Recapping college football's busy offseason of quarterback transfers

It’s been a long offseason, but we’re inching closer to the start of the 2023 college football season.

A lot has happened since Georgia demolished TCU to win another national title. And in the era of the transfer portal and one-time transfer exception, player movement is more prevalent than ever.

That’s especially true at quarterback, where the search for playing time moves QBs from one school to another. As players like Joe Burrow have shown us, these quarterback transfers can have a major say in the College Football Playoff race.

With the season less than two months away, it seemed like an appropriate time to recap a busy offseason of quarterback movement.

ACC

Georgia Tech: Haynes King (Texas A&M)

After three seasons at Texas A&M, Haynes King is now at Georgia Tech. King opened the 2021 and 2022 seasons as A&M’s starter. A serious injury ended his first stint as starter after just two games. Last season, he was benched early in the year and later injured his shoulder. At Georgia Tech, he won’t be assured the starting job over Zach Pyron, who showed flashes as a freshman before going down with an injury of his own.

Louisville: Jack Plummer (Cal)

Jeff Brohm needed a quarterback once he left Purdue to take the Louisville job. Reuniting with Jack Plummer was a natural fit. Plummer threw for 3,405 yards in three seasons under Brohm at Purdue but ended up in a backup role behind Aidan O’Connell. Instead of being QB2, he transferred to Cal and was the starter in 2022. Now he’s back with Brohm, this time as the likely starter at Louisville.

NC State: Brennan Armstrong (Virginia)

Brennan Armstrong threw for more than 9,000 yards at Virginia, but was pummeled behind a porous offensive line in 2022, Virginia’s first season with Tony Elliott as head coach. Rather than return to Charlottesville for his final season, Armstrong decided to transfer within the ACC to NC State. At NC State, he will reunite with offensive coordinator Robert Anae. Anae was Virginia’s OC during the bulk of Armstrong’s time with the Cavaliers.

Pitt: Phil Jurkovec (Boston College)

A Pittsburgh native, Phil Jurkovec was a top 100 recruit who signed with Notre Dame out of high school. He spent two seasons with the Irish before transferring to Boston College. Jurkovec played well in 2020 but dealt with injuries over the last two seasons. With his COVID year remaining, Jurkovec decided to transfer to Pitt to play in his hometown while reuniting with Panthers' offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti, his OC for two years at BC.

Virginia: Tony Muskett (Monmouth)

Virginia had a big hole at QB when Brennan Armstrong decided to transfer, so second-year head coach Tony Elliott went after Virginia native Tony Muskett. He started 23 games at Monmouth, an FCS program in New Jersey. At Virginia, Muskett will compete with Jay Woolfolk and Anthony Colandrea for the starting job. Muskett is considered the favorite.

Other ACC quarterback transfers: Thomas Castellanos (Boston College via UCF), Paul Tyson (Clemson via Arizona State), Brady Allen (Louisville via Purdue), Christian Veilleux (Pitt via Penn State), Braden Davis (Syracuse via South Carolina), Kyron Drones (Virginia Tech via Baylor)

Big 12

BYU: Kedon Slovis (Pitt)

Another QB moving on to his third school is Kedon Slovis. He will lead the BYU offense as the program transitions into the Big 12. Slovis, who has thrown for nearly 10,000 yards, spent his first three seasons at USC before a rough year at Pitt that included 10 touchdowns, nine interceptions and a career-worst 58.4 completion percentage. He’s already been named BYU’s starter.

Cincinnati: Emory Jones (Arizona State)

Emory Jones is also on to his third school in three seasons. Jones is the favorite to start at Cincinnati for first-year coach Scott Satterfield. Jones began his career at Florida where he spent three seasons as a backup before becoming the starter in 2021. Following the firing of Dan Mullen, Jones transferred to Arizona State. ASU was a mess in 2022, so Jones hit the portal again and landed with the Bearcats.

Houston: Donovan Smith (Texas Tech)

Following the graduation of four-year starter Clayton Tune, new Big 12 member Houston will have a quarterback with Big 12 experience as Donovan Smith has transferred in from Texas Tech. Smith threw for 2,686 yards, 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions combined over the last two seasons. He also had 10 rushing touchdowns for the Red Raiders and is the heavy favorite to start for the Cougars.

Oklahoma State: Alan Bowman (Michigan)

Alan Bowman is back in the Big 12. Bowman had some huge games for Texas Tech before serving as Michigan’s third-stringer the last two seasons. Bowman threw for 2,638 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2018 as a true freshman but just could not stay healthy during his time in Lubbock. He suffered a collapsed lung in 2018, a broken collarbone in 2019, and a severe ankle sprain in 2020. Now healthy, Bowman is the likely replacement for Spencer Sanders in Stillwater. He could prove to be a sneaky good pickup for OSU.

