High school QBs face new reality as transfers dominate starting jobs at the top of college football

Wisconsin quarterback Ryan Hopkins (10) throws on the sidelines during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Notre Dame Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf, File) Wisconsin quarterback Ryan Hopkins looks on from the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Notre Dame Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf) MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Even though he was nearly 2,000 miles from where he’d grown up, Ryan Hopkins felt right at home as a quarterback prospect visiting Wisconsin. “I felt the energy from the city,” said Hopkins, a former three-star recruit from Mater Dei in Santa Ana, California. “I felt the energy from the coaches.” But there was a complication that went beyond the distance factor. Dilfer is a former Fresno State quarterback and first-round draft pick who started for the Baltimore Ravens’ Super Bowl championship team in the 2000 season. He remembers when a quarterback coming out of high school could learn on the job.

Missing media or need the complete publisher report? Open AP News ↗