With alumni that include Walter Payton Award winners Joe Flacco and John Robertson, and such noteworthy recent stars as Reese Poffenbarger, Max Brosmer, and Hajj-Malik Williams, Coastal Athletic Association football has a long-running standard of excellent quarterback play. 

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The CAA quarterback class of 2025 promises to uphold the league's legacy, with proven stars back in the fold and new names poised to break out. As is the case ahead of any campaign, expect someone to emerge as an unexpected standout — like Tyler Knoop did for Stony Brook in 2024. 

In the meantime, the following five signal callers are primed to headline the CAA this fall.  

Brooks Bentley, New Hampshire

After 2023 Walter Payton Award finalist and 2025 NFL draftee Max Brosmer transferred to Minnesota, New Hampshire filled its vacant quarterback spot with a standout Div. II transfer, Seth Morgan. 

Coach Rick Santos and his UNH staff again welcome aboard a talented Div. II transfer, this time Brooks Bentley from Wingate. Bentley garnered All-South Atlantic Conference Piedmont accolades in 2024 with 15 touchdown passes and more than 2,000 yards en route to the Bulldogs' league championship. 

His impressive sophomore campaign followed a 2023 in which Bentley garnered SAC Offensive Freshman of the Year for his  13 passing touchdowns and four rushing scores. 

Playing for Santos — himself one of the greatest CAA quarterbacks in conference history — could see Bentley take his game to another level.

Sean Brown, Towson

Transferring in from Liberty in 2023, Sean Brown spent his first season as Towson's reserve quarterback. He earned starting duties for the final two months of the 2024 campaign and showed flashes of brilliance. 

Brown completed 63 percent of his 262 pass attempts and approached 2,000 yards, posting Towson's highest per-game yardage average (197) since Tom Flacco's 235.9 in 2019. Brown's solid finish to 2024 sets the stage for a potential breakthrough 2025. In the final month, he threw for 243 yards or more in 3-of-5 contests and threw half of his 12 touchdown passes over that stretch. 

Settling into the role for a complete season could see Brown flourish, pushing Towson to its first playoff since 2018. 

With the Tigers heading into their third season under the guidance of head coach Pete Shinnick, whose passing attacks at West Florida were the most prolific in Div. II, 2025 looks to be the year that Towson really starts to take off with the veteran Brown setting the tone. 

Carter Peevy, Maine

Carter Peevy transferred to Maine from Mercer, where he put together an impressive resume as a dual-threat playmaker. Peevy finished with 2,284 yards passing that season, and actually rushed for more touchdowns (12) than he threw for (11). 

In his first season at Maine, Peevy established himself as more of a passing quarterback — and did so admirably. He completed nearly two-thirds of his 320 pass attempts, accruing 2,454 yards in the process and tossing 18 touchdowns to just five interceptions. 

Peevy returns in 2025 to again lead the Black Bears offense and drive Maine's push for its first playoff appearance since 2018. An intriguing subplot for Maine this fall will be if Peevy continues to function primarily as a passer, or if we see more of the two-way elements from his time at Mercer. 

Derek Robertson, Monmouth

Derek Robertson was among the most prolific passers in his two full seasons at Maine prior to transferring to Monmouth. Once Robertson arrived on the Jersey Shore last season, reuniting with his brother and Hawks passing game coordinator Jimmy Robertson, the quarterback launched into the stratosphere.

Derek Robertson garnered All-American recognition and was named the 2024 CAA Offensive Player of the Year for his 283-of-435, 3,937-yard passing season. He threw 31 touchdowns against only six interceptions, far-and-away the best ratio among the FCS leaders in passing yardage and scores. 

With receivers Tra Neal, TJ Speight and Josh Derry all running it back for 2025, the Monmouth aerial attack promises to be even more productive. Expect Robertson to be at the forefront of the Walter Payton Award conversation throughout the fall, and look for the Hawks to contend for their first-ever CAA championship. 

Chris Zellous, Stony Brook

Another in-conference transfer akin to Monmouth's Derek Robertson a year ago, Chris Zellous makes a move from one CAA program to another. The veteran dual-threat playmaker Zellous appeared in games each of the previous four seasons at Hampton, and established himself as the Pirates' primary quarterback in the 2023 season. 

Zellous broke out as a dynamic ball-carrier in 2023, rushing for 559 yards and nine touchdowns. He followed up last season with 328 yards and six scores on the ground. 

Joining Stony Brook and head coach Billy Cosh, who has an impressive track record for developing passers during previous stops, including VMI and Richmond, Zellous is a prime candidate to grow in that phase of his game this season. 

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