Top 20 quarterbacks in California high school football entering 2025

As usual, California high school football is jam-packed with outstanding quarterback talent.

From five-star recruits already on NFL radars to unranked studs, and everything in between, here’s a look at who we think are the top 20 signal callers in the state entering the 2025 season.

At the end of the top 20 is a list of many more QBs who were heavily considered for a top-20 ranking. With less than 50 players mentioned, there are future Division 1 college players who are current high school standouts who didn’t even make the cut – that’s how deep the talent pool is.

The primary criteria are production and team success relative to strength of schedule, awards for the 2024 season from other sources, and recruiting rankings/accolades.

1. Ryder Lyons, Folsom – Sr.

Ryder Lyons football

Joe Lumaya/Ventura County Star/USA Today/Imagn

No. 1 on the list is California’s top-ranked senior prospect and reigning Gatorade Player of the Year. As a junior on the CIF-SJS D1 champion, Lyons completed 68.1% of passes for 3,011 yards and 46 touchdowns to six interceptions, good for a 130.8 passer rating. A 5-star recruit ranked fifth in his class at QB, he also ran for 585 yards and 14 more TDs. Lyons committed to BYU in June out of at least 33 offers.

MORE: Commitments from Lyons, Dybantsa mark BYU’s arrival as recruiting powerhouse

2. Brady Smigiel, Newbury Park – Sr.

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The 4-star Michigan commit enters his senior year as a reigning CIF-Southern Section Division 2 champion, Cal-Hi Sports’ reigning Mr. Football, and Ventura County’s all-time leading passer in both yardage (11,222) and touchdowns (147). As a junior, Smigiel threw for 3,521 yards and 49 touchdowns to just three picks on 65.2% completion with a passer rating of 135.9, and also ran for 435 yards and 11 TDs.

3. Brady Edmunds, Huntington Beach – Jr.

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Edmunds, a high 4-star recruit with 24 offers, took a leap as a sophomore with 3,222 yards and 36 touchdowns to nine interceptions on 62.2% completion to go with 312 yards and nine TDs rushing. For his efforts, he earned the rare distinction of making OC Register’s First Team All-County as a sophomore quarterback. Edmunds committed to Ohio State in early December, about six weeks before the Buckeyes won their ninth national championship.

4. Ryan Rakowski, Palos Verdes – Jr.

Rakowski is already one of the California’s most accomplished quarterbacks just halfway through his high school career. After lifting Palos Verdes to the Southern Section D2 playoffs as a freshman, he guided them to a Division 5 section title and 2-A state title as a sophomore, earning Second Team All-State and State Sophomore of the Year from Cal-Hi Sports. A high 3-star recruit with 14 D-1 offers, Rakowski enters his junior year with career totals of 4,675 yards and 47 touchdowns to nine interceptions on 66.5% completion, in addition to 935 yards and 13 TDs rushing.

5. Luke Fahey, Mission Viejo – Sr.

A 3-star Ohio State commit and bona fide winner, Fahey threw for 2,184 yards and 26 touchdowns to six picks in 2023 when the Diablos won a CIF-SS Division 2 title and 1-AA state title. He followed that up with one of the most efficient seasons you’ll ever see as a junior, completing 76.6% of his passes for 1,638 yards, 17 TDs, zero interceptions, and an insane 155.6 passer rating. Fahey also ran for 679 yards and four TDs on better than seven yards per carry over the last two years. Lastly, Fahey led Mission Viejo to a Battle at the Beach title for the second summer in a row despite missing most of his usual running mates.

6. Oscar Rios, Downey (Downey) – Sr.

While Rios isn’t far from the top, he is still one of the top candidates on the list to rise further this season. At 6-3 with a big arm, next-level athleticism, and intangibles that coaches and scouts rave about, he has one of the highest ceilings in the Class of 2026. The 4-star Arizona commit had very similar production between his sophomore and junior seasons, with two-year totals of 5,187 passing yards, 45 touchdown passes, just 11 interceptions, 1,502 rushing yards, and 18 rushing touchdowns split right down the middle. But Rios led Downey to a 9-2 record and CIF-SS D2 playoff birth against a substantially tougher schedule as a junior.

