The transfer portal doesn’t open until Jan. 2, but a number of talented quarterbacks have already announced their intention to search for a new school for the 2026 season.
Instead of waiting to see where these big dominoes fall, we’ve figured it out for you, calling our shot on next year’s starting quarterbacks for all 68 schools in the Power 4 (independent Notre Dame included). No, not everyone listed under new schools has declared plans to enter the portal. So, we’re doing some tampering ourselves.
Most of these projected landing spots are based on “high-level” investigative guesswork, so take this with a large grain of salt and then rip me in the comment section below.
ACC
Boston College: Eli Holstein, R-Jr. (Pittsburgh)
The Eagles could go with one of their young arms: redshirt freshman Shaker Reisig or true freshman Femi Babalola. But what makes sense here is for Bill O’Brien to go after the experienced starter he recruited to Alabama in 2022. Holstein, who went 9-5 as a starter over two years at Pitt, hasn’t said anything about his plans, but he lost the starting job to true freshman Mason Heintschel during the 2025 season.
Cal: Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, So.
New coach Tosh Lupoi, back home in the Bay Area, inherits one of the most promising young quarterbacks in the game — and one who is happy to be at Cal.
Clemson: Christopher Vizzina, R-Jr.
There are rumors that DJ Lagway could end up at Clemson. But is Dabo Swinney ready to use the transfer portal? Vizzina, a former top-100 recruit who has waited three years behind Cade Klubnik, should beat out the three three-star recruits Swinney has signed the last two cycles.
Duke: Darian Mensah, R-Jr.
Mensah announced on social media last Friday that he’s coming back to lead the defending ACC champions.
Florida State: Colton Joseph, R-Jr. (Old Dominion)
Gus Malzahn’s offense needs a mobile quarterback. Joseph, the Sun Belt’s Offensive Player of the Year, fits what the Seminoles need from a dual-threat perspective.
Georgia Tech: Anthony Colandrea, Sr. (UNLV)
With Haynes King out of eligibility, heir apparent Aaron Philo in the transfer portal and offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner off to Florida, Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key has some work to do. Colandrea, the 2025 Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, has said he’ll be back at UNLV, but don’t rule out a return to the ACC — he was the starter at Virginia in 2024 — if Georgia Tech hires UNLV offensive coordinator Corey Dennis to replace Faulkner.
Louisville: Dylan Raiola, Jr. (Nebraska)
Jeff Brohm loves traditional dropback passers, and Raiola, who broke his right leg in a loss to USC in November, would benefit from working with one of the best QB whisperers in the business.
Miami: Sam Leavitt, R-Jr. (Arizona State)
Miami spends big money on transfer QBs, and that will continue in 2026. Cam Ward and Carson Beck enjoyed success in Shannon Dawson’s offense, and Leavitt, a 20-game starter at Arizona State, makes sense as the Hurricanes look for someone a little more mobile than Beck.
North Carolina: Gio Lopez, R-Jr.
The South Alabama transfer didn’t light it up for Bill Belichick in their first season together in Chapel Hill, but he started 11 games and was solid. Lopez provides a steady foundation that buys time for incoming freshman Travis Burgess to settle in before taking over.
NC State: CJ Bailey, Jr.
Bailey, a South Florida native, might’ve been an attractive option for the Hurricanes, but he had a really rough day against Miami in November, essentially ending his candidacy as Beck’s 2026 replacement.
Pittsburgh: Mason Heintschel, So.
Heintschel completed 63.8 percent of his passes for 2,098 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions over nine regular-season games, including eight starts. He seems locked in to be the starter in 2026.
SMU: Kevin Jennings, R-Sr.
The Mustangs are going to run it back with Jennings, who has thrown for 3,363 yards, 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions heading into the bowl game. His 17 wins over the last two seasons are tied for the fourth-most for a returning starter.
Stanford: Michael Mitchell Jr., Fr.
