What “passing the eye test” means for quarterbacks
The eye test still applies at quarterback. On a recruiting profile, the listed height and weight are often the first things a coach reads.
- Height and frame. Coaches want quarterbacks who can see and throw over the line, and a frame that can take hits.
- What rosters can’t show. Arm strength, accuracy and decision-making aren’t on a roster, so this data can’t measure them.
- The listed number. Listed heights and weights tend to run generous.
So how much do height and weight decide the level quarterbacks play at? The charts follow the video. Each square covers one inch of height and ten pounds of weight. The darker the square, the more quarterbacks at that size, and the red cross marks the median.
Division III: the starting point
The typical Division III quarterback is listed at 6'1" and 190 pounds. 47% are 6'0" or shorter, and 21% are 6'3" or taller.
NAIA: same height, about five pounds heavier
NAIA programs can offer athletic scholarships. Their quarterbacks are the same height as Division III, 6'1", and about five pounds heavier at 195.
Division II: an inch taller, five more pounds
Division II adds an inch, to 6'2", and five more pounds, to 200.
FCS: the same height, five pounds heavier
FCS quarterbacks are also 6'2" at the median, and five pounds heavier at 205.
FBS: height stops moving
The typical FBS quarterback is still 6'2", at 207 pounds. From Division II up, the median height doesn’t change.
Coaches at this level recruit the arm, the accuracy and the decisions. Size is part of the evaluation, but above Division II, the listed numbers barely separate the levels.
“He’s too small for FBS.”
Plenty of shorter quarterbacks play FBS. 23% of FBS quarterbacks, 127 in this sample, are listed 6'0" or shorter. That’s about one in four.
Shorter quarterbacks win with a quick release, and by moving in the pocket to find throwing lanes. For shorter quarterbacks with FBS goals, the film has to show those things on real throws under pressure.
“He should be playing at a higher level.”
21% of Division III quarterbacks, 249 in all, are listed 6'3" or taller. That’s one in five, and taller than the typical FBS quarterback (6'2").
Height alone doesn’t move quarterbacks up a level. Coaches recruit the arm and the decisions, not just the frame.
Every level, side by side
Put the five levels next to each other and draw the same box on each one: 6'2" and up, 200 pounds and up. No level owns this size. FCS has 281 quarterbacks in the box, Division III 275, FBS 270 and Division II 257. NAIA, with far fewer programs on file, has 82.
Division III does have about twice as many programs as FBS, 226 to 110 here. That works out to about 2.5 quarterbacks that size per FBS program and 1.2 per Division III program. FBS rosters hold more per program, but a typical FBS frame doesn’t decide where a quarterback plays.
Are quarterbacks getting taller?
No. From Division II up, average height has stayed within a tenth of an inch since fall 2019: FBS went from 6'2.0" to 6'2.0", and the Power 4 from 6'2.2" to 6'2.2". NAIA moved the most, and that’s about a third of an inch.
Weight barely moved either. FBS quarterbacks went from 205.2 to 207.1 pounds (+1.9). That’s different from the offensive and defensive lines, which got heavier at every level.
“He’ll grow into it.”
You can’t coach height, and a strength program can add weight. Quarterbacks at every level are heavier as seniors than as freshmen, from 188 lb to 198 lb in Division III and from 203 lb to 212 lb in FBS.
At quarterback, weight does catch up. Division II (205 lb) and FCS (210 lb) seniors outweigh FBS freshmen (203 lb), and NAIA seniors (203 lb) are about even with them. Only Division III seniors (198 lb) are lighter.
The Power 4
In the Power 4, the typical quarterback is 6'2" and 210 pounds. 44% are 6'3" or taller, but 19%, about one in five, are listed 6'0" or shorter.
It’s also a small slice of the sport. Most quarterbacks, including many very good ones, build their careers at the other levels.
So, do coaches recruit based on size?
For quarterbacks, less than you might think. Size gets you a look. The arm gets you recruited. From Division II to the Power 4, the typical quarterback is the same height, the only position in this series where that’s true. Heights have barely changed in seven seasons, and quarterbacks with a typical FBS frame play at every level.
Two things to do with that. Compare the rosters at your target schools, not the division averages. And make your film show what a roster can’t: arm strength, accuracy and decisions. Mammoth Recruit helps you track every step for every target school.
About the data
Analysis uses listed college football roster heights and weights in Mammoth Recruit’s database as of November 2026. Current figures cover fall 2026 rosters; trends cover fall 2019 through fall 2026. Quarterbacks include players listed as QB or Quarterback; combined labels such as QB/WR are excluded. Only players with both a height (5'4" to 7'0") and a weight (140 to 420 lb) are counted, 3,350 quarterbacks this fall.
Sizes are listed by programs, not independently measured, and listed heights and weights tend to run generous. Rosters include walk-ons, redshirts and injured players, so the tails include players who don’t see the field. Roster data doesn’t measure arm strength, accuracy or decision-making. Coverage is not a complete census: some programs’ fall 2026 rosters were not on file. FBS and FCS follow 2026 conference membership. The Power 4 is the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC as of 2026, plus Notre Dame. Freshmen include redshirt freshmen and seniors include graduate students; they are different players in one season, not the same players over time.