7. Troy Huhn, Mission Hills – Sr.

After leading Mission Hills to the San Diego Section D1 finals as a sophomore, Huhn led turned it up a notch as a junior to lead the Grizzlies to the Open Division semifinals. Known for his accuracy, decision-making, and impressive frame (6-4.5, 215), he’s a 4-star recruit who committed to Penn State over 20 other schools including Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, and Michigan. Huhn was a Cal-Hi Sports Second Team All-State (Juniors) pick, and looks to be headed for even bigger things as a senior after taking Mission Hills to the Battle at the Beach finals.

8. Bryson Beaver, Vista Murrieta – Sr.

A four-year starter who played his freshman year at Temecula Valley, Beaver exploded as a junior in 2024 to follow up a breakout sophomore campaign. Last fall, he spearheaded one of the state’s better offenses to take Vista Murrieta to the CIF-SS D3 semifinals with 3,214 passing yards and 33 touchdowns to six interceptions on 66.4% completion. He’s also impressive physically at 6-3, 200 with good speed, rushing for 411 yards and two TDs on 7.1 yards per carry as a junior.

9. Ryan Hopkins, Mater Dei – Sr.

A prototypical physical specimen under center at 6-3, 195 with a 10.97-second 100-meter dash, Hopkins has been a significant stock riser in the past year or two as he’s polished his passing game against a Trinity League schedule. Last year at JSerra, the high 3-star Wisconsin commit completed 56.2% of his passes for 1,111 yards and 13 touchdowns to five interceptions, and also ran for 483 yards and eight TDs on a lofty 8.3 yards per carry. He’ll play his final year of high school ball at Mater Dei for the two-time reigning national champion.

10. Trace Johnson, Santa Margarita – Sr.

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One of California’s top inbound transfers from out-of-state, Johnson spent the last two seasons starring for one of Florida’s better teams. He lifted Buccholz to the FHSAA state semifinals as both a sophomore and junior with a two-year marks of 6,366 yards and 64 touchdowns on 61.9% completion against challenging schedules. Johnson is a 3-star Tulane commit with at least eight other offers.

11. Michael Mitchell Jr., Archbishop Riordan – Sr.

Among the state’s leading active passers with three-year totals of 6,780 yards and 77 touchdowns despite playing one of the toughest schedules in Northern California. Mitchell is not only a high school star but in fact a high 3-star Vanderbilt commit as well despite coming in a bit under six feet tall, and it helps that his running game took off last season (no pun intended). He ran 45 times for 325 yards and two TDs (7.2 AVG) while recording the most efficient passing season of his career as well.

12. Dane Weber, Chaparral – Jr.

Weber had a phenomenal breakout year as a sophomore for a CIF-SS D2 playoff team, and is now a 4-star recruit with double-digit D-1 offers. In 11 games including several established Southern Section juggernauts, Weber completed 66.8% of his passes for 2,660 yards and 27 touchdowns to just three interceptions, and that’s not all. He also ran for 835 yards and 11 TDs on a hefty 8.3 yards per carry. He was named First Team All-State (Sophomores) by Cal-Hi Sports and First Team All-Inland Empire by IE Varsity/Daily Bulletin.

13. Isaiah Arriaza, Damien – Sr.

Arriaza has been tremendously productive and consistent the last two seasons for a Southern Section D2 playoff team and the reigning Baseline League champion. As both a sophomore and junior, Arriaza threw for just under 2,900 yards and 30 touchdowns while routinely mowing down state-ranked competition. He’s a threat to run too, and a 3-star recruit with 14 offers including Texas A&M, Arizona State, Florida State, and UNLV.

14. Corin Berry, Charter Oak – Sr.

One of hardly any returning 3,000-yard passers among the state’s upper ranks of competition entering 2025. The 3-star Purdue commit led the Chargers to a 8-3 record and Southern Section D4 playoff berth last season completing 64.5% of his passes for 3,034 yards and 33 touchdowns against nine interceptions. Berry has good size at 6-3, 185 and runs well too, turning just 33 carries into 284 yards and four interceptions as a junior (8.6 AVG).

15. Deagan Rose, Clovis – Sr.

A high 3-star recruit who committed to Oregon State a year ago over Oregon, Arizona State, Boise State, and more than a dozen other D-1s. And he’s a D-1 baseball prospect too. Over the last two seasons, Rose threw 5,612 yards and 50 touchdowns and ran for 17 TDs against a TRAC schedule.

