Quarterbacks are the foundation of any good college football team, and given the extreme demand for a capable starter, signal-callers fly off the shelves during every transfer portal window. The best of them typically rank at or near the top of the transfer rankings, and that was no different during the 2024 cycle as young, promising prospects like Julian Sayin, Aidan Chiles and Dante Moore headlined the class.
Teams that whiff on the recruiting trail, lose their starters to the transfer portal or are forced to reload after their stars depart for the NFL are typically the most active on the transfer market. That was the case this offseason as Ohio State, Oregon and Florida State were among the biggest buyers of the cycle.
Not every transfer quarterback will be a success story this year, but there is plenty of precedent for signal-callers to thrive or break through at their new schools. Look no further than last year’s group of Caleb Williams, Michael Penix Jr., Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix, to name a few first-round picks.
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Below are the destinations for college football’s top 20 transfer quarterbacks.
20. GRAYSON MCCALL, NC STATE
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 90 Rating | No. 120 Overall | No. 20 QB
Former School: Coastal Carolina
Spring game performances are by no means the ultimate indicator of a quarterback’s season outlook, but Grayson McCall appeared to be a perfect fit in the NC State offense during his debut live showing. He went 16-of-20 for 205 yards and a touchdown in that scrimmage, indicating that his game could translate beautifully to the power conference level. McCall was a three-time Sun Belt Player of the Year during his remarkable Coastal Carolina career and looks like one of the best signal-callers in the ACC.
19. MAX BROSMER, MINNESOTA
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 90 Rating | No. 118 Overall | No. 19 QB
Former School: New Hampshire
The leap from the FCS to the FBS often comes with a significant learning curve, but if Max Brosmer ironed that out in time to hit the 2024 season running, he could be an upgrade at the position for Minnesota. The Golden Gophers need more consistent play in the passing game in order to avoid a continued slide towards the bottom of the conference, and the former New Hampshire star could offer that if he reaches his ceiling. Brosmer was the top FCS transfer quarterback in this year’s cycle after he posted a 70-25 touchdown-to-interception ratio with the Wildcats.
18. BRENDAN SORSBY, CINCINNATI
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 90 Rating | No. 116 Overall | No. 18 QB
Former School: Indiana
That Cincinnati did not take a quarterback to Big 12 Media Days is indicative of where that room stands just one month ahead of the season opener. Brendan Sorsby has to beat longtime backup Brady Lichtenberg first, but assuming the newcomer lands the starting job, he could be in line for the most extensive playing time of his career. He flashed potential last season at Indiana when he logged a three-touchdown effort at Penn State in his first career road start and posted a five-touchdown performance later in the year at Illinois. Still, Sorsby has just seven career starts and holds a career completion rate of 57.7%.
17. TYLER VAN DYKE, WISCONSIN
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 90 Rating | No. 114 Overall | No. 17 QB
Former School: Miami
Tyler Van Dyke plateaued at Miami, struggling over the last two years to recapture the magic he produced in 2021 as one of the ACC’s most exciting young quarterbacks. Sometimes a change of scenery is all it takes for a player to rebound, and few landing spots would have catered better to his potential bounce-back than Wisconsin. Van Dyke and Phil Longo’s aerial assault are an ideal fit, and with the Badgers, the fourth-year signal-caller could finally deliver the 3,000-yard campaign that eluded him over the last two years with the Hurricanes.
16. WILL ROGERS, WASHINGTON
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 90 Rating | No. 110 Overall | No. 16 QB
Former School: Mississippi State
It is an odd thing for the SEC’s all-time completions leader and the Mississippi State program record-holder for passing yards and touchdowns to enter his final year of eligibility with numerous question marks, but such is the case for Will Rogers. Many wrote him off as a system quarterback who struggled in a post-Air Raid era for the Bulldogs, but Rogers is on the verge of silencing those doubters with a bounce-back year at Washington. Mississippi State dramatically underutilized his talent last season, and he now gets an opportunity to develop under a noted quarterback guru in Jedd Fisch. The return to prominence is near.
