Michigan has a new MVP quarterback. Athens has one, too. Fishers has added a veteran passer, while Arizona and Tulsa are bringing back the quarterbacks who powered their offenses last season. Those moves are shaping the road to 2027, but the performances behind them came over months of football: regular-season production, playoff races and the adjustments required to keep an offense moving.

The competition extends beyond the busiest free agent destinations. An unbeaten season in Columbus, a breakout rookie campaign in Orlando and a dual-threat MVP year in Pueblo belong alongside the championship runs in Nashville and Arizona. From established veterans to players still building their professional careers, here is IAN's countdown of the top 10 quarterbacks entering the new season.

10. Blaine Espinosa

2026 team: Columbus Lions | AAL

Espinosa helped anchor a Columbus offense that went through the 2026 season without a loss. The Lions could score through a receiving group featuring Ja'Cyais Credle, Jacob Smith and Jarmon Fortson, while Espinosa added another option with his own running near the goal line. His regular season work included four and five touchdown passing performances and a six score outing split between his arm and legs. That versatility gave Columbus different ways to finish drives throughout its 11-0 campaign.

His contributions carried from comfortable wins into the tighter games that tested the Lions. He could distribute the ball to an experienced receiving corps or take responsibility for short yardage scores himself, helping the offense avoid depending on one player to do all its scoring. The championship comeback against Wheeling completed that body of work: three passing touchdowns and a rushing score in a 49-46 victory. Espinosa enters the offseason with a full unbeaten run behind him, supported by production in both phases of the offense.

9. Josh Hollins

2027 team: San Antonio Gunslingers | IFL

Hollins gave Pueblo one of the NAL's most productive combinations of passing and rushing in 2026. Across 10 appearances, he threw for 1,623 yards and 27 touchdowns while adding 331 rushing yards and 12 scores on the ground. His 1,954 yards of total offense translated to a league leading 195.4 per game. The NAL MVP award reflected his value to an offense that relied on him to create scoring opportunities with both his arm and his legs.

The running production mattered throughout Pueblo's attack. Hollins could create yardage when a passing opportunity disappeared and contribute directly to the scoring near the end zone. His season also left room for improvement: 10 interceptions made ball security an important part of the next step. San Antonio now gets a quarterback who has handled substantial responsibility as both a passer and runner. Alongside fellow newcomer Felix Harper, Hollins will have an opportunity to bring that experience into a new offense against IFL competition.

8. Nate Davis

2027 team: Fishers Freight | IFL

Davis remained a major source of offense for San Diego throughout 2026, finishing with 3,211 passing yards and 64 touchdown passes across 17 appearances. He earned Second Team All-IFL honors and helped the Strike Force reach the Western Conference championship game. His production held up over a full schedule and into the postseason, extending a career that has already lasted more than a decade in the indoor game. Averaging nearly 189 passing yards per appearance, Davis remained responsible for a large share of the Strike Force's offense from week to week.

The season reinforced how much value Davis can provide through the air. Carrying that volume requires a quarterback to work with his receivers through different defensive approaches and keep producing as opponents become more familiar with the offense. Fishers will now try to establish those connections after Harper's departure for San Antonio. Davis arrives with recent All-IFL recognition and another deep playoff run behind him, giving the Freight an experienced passer whose place in the offense, while still new, is certainly a focal point..

7. Malik Henry

2027 team: Kentucky Barrels | AF1

Henry's 2026 season helped Michigan recover from a difficult opening stretch and reach the AF1 semifinals. He finished the regular season with 2,700 passing yards and a league leading 59 touchdown passes, earning Offensive Player of the Year and Second Team All-Arena honors. The Arsenal climbed out of a 1-4 start to finish 6-6 winning in the quarterfinals before crashing out of the playoffs to the eventual champs. Henry's passing production remained a central part of that turnaround, supported by productive receiving seasons from Daniel Williams and Jairus Grissom.

His year included big performances against leading opponents, but it also showed the demands of carrying a high volume passing offense. Henry threw 13 regular season interceptions, leaving room to improve possession-to-possession efficiency even while leading the league in touchdown passes. Kentucky now gets a passer with a full award winning season behind him and the ability to generate points quickly. Reducing mistakes while preserving that scoring output will be an important goal in 2027.

6. Paxton DeLaurent

2026 indoor team: Orlando Pirates | IFL

DeLaurent established himself over a full rookie season, helping Orlando reach the postseason while throwing for 3,142 yards and 64 touchdowns across 17 total games. He earned the IFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year award and gave the Pirates substantial production at quarterback during their inaugural campaign. The season exposed him to the demands of the indoor game, while he remained responsible for leading a productive passing attack.

That experience gives DeLaurent something concrete to carry into his next opportunity. His first professional season produced both an individual award and a playoff berth, with enough sustained work to establish a foundation beyond his college résumé. There is still development ahead as he gains experience managing possessions and responding to opponents familiar with his game. His next destination remains worth watching after Toronto released him in October. He enters that process with an accomplished rookie year behind him and considerable room to grow.

