Week 6 of college football was pure quarterback chaos, the kind that reshuffles rankings, rewrites scripts in real time, and moves the needle on our college football QB rankings.
UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava officially arrived, carving up Penn State with a swagger that screamed “future star,” while Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton boot scootin’ boogied down Broadway. Pittsburgh’s cub QB led the Panthers to a significant victory, and San José State’s Walker Eget reminded us that efficiency still wins ballgames.
But for every ascendant arm, there was a stumble under pressure; Arch Manning’s miscues doomed Texas, and Boise State’s Maddux Madsen learned that four picks erase any promise. Here’s who was at the top of the class this week.
PFSN College’s QB Impact assigns letter grades by weighing passing, rushing, and clutch performance. It emphasizes stable factors like clean-pocket play and designed runs over less predictable ones like pressure performance and scrambling.
10. Walker Eget, San Jose State
Week 5 PFSN College QBi Grade: 84.6 (B)
The legend of San Jose State quarterback Walker Eget is not widely known, but the last two weeks have helped spread the word. First, Eget had a career-high outing against Stanford (473 yards, 36 completions) in Week 5.
This past week, he continued the trend with 334 yards and three touchdowns in the Spartans’ 35-28 win over New Mexico to open conference play. He started the game 13-for-13 with two streaks of 10 or more straight completions.
He’s got an arm, he’s a leader on this scrappy Spartan squad, and he works both smart and hard. His 26-of-30 performance (86.7%) tied Conner Harrell of Charlotte for the best completion percentage in a game in the FBS this season. Harrell did it on Sept. 13 against FCS Monmouth, but Eget is the only one to do it against an FBS team this season.
9. Logan Fife, New Mexico State
Week 5 PFSN College QBi Grade: 84.8 (B)
Another efficient quarterback, New Mexico State’s Logan Fife, scored 14 fourth-quarter points in just 54 seconds to secure a 37-10 victory over Sam Houston on Thursday night. Fife leaned into his best instincts — surgical in the pocket, opportunistic on the ground — completing 19-of-26 passes for 255 yards and a touchdown (no interceptions), with a one-yard rushing score for good measure.
He displayed solid accuracy and decisiveness, and his demeanor looked calm under game flow. He’s not yet a downfield terror or a threat to scramble from pressure, but the potential is there if he continues tightening his window discipline and mixing in more vertical shots.
8. Caden Veltkamp, Florida Atlantic
Week 5 PFSN College QBi Grade: 85.5 (B)
Florida Atlantic quarterback Caden Veltkamp is thriving in the Owls’ air raid offense with 1,488 yards and 11 touchdowns through five games this season. After back-to-back losses to FIU and Memphis, Veltkamp led FAU to a 27-21 victory over Rice in Week 6, throwing for 290 yards and three touchdowns. His strong arm, coupled with good mobility and a keen sense of command in a pass-heavy offense, makes him a junior QB to watch.
7. Mason Heintschel, Pittsburgh
Week 5 PFSN College QBi Grade: 85.7 (B)
Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi handed freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel the reins Saturday against Boston College in the wake of Eli Holstein’s disastrous outing against Louisville last week, and the 18-year-old Ohio native stepped up. Heintschel went 30-of-41 for 323 yards and four touchdowns in the 48-7 rout. His mistake-free football set the Panthers up for success.
Heintschel is the first true freshman quarterback to win his first career start at Pittsburgh since Kenny Pickett in 2017. He led Pitt to a touchdown on his first drive and four other first-half scores, cementing his place under center for the Panthers and his spot on our list this week.
6. Julian Sayin, Ohio State
Week 5 PFSN College QBi Grade: 86.5 (B)
A PFSN College QB list regular, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin earned the No. 6 spot with his third 300-yard game in five contests, completing 23 of 27 passes, with four completions going at least 31 yards. Sayin continues to gain confidence in his play, getting the ball out quickly and playing mistake-free football. His ball placement was elite this week.
Sayin tops all FBS quarterbacks in completion rate at 80.2%. He also sits third nationally in passer rating (196.99) and yards per attempt (10.4) and is tied for eighth in touchdown throws with 13, despite attempting fewer passes than most quarterbacks.
5. Jayden Denegal, San Diego State
Week 5 PFSN College QBi Grade: 86.8 (B)
San Diego State finished with 540 yards of offense in its 45-24 win over Colorado State on Friday night, and 258 of those yards came from junior quarterback Jayden Denegal. The Michigan transfer completed 13 of 16 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions or fumbles. His physical tools continue to impress, and he is surprisingly athletic for his size and frame.
He is big, he can run, and his variety of throws keeps defenses guessing. Denegal will only get better with time and more experience. The Aztecs already have more wins this season than in 2024, and they are one of just seven FBS teams to showcase that improvement.
4. Preston Stone, Northwestern
Week 5 PFSN College QBi Grade: 87.5 (B+)
Northwestern scored on its first three possessions for the second straight week, including a 37-yard toss from Wildcats quarterback Preston Stone to Hayden Elgion II in the second quarter to give Northwestern the lead. Stone’s stat line was impressive and error-free: 20-for-32 for 262 yards and three touchdowns.
Stone is a risk-taker, which is excellent for extending plays and making off-platform throws. However, it can also get him into trouble, as seen with his four interceptions in the Wildcats’ loss to Tulane. As he settles in, we may see Stone emerge as a QB class favorite this year.
3. Nico Iamaleava, UCLA
Week 5 PFSN College QBi Grade: 88.2 (B+)
The most surprising upset of the weekend was led by Nico Iamaleava, UCLA’s sophomore quarterback, and newly crowned offensive coordinator (and UCLA darling) Jerry Neuheisel. Iamaleava ran for three touchdowns and threw for two more in the Bruins’ 42-37 win over then-No. 7 Penn State. It was the first time a 0-4 or worse team beat a top-10 team in 40 years.
Iamaleava threaded several standout passes against Penn State’s notoriously difficult defense, but his rushing performance elevated his game this week compared to his first four games, showcasing his ability to keep drives alive and make explosive plays.
2. Gunner Stockton, Georgia
Week 5 PFSN College QBi Grade: 89.0 (B+)
Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton continued his consistently exceptional play with a 35-14 win over Kentucky, chasing away all of last week’s Saturday scaries. The Bulldogs have displayed a more balanced attack in the past two games, punctuated by Stockton’s 196 passing yards and one touchdown and two rushing touchdowns on Saturday.
Every snap matters for Stockton, who has long been critiqued for his inexperience. But his mobility, playmaking, and improved passing are steadily turning skeptics into believers this season.
1. CJ Bailey, North Carolina State
Week 5 PFSN College QBi Grade: 90.1 (A-)
This week, North Carolina State quarterback CJ Bailey leads the pack with his 20-of-23 for 337 yards and four-touchdown outing in N.C. State’s 56-10 win over Campbell. N.C. State racked up 482 yards of total offense in the first half, the most by any FBS team this season, cruising into halftime with a commanding 49-7 lead.
The sophomore quarterback’s numbers came from just 2.5 quarters of play, and his four touchdown passes were a single-game career high. Bailey showcased his explosive downfield ability, finding 13 different receivers, five of whom registered plays of more than 25 yards.
