College Football: The five best deep passers ahead of the 2026 season

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College football has never lacked quarterbacks capable of attacking defenses vertically. The country is filled with experienced quarterbacks with multiple years of proven production who have developed into some of the nation’s most dangerous downfield passers.

Throwing the ball 20-plus yards downfield is about much more than just arm strength. The college ranks have dozens of quarterbacks capable of chucking the football 60-plus yards downfield, but only a select few have mastered the timing and anticipation required to consistently expose defenses and generate explosive plays.

Using PFF’s advanced charting, we identified the five best downfield throwers returning to college football for the 2026 season.

Sayin enters 2026 as one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy, and there may not be a better pure pocket passer in college football. His remarkable 62.0% completion rate on deep passes led all players at the position last season, while he also ranked third among returning quarterbacks in both deep passing yards and deep touchdowns. 

Just as impressively, Sayin was the only quarterback among the top 10 in deep completions to record only one turnover-worthy play on throws of 20 or more yards.

His supporting cast certainly deserves some credit. Ohio State’s receivers didn’t drop a single deep target all season, and fourth overall pick Carnell Tate was a major part of that success. Sayin will once again be surrounded by elite talent, including the best wide receiver in college football, Jeremiah Smith.

No returning quarterback graded higher as a deep passer than Dante Moore. The Oregon signal-caller completed 30 of his 55 deep attempts last season and led all of college football with 15 touchdown passes on throws traveling at least 20 yards downfield, including four against James Madison in the College Football Playoff.

Moore’s 54.5% completion rate on deep throws ranked fifth among qualifying quarterbacks, but that number undersells just how accurate he was. Oregon receivers dropped four of his deep passes, pushing his adjusted completion percentage alongside Julian Sayin's at the very top of the country. Few quarterbacks looked as efficient as Moore did with his eyes downfield last year.

Brown possesses arguably the strongest arm of any quarterback on this list, but that is only half of the recipe for an effective deep passer. He can also layer throws over defenders and drop passes into a bucket from 50 yards away. Brown finished with a 52.7% accurate throw rate on deep attempts, the third-best mark among returning starters. 

Alongside Sayin and Moore, Brown was part of an exclusive group of just nine returning quarterbacks who completed more than half of their deep pass attempts last season (minimum 25 attempts). His explosive playstyle relied heavily on play action, which was used on 69% of his deep pass attempts (the fifth-highest rate in college football).

The move from USF to Auburn will present a new challenge for Brown. He often had plenty of time to let receivers get open downfield thanks to a combination of his elite mobility and the offensive line he played behind, averaging 3.45 seconds before releasing deep throws. That ranked ninth-longest among returning quarterbacks and is comfortably the slowest of anyone on this list. SEC defenses are unlikely to afford him the same luxury, making his transition one of the more intriguing storylines of the upcoming season.

No returning quarterback generated more production on deep passes than Jayden Maiava. His 1,381 deep passing yards and 39 completions both led the country, illustrating just how frequently USC attacked defenses vertically with him under center.

There was one costly exception in an otherwise outstanding season for Maiava. Against Oregon, he threw three consecutive turnover-worthy deep passes into double coverage in the space of two minutes, the third of which was finally punished with an interception. Outside of this disaster blip, he produced just one turnover-worthy deep throw all season despite attempting the third-most deep passes of any returning quarterback. When operating within rhythm, few players were as dangerous at stretching the field.

Trinidad Chambliss emerged as one of college football’s breakout quarterbacks last season, thriving in Lane Kiffin’s aggressive passing attack. Ole Miss consistently created opportunities for explosive plays, and Chambliss capitalized more often than not (50.9% deep completion rate). 

What separates Chambliss from the rest of this list is how quickly he gets the football out. His average time to throw on deep attempts was just 2.75 seconds, the fastest among these quarterbacks and ninth-quickest nationally among returning passers. The question now is whether he can sustain this production in the absence of Lane Kiffin and top receiving target De’Zhaun Stribling, who is off to the NFL.

Ole Miss will have to replace a significant amount of offensive firepower if Chambliss is to finish his college career with another explosive season.