Long-Shot CFB Transfer Ideas for Big-Name QBs Who May Lose Key Position Battles
It's the time of year when you start looking ahead, projecting how your team will look and thinking up wild, outlandish scenarios where players bolt for clearer paths to playing time.
Yes, the transfer portal has changed everything in college football, especially at quarterback.
Rather than sit and marinate for a couple of years, youngsters who lose the battle to be QB1 have roaming eyes. After all, what's to keep their current team from restocking through the portal and recruiting over them again next year?
With plenty of high-profile quarterback battles set to be waged in spring practice, it's worth keeping an eye on some guys who could make other teams extremely happy by picking up and following those roaming eyes to new destinations.
Is it a wacky exercise to project players who haven't lost a job yet leaving for other places? Sure. Is it even more far-fetched to predict where those guys will go? Absolutely. But the offseason is for fun possibilities, so sit back and envision these scenarios might make a lot of sense for all parties involved.
Luke Altmyer to the TCU Horned Frogs
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With Jaxson Dart's move to Ole Miss, it would be a stunner if the USC transfer isn't Lane Kiffin's quarterback of the future. He was one of the two most gifted first-year signal-callers in the nation, along with Caleb Williams, in 2021.
So, where does that leave Luke Altmyer?
The answer may be looking for a new team. It would make a lot of sense for him to head back to his Starkville, Mississippi, home to play for Mississippi State coach Mike Leach, but Will Rogers is entrenched there. So, perhaps if Altmyer is a clear No. 2 this spring, he'll look elsewhere.
The sophomore could hang around and compete, knowing the depth chart is thin and he is one play away from the job. If not, he could have a clearer path to battle for a starting spot with Sonny Dykes' new-look TCU Horned Frogs.
The Frogs return starter Max Duggan, but he is a more athletic, run-first guy who might not fit Dykes' pass-heavy offense. Chandler Morris is an Oklahoma transfer whose father, Chad, used to coach SMU (Dykes' last stop), so he's worth watching in the open battle.
But Altmyer's youth, strong arm and exciting ceiling would make him an intriguing piece of the puzzle with the Frogs and could be a similar coup for Dykes the way Texas transfer Shane Buechele was when Dykes was coaching the Mustangs.
You also have to think it would benefit Altmyer to be elsewhere now to go through spring with a team if he expects to be a starter in 2022 other than with the Rebs.
Sean Clifford to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish
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With the way the Penn State Nittany Lions have faltered in the past couple of seasons, it might be best to use 2022 to build toward a potential juggernaut.
The Lions have the No. 6 class in the nation, but bringing in so many youngsters might not be the best win-now strategy. So, with Sean Clifford deciding to pass up the NFL and return to PSU for his final season, the question is: Does the long-time starter fit in this year's plan if the team rebuilds?
Just look at the potential standouts behind him on the depth chart. Incoming freshman Drew Allar is a 5-star prospect, and 3-star Beau Pribula has a lot of upside too. Then there's redshirt freshman Christian Veilleux, who is already on campus and has a quality developmental skill set.
If head coach James Franklin goes with a younger option, Clifford will need to pivot. The best place for him to look would be Notre Dame. The Irish are ready to win and have a ton of pieces in place for first-year coach Marcus Freeman.
While they have to like Tyler Buchner's upside, it's worth questioning if the sophomore QB is ready. Clifford could provide another year of security while Buchner develops, and he could be the same type of fortifying force Jack Coan was in 2021, if not more so.
Hudson Card to the Iowa State Cyclones
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If you haven't heard the Quinn Ewers hype, well, where have you been?
The former Ohio State quarterback is transferring back home to play for the Texas Longhorns. He is one of the biggest storylines of the spring season, and many are excited to see what he can do under Steve Sarkisian's tutelage.
There's almost too much hype surrounding Ewers for there to be any end game besides him trotting out with the 1s in Texas' season opener on September 3 against Louisiana-Monroe.
If that's the case, will it be enough to push Austin native Hudson Card elsewhere? With the uncertainty surrounding Ewers and incoming freshman Maalik Murphy, it would be wise of the Longhorns lifer to stay, but he may not.
If he left, the Iowa State Cyclones would make a ton of sense. Attending a fellow Big 12 school, Card has a bunch of familiarity with the program. He also had to see Brock Purdy's success the past few seasons and believe he could thrive under head coach Matt Campbell.
With Hunter Dekkers virtually unproven and competing with incoming freshman Rocco Becht, Card could head to Ames and win that job. Campbell has built a quality program at a school not known for its football, and despite a disappointing season in 2021, strong pieces remain.
