Top QBs in the College Football Transfer Portal After the 2025 Season
For the first time, the timeframe for college football players to change teams in the transfer portal has been narrowed to a two-week window in January, with this year's running from Jan. 2–16.
With the first weekend of portal activity done, there has already been a flurry of activity, most notably at the quarterback position where Arizona State, Indiana, Iowa State, Louisville, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Penn State and Wisconsin are among the teams that have already added a new starting signal-caller for 2026.
Ahead is a complete overview of the current state of the transfer portal at the quarterback position.
Included is everything from players who have already committed to former top recruits looking for their first real shot, to small-school standouts, to guys who are expected to be starters for Power Four programs next year.
Notable Early Commitments
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The following players have already made their portal decision in the opening days of the transfer window:
Brendan Sorsby: Cincinnati to Texas Tech
Drew Mestemaker: North Texas to Oklahoma State
Josh Hoover: TCU to Indiana
Rocco Becht: Iowa State to Penn State
Colton Joseph: Old Dominion to Wisconsin
Katin Houser: East Carolina to Illinois
Cutter Boley: Kentucky to Arizona State
Michael Hawkins Jr.: Oklahoma to West Virginia
Kenny Minchey: Notre Dame to Kentucky
Lincoln Kienholz: Ohio State to Louisville
Ethan Grunkemeyer: Penn State to Virginia Tech
AJ Hill: Memphis to Arkansas
Alonza Barnett III: James Madison to UCF
Jaylen Raynor: Arkansas State to Iowa State
Jaden Craig: Harvard to TCU
Dylan Lonergan: Boston College to Rutgers
Billy Edwards Jr.: Wisconsin to North Carolina
Aaron Philo: Georgia Tech to Florida
Top-Tier Recruits Looking for a Fresh Start
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2022
Devin Brown (California): 4-star, No. 6 QB in 2022
Nick Evers (UConn): 4-star, No. 9 QB in 2022
2023
Jackson Arnold (Auburn): 5-star, No. 4 QB in 2023
Jaden Rashada (Sacramento State): 4-star, No. 7 QB in 2023
Austin Novosad (Oregon): 4-star, No. 10 QB in 2023
2024
Air Noland (South Carolina): 4-star, No. 4 QB in 2024
Luke Kromenhoek (Mississippi State): 4-star, No. 5 QB in 2024
Walker White (Baylor): 4-star, No. 8 QB in 2024
Jadyn Davis (Michigan): 4-star, No. 9 QB in 2024
Jake Merklinger (Tennessee): 4-star, No. 11 QB in 2024
Isaac Wilson (Utah): 4-star, No. 18 QB in 2024
2025
Deuce Knight (Auburn): 5-star, No. 5 QB in 2025
Bryce Baker (North Carolina): 4-star, No. 8 QB in 2025
4 Under-The-Radar Names to Watch
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Braden Atkinson (Mercer): Won 2025 SoCon Offensive Player of the Year as a true freshman after throwing for 3,611 yards and 34 touchdowns while leading Mercer to a 9-3 record overall and a perfect 8-0 run through conference play.
TJ Finley (Georgia State): Has made stops at LSU, Auburn, Texas State, Western Kentucky and Georgia State so far in his college career. Threw for 3,439 yards and 24 touchdowns at Texas State in 2023, and has 7,372 passing yards and 43 touchdowns in his career.
JC French IV (Georgia Southern): Led Georgia Southern to back-to-back winning seasons in 2024 (2,831 yards, 17 TD, 11 INT) and 2025 (2,929 yards, 20 TD, 8 INT) while showing some dual-threat ability with 564 rushing yards and eight scores over that two-year stretch. Started his college career at Memphis as a 3-star recruit in 2022.
Marcus Stokes (West Florida): Threw for 3,297 yards and 30 touchdowns as D-II West Florida to win Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Year while leading the Argonauts to a 10-2 record. A 3-star recruit out of high school with offers from Florida, Indiana, Penn State and Utah, among others.
Power 5 Starting Experience
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Aidan Chiles (Michigan State): Impressed in limited action behind D.J. Uiagalelei at Oregon State in 2023 as a true freshman, then transferred to Michigan State where he passed for 3,807 yards and 23 touchdowns in 21 games over the last two years. He was slowed by a foot injury in 2025.
Ashton Daniels (Auburn): A two-year starter at Stanford where he threw for 3,986 yards with 21 touchdowns and 20 interceptions before transferring to Auburn and serving as backup to Jackson Arnold for most of 2025. He has visits scheduled at Baylor, Florida State and Kentucky.
Eli Holstein (Pitt): Former Alabama recruit threw for 2,228 yards and 17 touchdowns while adding another 328 yards and three scores on the ground during a breakthrough 2024 season. Took a step backward in 2025 and lost the starting job to freshman Mason Heintschel.
