Stringing together winning weeks in the DFS market requires a little bit of luck, a little bit of film study, and a ton of consistency. If you were riding Garrett Nussmeier’s passing totals each week last season, you made out like a bandit. The first-year LSU starter had the perfect combination of ability and opportunity.
Which passers are going to have Nussmeier-like seasons in 2025? Well, Nussmeier, probably. But who else? With a little under 2 months before the 2025 season officially kicks off in Dublin, here are some of my favorite quarterbacks to keep in mind in the new year. These guys should be reliable options in various statistical categories every single week they’re on the field.
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Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
The potential is there for Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt to make a major statistical jump in his second season as a full-time starter. Arizona State’s offense was unbelievably balanced last season. It ran to throw (59.7% run rate) and kept Leavitt in play-action on nearly 40% of his dropbacks. In 2025, Arizona State won’t have Cam Skattebo to lean on, but it will have a wiser Leavitt and a healthy Jordyn Tyson for Leavitt to throw to. Head coach Kenny Dillingham will have a plan to keep the offense humming, and there’s reason for optimism that Leavitt can carry a larger share of the offensive burden. Leavitt ranked 18th last season in EPA per dropback, according to Game on Paper. He doesn’t put the ball in danger (5 turnover-worthy plays) and closed out the year with 6 consecutive 200-yard games. Leavitt can move, he has an elite weapon out wide, and one of the sport’s best offensive minds as his coach.
Sawyer Robertson, Baylor
Sawyer Robertson threw 5 pass attempts in Baylor’s opener last year, then missed the game against Utah. Over his final 10 appearances, Robertson averaged 300.4 yards per game, 8.3 yards per pass attempt, and threw 27 touchdowns. Robertson threw for 445 yards and 2 scores in Baylor’s bowl game against LSU. The Bears’ problem last season wasn’t offense, it was the other side, and Robertson was constantly having to chase games. Baylor gave up 27 points a game to rank 81st nationally and that led to 7 games with at least 30 pass attempts for Robertson. Bill Connelly’s SP+ forecasts another offense-oriented Bears program in 2025, so more shootouts might be on the horizon. Baylor returns 4 of 5 starting offensive linemen from last year’s group and it held onto offensive coordinator Jake Spavital.
Darian Mensah, Duke
Duke’s offense was dreadful last season, and it asked Maalik Murphy (now with Oregon State) to do anything and everything. The Blue Devils threw the ball on 55.6% of their offensive snaps. Only Kyle McCord averaged more pass attempts per game than Murphy did. Darian Mensah is probably an upgrade. Not many expected Mensah to win the Tulane job last year in camp over former blue-chip Oregon prospect Ty Thompson, but he did and showed immediately that it was never really close. Mensah closed the season ninth nationally in EPA per dropback, according to Game on Paper. He completed 66% of his passes and averaged 9.5 yards per attempt. Mensah got away with quite a bit, evidenced by his 6 interceptions and 16 turnover-worthy plays. At Duke, he’ll work behind an offensive line that just seems more comfortable in pass-pro than in run blocking. The Blue Devils ranked 133rd in EPA per rushing attempt last season and did nothing of significance in the transfer portal to improve the running back room. An improved ground game seems to be reliant on the return to health of a back coming off a season-ending foot injury. If Duke sticks with this quarterback-centric attack, and there’s a strong chance second-year offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer will, Mensah is a threat to lead the ACC in passing. Or in interceptions.
DJ Lagway, Florida
Assuming he’s healthy and the shoulder issue doesn’t flare up again, Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is the breakout candidate of the 2025 season. Lagway’s 9.8 yards per pass attempt were the second-most among qualified FBS passers last season and his 8.8% big-time throw rate (per PFF) ranked second in the same pool of players. Lagway had 9 interceptions, but he also had a 95.6 passer grade on throws of at least 20 air yards. That ranked fourth among all FBS passers. The arm talent was immediately on display. In the best possible terms, Lagway was a big-play merchant. Now, Billy Napier needs to see Lagway make strides as a quarterback. Lagway was repeatedly intercepted on intermediate throws, where he completed just 46.6% of his passes. He ended the season with a 59.9% completion rate. Part of this is just a natural progression. Lagway has all the tools in the world, and as he banks more and more reps, he’ll get more comfortable picking his spots and more adept at keeping the Gators on schedule. Things might not click in Year 2, but if they do, Florida will have one of the most explosive passers in the country.
Haynes King, Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech’s Haynes King ranked fifth nationally last season in EPA per dropback. Kurtis Rourke, Cam Ward, Will Howard, and Jaxson Dart were the only players ahead of him. That’s pretty decent company for a guy who has often been omitted from those “top quarterbacks entering the 2025 season” lists this offseason. King threw for 2,114 yards and 14 touchdowns in 11 appearances. Those don’t pop. But his 72.9% completion rate led the ACC. He was also the only ACC passer to have at least 200 attempts and 2 or fewer interceptions. In fact, among the 114 FBS passers with at least 250 dropbacks last season, King’s 3 turnover-worthy plays (per PFF) were tied for the fewest. His average depth of 6.1 yards per target was also by far the shortest of any player in that pool, but the formula clearly worked for Georgia Tech. The Ramblin’ Wreck had a top-25 offense (by EPA per play) and made a bowl game for the second consecutive season. King lost his top receiving target to the transfer portal this offseason, but his rushing and ball control will be reliable plays every Saturday. From Year 1 to Year 2 at Georgia Tech, King and the staff figured out how best to maximize his abilities. He’s not a “blow your socks off” NFL prospect but he’s a darn good college quarterback and should have a strong final season so long as he’s healthy.
Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
The aforementioned Rourke led the FBS in EPA per dropback last season, seamlessly making the jump from James Madison to Indiana and carving up Big Ten defenses. Is Indiana’s offense a Ferrari? Not really, but because of the schedule the Hoosiers faced in 2024 and will once again play in 2025, it’s a lot like a GT500 on a street full of Corollas. Now, Fernando Mendoza gets the keys, and Mendoza has been awesome behind the wheel of a Corolla the last couple of seasons. Mendoza ranked 29th last year in EPA per dropback with Cal. He put up 3,004 yards in 11 appearances for the Bears and has 30 passing touchdowns over his last 2 seasons. Mendoza upped his completion percentage, cut his turnovers, and produced in some huge spots for the Bears last fall. He threw for 233 yards and 2 scores while completing 69% of his throws at Auburn. He almost led the Bears to an upset win over Miami. He threw for 364 yards and 2 scores in a win over Oregon State, then went for 385 and 2 scores 2 weeks later in a 46-36 win at Wake Forest. Mendoza’s final game for the Bears was a 299-yard, 3-score performance in a 3-point win over rival Stanford. I like his fit at Indiana.
Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
My colleague thinks LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier has a strong chance of leading the SEC in passing in 2025 and I’d agree. LSU threw the ball on first and second downs nearly 57% of the time last season and there’s no reason to thing the Tigers will suddenly shift gears. Nussmeier has some upper-tier receiving options to throw to and a ton of room still to grow. If Arch Manning stays in school, Nussmeier could be the first quarterback taken in the 2026 NFL Draft. Given the volume, Nussmeier is a strong bet to clear his passing yardage total every week. He had at least 250 passing yards in each of his first 6 appearances last season and in 11 of his 13 overall games. He also had at least 35 attempts in 10 of his 13 games.
John Mateer, Oklahoma
While at Washington State, John Mateer had at least 40 rushing yards in 10 of his 12 appearances. He had at least 10 carries in 9 of his 12 games. The bulk of his 178 carries last season were on designed quarterback runs. He averaged 4.7 yards per carry after contact and forced 54 missed tackles as a runner. He was apt to take sacks, but was an otherwise dominant source of rushing at the quarterback spot. And he was extremely explosive when he went to the air. Mateer had 4 games with an average of at least 10 yards per pass attempt and produced at least 20 yards on 13.2% of his throws. Mateer and his offensive coordinator both moved to Oklahoma in the offseason, and the Sooners have the makings of a capable rushing attack. If OU rebounds on the offensive line, this should be a ground game that can operate at a high level and give Mateer plenty of opportunities to attack defenses with the play-action.
Austin Simmons, Ole Miss
Whatever you think of Austin Simmons, there’s no denying the young quarterback is stepping into an advantageous spot. In 5 seasons under Lane Kiffin, the starting quarterback at Ole Miss has averaged 24 touchdown passes, a 67% completion rate, and 9.5 yards per pass attempt. Jaxson Dart ranked third in the FBS in passing last season and led all qualified passers with 10.8 yards per throw. The Rebels are absolutely loaded at receiver and have questions at running back. Unless Simmons is a complete bust — and I don’t think he will be — there should not be a significant step back in terms of passing production in 2025. Ole Miss ranked in the 90th percentile or better last season in non-explosive EPA per play, passing EPA per play, yards per dropback, and passing success rate, according to Game on Paper. Kiffin has a way of getting guys open downfield; quarterbacks just have to get the ball out to them. The 6-4 Simmons has all the tools to do what he needs to. And he’ll be operating a lightning-quick offense next season that affords quarterbacks a ton of opportunities to make plays.
Josh Hoover, TCU
Josh Hoover would have been my preferred pick as a Nico Iamaleava replacement at Tennessee, but Hoover turned down big money to leave. Last season, Hoover set TCU’s single-season passing record with 3,949 yards while clearing at least 200 yards through the air in every single appearance. The volume was a byproduct of TCU’s nonexistent run game, but Hoover’s efficiency was there despite the lack of balance. He averaged 36 pass attempts per game and had at least 20 completions in each of his first 10 outings. He completed 66.5% of his throws and tossed 27 touchdowns against 11 picks. Hoover has been too willing to put the ball in danger at times, but he’s a quick-blinker who rarely misses on the short stuff and has an excellent deep ball. Per PFF, Hoover had a 94.2 grade on throws of 20 yards or more, with an adjusted completion percentage of 54.5% and 17 big-time throws against 5 turnover-worthy plays. His adjusted completion rate on deep throws ranked sixth nationally among qualified FBS passers. He had a stretch of 4 games in 5 outings from Sept. 21 through Oct. 26 where he tossed multiple interceptions, but once he cleaned up the decision-making, TCU got hot. The Horned Frogs might be a middle-of-the-pack team again in the Big 12 next season, and they might find themselves in a few more dogfights. Hoover is going to throw it a ton.
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