Spring is on its way – but it is never too early to start talking high school football.

For the next several weeks, we at Friday Night Drive will start looking ahead to the fall with players we are keeping our eye on. Who are some of the top players to watch in 2026? We will start with the quarterbacks.

Here are Friday Night Drive’s top quarterbacks to watch for the upcoming season. Editor’s note: The year in school is as of the fall of 2026.

Israel Abrams, Montini, senior: The second-ranked quarterback in the country in the Class of 2027 according to 247Sports, all Abrams has done in two varsity seasons has led Montini to two state championships. He threw for over 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns as a junior. Abrams holds over 20 scholarship offers, including Indiana, Auburn, Tennessee and Florida State.

Malik Carter, Huntley, junior: Carter emerged from a summer quarterback competition with a stellar sophomore season last fall, completing 69% of his passes for 1,943 yards and 17 TDs. At 6-foot-5, Carter possesses a frame with a ton of upside.

Nate Lang, IC Catholic Prep, senior: The Knights had a good group of underclassmen skill-position players in 2025, and this playmaking QB was one of them. Lang completed 70% of his passes for 2,431 yards and 28 TDs with just four interceptions. With receivers like Division-I prospect Grant Bowen and Will Schmidt back, both Class of 2028, look out.

Matthew Lee, Loyola, junior: Is Lee the next great quarterback to come out of the Chicago area? He’s young, but the talent and the 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame is tantalizing. Lee already holds an offer from Wisconsin. Don’t be surprised if Lee leads a Loyola resurgence after a down 2025 season by that program’s standards.

Jake Nawrot, Hersey, senior: The 6-foot-5, 200-pound Nawrot, who threw for a school record 3,078 yards and 41 TDs as a junior, made waves in recruiting circles this week. Rivals.com released its updated top 300 recruits in the Class of 2027. Nawrot made a huge jump, going from the 25th best quarterback in the nation to No. 2 and the 32nd overall recruit. 247Sports has Nawrot ranked the No. 6 QB nationally, No. 2 in Illinois behind Abrams. Nawrot is up to 19 offers, the most recent Florida State.

Marion Persich, La Salle-Peru, junior: The dual-threat QB threw for 1,209 yards and eight touchdowns, and ran for 803 yards and 14 TDs as a sophomore. Persich is receiving Division-I interest from several Big Ten Conference and other top programs.

Ben Peterson, Geneva, senior: The three-star prospect has the ideal frame for the quarterback position at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds. In his first varsity season last fall, Peterson threw for 1,963 yards and 18 TDs and scored 25 total TDs. Peterson is already on MAC school radars with offers from Miami of Ohio, Toledo and Eastern Michigan.

Jameson Purcell, Maine South, senior: The Maine South program has churned out its share of prolific QBs and Purcell is the next one, with two stellar varsity seasons already under his belt. Purcell threw for 3,000 yards and 41 TDs last year for a Class 8A quarterfinalist. Rated the No. 26 quarterback nationally in the Class of 2027 by 247Sports, Purcell committed in July of 2025 to now national champion Indiana from close to 30 offers.

Phillip Turner, Kankakee, senior: Despite a late-season injury to his throwing hand that cost him the playoffs, Turner still showed growth in his second year as the Kankakee quarterback last fall. He was 108-of-169 passing for 1,716 yards, 24 touchdowns and three interceptions while also showing his elite athleticism with 457 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns on 78 carries.

Michael VanderLuitgaren, Batavia, senior: VanderLuitgaren burst onto the scene as a late-season varsity call-up in 2024, leading Batavia to the 2024 Class 7A championship game before starting all of last season as a junior. VanderLuitgaren last year threw for 2,708 yards and 31 TDs with just four interceptions while leading Batavia to the Class 7A semifinals. He holds offers from Miami of Ohio, Toledo and Dartmouth.