Redshirt sophomore Elijah Brown is an in-house option. Southern California native Colton Joseph, who left Old Dominion, is an out-of-house option. I went with Mitchell, a true freshman, for new coach Tavita Pritchard. He was a longtime Vanderbilt commitment but flipped to Stanford as the Commodores’ pursuit of five-star Jared Curtis heated up. One wild card: Could Ashton Daniels, a former starter at Stanford, return to The Farm after one year at Auburn?
Syracuse: Steve Angeli, R-Sr.
The 2025 Notre Dame transfer was 3-1 as a starter before tearing his Achilles in a win at Clemson. The Orange are going to bring in two transfers to compete, according to coach Fran Brown, but Angeli should be the guy once he’s healthy.
Virginia: Kenny Minchey, R-Jr. (Notre Dame)
Minchey, who was beaten out for the starting job at Notre Dame by CJ Carr, is highly coveted by a few schools. I like him or Jake Merklinger, a Tennessee transfer, as a replacement for Chandler Morris. Morris led the Cavaliers to the ACC Championship Game in 2025 but would need a medical waiver from the NCAA to play in 2026.
Virginia Tech: Ethan Grunkemeyer, R-So. (Penn State)
Beau Pribula is an option, but former Penn State coach James Franklin recently hired Ty Howle and Danny O’Brien to run the offense and coach quarterbacks, respectively. Those guys were just working with Grunkemeyer in State College. Grunkemeyer hasn’t announced his plans for 2026.
Wake Forest: Broc Lowry, R-Jr. (Western Michigan)
So, is Deshawn Purdie going to just take over for Robby Ashford? Offensive coordinator Rob Ezell probably wants to find another quarterback who can make plays with his legs to compete with Purdie. Lowry, the MAC Offensive Player of the Year (and a former Indiana signee who has yet to announce he will be entering the portal) would be an elite fit.
Big Ten
Illinois: Jaden Craig, Gr. (Harvard)
Bret Bielema doesn’t have a young quarterback ready to take over for Luke Altmyer. Craig, who was 19-5 as a starter at the FCS level, has been linked to the Illini early in the process as a good bridge option. He completed 61 percent of his passes for 6,074 yards, 52 touchdowns and 12 interceptions during his time at Harvard.
Indiana: Josh Hoover, R-Sr. (TCU)
Curt Cignetti has some solid options in the portal to replace Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Hoover, who is 19-12 as a starter, has thrown for more yards (9,629) and touchdowns (71) than any other Division I QB with remaining eligibility.
ON THE MONEY 💰
Josh Hoover couldn’t have thrown a better ball to Jordan Dwyer as @TCUFootball knots things up at seven.#Big12FB | 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/ammdHwB0dz
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) September 2, 2025
Iowa: Jeremy Hecklinski, R-So.
The 5-11, 188-pound former Wake Forest transfer appears to be in line to get his shot with Mark Gronowski on the way out. The wild card: true freshman Tradon Bessinger, a late flip from Boise State.
Maryland: Malik Washington, So.
Only one true freshman threw for more yards than Washington this season: Cal’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. Washington and Sagapolutele threw for the same number of touchdowns (17) and interceptions (nine). Washington is in lockstep with offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton.
Michigan: Bryce Underwood, So.
The Wolverines still have to hire a head coach, but it’s a safe bet that the new boss will make sure the No. 1 recruit from the 2025 cycle stays in Ann Arbor.
Michigan State: Austin Mack, R-Jr. (Alabama)
Former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald replaced Jonathan Smith, and it looks as though he is hiring Kalen DeBoer assistant Nick Sheridan as his offensive coordinator. That could open the door for Crimson Tide backup Mack, who has yet to announce his plans for next season.
Minnesota: Drake Lindsey, R-So.
It was a solid first season for Lindsey, who completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 2,235 yards, 16 touchdowns and only six interceptions in the regular season. He has reportedly signed an agreement to return to the Gophers in 2026.
Nebraska: TJ Lateef, So.
