There is a new leader atop the national passing leaders list and a very clear top two after Week 4 of the college football season.
In all, eight quarterbacks are averaging at least 300 passing yards per game through the first third of the season.
The top 10 list overall is a good snapshot of the best of the best at the position in 2026 with a few wrinkles and surprises mixed in as well.
We’ll count them down backward from 10 to 1 …
10. Kamario Taylor [Mississippi State, 298.0]
Kamario Taylor may be No. 10 on the national passing yards list, but he’s on an even shorter list when it comes to the most exciting players in college football in 2026.
The Mississippi State sophomore is known for his dynamic dual-threat abilities, but he only needed his arm Saturday night to lead the Bulldogs to a 31-24 win over then-No. 19 Missouri.
Taylor completed 27 of 38 passes for 360 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception to improve Mississippi State to 4-0 as the Bulldogs moved up to No. 16 in the AP poll.
After throwing touchdown passes for 43 and 11 yards to stake Mississippi State to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, Taylor later had to rally the Bulldogs back from a 24-17 deficit in the fourth quarter. He passed for 53 yards on a 74-yard game-tying touchdown drive, and then with less than 4 minutes on the clock he connected on Sanfrisco Magee on a 24-yard go-ahead touchdown on third-and-8.
With 1,192 passing yards, 14 TDs and 2 INTs, Taylor is averaging 298.0 passing yards per game — just ahead of Pitt’s Mason Heintschel (297.8 YPG) for the 10th spot on this list.
9. Jayden Maiava [USC, 299.8 YPG]
USC’s Jayden Maiava has the most total passing yards in college football with 1,499 (along with 14 TDs and 2 INTs), but that’s with an extra game as the Trojans started in Week 0.
For the purposes of this list, Maiava ranks ninth with 299.8 passing yards per game for the 4-1 Trojans.
USC took its first loss, 41-27, at home to Oregon on Saturday, but Maiava was mostly solid while passing for 326 yards, 2 TDs and a late INT when the Trojans were in desperation mode.
T-7. Malachi Singleton [Appalachian State, 301.5 YPG]
After stints at Arkansas and Purdue, Malachi Singleton has found a home at Appalachian State while getting his first shot at being a full-time starter.
He’s thrown for 1,206 yards, 7 TDs and 1 INT in leading the Mountaineers to a 3-1 record with the lone loss coming to NC State this past week. In that game, Singleton threw for 317 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs and rushed for a score, doing his part.
T-7. Julian Sayin [Ohio State, 301.5 YPG]
Julian Sayin, a 2025 Heisman Trophy finalist, is off to another incredible start this season, even if he’s been overshadowed by his star receiver Jeremiah Smith.
Sayin has passed for 1,206 yards, 10 TDs and 1 INT through four games, including a season-high 367 yards and 4 TDs in the Buckeyes’ 42-19 win over Illinois in their Big Ten opener.
6. Darian Mensah [Miami, 302.8 YPG]
Miami couldn’t have hoped for any more from high-profile quarterback transfer Darian Mensah in his first season with the Hurricanes.
In four games (while often watching the end of blowouts from the sideline), Mensah has thrown for 1,211 yards, 14 TDs and 0 INTs while completing 88.7% of his passes (by far the best rate in college football).
Mensah is firmly in the Heisman Trophy race with the second-best odds (+350) behind only Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith, per DraftKings Sportsbook.
5. Jaden Craig [TCU, 303.3 YPG]
Harvard transfer Jaden Craig has had an up-and-down first season as TCU’s starting quarterback.
After a slow start with just 175 passing yards in a season-opening loss to North Carolina, Craig has pushed his way onto the top 10 passing leaders list with three straight 300-yard games. But along with 310 yards, he also threw 2 interceptions with 0 TDs in a 21-13 loss at UCF in Week 4.
Overall, Craig has 1,213 passing yards, 7 TDs and 3 INTs.
4. Trinidad Chambliss [Ole Miss, 305.5 YPG]
Trinidad Chambliss and Ole Miss took their first loss of the season last week in a humbling 52-28 loss at Florida, but Chambliss wasn’t the problem for the Rebels.
The star QB was shaken up by a big early hit but stayed in the game and threw for 298 yards, 1 TD and a late INT with Ole Miss in desperation mode down big late. Chambliss also rushed for 44 yards and 2 scores.
Overall, he’s passed for 1,222 yards, 8 TDs and 3 INTs with 4 rushing TDs for the No. 9 Rebels (3-1).
3. Drew Mestemaker [Oklahoma State, 317.8 YPG]
Last year, Oklahoma State won all of one game. The Cowboys are now 3-1 and ranked No. 19 under first-year coach Eric Morris and his band of North Texas transfers.
One of those is quarterback Drew Mestemaker, who led the entire FBS last season with 4,379 passing yards. He’s looking just as good now for Oklahoma State with 1,271 yards, 12 TDs and 5 INTs.
Mestemaker completed 20 of 27 passes for 389 yards, 3 TDs and an INT to lead Oklahoma State to an impressive 41-24 road win over previously unbeaten West Virginia in Week 4.
2. Braden Atkinson [Oregon State, 355.3 YPG]
Fittingly, the next guy on the list just ahead of Mestemaker is the quarterback doing the best Mestemaker impression in 2026 in coming out of nowhere to rank among the top passers in the country.
Braden Atkinson started at FCS-level Mercer as a true freshman last year and he’s made the transition to the FBS level seamlessly for Oregon State with 1,421 passing yards, 11 TDs and 2 INTs in four games.
What makes his numbers especially impressive is that the Beavers, playing in the new iteration of the Pac-12, opened the season with closer-than-expected losses to two of the best defenses in the Big 12 in Houston and Texas Tech. Since then, Oregon State has taken care of business in blowout wins over Montan and UTEP.
Atkinson held the top spot on the list in previous weeks but still ranks an impressive second overall at 355.3 YPG.
1. Kevin Jennings [SMU, 363.3 YPG]
And the new passing leader in college football is SMU’s Kevin Jennings.
Jennings, a fifth-year senior and third-year starter for the Mustangs, has thrown for 1,453 yards, 12 TDs and 5 INTs for 3-1 SMU.
He overtakes the top spot on the passing chart after completing 33 of 39 passes for 464 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT (plus a rushing TD), rallying the Mustangs back from a 10-point early deficit to Missouri State before finishing off a 34-24 win.
Both of Jennings’ career 400-yard passing games came this September.
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