by Today’s revolving door of the transfer portal sees hundreds of college football players cycle in and out of new programs on an annual basis. However, only so many of those athletes actually pan out and take another step in their career at that new school.
Today I’m focusing on the most important position on the field — quarterback — and breaking down who has the potential to be this season’s “transfer quarterback darling” (as I like to put it) and raise some eyebrows at their new college.
Here are a few notable “transfer darlings” in recent years who noticeably improved both statistically and performance wise at a new program compared to their initial one the year(s) prior.
Hendon Hooker
2020 (Virginia Tech): 8 games, 65.3% CMP, 1,339 passing yards, 9 TDs, 5 INTs
2021 (Tennessee): 13 games, 68.2% CMP, 2,945 passing yards, 31 TDs, 3 INTs
Bo Nix
2021 (Auburn): 10 games, 61.0% CMP, 2,462 total yards, 15 total TDs
2022 (Oregon): 13 games, 71.9% CMP, 4,103 total yards, 44 total TDs
Kyron Drones
2022 (Baylor): 5 games, 60.9% CMP, 268 total yards, 3 total TDs
2023 (Virginia Tech): 13 games, 58.2% CMP, 2,903 totals yards, 22 total TDs
One could even consider Florida QB Graham Mertz (a player I’ve been higher on than most) as a breakout transfer this past season. After struggling at Wisconsin for three years in Madison (career: 59.5%, 1,351 pass yds per season, 38 TD-26 INT ratio), Mertz’s stats substantially improved as a Gator in 2023 behind 2,903 passing yards, an SEC-high 72.9% completion rate, and a 20-3 ratio. The only reason to not get too high on him is the fact that Florida went 5-7.
But one thing that each quarterback listed above has done is improved their new program’s record the following season or in the year after that. Hooker turned a 7-6 Tennessee team into an 11-2 one. Nix took a 10-4 Oregon team to a 12-2 finish two seasons later. Virginia Tech went from 3-8 to 7-6 with Drones as the starter in 2023. For some quarterbacks, a change of scenery is the best thing that could happen to them. For others, it could be a total deal breaker.
Here are the 10 best transfer portal quarterbacks of 2024 who have the best shot of having a career year and helping their new program take that next big step:
- Cam Ward (Washington State -> Miami)
- Dillon Gabriel (Oklahoma -> Oregon)
- Will Howard (Kansas State -> Ohio State)
- Riley Leonard (Duke -> Notre Dame)
- DJ Uiagalelei (Oregon State -> Florida State)
- Aidan Chiles (Oregon State -> Michigan State)
- Brock Vandagriff (Georgia -> Kentucky)
- Malachi Nelson (USC -> Boise State)
- Will Rogers (Mississippi State -> Washington)
- Tyler Van Dyke (Miami -> Wisconsin)
The most obvious difference in this season’s transfer portal QB class is the abundance of high-profile players. According to 247 Sports, in 2022-23, the highest-rated transfer quarterbacks were Sam Hartman, Devin Leary, Hudson Card, and Shedeur Sanders. Nothing against that top four, but only two of them were good, one of them dropped off, and the other led Purdue to a 4-8 season. This year’s list is filled with so much more depth and production that it’s hard to think most of these quarterbacks will digress in terms of performance.