College Football's Most Eligible Transfer Portal Quarterbacks
College football ain't what it used to be. There are plenty of things about the sport today that are markedly worse than they were 20 years ago. I would do things I'm not proud of to realign the conferences back to what they were in 2005. NIL and the transfer portal have flipped the game on its head. I hate how the minute a G5 team gets hot, they lose all their best players to bigger, richer schools. I don't love how at the end of every season, every player on every team essentially becomes a free agent. Announcements like this, for lack of a better word, are pretty fucking weird.
But boy does it make for an eventful off-season. In the year 2025, for my money, college football "free agency" runs circles around the NFL's off-season. Hapless programs who haven't been relevant in decades can become nationally relevant overnight (i.e. Indiana). There are so many teams out there who believe they're merely a quarterback away from making a playoff run, or even competing for a National Championship. Transfer portal season is chaos from start to finish. No player is off-limits.
Fun fact – in the combined 2023 and 2024 high school recruiting classes, there were eight total 5-star QB's. With the exception of Archie Manning, every one of them have either already transferred, or are looking to transfer this off-season.
DJ Lagway (Florida –> ????)
Dylan Raiola (Nebraska –> ????)
Julian Sayin (Alabama –> Ohio State)
Nico Iamaleava (Tennessee –> UCLA)
Dante Moore (UCLA –> Oregon)
Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma –> Auburn)
Malachi Nelson (USC –> Boise State –> UTEP)
We're in the thick of it right now. Elite (or supposedly elite) quarterbacks are up for grabs. Any school with a few million dollars to burn can have one. Some top of schools who are likely in need of a quarterback for next season, and are said to be looking in the transfer portal, include…
Texas Tech
Miami
LSU
Indiana
Oregon
Clemson
Florida
Tennessee
Nebraska
Louisville
Arizona State
Virginia Tech
Baylor
Oklahoma State
Michigan State
Cincinnati
And those are only 16 schools I've been seeing pop up in transfer portal conversations online. For all we know, D.J. Lagway could end up starting for Michigan next season. It certainly wouldn't be the craziest thing to happen to that program in the last few weeks.
Of all the quarterbacks looking for a new destination, here are some of the most highly coveted/most interesting ones available.
D.J. Lagway – Florida
It's crazy to think that in order for Florida to convince D.J. Lagway to return for his sophomore season, they had to KEEP Billy Napier as their head coach. Of all the questions about D.J. Lagway's decision making, that piece of evidence might be the most damning.
Lagway was a 5-star recruit. He has all the talent and size in the world. He's had individual games where he's put it all together and looked the part. But he's never been close to putting it together for a full season. Maybe his shortcomings were all Billy Napier's fault? That's what the team who winds up cutting him a multi-million dollar check will be telling themselves.
One school to look for, aside from the obvious "blue bloods", is the Baylor Bears. D.J. Lagway's dad played football for Baylor. He was a Baylor fan as a child. He entertained Baylor as an option out of high school.
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If I were him, I might be interested in getting out of the SEC. I might be looking to play somewhere with a little less pressure. Somewhere with a softer defenses on their schedule. The Baylor Bears make sense for multiple reasons.
Dylan Raiola – Nebraska
Seeing as Dylan Raiola is famously known as the Patrick Mahomes guy, I have to mention Texas Tech. I have to assume that if Dylan Raiola had his druthers, Texas Tech is where he'd be playing football next season. But sadly, rumor has it Texas Tech has their eye on someone else (the next QB on this list). The Red Raiders appear to be off the table for Mini Mahomes.
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Nebraska, as always, underachieved mightily this season. But Dylan Raiola played well enough to still be considered an option for a National Championship contender. Chris Hummer of CBS reports that Oregon has emerged as a potential landing spot. Which seems a little unlikely to me, considering Patrick Mahomes has never worn green and yellow. But anything can happen. Maybe we've slipped into a parallel universe where mimicking Mahomes is no longer the most important thing to him.
Brendan Sorsby – Cincinnati
Sorsby is a very talented, very experienced quarterback with a single season of eligibility remaining. That's been a recipe for success for multiple teams already (Rourke & Mendoza with Indiana, Carson Beck with Miami). If you're looking at Twitter, Brendan Sorsby to Texas Tech is all but a done deal. His family was allegedly in Lubbock just the other day (according to someone who logged into his YouTube account?). His girlfriend, who played college volleyball at Cincinnati this past season, has already transferred there. Texas Tech's GM is reposting Sorsby's transfer portal announcement.
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At this point, I'd almost be shocked if I even get this blog up before the official Sorsby to Texas Tech announcement is made.
Sam Leavitt – Arizona State
This one makes me a little sad. Two years ago, as a sophomore, Sam Leavitt and Arizona State nearly knocked off Texas in the quarterfinals. Head Coach Kenny Dillingham, who's an Arizona State alum, seemed to be Arizona State for life. Which he still might be. But I'm afraid him crying about how much he loves Arizona State the other day might point to him taking the Michigan job? Maybe I'm reading too far into that?
