QB battles at these top CFB programs remain up in the air

The 2025 college football season got going on Saturday with Week 0, and as the first full weekend of games in Week 1 inches closer, quarterback competitions at various programs remain in full force.

On3’s Pete Nakos provided insights in a recent piece. He noted that quarterback decisions haven’t been made public yet at schools across Power Four conferences.

Of course, some schools may decide to play more than one signal-caller in their 2025 season opener. Others, by extension, may opt to keep their QB decisions quiet until right before the start of their opening games. Let’s break down some notable undecided QB situations as we approach Week 1.

Michigan

The Wolverines are expected to name true freshman Bryce Underwood their starter, although that announcement still hasn’t been made by head coach Sherrone Moore. It could come this week, perhaps on Monday. Nakos says that graduate student Jake Garcia has played quite well in preseason camp. Could Garcia overtake Underwood, the nation’s No. 1 prospect in the 2025 recruiting class? Probably not, but you can never be certain.

Then again, it would be somewhat of a stunner if Underwood isn’t the starter, at least in Week 1. He’s set to earn $3 million in 2025, and that would be a huge amount of money for the Wolverines to spend on a player not starting.

Colorado

So far, head coach Deion Sanders is staying mum on his starting quarterback. On3 reports that Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter may be the favorite over true freshman Julian Lewis, a five-star prospect and a top-five quarterback in the 2025 cycle. The Buffaloes, though, could rely on a tandem situation in Week 1, with both quarterbacks getting reps.

Salter’s stats from 2024 weren’t overwhelming, but the year before, he was awesome. He threw for 2,876 yards with 32 touchdowns against just six picks. Salter also rushed for 1,089 yards and 12 scores on the ground.

North Carolina

UNC head coach Bill Belichick has kept things close to the vest, and that’s no surprise given his personality. The sense is that things are close between South Alabama transfer Gio Lopez and graduate student Max Johnson, with Nakos reporting that Lopez may have the edge.

In 2024, Johnson suffered a season-ending injury in North Carolina’s first game, while Lopez passed for 2,559 yards and 18 TDs with only five interceptions.

Oregon

While the presumed starter for the Ducks has been redshirt sophomore Dante Moore, redshirt sophomore Austin Novosad has put up one heck of a fight in preseason camp. Moore is likely the front-runner in this competition, although neither quarterback has a lot of college experience.

It’s possible that both QBs could see the field early on in the 2025 campaign.

Auburn

Head coach Hugh Freeze said earlier in August that he could play three quarterbacks in the team’s season opener at Baylor. Junior Jackson Arnold, a transfer from Oklahoma, is likely to take the first snaps against Baylor. But senior Ashton Daniels, a transfer from Stanford, and five-star true freshman Deuce Knight could also see time in Week 1 for Auburn.

In his two years with the Sooners, Arnold threw for a combined 1,984 yards with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. Daniels, meanwhile, struggled last year at Stanford, throwing 12 picks and only 10 touchdown passes.