15. MALACHI NELSON, BOISE STATE
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 91 Rating | No. 102 Overall | No. 15 QB
Former School: USC
Malachi Nelson is the lone five-star prospect from the 2023 class set to play his sophomore season at the Group of Five level. Boise State is a nice rebound spot for the former prized quarterback, who once looked to be USC’s signal-caller of the future. The Broncos handing the keys to their offense to a player who would have ranked as the program’s highest-rated recruit of all time had he joined the team out of high school is a low-risk proposition that could pay huge dividends if Nelson taps into his potential.
14. KYLE MCCORD, SYRACUSE
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 91 Rating | No. 80 Overall | No. 14 QB
Former School: Ohio State
Kyle McCord was a serviceable option at Ohio State and led the Buckeyes to another strong season, but the offense left a lot on the table without the elite talent under center it became accustomed to throughout the Ryan Day era. McCord was the most prized pickup in a notable Syracuse transfer class after he brought his Ohio State career to a close, and if he improves upon the 66% completion rate, 3,170 yards and 24 touchdowns he logged last year, the Orange could make plenty of noise in the ACC.
13. DJ UIAGALELEI, FLORIDA STATE
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 91 Rating | No. 79 Overall | No. 13 QB
Former School: Oregon State
A resurgent year at Oregon State put DJ Uiagalelei back on the right track after he fell out of favor to an extent at Clemson. Consistency and downfield accuracy remain the knocks against the former five-star recruit’s game, but he took steps forward in those departments with the Beavers and earned another shot in the ACC, where he landed on a roster capable of making a conference title and College Football Playoff run. The key to unlocking the best version of Uiagalelei is for the Seminoles to have a couple of receivers step up in a room that underwent major offseason turnover.
12. DILLON GABRIEL, OREGON
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 91 Rating | No. 77 Overall | No. 12 QB
Former School: Oklahoma
It is hard to picture Dillon Gabriel walking away empty handed from college football’s 2024 awards season. He leaped Georgia’s Carson Beck to become the betting favorite for the Heisman Trophy, and he is a prime candidate to lead the nation in passing this season given that he finished in the top 10 last year and landed in a high-octane Oregon system that should get the most out of him. The southpaw is an ultra-experienced quarterback who has all of the weapons around him necessary to close his college career with a bang.
11. DEQUAN FINN, BAYLOR
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 91 Rating | No. 75 Overall | No. 11 QB
Former School: Toledo
The 2023 MAC Player of the Year earned a promotion to the power conference level as Dequan Finn capitalized on a stellar final year at Toledo with an invitation to become the starter at Baylor. He closed the spring transfer cycle as the nation’s No. 11 quarterback prospect. Finn accounted for at least 2,000 passing yards and 500 rushing yards in each of his first three years as a starter and therefore brings consistency and a veteran presence to a Baylor team in desperate need of a rebound season.
10. JADEN RASHADA, GEORGIA
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 69 Overall | No. 10 QB
Former School: Arizona State
The whirlwind that is the Jaden Rashada experience took the signal-caller to Georgia this offseason as a premier spring window target. While he remains part of a lawsuit stemming from his initial recruitment — which featured a high-profile NIL situation at Florida, a decommitment and his eventual signing with Arizona State — the on-field product is still a year away from rounding into form. The former top-50 recruit will develop behind Carson Beck on the Georgia depth chart this year before potentially rising to the starting lineup in 2025.
9. AUSTIN MACK, ALABAMA
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 67 Overall | No. 9 QB
Former School: Washington
Alabama might have found its quarterback of the future in Austin Mack, who followed Kalen DeBoer from Washington and offers tremendous potential as a Jalen Milroe replacement down the line. Mack was the No. 8 quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class and likely would have contended for the starting job with the Huskies had the coaching staff and roster not completely fallen apart. Mack reclassified during his recruitment and was still extremely young at the beginning of his Alabama career (17 years old during spring camp), so further development would go a long way in preparing him to take the reins.
8. RILEY LEONARD, NOTRE DAME
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 44 Overall | No. 8 QB
Former School: Duke
Injuries are a concern for transfer quarterback Riley Leonard, who missed time last season with an ankle injury and sat for much of the spring on the heels of two offseason surgeries. At full strength, though, the new Notre Dame signal-caller has some of the best dual-threat tools in the land. There are no questions on the other side of the ball as Notre Dame brings a defense loaded with stars into the 2024 season, but in order for the Irish to fully capitalize on playoff expansion, Leonard has to both stay on the field and be a game-changer.
