Revisiting the 2025 QB Transfer Portal
With 2 of the Top 4 about to face off for the national title, we look back at the hits and misses of 247's transfer portal rankings
While January has long been the month we crown the champion in college football, its also increasingly become shopping season for college quarterbacks. As the portal grows every year, more and more teams become dependent on finding that special leader out on the market as opposed to their own developmental system. Fans are now programmed to live and die with the January additions to their rosters. With that, we take a look back at last year’s portal class, specifically the 247 QB Transfer Portal rankings, to see which ones were hits (see the national championship matchup of Indiana & Miami) and which QBs are back in the portal again already. Plus a few bargains that slipped through the cracks to pay BIG dividends…
#20 Justyn Martin
UCLA to Maryland
A 4-star recruit from nearby Inglewood and the #17 QB in his high school class, Martin spent 3 seasons at UCLA, sitting out 2022 as true freshman and then backing up Ethan Garbers for 2 seasons including 1 start in 2024 when Garbers was injured. Played only 1 game in 2025 at Maryland, without a pass attempt, as true freshman Malik Washington won the job out of camp. Now back in the portal again and is committed to Ohio State who has a very crowded QB room.
#19 Steve Angeli
Notre Dame to Syracuse
A 3-star recruit out of New Jersey, Angeli spent 3 seasons at Notre Dame and appeared in 21 games but only made 1 start in their 2023 Sun Bowl win over Oregon State in which he did complete 15-of-19 for 232 yards and 3 scores. Primarily the back up for Sam Hartman (2023) and Riley Leonard (2024), but he was responsible for a key scoring drive in the national semifinal win over Penn State when Leonard left the game briefly to do injury. In 2025, Angeli was solid for Syracuse leading them to a 3-1 start before suffering a season-ending torn Achilles in the 4th game at Clemson. In those 4 games, he threw 10 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions while averaging 329.3 pass YPG. The Orange lost 8 straight to end the season following his injury and are looking forward to his return in 2026.
#18 Jaden Rashada
Georgia to Sacramento State
One of the more fascinating quarterback prospect stories of the last decade. The #6 QB and #44 overall prospect in the Class of 2023 was originally committed to Miami for a reported $9.5 million NIL deal to Miami before flipping his commitment to Florida over what was reported as a $13.85 million deal but requested a release from his National Letter of Intent when the deal fell through. Rashad then enrolled at Arizona State and was named the starting QB for the season opener, throwing for 236 yards, and 2 TD in his collegiate debut. But Rashada suffered a season-ending knee injury in the 3rd game and then injured his thumb prior to the next season’s spring practice after which he decided to transfer to Georgia. After a year with the Bulldogs, in which he did not see the field, Rashada was once again on the move, this time to Sacramento State. After starting the Hornets’ first 2 games of 2025, he suffered another thumb injury that limited him the rest of the season and only came off the bench in 4 more games. Following the season, Rashada once again entered the transfer portal with his next stop still TBD.
#17 Michael Van Buren Jr.
Mississippi State to LSU
A 3-star recruit out of Baltimore who originally committed to Oregon before flipping to Mississippi State less than 2 weeks before signing with the Bulldogs in December 2023. Van Buren appeared in 10 games as a true freshman in Starkville including starting the final 8 games in relief of injured starter Blake Shapen. When Shapen announced his return for 2025, Van Buren hopped in the portal to find a new home in Baton Rouge. At LSU last year, he would be the backup to one of the preseason Heisman favorites in Garrett Nussmeier. After an injury to Nussmeier, Van Buren would start the final 4 games including throwing for 267 yards and 3 scores in a loss to Houston in the Texas Bowl. After the season, he once again entered in the portal and in 2026 will be at South Florida under new head coach Brian Hartline and competing with fellow transfer Luke Kromenhoek (more on him later) who just so happened to replace Van Buren at Mississippi State.
#16 Kaidon Salter
Liberty to Colorado
The #7 QB in the Class of 2021 and the #48 overall prospect in that class, Salter signed with Tennessee in December 2020 and was an early enrollee in January 2021. But after being arrested on misdemeanor drug charges that June, his 2nd arrest since arriving on campus, he was dismissed from the Vols program. Salter found a lifeline by transferring to Liberty and made his debut in Week 9 of that 2021 season off the bench. He made 2 starts in 2022 before becoming the full-time starter in 2023, winning the Conference USA Championship Game MVP award and leading the Flames to their first ever New Year’s Six bowl bid, losing to Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl. Following that loss, Salter entered the transfer portal before deciding to return 3 days later. After one more season with Liberty, he pulled the trigger on a transfer, this time heading to Colorado and Coach Prime. After beating out true freshman Juju Lewis for the starting job to begin the season, Salter wound up starting 9 games including all 3 of the team’s wins with 10 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He’s now declared for the 2026 NFL Draft.