5. Sam Castronova

2027 team: Arkansas Diamonds | IFL

In six regular season games, he passed for 1,698 yards and 38 touchdowns, averaging a league leading 283 passing yards per game. His return after injury supplied the Firebirds with an experienced quarterback who could step back into the offense and produce immediately.

That production continued when Albany turned to him for the playoffs. Castronova threw 15 touchdown passes across the semifinal and championship game, helping the Firebirds return to the Arena Crown before falling to Nashville. The year added another productive chapter to a career that already included the 2024 IFL Offensive Player of the Year award and 2025 AF1 MVP honors. Arkansas gets that experience as it enters the IFL: a quarterback with recent arena success and an established record of production.

4. TJ Edwards II

2027 team: Tulsa Oilers | IFL

Edwards gave Tulsa substantial production in both phases of its offense throughout 2026. He finished with 64 passing touchdowns, 561 rushing yards and 22 rushing scores, accounting for 86 touchdowns through the air and on the ground. First Team All-IFL recognition followed as the Oilers advanced to the Eastern Conference championship game. His contributions went beyond extending an occasional broken play; the rushing totals represented a significant part of Tulsa's scoring alongside an already productive passing game.

That combination forces defenses to account for the quarterback throughout a possession. Edwards can threaten a coverage through the air, take available yardage himself and become another scoring option near the goal line. His season demonstrated how much offense Tulsa could generate through those overlapping responsibilities. The Oilers retain that foundation for 2027, allowing returning players and newcomers to develop around an established quarterback. After another year of strong individual production and a conference championship appearance, Edwards returns with a league title still to pursue.

3. Max Meylor

2027 team: Arizona Rattlers | IFL

Meylor's first season in Arizona required him to establish himself within a different offense after his 2025 MVP campaign in Green Bay. He finished as the Rattlers' leading passer and rusher, throwing for more than 2,000 yards and 42 touchdowns while supplying another option on the ground. Arizona also received quarterback work from Drew Powell during the regular season, with Meylor back as the starter in the closing stretch. His year involved both adapting to a new team and helping it finish strong.

His season long role as Arizona's leading rusher added an important dimension to his game. Defenses had to account for his ability to carry the ball, and the Rattlers could turn to their quarterback for production beyond the passing game. The championship and title game MVP award capped that broader contribution. Meylor now has consecutive seasons ending in major recognition: a league MVP award with Green Bay and a championship along with championship game MVP with Arizona. Returning to the Rattlers gives him an opportunity to build on that first year of work.

2. Liam Thompson

2027 team: Athens Crush | IFL

Thompson supplied Green Bay with elite production as both a passer and runner during his 2026 MVP season. He threw for 2,743 yards and 66 touchdowns while adding 784 rushing yards and 22 scores on the ground. The Blizzard earned the IFL's No. 1 overall seed and reached the championship game with Thompson contributing heavily to both sides of their offensive approach. His season combined substantial passing output with a rushing workload that made him much more than an occasional scrambling threat.

The balance made Green Bay difficult to defend over the course of the year. Extra attention to the passing game could leave room for Thompson to run, while accounting for his mobility added another responsibility for defenders already tracking his dangerous receivers. His 88 combined passing and rushing touchdowns show how often those responsibilities ended with him directly involved in a score. Athens now adds that production to its inaugural roster and reunites Thompson with Rob Keefe, giving the new franchise an experienced quarterback at the center of its plans.

1. Tyler Kulka

2027 team: Michigan Arsenal | AF1

Kulka built his championship season on a strong regular season foundation. He led AF1 with 2,835 passing yards, completed 66.5 percent of his passes and threw 56 touchdowns as Nashville finished 11-1 and secured the No. 1 playoff seed. His work earned both league MVP and First Team All-Arena honors. Over the schedule, he gave the Kats a passing attack capable of sustaining a championship pursuit, with productive receiving partnerships and enough efficiency to keep Nashville at the front of the league.

He carried that form into the playoffs, producing another 719 passing yards and 16 touchdown passes in two victories. Nashville finished 13-1 and captured the Arena Crown, completing a year in which Kulka combined regular season recognition with his strongest production under postseason pressure. That postseason output pushed his combined regular-season and playoff totals to 3,554 passing yards and 72 touchdowns. Michigan now adds a quarterback who has developed through consecutive Arena Crown appearances and enters 2027 with a championship, an MVP award and the No. 1 spot in IAN's rankings.

Also in the conversation

Ja'Rome Johnson, Timmy McClain and Joshua Kulka remain close behind. Johnson brings a previous IFL MVP season, McClain heads to Louisiana after earning TAL Offensive MVP honors. Newcomers Zach Zebrowski and TJ Finley add another set of storylines as they begin their own chapters in the indoor and arena game, where their college experience will meet a different set of weekly demands.