Meet Drew Mestemaker: North Texas QB enjoying breakout after never starting varsity game in high school

DENTON, Texas -- North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker's last full-time starting job came as a freshman ... in high school. He was on the B Team at Vandegrift High School in Austin, Texas. 

"We joke about it in house," North Texas QBs coach Sean Brophy told CBS Sports. "That must be the best freshman team of all time, right?" 

It's not far from the truth; Mestemaker led the B Team to a perfect 10-0 record. But since that moment, his path has turned rocky. He waited his turn behind a veteran starter. A blue-chip transfer moved in, again pushing him to the bench. Scholarship offers never came, but how could they with no real tape? 

But after waiting patiently, Mestemaker is now one of the unlikeliest breakout stories in college football. Since the one-time walk-on won the job as a redshirt freshman with the Mean Green, he has exploded for 764 yards, nine touchdowns and zero interceptions in three games. 

North Texas is 3-0 heading into a marquee road matchup with Army on CBS Sports Network this week and is a force to be reckoned with in the American title race. And it all rests on the arm of a once-in-a-lifetime player who simply refused to give up. 

"I always had the belief in myself that I would eventually have my chance," Mestemaker told CBS Sports. 

Passed over

Mestemaker grew up in North Austin going to Vandegrift games and dreaming of someday starting at quarterback under the Friday Night Lights. He played quarterback through youth football and showed flashes of brilliance early in his career. 

After his exploits on the Freshman B Team, Mestemaker started a handful of games as a sophomore on junior varsity. The next year, he was the primary backup to Brayden Bohanon, who now plays baseball at Baylor. The program reached its first state title game, losing to DeSoto. After the season, all signs pointed to Mestemaker starting as a senior.

But right before his moment, Louisville quarterback commit Deuce Adams moved into the neighborhood from nearby New Braunfels. Mestemaker fought hard for the job and the battle went long, but Adams ultimately won out. 

"I didn't want to leave or stand on the sideline my senior year," Mestemaker said. "I was just trying anything to get on the field and play with my best friends that I grew up with." 

So, instead of pouting, Mestemaker volunteered for everything. He taught himself how to punt and earned all-district honors. There was an opening at safety, so the lanky, 6-foot-4 Mestemaker stepped up and played multiple defensive back roles. He ultimately earned all-district honors at both positions during a 10-0 regular season. 

"I think that shows how different Drew is," Vandegrift coach Drew Sanders told CBS Sports. "He could have easily transferred. He could have easily gone somewhere else. But because he valued his teammates and his program and his coaches and community, it was a really cool thing to see him find a way to contribute with the best attitude possible. He's one in a million." 

Despite showing promise at both other positions, Mestemaker knew he was a quarterback. As one source put it, he could have started at 99.4% of high schools in Texas. Mestemaker just ran into another of the state's best. 

Into the QB academy

North Texas coach Eric Morris has a knack for finding diamonds in the rough. When he was coach at Incarnate Word, Morris discovered an overlooked quarterback playing in a run-based offense. In 2025, that once small school quarterback, Cameron Ward, was picked No. 1 in the NFL Draft. 

But for Mestemaker, there was barely even tape to evaluate. Mestemaker worked with noted quarterback trainer Jeff Christensen, who shared some of the limited practice and workout footage he had. 

"We just kind of looked over the video that we had and saw a big, raw, developmental kid that had a pretty, pretty uncharacteristic high school career," Brophy said. "We wanted to take a shot on another young kid to come and develop." 

The timing worked out well for UNT, which did not take a high school class in 2023 when the staff arrived. After adding two Power Four upperclassmen, they had room to stock up. Plus, Mestemaker's close friend, Miles Coleman, signed with UNT to play receiver in the same class. 

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"I'm honestly surprised he didn't get a chance sooner, really," Coleman told CBS Sports. "It's crazy just how smart he is, he's been able to adapt so fast." 

Mestemaker had offers at the junior college level and another walk-on spot available at Sam Houston. The opportunity to work with Morris was impossible to pass up, even if it wasn't on scholarship. 

He arrived in Denton sixth on the depth chart, an afterthought as a true freshman. He quickly made himself a factor. Early in the season, Mestemaker passed multiple scholarship players to land No. 2 on the depth chart. He became the primary backup to Chandler Morris 

"I've never seen a quarterback's upward trajectory be so high," Brophy said. "I mean every single day was incremental improvement." 

