The search for a good starting quarterback in the NFL is never-ending, and for some franchises, it’s eternal. As a result, signal callers are overdrafted (selected earlier than their grade warrants) more than any other position. This is just part of the reason many of them fail to live up to expectations playing Sunday football.

Recent mock drafts around the internet often have three quarterbacks being selected in the top 10 of the 2026 NFL Draft, yet all are juniors. The availability of these signal callers, including a pair of first-year starters, completely depends on whether they enter next April’s draft.

NIL contracts have completely changed the face of the college game and the NFL Draft. Players, especially those with tight financial circumstances, are no longer forced to enter the draft to help pay the bills for themselves or their families. NIL contracts make it easier for players to stay on the college field for an extra season to develop their game and, yes, pay the bills.

Hence, there could be some last-minute wavering as schools re-recruit players with large deals, yet here’s the latest word surrounding the underclassmen quarterbacks.

Fernando Mendoza (Indiana)

The junior, who came to Indiana by way of Cal, is having a magnificent year. He’s taken well to the coaching at Indiana, the best in the country in my opinion, and has his team playing for the Big Ten title this Saturday. He looks ready for another trip into the College Football Playoff.

As I reported in late October, sources were telling me that Mendoza had people gathering information to help him make a decision as to what he’ll do once the season is over. Multiple sources tell me that Mendoza will enter the draft, as there’s not much more for him to do at the college level.

He’s going to end up as one of the first handful of players selected in the draft, and with the success Indiana has had this season, there’s more risk than reward if Mendoza returns to college for another season.

Dante Moore (Oregon)

Moore has done a brilliant job taking over the starting job from Dillon Gabriel, who is now playing for the Cleveland Browns. His athleticism, arm strength, and running ability are head and shoulders better than Gabriel’s, and Moore has done a great job progressing on the field, slowly developing into a complete quarterback.

Moore started five games as a true freshman at UCLA in 2023 before utilizing a redshirt last year. He then started all 12 games for Oregon this season; his body of work is sparse. The knee-jerk reaction by many is automatically believing Moore will enter the draft, but over the past week, multiple sources have told me the opposite.

The overwhelming belief is that Moore is expected to return to the Ducks in 2026, where he’ll sign an NIL package with the school and outside endorsements that will pay him eight figures.

In recent days, a few people close to the program have told me that the hiring of Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein as head coach of the University of Kentucky could give Moore reason for pause. Yet those close to him say Moore is set for success with the Ducks, will be a leading Heisman Trophy candidate in 2026, and compete to be the first pick of the 2027 NFL Draft, all reasons the vast majority tell me he’ll be playing on Saturdays next fall.

Ty Simpson (Alabama)

Another first-year starter, Simpson had a rocky start to his Alabama career with a Week 1 loss to Florida State before correcting course and watching his game take off. He’s played well ever since, and even during the two-point loss to Oklahoma just weeks ago, Simpson kept the Crimson Tide in the game despite unrelenting pressure from the Sooners’ defense.

Alabama faces Georgia in the SEC title game this weekend, then it’s likely they are on to the College Football Playoff, so there’s still more scouting to be done on Simpson despite his sparse body of work. The information on Simpson is a bit sketchier compared to Mendoza and Moore, yet those close to the situation tell me that Simpson is expected to return to Alabama in 2026.

Simpson will be a leading Heisman Trophy candidate like Moore, and he’ll battle for the top spot in the draft with the Oregon quarterback and possibly Arch Manning of Texas. The fact that Alabama has one of the best college offensive coordinator/quarterback coaches in Ryan Grubb, who worked miracles with Michael Penix Jr. at Washington, makes Simpson’s decision much easier.

LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina)

Sellers, who looked like a favorite to be a top-10 pick before the season commenced, is coming off a miserable campaign. In many ways, he watched his game regress. He struggled with his accuracy, decision-making, and reads.

Part of the problem lay in the fact that the Gamecocks didn’t do much to help him, as the skill players and offensive line were not SEC caliber. The immediate opinion is that Sellers will return. I’ve been on record saying Sellers should return to the college field, but to a program other than South Carolina, one with a coach who develops quarterbacks.

My thought is Tennessee, which will be losing Joey Aguilar to graduation. Yet, those close to Sellers believe it’s not out of the question that the quarterback enters the draft. Despite his disappointing campaign, Sellers is still likely to be a late first-round pick, and those close to him believe there’s a large degree of risk if he returns to college.