Dana Holgorsen’s search for a new Air Raid quarterback could lead to a stopgap option from the portal. But Lateef, who played in five games and made three starts as a true freshman, has already spent a year in the system and might be best equipped to take over for Dylan Raiola.
Northwestern: Ryan Boe, R-So.
SMU transfer Preston Stone was a bit of a disappointment in his one season at Northwestern, but he was an affordable option who led the Wildcats to a 6-6 regular season. Boe is a cheaper in-house option for a team looking to fill multiple needs.
Ohio State: Julian Sayin, R-So.
The Heisman finalist should have Jeremiah Smith back with him to light up defenses once again.
Oregon: Drew Mestemaker, R-So. (North Texas)
The Ducks are likely to lose Dante Moore to the NFL Draft. Mestemaker’s upside is hard to ignore, and Oregon could probably swipe him away from new Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris, who helped make him a star at North Texas.
Penn State: Rocco Becht, Sr. (Iowa State)
Becht spent the last three years starting for Matt Campbell at Iowa State, and with Campbell bringing his staff with him to State College, it feels inevitable Becht will follow.
Could Rocco Becht follow coach Matt Campbell from Iowa State to Penn State? (David Purdy / Getty Images)
Purdue: Ryan Browne, R-Jr.
Browne ranked last in the Big Ten in passing efficiency but is likely to continue working as the starter under second-year offensive coordinator Josh Henson.
Rutgers: AJ Surace, R-So.
It looks like it will be an internal battle to replace two-year captain Athan Kaliakmanis. Surace will get competition from redshirt freshman Sean Ashenfelder and incoming 6-6, 215-pound three-star freshman Xavier Stearn.
UCLA: Nico Iamaleava, R-Jr.
Iamaleava, a Southern California native, announced on Monday afternoon that he will return to UCLA to play for new coach Bob Chesney.
USC: Jayden Maiava, R-Sr.
Maiava had a breakout season in his first year as the full-time starter at USC and has already announced he will return in 2026. The real question is whether 2025 five-star recruit Husan Longstreet sticks around to wait for Maiva’s eventual exit.
Washington: Demond Williams Jr., Jr.
Head coach Jedd Fisch has been rumored as a candidate for the Michigan job, and Williams already followed his coach from Arizona to Washington. I think they’ll both be in Seattle in 2026.
Wisconsin: Carter Smith, R-Fr.
Smith started the last three games of the season for the Badgers, who went 4-8 in Year 3 under Luke Fickell. It makes sense that Wisconsin would want an experienced transfer on the roster. But does anyone worth a damn really want to go to Madison right now?
Big 12
Arizona: Noah Fifita, Sr.
Coach Brent Brennan and Fifita finished the 2025 regular season strong at 9-3, and there’s no reason to think Fifita is going to ditch him now.
Arizona State: Cameron Dyer, R-Fr.
Kenny Dillingham could probably lure a talented quarterback in the portal to replace Sam Leavitt, but he has two young high-end options to choose from in Dyer, coming off an ACL injury, and four-star true freshman Jake Fette.
Baylor: DJ Lagway, Jr. (Florida)
DJ’s father, Derek, was a running back at Baylor in the 1990s, and offensive coordinator Jake Spavital runs a system that would maximize Lagway’s dual-threat ability.
BYU: Bear Bachmeier, So.
There weren’t many true freshman starters in 2025 better than Bachmeier, who led the Cougars to an 11-2 record. He has worked in harmony with offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick.
Cincinnati: Samaj Jones, R-So.
Considering this will be Scott Satterfield’s fourth season, it’s a good bet competition will be brought in to replace Brendan Sorsby. This could be a spot where Kenny Minchey lands, but I think he probably will get paid more to go somewhere else. In the meantime, Jones will get a good look in the Liberty Bowl.
Colorado: Julian Lewis, R-Fr.
Deion Sanders has a lot of work to do in the portal coming off a 3-9 season, but it appears new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion and Lewis are on the same page.