#15 Air Noland
Ohio State to South Carolina
The #7 QB and #61 overall prospect in the Class of 2024, the lefty out of Georgia signed with Ohio State out of high school. As a true freshman, Noland was 5th on the Buckeyes depth chart and entered the transfer portal in December before OSU’s national title run. After transferring to South Carolina, Noland opened the 2025 season 4th on the Gamecocks depth chart and wound up seeing action in 2 games, completing 2 of his 3 pass attempts. Following the season, he re-entered the portal and headed to Memphis for the 2026 season.
#14 Walker White
Auburn to Baylor
Another highly rated recruit from the Class of 2024, White was the #5 QB prospect and #41 overall recruit of his high school class. The Little Rock native played just 1 season at Auburn, completing 2-of-5 passes for 18 yards in the lone game he saw action. White then transferred to Baylor, where he backed up Sawyer Robertson but didn’t see the field. On the move again for 2026, White entered the portal and is returning to his home state to play at the FCS level in Central Arkansas.
#13 Jackson Arnold
Oklahoma to Auburn
1 of 4 all-time 5-star QBs to sign with Oklahoma out of high school, ironically none of them finished their careers in Norman. Arnold spent his 2023 season as a true freshman backing up Dillon Gabriel in Norman and started the Alamo Bowl following Gabriel’s transfer to Oregon. After starting 9 games as a sophomore, Arnold decided he needed a fresh start and took the transfer portal to Auburn. But after 8 starts with the Tigers, he was again benched and looking for a new home at the end of the season. Arnold transferred to UNLV and will play for Dan Mullen in 2026.
#12 Beau Pribula
Penn State to Missouri
3-star recruit Pribula was 1 of 2 quarterbacks in Penn State’s Class of 2022, alongside 5-star prospect Drew Allar. After redshirting as a true freshman, Pribula spent 2 more seasons in Happy Valley as Allar’s backup. While not starting, he did play in 23 games and was an integral part of that Nittany Lion team. However, once Allar announced he was not entering the NFL Draft, Pribula decided to enter the transfer portal on December 15th and missed Penn State’s CFP run to the semifinals. He committed to Missouri a week later and started the first 8 games of the 2025 season for the Tigers, going 6-2, before dislocating his ankle at Vanderbilt. Pribula returned for the final 2 regular season games but entered the portal before the bowl game and will be at Virginia in 2026.
#11 Miller Moss
USC to Louisville
A 4-star recruit from Los Angeles, Moss signed with his dream school - the program he used to go watch practices of as a young boy with his father during the Pete Carroll Era. After sitting behind Kedon Slovis and Jaxson Dart as a true freshman, he watched Caleb Williams transfer in from Oklahoma with Lincoln Riley. But Moss remained patient and backed up the Heisman winner for 2 seasons with dreams of 2024 being his year with Williams off to the NFL. But after going 4-5 in 9 starts, Moss was replaced by Jayden Maiava which sent Miller to the transfer portal at the end of the season. He spent 2025 with Louisville, starting 12 games and was named MVP of the Boca Raton Bowl before declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft.
#10 Mark Gronowski
South Dakota State to Iowa
A zero-star recruit out of Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, Illinois, Gronowski signed with South Dakota State which was his only Division I scholarship offer. A 2-time FCS national champion and the 2023 Walter Payton Award winner, he turned down a shot for the NFL Draft and entered the transfer portal after earning the MVP of the 2024 FCS Championship Game in a losing cause. In his one season at Iowa, he started all 13 games while leading them to a 9-4 record and a win over Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl. His 58 career wins are the most in college football history and will now look to get drafted to the NFL in April.
#9 Conner Weigman
Texas A&M to Houston
The #3 QB and the #22 overall prospect in the Class of 2022, the Cypress, Texas native stayed close to home out of high school to sign with A&M while also withdrawing from the MLB Draft. As a true freshman, he started the season as the 3rd stringer but finished as the starter - going 2-2 in 4 starts with 8 TD and 0 INT. In 2023, he was named the starter out of training camp but suffered a season-ending foot injury after beginning the season 3-1. Weigman returned from injury to begin the 2024 season as the Aggies starter but due to a recurring shoulder injury and ineffectiveness was supplanted by Marcel Reed. That offseason, Weigman transferred even closer to home to suit up for Houston. He led the Cougars to a 10-3 record in 2025 with career highs in pass yards (2,705) & pass TD (25) and has already announced his return to Houston for 2026.
#8 Maalik Murphy
Duke to Oregon State
A 4-star recruit and the #9 QB in the Class of 2022, Murphy left Southern California to sign with Texas out of high school. He spent 2 seasons with the Longhorns including as Quinn Ewers backup in 2023 as a redshirt freshman, even filling in as the starter in 2 games. But Murphy entered the portal at the end of the regular season, missing Texas’ trip to the CFP semifinals, and landing at Duke. He spent only one season with the Blue Devils but did lead the team to a 9-3 record, again missing the bowl game, while setting the school record with 26 pass TD. Murphy moved back to the West Coast and on to Oregon State in 2025, making 8 starts but had 8 interceptions to 9 pass TD, losing his status as QB1 down the stretch. He’s expected to return to Corvallis for his final season of eligibility under new head coach JaMarcus Shephard.
#7 Darian Mensah
Tulane to Duke
Perhaps ironic that the man who replaced Murphy at Duke was 1 spot higher than him in these rankings. A 3-star recruit and the #112 QB in the Class of 2023 out of San Luis Obispo, California, Mensah had just 2 scholarship offers: Tulane and FCS-level Idaho State. After redshirting as a true freshman for the Green Wave, he burst on the scene in 2024, starting 13 games with 2,723 pass yards and 22 pass TD. He parlayed that success into a big offer from Duke where he broke Murphy’s school record with 34 pass TD while also surpassing the single-season passing record with 3,973 yards. The MVP of the ACC Championship Game will return to Durham in 2026 after leading the Blue Devils to their first outright conference championship since 1962.
#6 Luke Kromenhoek
Florida State to Mississippi State
A multi-sport high school athlete who was the the #4 QB and #35 overall prospect in the Class of 2024, the Savannah native stayed in the South to attend Florida State out of high school. He played in 6 games with 2 starts as a true freshman at FSU before surprisingly entering the portal at the end of the season. He landed at Mississippi State as the backup to Blake Shapen, appearing in 3 games and completing 5-of-9 pass attempts. Then nearly 1 year to the day after leaving the Seminoles, he was back in the transfer portal. Kromenhoek will play for Brian Hartline at South Florida in 2026 where he’ll compete with the aforementioned Michael Van Buren (#17 on this list).
#5 Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele
Oregon to California
The most unique story on this list, as Sagapolutele hit the portal less than a month after signing with Oregon. The 4-star recruit and the #7 QB prospect in the Class of 2025 was committed to Cal all the way up until Early Signing Day when he flipped his commitment to the Ducks. As an early enrollee, JKS attended Oregon practices in the lead up to the Rose Bowl but then entered the portal on January 3rd and signed with Cal 2 days later. Sagapolutele joined Jared Goff as only the 2nd true freshman to start at QB for the Bears in the season opener and had the 2nd highest totals for completions, attempts, passing yards and passing touchdowns by a Cal freshman quarterback to only Goff in 2013. With Tosh Lupoi taking over for Justin Wilcox as Cal’s head coach, Sagapolutele has committed to return for 2026.
#4 Fernando Mendoza
Cal to Indiana
Speaking of the Bears, few could have anticipated a Heisman season for Mendoza in 2025. In fact the odds were 60-1 for the former #134th ranked QB in the Class of 2022. The Miami native redshirted his first year in Berkeley before taking over as starter midway through the 2023 season. The next season, Cal’s first in the ACC, he beat out grad transfer Chandler Rogers and went 6-5 in 11 games, ending his Bears career with a dramatic win over Stanford going “98 yards with boys” to claim The Axe. That December, Mendoza entered the portal and less than 2 weeks later signed with Indiana. What came next is the stuff of legends. Mendoza led the Hoosiers to a 12-0 regular season, their first Big Ten title since 1967 and is now one win away from winning a national title in his home town. And oh by the way, he did win the Heisman while re-writing the Indiana record book. After Monday’s championship game will come April’s NFL Draft, where he’s currently projected to be the #1 pick.
#3 John Mateer
Washington State to Oklahoma
Mateer was another West Coast QB looking for bigger opportunities. Like Mendoza, the Little Elm, Texas native was severely under-recruited as the #119th QB recruit in the Class of 2022. Originally committed to Central Arkansas, he flipped to Washington State less than 2 weeks before Signing Day. In his first 2 seasons on the Palouse, Mateer backed up Cam Ward. But Ward’s transfer to Miami opened the starting role for the redshirt sophomore and he took the bull by the horns, throwing for 3,139 pass yards, rushing for an additional 826 and leading the country with 44 total touchdowns. Following the season, Mateer hit the portal and followed his offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to Norman. The Sooners got off to a 4-0 start with him as a starter before a hand injury kept him out for the win over Kent State and was not as effective when he returned in the loss to Texas. While not quite having the personal season he and Oklahoma fans probably expected but he still led them to the CFP as the team finished 10-3. He announced on January 15th he’s coming back to Norman in 2026.