TCU: Chance Nolan (Oregon State)

Chandler Morris is the heavy favorite to start at TCU, but the Horned Frogs badly needed depth. They were able to add Chance Nolan, who started 20 games across three seasons at Oregon State. Nolan opened the 2022 season as the Beavers' starter, but ended up missing most of the season due to injury. For his career, Nolan has thrown for 4,153 yards, 32 TDs and 20 INTs.

Other Big 12 quarterback transfers: Sawyer Robertson (Baylor via Mississippi State), Gunnar Smith (UCF via USF), Xavier Williams (UCF via Charlotte)

Big Ten

Illinois: Luke Altmyer (Ole Miss)

Luke Altmyer competed for the Ole Miss starting job entering the 2022 season but lost out to Jaxson Dart. After the season, he transferred to Illinois and is the favorite to start. Donovan Leary, the younger brother of Devin Leary, and Ball State transfer John Paddock are his competition in Champaign.

Indiana: Tayven Jackson (Tennessee)

Indiana saw Dexter Williams suffer a serious knee injury before Jack Tuttle (Michigan) and Connor Bazelak (Bowling Green) transferred. That may open the door for Tayven Jackson, the younger brother of former Indiana basketball star Trayce Jackson-Davis. Jackson was a top 100 recruit in 2022 who signed with Tennessee. Williams isn’t expected to be ready for the start of the season, leaving fellow redshirt freshman Brendan Sorsby as Jackson’s main competition.

Iowa: Cade McNamara (Michigan)

Iowa’s quarterback play has not been pretty in recent years, but Cade McNamara should represent an upgrade. McNamara was Michigan’s starter in 2021 when the Wolverines won the Big Ten for the first time since 2003 and reached the College Football Playoff. Last season, he lost the starting job to J.J. McCarthy and then injured his knee. McNamara was limited during spring but should be ready to roll for the Hawkeyes in Week 1.

Nebraska: Jeff Sims (Georgia Tech)

Jeff Sims showed flashes but didn’t have much help in three seasons at Georgia Tech, where he threw for 4,464 yards and 30 touchdowns and rushed for 1,152 yards and 11 scores. Sims will now get a fresh start as the presumed starter at Nebraska as the Huskers begin the Matt Rhule era.

Northwestern: Ben Bryant (Cincinnati)

Ben Bryant spent three seasons as Desmond Ridder’s backup at Cincinnati before starting at Eastern Michigan in 2021. When Ridder left for the NFL, Bryant transferred back to Cincinnati and had an up-and-down year as Cincy’s starter. Following the departure of Luke Fickell to Wisconsin, Bryant decided to leave Cincinnati again and chose Northwestern, which is coming off a miserable 1-11 season.

Purdue: Hudson Card (Texas)

Hudson Card opened the 2021 season as the starting QB at Texas, but mainly served as UT’s backup over the past two seasons. Now he’s at Purdue, which is entering its first season under new coach Ryan Walters. Walters hired Air Raid disciple Graham Harrell as his offensive coordinator and Card seems like a good fit for that system. Card threw for 1,523 yards, 11 TDs and two INTs at Texas.

Wisconsin: Tanner Mordecai (SMU)

Wisconsin is undergoing a major shift in offensive identity with Luke Fickell now in place as head coach. The Badgers have long been known for a power run offense, but new offensive coordinator Phil Longo comes from the Air Raid tree and is going to bring shotgun and tempo to Madison. The quarterback to lead that transition is SMU transfer Tanner Mordecai.

Mordecai began his career at Oklahoma before spending the last two seasons as SMU’s starter. UW also added Nick Evers (Oklahoma) and Braedyn Locke (Mississippi State), both of whom were four-star recruits in 2022 and will compete to be the Badgers’ quarterback of the future.

Other Big Ten quarterback transfers: John Paddock (Illinois via Ball State), Deacon Hill (Iowa via Wisconsin), Jack Tuttle (Michigan via Indiana), Tristan Gebbia (Ohio State via Oregon State), Bennett Meredith (Purdue via Arizona State)

Independents

Notre Dame: Sam Hartman (Wake Forest)

After five seasons at Wake Forest, Sam Hartman will close out his college career at Notre Dame. It was one of the biggest pickups of the offseason as Hartman accounted for 12,967 yards and 110 touchdowns passing with the Demon Deacons. Quarterback play was a major issue for the Irish last fall and Hartman represents a major upgrade, particularly when he limits turnovers.

Pac-12

Arizona State: Drew Pyne (Notre Dame)

With Notre Dame looking at QBs on the transfer market, Drew Pyne decided to hit the portal himself. Pyne started 10 games for the Irish last fall after original starter Tyler Buchner was injured. It was a mixed bag for Pyne in South Bend but he’ll get the chance to start in the Pac-12 as Arizona State enters the Kenny Dillingham era. Pyne will compete with Trenton Bourguet and freshman Jaden Rashada.

Cal: Sam Jackson (TCU), Ben Finley (NC State)

Sam Jackson was the third-stringer at TCU last year but worked with the first-team offense at Cal during the spring. Jackson was a three-star recruit in 2021 who is an impressive athlete and an improving passer. Also in the mix at Cal is NC State transfer Ben Finley, a late-spring addition. Finley started a few games for the Wolfpack in 2022, throwing for 741 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.

Colorado: Shedeur Sanders (Jackson State)

Shedeur Sanders followed his father Deion Sanders from Jackson State to Colorado. Shedeur Sanders was a standout in the SWAC and is considered the surefire starter as Colorado begins the “Coach Prime” era. Sanders threw for 6,983 yards and 70 touchdowns in two seasons at Jackson State. How will he transition to the Pac-12?

Oregon State: DJ Uiagalelei (Clemson)

This is an intriguing one. DJ Uiagalelei was a five-star recruit who was considered the heir apparent to Trevor Lawrence at Clemson, but Uiagalelei struggled over the past two seasons. Cade Klubnik took Uiagalelei’s job late in the 2022 season, so he transferred back to the West Coast and landed at Oregon State. Uiagalelei is the favorite to start, but 2022 starter Ben Gulbranson and freshman Aidan Chiles are also in the mix.

UCLA: Collin Schlee (Kent State)

Following five years with Dorian Thompson-Robinson as the starter, UCLA needs a new quarterback. The Bruins quickly plucked Kent State’s Collin Schlee out of the portal, but he reportedly had a tough transition to Westwood and was behind Ethan Garbers and Dante Moore in the spring. Garbers was the No. 2 QB for the Bruins the last two seasons. Moore is a five-star freshman who enrolled early.

Other Pac-12 quarterback transfers: Jacob Conover (Arizona State via BYU), Justin Lamson (Stanford via Syracuse)

SEC

Alabama: Tyler Buchner (Notre Dame)

This is a curious one. With Bryce Young off to the NFL, Alabama had Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson taking most of the reps during spring. Nick Saban apparently did not like what he saw. There were rumblings that Alabama was working back channels to find another QB, and that ended up being Tyler Buchner from Notre Dame.

Buchner opened the 2022 season as Notre Dame’s starter before he was injured in Week 2. He returned to play in the Gator Bowl and threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns with two rushing scores in a win. But he also threw three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. In 2021, Buchner was mainly used as a runner.

At Alabama, Buchner reunites with Tommy Rees, the former ND offensive coordinator who now holds that role at Alabama. But Rees (before he left for Bama) is the same coach who recruited Sam Hartman to Notre Dame to start over Buchner. That doesn’t say a whole lot about his faith in Buchner to run an offense. Nonetheless, Buchner will now join the quarterback competition in Tuscaloosa.

Auburn: Payton Thorne (Michigan State)

Payton Thorne, a two-year starter at Michigan State, was a late-spring addition to the portal. He quickly landed at Auburn, which is entering its first season under Hugh Freeze. Thorne will compete with Robby Ashford for the starting job. Ashford is an electric runner but completed only 49.2% of his throws last year. Thorne should be considered the favorite.

Florida: Graham Mertz (Wisconsin)

Florida is going from Anthony Richardson to Graham Mertz. Mertz was one of the biggest QB recruits in Wisconsin history, but his play never quite lived up to that recruiting billing. He played well in spurts, but struggled with turnovers playing in UW’s run-heavy offense. In three seasons as the starter, Mertz threw for 5,405 yards, 38 touchdowns and 26 interceptions while completing 59.5% of his attempts.

Kentucky: Devin Leary (NC State)

Longtime NC State starter Devin Leary will close out his career at Kentucky as the replacement for Will Levis. With Liam Coen returning as offensive coordinator and projected improvements at offensive line and receiver, Leary is set up for a pretty nice landing spot in Lexington. Leary was one of the best QBs in the country in 2021 when he threw for 3,433 yards, 35 touchdowns and only five interceptions. His 2020 and 2022 seasons were cut short by injuries.