Houston: Conner Weigman, R-Sr.
Talented five-star freshman and hometown hero Keisean Henderson is going to take over at some point. But Weigman led the Cougars to a 9-3 record in the regular season and deserves the chance to at least begin 2026 as the guy.
Iowa State: Alex Manske, R-Fr.
The Cyclones plucked Jimmy Rogers from Washington State to replace Matt Campbell, and he needs to hold onto some players. Manske, a 2025 four-star recruit who grew up rooting for the Cyclones, is perfectly positioned to take over for portal-bound Rocco Becht.
Kansas: Isaiah Marshall, R-So.
The Jalon Daniels era is over, and Lance Leipold said earlier this month he’s fine with staying out of the high-priced portal market for a replacement. Redshirt junior Cole Ballard has been the backup, with Marshall as the third-stringer — until this point. Marshall has more upside.
Kansas State: Avery Johnson, Sr.
Former Texas A&M offensive coordinator Collin Klein returns to his alma mater, and it feels like a safe bet he’ll ride with the veteran Johnson in his first year back in Manhattan.
Oklahoma State: Aidan Chiles, Sr. (Michigan State)
Everyone expects Mestemaker to follow Eric Morris, and it makes complete sense. But the thinking here is that Dan Lanning will covet Mestemaker — and have far more resources to sign him. Morris, meanwhile, tried his best at Washington State to recruit Chiles there before he selected Oregon State. He’s a good Plan B.
TCU: Beau Pribula, Gr. (Missouri)
Josh Hoover hit the portal, and Sonny Dykes hired Gordon Sammis away from UConn to replace Kendal Briles as offensive coordinator. Dykes would like an experienced starter. Pribula, Colton Joseph (Old Dominion) and Jaden Craig (Harvard) are early names linked to the Horned Frogs. A bridge quarterback for 2025 four-star recruit Adam Schobel makes the most sense.
Brendan Sorsby threw 27 TDs and five INTs for Cincinnati this season. (Ron Jenkins / Getty Images)
Texas Tech: Brendan Sorsby, R-Sr. (Cincinnati)
If you connect the dots, Sorsby’s volleyball-playing girlfriend, Gretchen Sigman, transferred to Texas Tech around the same time the quarterback entered the portal. Also, we hear Texas Tech pays well.
UCF: Davi Belfort, R-So.
Scott Frost’s first season back in Orlando was marred by a season-ending back injury to Cam Fancher, which led to Tayven Jackson taking over as the starter. Jackson is now in the portal, and Fancher is seeking a medical redshirt. Belfort, a Virginia Tech signee, was the third-stringer. Incoming freshman Rocco Marriott might be the long-term answer.
Utah: Devon Dampier, Sr.
Kyle Whittingham is gone, but Jason Beck is still Utah’s offensive coordinator, and what he and Dampier accomplished in Salt Lake City in 2025 is repeatable in 2026.
West Virginia: Marcus Stokes, R-Jr. (West Florida)
Rich Rodriguez had four different players start at quarterback for him in his first year back in Morgantown. Stokes, originally a Florida signee, reportedly has trips lined up to Memphis and Syracuse. But it would be fun to see what Rodriguez could do with him after he threw for 3,297 yards and 30 touchdowns and ran for 367 yards and 10 touchdowns in the Division II ranks this season.
Independent
Notre Dame: CJ Carr, R-So.
The Irish have one of the best situations in college football heading into next season: a top-five starting quarterback in passing efficiency and a roster full of players with a huge chip on their shoulder. Will Marcus Freeman be coaching the New York Giants by then, though?
SEC
Alabama: Keelon Russell, R-Fr.
Ty Simpson isn’t a lock yet to leave early for the NFL, but he’s certainly talented enough. Russell, a former five-star recruit, spent a season waiting in the wings.
Arkansas: KJ Jackson, R-So.
