California high school football: Top quarterbacks in CIF San Diego Section

Akili Smith Jr. (Oregon) and Troy Huhn (Penn State) are the only two quarterbacks in the section that have announced their college commitments

Mission Hills quarterback Troy Huhn has committed to Penn State | Photo: Steven Silva /

Quarterback play in the San Diego Section was excellent throughout the 2023 season and should remain the same this year with several top signal callers set to make their return.

Akili Smith Jr. (Lincoln), Zachary Benitez (Granite Hills), Brady Palmer (St. Augustine) and Troy Huhn (Mission Hills) were the four starting quarterbacks in San Diego's top two championship games last season and all will be back in 2024.

San Diego's junior class of quarterbacks, led by Huhn and Palmer, looks to be the section's most talented group in a long time. Several quarterbacks have loads of experience having played the past two seasons while many others are set to emerge in 2024.

1. Akili Smith Jr., Lincoln, Sr. (Oregon)

Smith had 2,431 passing yards and 25 passing touchdowns in his debut season with Lincoln last year after transferring in from Vista Murrieta. He'll look to get the Hornets back to their third straight Open Division title game.

2. Troy Huhn, Mission Hills, Jr. (Penn State)

Huhn split time at quarterback before taking over and leading the Grizzlies to the Division 1 championship game as a sophomore. Offers flooded in after a sophomore season that saw him finish with 1,623 passing yards and 16 touchdowns.

3. Brady Palmer, Cathedral Catholic, Jr.

Palmer had 36 passing touchdowns and just shy of 3,900 yards over his two seasons at St. Augustine and also added more than 600 yards on the ground. Now at Cathedral Catholic for his junior season, he'll look to lead the Dons back into the Open Division playoffs.

4. Cash Herrera, Bishop’s, Jr.

Herrera debuted for Bishop's last season after spending his freshman season at Orange Glen and quickly made his mark for the Knights. His play earned him double digit scholarship offers including Iowa, UCLA and Minnesota.

5. Zachary Benitez, Granite Hills, Soph.

Benitez checked every box while starting for the Eagles as a freshman. He passed for nearly 2,300 yards while finishing with 23 touchdown passes and just four interceptions, leading the Eagles to their first Open Division title.

6. Kreet Makihele, San Marcos, Jr.

After tossing 32 touchdown passes as a freshman, a collarbone cost Makihele part of his sophomore season. He enters year three having already thrown for more than 4,300 yards to go along with 51 touchdowns.

7. Quinn Roth, La Costa Canyon, Jr.

Roth finished year two with 2,254 passing yards and 19 touchdowns. In a shootout with Carlsbad, he finished with 419 passing yards and five touchdown passes.

8. Robert Renteria, San Pasqual, Jr.

Renteria had a huge sophomore campaign for the Golden Eagles, finishing with 26 touchdown passes and more than 2,300 passing yards. He had multiple touchdown passes in each of his final eight games in 2023.

9. Quentyn DeMara, University City, Jr.

DeMara has 27 touchdown passes and six rushing touchdowns over his first 20 career varsity games with the Centurions. After initially transferring out following his sophomore year, he will be back with University City for his junior season.

10. Trevor Taumoepeau, Mt. Carmel, Jr.

After playing receiver as a freshman, Taumoepeau took over as the starting quarterback last season and responded with more than 2,000 passing yards and 15 passing touchdowns.

More (alphabetical) to watch

Izaac Baca, Chula Vista, Sr.

Brandt Barker, El Capitan, Sr.

Matthew Gutierrez, Brawley, Sr.

Josh Herber, Grossmont, Sr.

Ty Hurst, Poway, Sr.

Eli MacNeal, Carlsbad, Jr.

Kristian Noriega, Hoover, Sr.

Lee Norman-Lester, Helix, Jr.

Brodie Stump, Kearny, Sr.

Diesel Taylor, Del Norte, Sr.

Caden Thompson, Escondido, Soph.

Mason Walsh, Westview, Sr.

-- Bodie De Silva | bodie@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveca