2025 Quarterback Superlatives: Highest upside, best senior season, strongest arm
Nearly all of the top quarterback prospects in the 2025 cycle have put pen to paper as the book closes on this recruiting class, signing with their college choices.
The 2025 cycle features a very deep crop of top talents at quarterback. There are currently five five-star signal callers and twelve total quarterbacks within On3’s top 100 prospects. The past calendar year has provided us with the opportunity to closely evaluate the group. We’ve seen them in camps and 7-on-7 settings and have watched them extensively throughout the all-important senior season.
With that said, it’s time to hand out some superlatives.
Highest Upside – Bryce Underwood, Michigan
As On3’s No. 1 overall prospect for the entirety of the cycle, Bryce Underwood has a complete physical skill set that is unmatched in a year that is loaded with top quarterback talents. At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds with 10-inch hands, Underwood has the best combination of size, arm talent and athleticism in the cycle. He has the ability to touch all areas of the field with his juiced up arm and is a dynamic run threat on designed keepers and scrambles. That talent has been on display over the past four seasons at Belleville (Mich.) High, as the Five-Star Plus+ prospect led the Tigers to two state titles while re-writing the state of Michigan record books. There’s a reason Underwood commanded a massive NIL figure and is considered a program-altering commitment for Sherrone Moore and Michigan.
Best Senior Season – Keelon Russell, Alabama
No top quarterback in the cycle is putting up better production, against better competition than Keelon Russell. The 6-foot-3.5, 182-pounder has taken his game to another level as a senior. Through twelve games, Russell has completed 71.5% of his passes for 3,652 yards (12.7 yards per attempt) and 52 touchdowns against two interceptions. This is all while leading Duncanville High to the No. 2 spot in the On3 Massey Rankings. Russell has been surgical as a passer, showing the ability to process quickly and deliver with accuracy and velocity. We’ve also seen him make strides as an operator in the pocket, as he’s been elite when navigating pressure. Russell rose to No. 3 overall in the recent On300 rankings update.
Strongest Arm – Husan Longstreet, USC
In a cycle loaded with gifted arm talents, Husan Longstreet is the choice for strongest arm. To put it simply, he has a flamethrower attached to his right shoulder. The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder had the clear strongest arm alongside 19 of his touted peers at the Elite 11 Finals in June. We saw his rare arm strength on display this fall, as well. Longstreet implements a quick throwing motion, core torque and the largest hands of any top 2025 quarterback to rip throws to any point on the field with extreme velocity. It’s not just one type of throw that is impressive, either. Longstreet’s arm talent impresses working the short game in addition to intermediate and downfield passes. The USC signee earned a fifth star from On3 in November and ranks as the No. 13 prospect in the On300.
Most Accurate – Julian Lewis, Colorado
Julian Lewis is a high level distributor who excels when working the short an intermediate areas of the field. The 6-foot, 186-pounder is an experienced, polished passer who is in the process of putting a bow on a hyper-productive career at Carrollton (Ga.) High. As a senior, Lewis has completed an eye-raising 75.8% of his passes for 44 touchdowns against four picks. That’s good for a nine-point jump in completion percentage year-over-year. Lewis operates the Trojans’ high-octane offense with ease. He plays with great timing, consistently getting the ball to his playmakers with location and zero hesitation. Originally a 2026 prospect prior to reclassifying to the 2025 cycle, Lewis has now thrown for 140 touchdowns in his three years of high school football.
Best Run Threat – KaMario Taylor, Mississippi State
KaMario Taylor is the most dangerous top 2025 quarterback with the ball in his hands by an order of magnitude. The Mississippi State signee is a dynamic runner with elite improvisational skills at 6-foot-3.5, 205 pounds. Taylor is lethal as a scrambler and is very tough for defenders to corral in open space. He has outstanding burst and change of direction and is a loose runner. The stats back up what we see on film from the No. 30 overall prospect in the On300. To this point in the season, Taylor has rushed for 1,190 yards (10 yards per carry) and 16 touchdowns – the most of any blue-chip quarterback, by a wide margin.