Ryan Silverfield came over from Memphis and brought his offensive coordinator, Tim Cramsey, with him. On Sunday, Class of 2025 blue-chipper AJ Hill entered the portal, a sign he could be headed from Memphis to Fayetteville, too. Still, Jackson feels like the early leader to replace Taylen Green.
Auburn: Byrum Brown, R-Sr.
Deuce Knight, a former five-star recruit, will fit in nicely with new coach Alex Golesh’s offense … at some point. Brown, who played for Golesh at South Florida, will serve as a one-year stopgap.
Former Notre Dame QB commit Deuce Knight 75 yard TD on the first snap in his first career start.
Happy he’s finally playing for Auburn.
— Notre Dame Recruiting (@NDrecruiting01) November 22, 2025
Florida: Aaron Philo, R-Jr. (Georgia Tech)
Former Tulane coach Jon Sumrall hired Buster Faulkner away from Georgia Tech to be Florida’s new offensive coordinator, and it seems inevitable Philo will follow him to Gainesville.
Georgia: Gunner Stockton, R-Sr.
Stockton led Georgia to an SEC championship and could soon lead them to a national championship. But he’s not creating much NFL Draft buzz, so expect him back in Athens.
Kentucky: Michael Van Buren, R-So. (Mississippi State)
Former Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein took over for Mark Stoops and hired former LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan. Van Buren, who started three games for the Tigers in 2025, could be a solid option in Lexington.
LSU: Austin Simmons, R-Jr. (Ole Miss)
Lane Kiffin invested two years getting Simmons ready to be his starting quarterback at Ole Miss, but the Florida native lost his job to Trinidad Chambliss after going down with an early-season injury. Simmons would also help bring some of the other Rebels with him to Baton Rouge.
Mississippi State: Kamario Taylor, So.
Taylor started the Egg Bowl and showed flashes of why Jeff Lebby was thrilled to sign the in-state four-star recruit in the Class of 2025.
Missouri: Matt Zollers, So.
It’s been assumed that Zollers will take over now that Beau Pribula has transferred out. I could see the Tigers adding a veteran to provide some competition — Auburn transfer Ashton Daniels would make sense — but Zollers showed enough as a true freshman to be the starter in 2026.
Oklahoma: John Mateer, R-Sr.
The top quarterback transfer had his troubles with turnovers, and the Sooners averaged only 21.8 points in nine games against SEC competition. With a little more help, Mateer and OU’s offense should be better in 2026.
Ole Miss: Katin Houser, R-Sr. (East Carolina)
Houser, a 2022 four-star recruit, is one of the most experienced starters available in the portal (26 career starts, 1,872 snaps). He played last season for new Rebels offensive coordinator John David Baker.
South Carolina: LaNorris Sellers, R-Jr.
Sellers was thought to be a potential first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but the Gamecocks were one of the nation’s most disappointing teams, and he struggled (13 touchdowns and eight interceptions) through a forgettable season. He gets a fresh start under new offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, who was hired away from TCU.
Tennessee: Faizon Brandon, Fr.
There’s a chance Joey Aguilar will be granted another season of eligibility, but a decision on that isn’t imminent. They will kick the tires on a portal option, but five-star quarterbacks aren’t cheap, so it wouldn’t be very efficient to keep Brandon on the bench. Jake Merklinger has already announced his plan to transfer, leaving redshirt freshman George MacIntyre as the only in-house competition.
Texas: Arch Manning, R-Jr.
Maybe all of the preseason Heisman hype was just a year early for Manning, who has thrown for nearly 3,000 yards passing with 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions heading into the bowl game.
Texas A&M: Marcel Reed, R-Jr.
The Aggies had a disappointing finish to their season due in part to Reed, who was responsible for three turnovers in the College Football Playoff loss to Miami. But Texas A&M won 11 games, and Reed averaged 281.7 total yards per game.
Vanderbilt: Jared Curtis, Fr.
Curtis, a five-star prospect who flipped from Georgia, is the strong favorite to replace Diego Pavia in Tim Beck’s offense.