Getting his chance

The plan was for Morris to play two years and then pass the reins to Mestemaker. The Mean Green put together a very competitive offer for the sixth-year senior after he threw for 3,774 yards and 31 touchdowns. A hefty offer from Virginia was ultimately too much to pass up, however. 

After a tearful goodbye, Chandler Morris left before the bowl game against Texas State. There was little question what was coming next: Mestemaker's first start since sophomore year JV ball. 

"Everybody internally was extremely cautiously optimistic of what he was going to do," Brophy said. "Now, the hard part is you can't really vocalize and verbalize that outwards because someone's going to look at you crazy." 

Of course, North Texas had no clue how Mestemaker would respond to real, live reps. They simulated everything they could and tried to ensure he went as close to game speed as possible, but it's a different beast facing defenders. 

Mestemaker's first two plays looked like a first-time starter. He missed Wyatt Young on a pass and then was hit for a 4-yard loss. The next play, on third-and-14, he hit Landon Sides for a 14-yard gain for a first down. 

"It was just a surreal experience," Mestemaker said. "But once I got my first play and first hit out of the way, it was just like normal. It was just playing football, like I've done my whole life. It was honestly really shocking to see how once you're in it, it's just football at the end of the day." 

From there, Mestemaker woke up the gunslinger within. He found best friend Coleman for a 46-yard touchdown on the second drive. The play lit up Vandegrift group chats all over the state. Then, Mestemaker led another touchdown drive, capped off by a 16-yard strike to Sides. The shocker was a 70-yard touchdown run with 1:49 remaining that pulled the game within two points. 

There were messy moments, too, including two interceptions and a fumble. The final turnover came as North Texas drove to take the lead; instead, they fell 30-28 to the Bobcats. But for a true freshman starting his first game since JV, the line was stunning: 393 yards and three total touchdowns, the most passing yards by a UNT player in a bowl game. 

Coming full circle

Even after Mestemaker's viral performance, North Texas knew it had to restock its quarterback room once more. So, once again, Mestemaker found himself reliving history as another senior moved in. Miami transfer Reese Poffenbarger joined the program in 2025 after backing up Ward with the Hurricanes and throwing for nearly 6,000 yards and 56 touchdowns in two years at Albany. 

This time, Mestemaker wasn't going to fall short. He waited his entire life to start for a varsity squad. Losing that spot wasn't an option. Finally, in August, Morris was ready to make a decision. Mestemaker was in. The fairy tale lives on. 

"That was, I'd say, the most nervous I've ever been in my life going into that meeting," Mestemaker laughed. "I didn't know how it was going to go. I felt like I played good, but it was all up to the coaches." 

Since taking over the spot, Mestemaker has taken the sport by storm. Through five games, Mestemaker ranks No. 2 nationally in both offensive and passing grades at PFF. In a 59-10 win over Washington State, he completed 83% of his passes for 211 yards and four touchdowns. Against Western Michigan, Mestemaker showed some of that defensive back speed for a 31-yard run to help pace an overtime win. 

His high school teammate, Coleman, has cleared more than 200 yards receiving in the four games the pair have played together. 

"His arm talent, it's like no other man," Coleman said. "There's been some throws this year that I've seen on film, it's just been insane." 

In 12 short months, Mestemaker went from paying to attend North Texas to making money. The Mean Green had revenue sharing money put aside for the starting quarterback. The day after he won the job, he signed with an agency. 

It isn't a secret around Denton. They know the big boys could be coming for their diamond in the rough soon, just like they did for Morris's last three quarterbacks. It's a mind-boggling situation for a player who was so recently a walk-on. But for now, everyone is enjoying the ride.

North Texas sits at 3-0, including wins over solid Western Michigan and Washington State squads. The Mean Green open their American slate with Army on the road. A matchup with Byrum Brown's South Florida on Oct. 10 could prove to be one of the best -- and more pivotal -- quarterback battles in the Group of Six this year. 

Mestemaker grew up dreaming of starting at quarterback for Vandegrift High School, but it never came to fruition. He had to wait longer than he ever thought possible, but finally, his dreams are coming true. 

"It's crazy, honestly," Mestemaker said. "You know, it's always been a goal of mine to be at this level. To finally be living it out, it brings you back to when you're a kid watching college football and dreaming about being in that place. 

"Sometimes you've got to take a step back and be like, you're living a dream."