Missouri: Jake Garcia (Miami)

Jake Garcia was a top 50 recruit in the class of 2021. He spent two seasons at Miami, mainly as a backup. Last year, he threw for 803 yards and five touchdowns with four interceptions. Now he is in a competition at Missouri with Brady Cook and Sam Horn. Cook was last year’s starter for the Tigers. Horn was a top 100 recruit in 2022.

Ole Miss: Spencer Sanders (Oklahoma State), Walker Howard (LSU)

Lane Kiffin brought two transfer quarterbacks to Ole Miss this offseason. Spencer Sanders, the longtime starter at Oklahoma State, is the more well-known player, but LSU transfer Walker Howard may be the QB of the future for the Rebels. However, both are behind incumbent starter Jaxson Dart on the depth chart, according to local reports coming out of spring camp.

Other SEC quarterback transfers: Jacolby Criswell (Arkansas via North Carolina), Mike Wright (Mississippi State via Vanderbilt), Jaylen Henderson (Texas A&M via Fresno State)

Group of Five

Ball State: Layne Hatcher (Texas State)

Layne Hatcher has taken a rather unique path to reach Ball State. Hatcher signed with Alabama and then played at Arkansas State and Texas State before joining the MAC program.

Bowling Green: Connor Bazelak (Indiana)

Connor Bazelak was once the SEC co-Freshman of the Year at Missouri. Now, after a stint at Indiana, he’s at his third school as the projected starter at Bowling Green.

Florida Atlantic: Casey Thompson (Nebraska)

Casey Thompson is reuniting with Tom Herman. Thompson was recruited to Texas by Herman back in the class of 2018. Thompson spent four years at Texas with 10 starts and then was at Nebraska in 2022. Now, he’s closing out his college career in the sun with Herman at Florida Atlantic.

Fresno State: Mikey Keene (UCF)

Mountain West champions Fresno State need a replacement for Jake Haener and it might be Mikey Keene. Keene threw for 2,377 yards and 23 touchdowns in two seasons at UCF but couldn’t beat out John Rhys Plumlee for the starting job. Now he’s the favorite at Fresno.

Georgia Southern: Davis Brin (Tulsa)

Clay Helton took Kyle Vantrease from Buffalo and turned him into a 4,200-yard passer at Georgia Southern. Now Helton is bringing in another Group of Five veteran, two-year Tulsa starter Davis Brin. Brin threw for 5,427 yards and 35 TDs over the past two seasons.

Louisiana Tech: Hank Bachmeier (Boise State)

Hank Bachmeier will resurface in Sonny Cumbie’s QB-friendly offense at Louisiana Tech. Bachmeier threw for 6,605 yards and 41 touchdowns during his time at Boise State but left the team after four games in 2022.

Rice: JT Daniels (West Virginia)

JT Daniels is at his fourth college. Daniels was a five-star recruit who became a true freshman starter at USC. From there, he won a national championship as a backup at Georgia and then had a tough year at West Virginia in 2022. He’ll play his final season at Rice, a program transitioning from Conference USA to the AAC.

Texas State: T.J. Finley (Auburn), Malik Hornsby (Arkansas)

How often do you have two SEC transfers competing to start in the Sun Belt? That’s what’s happening amid G.J. Kinne’s massive rebuilding project at Texas State. From a transfer perspective, Texas State may be the Sun Belt equivalent to what Deion Sanders is doing at Colorado just from a sheer volume of transfers.

Other Group of Five QB transfers

• Arkansas State: JT Shrout (Colorado)

• Charlotte: Jalon Jones (Bethune Cookman), Micah Bowens (Oklahoma)

• Florida Atlantic: Daniel Richardson (Central Michigan)

• James Madison: Brett Griffis (Wake Forest), Jordan McCloud (USF)

• Kent State: Jaren Lewis (Kansas State)

• Nevada: Brendon Lewis (Colorado)

• Miami (Ohio): Maddox Kopp (Colorado)

• New Mexico: Dylan Hopkins (UAB)

• North Texas: Chandler Rogers (UL Monroe)

• Old Dominion: Grant Wilson (Fordham)

• Rice: JT Daniels (West Virginia)

• San Jose State: Jay Butterfield (Oregon)

• South Alabama: Bishop Davenport (Utah State)

• Southern Miss: Billy Wiles (Clemson), Holman Edwards (Houston)

• SMU: Alex Padilla (Iowa)

• UAB: Landry Lyddy (Louisiana Tech)

• UMass: Taisun Phommachanh (Georgia Tech)

• Western Michigan: Hayden Wolff (Old Dominion)