Biggest Gunslinger – Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, Oregon
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has a case as the most skilled passer in the 2025 cycle. The state of Hawaii’s all-time leading passer let it fly as a senior, showcasing high-end arm talent and the ability to make small window throws with regularity. Sagapolutele was eager to push the ball downfield. He took chances and was able to make high-difficulty throws with accuracy, completing 70.5% of his passes at 11.3 yards per attempt. We also saw Sagapolutele lead his Ewa Beach (Hawaii) James Campbell team to its best season in years, pulling off some big upsets along the way. In addition to the passing skill, he also showed encouraging pocket feel. Sagapolutele flipped to Oregon from Cal on Wednesday, following a late-cycle push from from the Ducks and others.
Most Athletic – Deuce Knight, Auburn
Deuce Knight was tabbed as the top freak athlete in the 2025 cycle by On3 back in July. The Auburn signee is the top combine athlete among 2025 quarterbacks and would register as a top NFL athlete right now. At 6-foot-4.5, 208 pounds, Knight posted a 4.53 second 40-yard dash, a 10’8.5″ broad jump and 40+ inch vertical at off-season camps. On top of that, he has two state titles in the long jump (23-6 feet), one in the high jump (6-8 feet) and is an above-the-rim basketball player. In addition to his elite athleticism, Knight made impressive strides as a passer during the off-season and showed some signs of progress as a senior at Lucedale (Miss.) George County.
College-Ready Build – Tavien St. Clair, Ohio State
Tavien St. Clair would not be out of place in a NFL locker room from a size perspective. The Ohio State signee is the most physically developed top quarterback in the 2025 cycle. St. Clair measured in at 6-foot-3.75, 225 pounds at the On3 Elite Series in May and was the biggest quarterback on hand at the Elite 11 Finals. St. Clair has undergone a physical transformation over the past two years, filling out his frame in a well-proportioned way. Despite being the biggest top quarterback in the 2025 cycle, St. Clair showed good movement skills as a senior, rushing for nine touchdowns.
Biggest Sleeper – Bryce Baker, North Carolina (unsigned)
Bryce Baker has one of the more well-rounded skill sets among top 2025 quarterbacks. At 6-foot-2.5, 200 pounds, Baker is a skilled passer with good athleticism. He has the arm talent to attack downfield and delivers with accuracy. Baker has looked good in every setting and is having a big senior season, completing 77% of his passes for 3,264 yards and 38 touchdowns against five interceptions. The long-time North Carolina commit is in the midst of an undefeated season and deep playoff run at Kernersville (N.C.) East Forsyth. He’s delayed his signing, following the dismissal of Mack Brown in Chapel Hill. Baker took an official visit to Penn State last weekend and has also had conversations with LSU.
Multi-Sport Star – Alex Manske, Iowa State
As a four-sport athlete who is also a scratch golfer, it’s safe to say Alex Manske has the most robust multi-sport profile of any top 2025 quarterback. The Iowa State signee played football, basketball, baseball and ran track at Algona (Iowa) High. He was a double-digit scorer on the hardwood, showing the ability to knock down shots and play stingy defense. You can also see his ability as a rotational athlete (evident in golf) as he’s able to generate considerable range of movement throughout his upper body as a passer. In addition to starring at quarterback, Manske also doubled as a linebacker for his high school, making him a true do-it-all high school athlete. The 6-foot-2.5, 200 pounder was having a very strong senior season prior to sustaining a season-ending injury in his seventh game.
Field General – Luke Nickel, Miami
Luke Nickel is 26-2 as a starter at Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton over the past two seasons. As a junior, Nickel led Milton to a 13-2 season and state title in Georgia’s highest classification. So far this season, Nickel and Eagles are 13-0 heading into a big playoff matchup against Leesburg (Ga.) Lee County. The Miami signee has shown command of his offense and is a polished pocket passer with good arm strength. Given how he’s fared against some of the nation’s best competition, it’s safe to say Luke Nickel will head to Coral Gables ahead of the curve relative to most of his peers.
Gamer – Robert McDaniel, Arizona
Robert McDaniel is a skilled pocket passer who has led his Hughson (Calif.) High team to its best season in at least 20 years. McDaniel and Hughson are currently 12-0 and in the mix for a state championship. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder has a loose arm and is adept at attacking the middle of the field. He’s thrown for 2,796 yard and 33 touchdowns against five picks on the season. We saw the type of competitiveness he shows on Friday nights at the Elite 11 Finals in June. McDaniel was a very late invite to the event following an injury to another quarterback. Despite the lack of notice, he showed up and had a very strong performance.
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