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Regardless, in a college football world dominated by the SEC and Big Ten, Arizona State looked like a Big 12 team who might have a little staying power. But Leavitt's sophomore year was disappointing. He suffered a season ending injury. Now he appears to be out the door.
That's college football nowadays. Heading into next season, Sam Leavitt will likely be quarterbacking a favorite to win the SEC or Big Ten. Because nobody else is allowed to have nice things.
Drew Mestemaker – North Texas
Drew Mestemaker led all of college football in passing yards this year. By hundreds. He was the only QB to eclipse 4,000 yards. He led North Texas to an 11-2 record. They were a game away from a playoff birth (lost the American Championship to Tulane). He still has 3 years of eligibility left.
North Texas' head coach Eric Morris left for Oklahoma State. Many people think he'll follow him to Stillwater. There were also reports that Mestemaker was in talks with Indiana. But the rumor is he turned down the Hoosiers $3.5M offer.
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Which is a hell of a thing to think about. One great season at a G5 school and you can set yourself up for life. One great season at a G5 school has you turning down $3.5M offers. Which to me, makes Oklahoma State seem like a long shot. With schools like Oregon, Florida, Miami, Tennessee, LSU, and so many more in need of a quarterback, it's hard to imagine Drew Mestemaker doesn't wind up being the best QB available for someone a little better than Oklahoma State. But maybe he's loyal to Eric Morris. Or maybe Oklahoma State is ready to get serious about football again, and is willing to throw some money around.
Katin Houser – East Carolina
I'm not sure people (me included) fully realize how much money quarterbacks are making across ALL of college football. Katin Houser allegedly could have made $1.4M playing for East Carolina next season. But he's turning it down to enter the portal.
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So for anybody who's telling that T.J. Finely guy from Georgia State (the QB who's petitioning the NCAA for an extra season of eligibility so he can transfer to his 7th school in 7 seasons) to "move on with your life" or "get a real job"… that's just foolish. Schools like East Carolina are paying over $1M. Playing college football quarterback, even for a G5 school, is a very real job. These guys have spent their whole lives honing the craft of football. But taking an entry level sales job like you did is somehow more respectable? Because you spent a few years half-assing your way through business school? Do you know how fucking stupid you sound? It's the QB's (like Diego Pavia) who aren't petitioning the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility who are the dumb ones.
Anyways… Katin Houser is a fine quarterback. Somebody will pay him millions of dollars for a year's worth of work.
Kenny Minchey – Notre Dame
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Kenny Minchey is the 4-star backup QB for Notre Dame. In his time there, he's sat behind the likes of Sam Hartman, Riley Leonard, and C.J. Carr. Props to him for sticking around South Bend as long as he did. Plenty of other quarterbacks wouldn't have. But at this point, I don't think anyone can blame him for trying his luck elsewhere.
But in his limited action, Minchey went 23-29 for 212 yards through the air. He had 96 rushing yards & 2 rushing TD's on only 9 attempts. With two years of eligibility left, he's going to be a big get.
Aidan Chiles – Michigan State
If you look at the QB's who've come through through Michigan State in the last few years, it's a pretty big yikes. Katin Houser and Sam Leavitt were both at one time Michigan State Spartans. Aidan Chiles has looked pretty damn good at times himself. But it doesn't matter who they have at QB, the Spartans are still awful. Hopefully Pat Fitzgerald can turn it around for them. The Big Ten needs Michigan State to be relevant again.
Jadyn Davis - Michigan
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Jadyn Davis at Michigan has confused me from the jump. He was 4-star recruit out of high school (5-stars according to some sites). He was the 9th ranked QB in his class. He was a true Freshman at Michigan in 2024. But despite the the 2024 Michigan Wolverines having one of the saddest, most pathetic QB situations all of college football (G5 teams included), they never even considered playing him. I guess they (or he) just wanted to keep his redshirt. But next year they go out and pay millions of dollars for Bryce Underwood. At no point was Jadyn Davis even remotely close to getting playing time at Michigan.
Ok I guess that last part isn't 100% true. He threw a grand total of 2 passes. Only 1 of them was an interception.
Trinidad Chambliss – Ole Miss
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His season isn't over yet. He hasn't said anything about entering the portal. But listen to this answer he gave when asked at a press conference the other day.
As well as he played for Lane Kiffin this season, Trinidad Chambliss playing his final year with LSU seems like a real possibility.
Those are just 10 of the many quarterbacks expected to transfer this off-season. There are plenty more. At the rate things have been moving, there will likely be another big name to drop by the time you're reading this. But if you're desperate for a quarterback to save your college football team next season, these 10 QB's are a good place to start.