Tayven Jackson (UCF): A 4-star recruit and the No. 13 quarterback in the 2022 class. Had stints at Tennessee and Indiana before serving as starter at UCF in 2025 and throwing for 2,151 yards with 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions across 11 games.
Beau Pribula (Missouri): Former Penn State recruit and a hot commodity in the transfer portal a year ago. Had 1,941 passing yards, 297 rushing yards and 17 total touchdowns in 10 games while missing time with a non-fractured, dislocated left ankle. Has 2,365 passing yards, 868 rushing yards and 36 touchdowns in 34 career games.
Austin Simmons (Ole Miss): Opened the season as the heir apparent to Jaxson Dart at Ole Miss, but an ankle injury opened the door for Trinidad Chambliss to pass him on the depth chart. Simmons was relegated to backup duties once he returned and is widely expected to end up at Missouri.
Anthony Colandrea
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2025 Team: UNLV
Passing: 65.9 cmp%, 3,459 yards, 23 TD, 9 INT
Rushing: 127 carries, 649 yards, 10 TD
After two forgettable seasons at the University of Virginia where he threw for 4,083 yards with 26 touchdowns and 20 interceptions during a pair of losing seasons, Anthony Colandrea transferred to UNLV and took a massive step forward.
He led the Mountain West Conference in passing yards (3,459), yards per attempt (8.3) and passer rating (149.5), and more than doubled his career rushing yardage total with 649 yards and 5.1 yards per carry.
His 4,108 total yards of offense were fifth in the nation, behind only Drew Mestemaker (4,468), Diego Pavia (4,401), Trinidad Chambliss (4,180) and Byrum Brown (4,166), and that production helped lead UNLV to a 10-4 record.
Projected Landing Spot: Georgia Tech
DJ Lagway
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2025 Team: Florida
Passing: 63.2 cmp%, 2,264 yards, 16 TD, 14 INT
Rushing: 71 carries, 136 yards, 1 TD
DJ Lagway was a consensus 5-star recruit and squarely in the conversation alongside Julian Sayin and Dylan Raiola for the title of top quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class.
He showed flashes of greatness as a true freshman, leading the Gators to consecutive victories over No. 21 LSU, No. 9 Ole Miss and rival Florida State in November before throwing for 305 yards in the Gasparilla Bowl against Tulane.
Expected to be one of college football's breakout stars, he instead struggled early in the season. Over a three‑week stretch, he suffered an upset loss to South Florida, threw five interceptions against LSU and managed just 61 passing yards in a loss to Florida State en route to a 1-3 start.
The arm talent is still there, and a change of scenery could be best for all involved.
Projected Landing Spot: Florida State
Dylan Raiola
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2025 Team: Nebraska
Passing: 72.4 cmp%, 2,000 yards, 18 TD, 6 INT
Rushing: 46 carries, -87 yards, 0 TD
Originally committed to Georgia, Dylan Raiola flipped to Nebraska on National Signing Day and immediately became a savior of sorts for a Cornhuskers program that had fallen from grace.
The 5-star recruit was the Week 1 starter as a true freshman, and while he took his lumps during a 7-6 campaign, there was still plenty of reason for optimism after he threw for 2,819 yards and completed 67.1 percent of his passes while tallying 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
He was enjoying a far more efficient sophomore campaign when he suffered a season-ending broken right fibula on Nov. 1 against USC, and he will now look to turn the page with a fresh start elsewhere.
Projected Landing Spot: Oregon
Byrum Brown
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2025 Team: South Florida
Passing: 66.3 cmp%, 3,158 yards, 28 TD, 7 INT
Rushing: 175 carries, 1,008 yards, 14 TD
Byrum Brown recorded just the 13th season in college football history with at least 3,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in the same season in 2025, and he led the nation with 42 combined touchdowns.
With non-conference wins over Boise State and Florida, he had South Florida in the Group of Five driver's seat for much of the year, and most expect him to follow USF head coach Alex Golesh to his new gig at Auburn.
Brown will leave South Florida with 7,690 passing yards, 2,265 rushing yards and 92 total touchdowns over four seasons.
Projected Landing Spot: Auburn
Sam Leavitt
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2025 Team: Arizona State
Passing: 60.7 cmp%, 1,628 yards, 10 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: 73 carries, 300 yards, 5 TD
Originally a Michigan State recruit, Sam Leavitt transferred to Arizona State ahead of the 2024 season and helped lead the Sun Devils to a Big 12 championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff.
He threw for 2,885 yards with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions as a redshirt freshman, adding 443 yards and five scores on the ground, and he entered the 2025 season as one of the nation's most highly regarded passers.
Unfortunately, a foot injury ended his 2025 season after seven games, and now he will look to give his NFL draft stock a shot in the arm in a new uniform as one of the top quarterbacks in the portal.
Projected Landing Spot: LSU