#2 Carson Beck
Georgia to Miami
While Mendoza’s story to the championship game seems like fantasy, Beck’s return to the title game is not nearly as big a surprise. The #5 QB prospect in the Class of 2020 has already won 2 national championships as the backup at Georgia in 2021 and 2022. As the starter in 2023, he led the Bulldogs to a 12-0 regular season but lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game to knock UGA out of the playoffs. Georgia finished the season 13-1 with Beck throwing for almost 4,000 yards with 24 pass TD. He decided against the NFL Draft, instead returning for another season in Athens and another trip to the SEC title game. While the Bulldogs pulled out the victory, Beck suffered a shoulder injury that knocked him out of the game and an MRI revealed an elbow injury that required season-ending surgery. While first declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft, he changed his mind and entered the transfer portal on January 9th and signed with Miami the next day. The Canes got off to a 5-0 start this season including wins over rivals Notre Dame, Florida and Florida State. Miami hit a rough patch midseason with close losses to Louisville and SMU but have now won 7 straight games heading into the national title game in their own stadium. Beck meanwhile has a career-high 29 pass TD and is 2nd in the country with a 73.3 completion percentage.
#1 Nico Iamaleava
Tennessee to UCLA
The biggest story this spring in college football revolved around the exodus of Nico Iamaleava from the Tennessee program. The #2 overall prospect in the Class of 2023 out of Long Beach, California went across the country to play SEC football in Knoxville. As a true freshman in 2023, he backed up Joe Milton in the regular season and got his 1st career start in the Citrus Bowl, scoring 4 touchdowns as the game’s MVP. The next season he was named the starter and led the Vols to a 10-3 record and their first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff. Things went haywire in April though as the former 5-star prospect missed a team practice amidst NIL negotiations and was dismissed from the team by head coach Josh Heupel. Iamaleava then transferred close to home at UCLA. His first season with the Bruins was a rollercoaster. An 0-4 start to the season and the dismissal of head coach DeShaun Foster was followed by a brief offensive explosion during a 3-game win streak where Iamaleava reminded the college football world just how good he can be. However, the momentum from the coaching change wore off as UCLA lost their final 4 games by an average of 27.5 PPG. Iamaleava will return to UCLA in 2026.
A few others of note outside the Top 20…
#22 Devon Dampier left New Mexico for Utah, leading the Utes to their 4th 11+ win season in school history and their 41.3 PPG was their most since 2004. Was 1 of 4 players in FBS this season to have at least 2,400 pass yards, 800 rush yards, 20 pass TD and 10 rush TD. Dampier will return to Salt Lake City in 2026.
#36 Anthony Colandrea headed from Virginia to UNLV and became the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year as he led the Rebels to 10 wins and the MWC champ game. His 3,459 pass yards were the 3rd most in school history but he transferred to Nebraska after the season.
#60 Trinidad Chambliss won a DII National Title at Ferris State in 2024 but was expected to be the backup at Ole Miss this year. After an injury to Austin Simmons, Chambliss took over and never looked back as he finished 8th in the Heisman voting and led the Rebels to the CFP Semifinals. He finished the season as 1 of 15 QBs in the last 30 seasons to have at least 3,900 pass yards and 500 rush yards in the same season and the only 1 of the 15 to do it with 3 or fewer interceptions. Chambliss is currently suing the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility.
#85 Joey Aguilar is also looking for another year of eligibility after his 1 season at Tennessee. In a wild offseason that saw him go from Appalachian State to UCLA to Knoxville (with a large assist from the Nico Iamaleava situation), Aguilar led the SEC in passing yards during the regular season but the Vols finished just 8-5.
#94 Bear Bachmeier is another QB who’s situation was impacted by another move. Bachmeier was a true freshman early enrollee at Stanford that went through spring ball with the Cardinal. But when BYU and Jake Retzlaff (who’s not on this list because he was technically a walk-on at Tulane) parted ways, a spot opened up in Provo and Bear was there to fill it. Bachmeier led BYU to the BIg 12 title game and led all true freshman QBs with 11 rush TD on the season.
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Very interesting ENJOYED
Oh by the way …. You’re good … was wondering about all the QB movement in the portal.