College football's 10 most elusive QBs: Arch Manning, Sam Leavitt among signal callers who give defenses fits
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- Malik Washington (Maryland) tops the list with a 93.8% sack avoidance rate (second-best among qualified Power Four QBs), leads the group in yards after contact per rush (5.7), and ranks fifth in explosive rush rate (16.4%) as a true freshman.
- Kamario Taylor (Mississippi State) leads the group in tackles avoided per rush (0.38), faced pressure on 46.2% of his dropbacks (second-highest rate among FBS QBs), and averaged 11.9 yards per scramble despite only 106 career dropbacks.
- Arch Manning (Texas) ranks eighth in yards per scramble (11.2) and 12th in explosive rush rate (19.0%) among 570 FBS QBs since 2018, and reached a top speed of 21.7 mph on his 60-yard Citrus Bowl touchdown run against Michigan.
- Devon Dampier (Utah) leads all returning FBS quarterbacks in career rushing yards (2,358) and rushing touchdowns (33), ranks third in sack avoidance rate (92.5%), but will have a new offensive coordinator in 2026 after Jason Beck followed Kyle Whittingham to Michigan.
- Sam Leavitt (LSU) now plays under Lane Kiffin, averages 9.4 yards per scramble (sixth-best), and ranks fourth in tackles avoided per rush (0.30); his 2025 ended after seven games with a foot surgery, though Kiffin said in June he is "pretty much at full strength."
- Will Hammond (Texas Tech) led all qualified FBS quarterbacks in yards per rush (7.0) and ranked third in yards per scramble (12.7) before a season-ending ACL injury last October; coach Joey McGuire said he will be ready for Week 1.
- Bryce Underwood (Michigan), the former No. 1 overall recruit whose game draws Cam Newton comparisons, averaged 0.28 tackles avoided per rush (10th-best) and joins new offensive coordinator Jason Beck after an inconsistent spring game raised questions about his development.
Why it matters: The ranking uses five advanced metrics on 67 Power Four quarterbacks to identify signal-callers who both escape pressure and turn broken plays into explosive gains — a skill set increasingly prized by modern offenses. Several ranked QBs face 2026 inflection points: Leavitt returning from foot surgery, Hammond coming back from an ACL tear, and Underwood and Dampier adjusting to new coordinators, meaning the 2025 elusiveness leaderboard could look materially different by season's end.