16. Jackson Taylor, Thousand Oaks – Sr.

Taylor led Thousand Oaks to two of its better seasons in recent memory as a sophomore and junior, throwing for 5,537 yards and 54 touchdowns on 58.5% completion. With many of the Lancers’ other best offensive players returning, mostly as seniors, look for him to particularly explode in 2025. A true gunslinger who can routinely launch it deep without many turnovers, Taylor is a 3-star Boise State commit with 15 other offers that include Georgia, Oregon, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M.

17. Caden Jones, Crean Lutheran – Jr.

A 4-star recruit who hasn’t shown what he can do at the high school level yet after missing most of his sophomore year with an injury. In blowout wins of Mullen (CO), St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy, and Liberty (Winchester), he completed 56-70 (80%) of passes for 696 yards, eight touchdowns, and one interception, good for a passer rating upwards of 145. He also ran nine times for 61 carries and two scores. The real number to look at before Jones’ upcoming breakout campaign begins is his mark of at least 38 Division I offers, including Ohio State, Oregon, Mississippi, and Georgia.

18. Koa Malau’ulu, St. John Bosco – So.

The reigning Cal-Hi Sports Freshman of the Year, Malau’ulu wasted no time proving himself as one of the top QBs in the Class of 2028 playing for a perennial national title contender. After splitting snaps for about half the season, he took over the starting role in October and helped the Braves maintain their top-two status in California. Malau’ulu completed 57.9% of passes for 1,812 yards and 19 touchdowns with a passer rating above 100 and also ran for 202 yards and three TDs on 5.2 yards per carry. He possesses very good size for a freshman/rising sophomore quarterback at 6-2, 180, and is up to at least nine D-1 offers including some high majors.

19. Jaden Jefferson, Cathedral – Jr.

Quite possibly the most underrated QB in the state since his explosive sophomore season. Jefferson lifted to a 9-2 campaign that was technically a 10-1 campaign after a 35-31 loss to Narbonne was forfeited due to use of an ineligible player. The 3-star Sacramento State commit completed 68.2% of his passes for 2,641 yards, 30 touchdowns, only four picks, and a 131.3 passer rating against a strong schedule. Among California’s top passers playing against high levels of competition, Jefferson is also one of the most productive runners, totaling 793 yards and four TDs on 8.2 yards per game last year.

20. Sands Dougherty, Morro Bay – Sr.

If you’re looking for the best possible indicator of how deep California high school football is with quarterback talent right now (and most other years too), this is it. Dougherty completed 71.4% of passes for 4,441 yards and 50 touchdowns as his Pirates came up one score short of a Central Section title. And he racked up 908 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. All that was barely enough to earn the unranked recruit a top-20 selection, which might be controversial given the national recruits who missed the cut. But Dougherty was that good as a junior – No. 1 in the state in total yards of offense – and college recruiters should take note.

ALSO IN CONSIDERATION:

Boogie Anetema, North (Torrance) – Jr.

Zach Benitez, Granite Hills – Jr.

Brady Bretthauer, Valencia (Valencia) – Sr.

Gabe Casanovas, St. Vincent de Paul – Sr.

Kade Casillas, Lakewood – Sr.

Jacob Chambers, Rancho Cucamonga – Sr. (Fresno State)

Quentyn DeMara, University City – Sr.

Jelani Dippel, Central East – Jr.

Derek Garcia, Ventura – Sr. (UNLV)

Cash Herrera, Bishop’s – Sr. (Indiana)

Furian Inferrera, Mater Dei – Jr. (Minnesota)

Alexander Lundsburg, Canyon (Anaheim) – Sr.

Kreet Makihele, San Marcos – Sr.

Joseph Mesa, Paraclete – Sr.

Daniel Mielke, Murrieta Valley – Jr.

Diego Montes, Kennedy (Granada) – Sr.

Ashton Pannell, Loyola – Sr.

Brady Palmer, Cathedral Catholic – Sr. (Cal)

Quinn Roth, La Costa Canyon – Sr.

Michael Sargent, Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep – Sr.

Noah Schuback, Poway – Sr.

Berell Staples, McClymonds – Sr. (Cal Poly)

Jack Thomas, Palisades – Sr.

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