rivals even had him as the top quarterback in the Class of 2026. If Weigman struggles at all, or if Houston looks unable to get over the hump with him, there's going to be calls to play Henderson. So, it's not shocking that this could become a battle down the line.

Kansas Jayhawks

It's finally time for a changing of the guard at quarterback for Kansas. Jalon Daniels has moved on. Now, the Jayhawks need to find a new signal-caller to lead them to a bounce-back season.

It appears that there are two major names to keep an eye on here. The first is Cole Ballard, who has played in 15 games over three previous seasons with Kansas. Except he has more interceptions than touchdowns in that time. Then, Isaiah Marshall enters his third season at Kansas with nine games and a start to his name, though only three pass attempts. Chase Jenkins will also be a part of the battle there.

Texas Tech Red Raiders

No team was rocked more at the quarterback position this offseason than Texas Tech. Brendan Sorsby was one of the prizes of the transfer portal. That is, until his gambling problem came to light. Now, after a legal battle, the Red Raiders need to move on.

The hope is that Will Hammond is going to be able to hit the ground running now. However, he tore his ACL last October, and there are still questions about how healthy he really is. If he's not all there, things will get interesting for the Red Raiders. Tulsa transfer Kirk Francis has experience and may need to step in during a worst-case scenario.