Card won Texas' starting job last year as a redshirt freshman before being replaced by Casey Thompson and has a lot of upside, especially considering how much eligibility he has left. He could be a coup for Campbell.
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Jacolby Criswell to the West Virginia Mountaineers
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One of the most difficult quarterback battles to predict this spring is at North Carolina, where Jacolby Criswell and Drake Maye are vying to replace Sam Howell and lead the Tar Heels into the next era.
It might be a moot point to include either of those guys here, as this war could stretch well into the fall and lead to both players getting significant snaps in 2022. After all, they are two considerably different signal-callers.
The 6'0", 220-pound Criswell is the more experienced of the two as a big-bodied, dual-threat quarterback with a lot of zip on his passes. The tall, strong-armed Maye is more of a dropback guy who has sneaky athleticism, and the 6'5" passer might get the slight nod based on sheer passing ability. If it looks that way this spring, Criswell could head elsewhere.
An ideal landing spot would be West Virginia, where head coach Neal Brown needs a quarterback to hold down the spot for a couple of seasons before 4-star recruit Nicco Marchiol is ready. Right now, it looks like Marchiol should win that job as a true freshman.
While that would be a huge deal for WVU if he's ready to go, it's asking a lot from a first-year player to excel at the most nuanced offensive position. Criswell's athleticism could help make up for some of the roster shortfalls.
If Marchiol does look ready to contribute, the Mountaineers could work him in situationally while Criswell's experience helps blaze the path. Of course, if he outright wins the job or splits reps, Criswell may stay right where he is.
T.J. Finley to the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
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This is a tricky one because T.J. Finley has transferred once (from LSU to Auburn), but when he got an extended look following Bo Nix's season-ending ankle injury late last year, Finley didn't inspire a ton of confidence.
Things are a mess at Auburn, as head coach Bryan Harsin's long-term job security is in jeopardy, and while Finley will be firmly in the mix to win the Tigers' job, Texas A&M transfer Zach Calzada and incoming freshman Holden Geriner will make things interesting.
Calzada will probably be too strong to keep out of the starting lineup, unless Finley's decision-making catches up with his physical prowess. If it doesn't, he could consider burning a year of eligibility to go elsewhere.
If that happens, Louisiana-Lafayette makes a bunch of sense. Finley's home of Ponchatoula, Louisiana, is under two hours from Lafayette, so he'd have a support system around him. First-year head coach Michael Desormeaux has a familiarity with the area as well.
Yes, it would be a big step down for Finley to give up playing SEC football after his first couple of seasons at different spots, but the 6'7", 246-pound signal-caller might need a place where he can develop.
If he goes to a lower level and dominates with his impressive arm, the NFL could still come calling. It makes a lot of sense for him to go the Malik Willis route and play out his eligibility for a strong Sun Belt team with which he can keep the program trajectory from the Billy Napier era and try to let his natural ability take over.
After all, he'd have two years of eligibility even with a transfer.
Cade McNamara to the Cincinnati Bearcats
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Cade McNamara spent the 2021 season proving all the doubters wrong by leading Michigan to the College Football Playoff.
But can he win a national championship with the Wolverines? If head coach Jim Harbaugh determines the answer is "no" and thinks the future is now for sophomore J.J. McCarthy, McNamara has to decide if he wants to be a backup, split time or go to a place where he doesn't have to constantly look over his shoulder.
McCarthy looks too good to keep off the field, and he might get a long look as the starter this spring. If that happens, McNamara needs to play his final two seasons away from Ann Arbor. The perfect situation awaits him too.
The redshirt junior should head to the Queen City and play for Luke Fickell.
It looks like the Bearcats will begin the post-Desmond Ridder era with QB Ben Bryant at the helm, after he transferred back following a season at Eastern Michigan. If Cincinnati wants to continue competing for at least conference championships, it might need a more proven option.
You have to believe Fickell is in the market for a quarterback, and McNamara could be a great fit, even if it is just for one year. He can do a lot of things and would be a star in the AAC.
Dylan Morris to the Fresno State Bulldogs
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If Dylan Morris makes a huge leap in 2022, he can again be the starting quarterback for the Washington Huskies. But with new head coach Kalen DeBoer in Seattle, it might be time to usher in a different era at the position.
Transfer Michael Penix Jr. provides a quality dual-threat option for the Huskies, and he's reunited with his former offensive coordinator from Indiana, a position DeBoer held before going to Fresno State to be the head coach. Then there is elite freshman Sam Huard, who looks like the future.
If Huard can seize the job and surge, it would be best for a program needing a difference-maker under center.