7. WILL HOWARD, OHIO STATE
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 41 Overall | No. 7 QB
Former School: Kansas State
Ohio State has star power at essentially every position ahead of the 2024 season, and for that reason, the Buckeyes are an easy pick to win the national title. In order to get the most out of the offensive skill position talent, though, Will Howard has to prove to be more of a difference-maker at quarterback than Kyle McCord was for the Buckeyes last season. If Howard emerges as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation, this team could be untouchable.
6. MAALIK MURPHY, DUKE
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 93 Rating | No. 40 Overall | No. 6 QB
Former School: Texas
Former Texas quarterback Maalik Murphy is the cornerstone of Duke’s rebuild under new head coach Manny Diaz, and he is a strong building block for the Blue Devils’ offense given his raw talent and the key starting experience he picked up midway through last season. Murphy has one of the most powerful arms in college football, and while his accuracy left a bit to be desired during his fill-in action atop the Longhorns’ offense, he displayed immense potential during his time in Austin as an extremely highly regarded backup.
5. BROCK VANDAGRIFF, KENTUCKY
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 93 Rating | No. 37 Overall | No. 5 QB
Former School: Georgia
Brock Vandagriff was the No. 5 quarterback prospect in the 2021 recruiting class but never cracked the starting lineup at Georgia across three years with the program. He was effective in limited mop-up duty last season with a 12-of-18 completion line, 165 yards and two touchdowns, but the path to playing time never quite surfaced during his time in a strong quarterback room. Vandagriff finally has a starting job at Kentucky, where he turned heads across his first few months and now gets a chance to prove why he was so highly regarded out of high school.
4. CAM WARD, MIAMI
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 94 Rating | No. 14 Overall | No. 4 QB
Former School: Washington State
Whether Miami allows Cam Ward to air it out at the same rate he did at Washington State remains to be seen, but even without 485 passing attempts, the sport’s returning passing leader should be in for another explosive season. Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson was part of the original Air Raid under Hal Mumme and still employs many of the same schematics in his modernized version of the system, so Ward should get plenty of opportunities to showcase his NFL-bound arm, even if prized transfer running back Damien Martinez cuts into his workload. The offensive line should be among the nation’s best, and Ward’s efficiency will benefit greatly.
3. DANTE MOORE, OREGON
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 95 Rating | No. 10 Overall | No. 3 QB
Former School: UCLA
Dante Moore is only one year removed from his billing as an elite recruit, and with so much eligibility ahead of him, he ranks as a top-10 transfer with just about as much upside as he brought into his freshman year at UCLA. The former Oregon commit now joins the Ducks with an opportunity to refine his skills in a backup role as part of one of college football’s top quarterback rooms, and that developmental process should allow him to become a premier starter for the 2025 season. Patience in Moore is key after a rough debut campaign in which he threw 11 touchdowns to nine interceptions.
2. AIDAN CHILES, MICHIGAN STATE
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 96 Rating | No. 8 Overall | No. 2 QB
Former School: Oregon State
Michigan State got a package deal when it hired Jonathan Smith. The former Oregon State head coach brought with him a touted young transfer quarterback in Aidan Chiles, who impressed in his limited but productive action last season. The prized recruit made five appearances with the Beavers, often handling the third offensive series of each game. He completed 69% of his passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns in that backup role. Chiles is likely a plug-and-play starter for the Spartans after they lost their top three quarterbacks from the 2023 campaign.
1. JULIAN SAYIN, OHIO STATE
Transfer Profile: 5-Star | 98 Rating | No. 6 Overall | No. 1 QB
Former School: Alabama
Julian Sayin is a rare example of a college football player who entered the transfer portal before his freshman season. The five-star recruit and No. 3 quarterback in the 2024 class enrolled early at Alabama but elected to leave the program when Nick Saban retired, committing shortly thereafter to Ohio State. Sayin has the makings of the next great Buckeyes quarterback but will have plenty of competition for the starting job in the years to come. Iron sharpens iron in this program, so a rise to the top of the college football quarterback ladder is well within the realm of possibility.