A new year of college football means a new year of some Group of Five quarterbacks making a name for themselves.
We remember the Bailey Zappe years at Western Kentucky fondly here at Action Network, and Mike Calabrese and Joshua Nunn are on the hunt to find the next big playmaker at the G5 level.
Let's dive into their top six Group of Five quarterbacks to watch when college football kicks back up in 2025.
Caden VeltKamp, Florida Atlantic
Joshua Nunn: Caden VeltKamp, last season’s Conference USA Player of the Year at Western Kentucky, really made a name for himself in their 2023 bowl game, tearing up South Alabama for 383 yards and five passing touchdowns.
Across last season, he threw for 3,108 yards and 25 touchdowns with solid efficiency, completing 66% of his passes. He knows head coach Zach Kittley's offense well, which makes everything a bit easier.
FAU also added Easton Messer from WKU, and these two have already shown chemistry, combining for 55 receptions and 793 yards last season.
The skill positions are stacked with talent coming in as well.
VeltKamp was absolutely on fire during the spring game and still has two years left to play. He’s in a great spot to really leave his mark on Group of Five football.
Expect him to torch defenses in the American this season. He’ll likely pile up big passing numbers and touchdowns because FAU’s defense won’t slow many teams down.
So, buckle up for high-scoring games and plenty of highlight-reel plays from VeltKamp.
Owen McCown, UTSA
Mike Calabrese: Imagine going to a McCown family barbecue. Owen McCown's father, Josh, and uncle, Luke, combined for 30 years in the NFL and have 120 touchdowns between them. That kind of lineage? Pretty impressive.
Owen always looked like a star in the making at the college level, and last season proved it. Once head coach Jeff Traylor gave him the keys in the second half of the year, McCown just ran with it.
UTSA went 5-2 down the stretch and nearly pulled off an upset against Army.
In those last seven games, he threw 17 touchdowns and put up some serious numbers against teams like FAU, Tulsa and North Texas — three of the more vulnerable offenses in the AAC. In those matchups alone, he racked up 1,153 passing yards.
What’s exciting this year is that UTSA returns every starter on offense, which is rare for a G5 team. We haven’t even factored in the potential return of De'Corian "JT" Clark at full strength.
Imagine if they roll with three or four wide receivers and let this lefty just air it out all day. I have a good feeling some really great things are coming.
I’m pumped for Owen McCown this season. I really think he’s on track to be a superstar and could lead UTSA back to the American Championship.
Blake Horvath, Navy
Calabrese: Let’s get right to it with my go-to guy, Blake Horvath.
The good news? All of his key weapons are back this year. They have some new starters on the offensive line, including both tackles, but that’s less of a concern here since this offense isn’t built around traditional dropback passing.
Plus, they get a long preseason to gel. When I say preseason, I mean they face VMI, UAB, Tulsa and Rice all before October even hits.
That’s the best schedule you can ask for if you want young players to get their feet wet and look more like seasoned vets by the time conference play starts.
This Millennial Wing-T offense really suits Horvath’s game perfectly. Last fall, he threw 13 touchdown passes, the most by a Navy quarterback since 2010, when Ricky Dobbs was still running the show.
The architect behind the offense, offensive coordinator Drew Cronic, is a mad scientist. He’s cooking up everything from rail routes to wheel routes, running back angles and spreading the field to get guys like Nathan Kent involved on the perimeter.
It’s all about keeping defenses guessing so they can’t just stack the box and shut down the run. As a result, you need a reliable quarterback, and the Middies definitely have that in Horvath.
At the service academy level, depth is always a challenge. But when it comes to having a trusted veteran with the ball in his hands, Horvath fits the bill.
He’s not just careful about not putting the ball in harm’s way downfield; he’s also making a ton of reads, pitches and pulls every Saturday. You want someone responsible for those split-second decisions, and I trust this guy implicitly.
I fully expect this to be another hot start for Navy. That’s how last season began.