Morris could be left out in the cold. If so, he would be wise to look at what a former Husky did to help jump-start his career. Jake Haener left U-Dub and transferred to play for the Bulldogs and Coach DeBoer, who turned him into a mid-major star.
While Morris wouldn't be able to unseat Haener in '22, he would still have a couple of seasons of eligibility to take over the Bulldogs and keep the quality play at the position. Even though DeBoer is gone, he was replaced by veteran quarterback developer Jeff Tedford.
The opportunity for the 6'0", 200-pound Washington native to resurrect his career under Tedford would be a win-win for everybody if he can't hold the Washington job.
Garrett Nussmeier to the Baylor Bears
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Garrett Nussmeier spent parts of his youth bouncing around with his father, longtime NFL assistant Doug Nussmeier. But he was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and played high school ball in Flower Mound, Texas, so he's familiar with both states.
The LSU Tiger redshirt freshman will have a golden chance to win the Bayou Bengals' starting job this spring under head coach Brian Kelly, and it would make a lot of sense to stick around no matter what the outcome in case he gets another chance to seize an opportunity.
That doesn't always shake out, though. With sixth-year senior Myles Brennan returning to Baton Rouge after removing his name from the transfer portal, Kelly has a veteran with NFL upside. Then there is top-50 prospect Walker Howard, who looks like the future.
If Nussmeier is third in the pecking order this spring and looks elsewhere, Baylor would be a quality destination. With Gerry Bohanon set to start his senior season in Waco, Nussmeier could develop for a year in Dave Aranda's program.
Then in 2023, he would be battling Blake Shapen (who did have an MVP performance in the Big 12 Championship Game win over Oklahoma State) for the starting job for a team that appears on very firm footing with Aranda at the helm.
One thing the Bears coach hasn't perfected yet is bringing in great talent, but Nussmeier showed some flashes in mop-up action in '21, and he would be a nice pickup for a team likely expecting a plug-and-play guy following Bohanon's final season.
Plus, Bohanan has dealt with injuries the past couple of years, so Nussmeier could factor into the equation even sooner.
Drew Pyne to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights
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Drew Pyne is a great veteran depth piece, but he probably won't ever be the starting quarterback in South Bend.
With Tyler Buchner getting virtually all the backup reps a season ago, this feels like his job, unless the Fighting Irish get a veteran transfer to fill Jack Coan's cleats and allow Buchner to develop as a passer for another year.
Whatever the case, Pyne will probably either spend his final two or three collegiate years as a backup, or he'll transfer. If it's the latter, it would make a lot of sense for him to head to Rutgers and play for coach Greg Schiano.
The way the Scarlet Knights have recruited during the past couple of cycles, they look far from the doormats they were a couple of seasons ago. Noah Vedral is expected to return to the starting role at quarterback, but he is coming off a pedestrian 2021 season in which he threw seven touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Those numbers shouldn't scare anybody, and Pyne has to think he could move closer to his New Canaan, Connecticut, home and battle to be a starter for a Power Five program. Rutgers would benefit from his experience and leadership, and he might even be an upgrade from Vedral.
Signal-caller Gavin Wimsatt certainly looks like the team's future at the position, but Pyne could enter the equation, give Schiano another veteran option and fill a major void for an up-and-coming team.
Ty Thompson to the Wisconsin Badgers
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First-year Oregon head coach Dan Lanning's quarterback situation is dicey. He might have to decide between what's best for the program now or in the future.
If Auburn transfer Bo Nix is demonstrably better than redshirt freshman Ty Thompson (and Jay Butterfield), Nix needs the job. But if Thompson makes things close, perhaps you give him the gig based on ceiling.
Thompson has an elite skill set and is one of the best-looking young prospects in college football. Ideally for the Ducks, Lanning can hang on to him if Nix starts. But what do Nix's two seasons of remaining eligibility mean for Thompson?
There really isn't anywhere out West for Thompson to go for a guaranteed starting gig at a major program.
He could win the job at Colorado or Cal, and maybe back home in Arizona State (which is under NCAA investigation for potential recruiting violations). Even then, he'd have to compete with the talented Jayden Daniels.
Geography notwithstanding, Wisconsin would be a perfect fit for Thompson. Graham Mertz hasn't shown he can handle the starting job, and the Badgers were thought to be players in the Caleb Williams sweepstakes before he went to USC.
Getting Thompson would be the type of coup that could put Wisconsin at the top of the Big Ten standings for the next couple of years.
All stats courtesy of CFBStats and Sports Reference. Player and recruiting class rankings courtesy of 247Sports.
Follow Brad Shepard on Twitter, @Brad_Shepard.
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