They have some tough games later on with North Texas, Notre Dame, Memphis and South Florida, but I’m backing Horvath to come through and make me some money in the first six weeks.
Tucker Gleason, Toledo
Nunn: Tucker Gleason is as steady as they come in the MAC, especially by Toledo's standards.
Last season, he put up nearly 2,800 passing yards with 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions, which shows he gets the job done without flashy numbers.
He's also more mobile than you might expect, adding 364 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.
Toledo’s offense under Jason Candle has been consistently focused on the run game and will lean heavily on a veteran offensive line this year to keep that approach going strong.
Don’t expect eye-popping stats or jaw-dropping plays from Gleason. Instead, he’s the kind of quarterback who makes the right read, plays smart and avoids critical mistakes that could cost his team.
He’s solid when things break down, too — he can move around and deliver accurate throws on the run.
Put simply, by MAC standards, Tucker Gleason is that reliable, steady quarterback you want leading your team.
Walker Howard, Louisiana
Calabrese: I’m rolling with Walker Howard at Louisiana this year.
Michael Desormeaux is back as head coach, along with his coordinators. Remember last year when they turned Ben Wooldridge into a star? That same group is in charge, and Howard is an absolute blue-chip recruit.
HHoward didn’t break through at LSU or Ole Miss — but was that because he lacked the fire and leadership chops to run a quarterback room? Or was he just stuck behind some seriously talented QBs?
At LSU, he was behind Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier. At Ole Miss, he sat behind Jaxson Dart for two years — not just any QB but a first-round NFL Draft pick.
ESPN ranked Howard as the nation’s No. 1 dual-threat quarterback, and 247Sports had him fifth overall in the country. Not just in Louisiana, nationwide.
Now, he’s stepping in with the Ragin’ Cajuns and will offer more running ability than they had at QB last year.
The big question: will he have the receivers to help him shine on the outside? They’ve added some good pieces — their top transfer, Shelton Sampson Jr., was a four-star recruit with serious speed from the SEC. I wouldn’t be surprised if he steps up as the go-to guy.
Plus, they picked up a transfer quarterback in Wooldridge in the past and turned him into the Sun Belt Player of the Year. It's been done before.
Howard also gets a couple of layups to start the season against a rough Rice defense and an in-state FCS opponent in McNeese. That should give Howard some breathing room to get settled in and figure out what it’s like leading a program.
We don't see Power 4 guys dropping down to the Group of Five to reboot their careers much anymore. Usually, it’s the other way around.
I’m willing to give Howard the benefit of the doubt. You can’t blame him for not playing over the Heisman Trophy winner at LSU or Dart at Ole Miss. But that doesn’t mean he can’t ball out now.
Maverick McIvor, Western Kentucky
Nunn: I’m really liking Maverick McIvor over at Western Kentucky.
This feels like déjà vu, right? We’ve seen this story before — a rock-solid FCS quarterback putting up huge numbers in a pass-heavy offense, then transferring up to FBS with his offensive coordinator and some familiar receivers.
Remember Bailey Zappe? Same exact blueprint right here at Western Kentucky. McIvor looks like he could be the next Zappe-type success story.
He’s coming from Abilene Christian, where over three seasons he threw for more than 8,000 yards and 63 touchdowns. That’s no small feat. And the best part? Western Kentucky is bringing over the same OC and supporting cast that made it work at Abilene Christian.
Watching McIvor in the FCS Playoffs, there were some serious flashes of brilliance.
When you look at Western Kentucky’s schedule, it definitely screams "pass-heavy attack." Sam Houston’s defense is expected to struggle, North Alabama’s secondary is shaky, Nevada’s secondary is downright bad, and teams like FIU, New Mexico State and Missouri State don’t have much to speak of in the secondary either.
All those defenses have weak secondaries, and that’s exactly what Western Kentucky’s attack is going to target.
McIvor is set up perfectly for a very strong showing in Conference USA. Expect him to rack up big yardage and put up impressive numbers all season long.
