College Football Transfer Portal Intel: Where top quarterbacks are planning to go in peak tampering season
The transfer portal has become a tool for college football teams to utilize to almost instantly fill holes, serving the same purpose as free agency on the NFL level. With the volume of players out there, the portal also brings a load of chaos. It’s a hectic process, with recruiting, money, visits, and quick decisions […]
The transfer portal has become a tool for college football teams to utilize to almost instantly fill holes, serving the same purpose as free agency on the NFL level. With the volume of players out there, the portal also brings a load of chaos. It’s a hectic process, with recruiting, money, visits, and quick decisions all involved.
The next transfer portal period for players to enter will begin on December 9th, and will remain open until December 28th for players to enter. That means that over the next few weeks, those players are going to be pressed to make some final decisions.
As is typically the case, the quarterback market is what most people have their eye on. This is the deep research, and evaluation that these college teams have been doing for months. Most understand how this process works. We can scream tampering all we want, but every program does it.
In recent conversations with sources all over college football, a ton of information regarding the potential quarterback class was gathered. Here are the players to know, where some are more than likely heading, and other programs of interest. It’s going to be a wild few weeks.
As you can imagine, the Auburn Tigers are going to be in the market for a transfer quarterback this offseason. They have 2025 five-star signal Deuce Knight committed in their class (for now) but even if Knight does end up signing with the Tigers, there is a need for a competent quarterback for next season. It doesn’t appear that they have one on the roster right now.
This evaluation process starts very, very early. If you think that the Auburn staff hasn’t been combing through potential options that could hit the portal for a couple of months, you are sadly mistaken. According to a source close to Auburn, there was substantial interest in two quarterbacks already, although things stagnated.
One is Thomas Castellanos (Boston College) who just entered the portal this week. The other is Kyron Drones, who is the starting quarterback for Virginia Tech. While Drones has not entered the portal yet, it sounds like the option is very much in play. Obviously, things aren’t official until they are, but that’s the latest word on the street.
If Drones does enter, which is expected, there promises to be a robust market for him. His 2024 film has been up and down so far, but he has been banged up a bit and there have been inconsistencies in the entire unit.
Both players have been topics of conversation for Auburn, and a lot of research was put into both. In the end, there was a decision to focus on other targets instead. It has been an odd situation behind the scenes.
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Those were a couple of the names early on of heavy interest for Auburn, but it appears they didn’t fully materialize for a variety of reasons. One sleeper name to keep a close eye on for the Tigers is John Mateer, who is quietly having a stellar year for Washington State. In nine games, he has thrown for 2,332 yards and 22 touchdowns, while adding another 630 yards and 11 scores on the ground.
When it comes to Castellanos, there are two schools that are rumored to have interest, and it sounds like it has been reciprocated by him. They are Florida State and Alabama. The former appears to be the most likely right now, but that could change if Crimson Tide signal caller Jalen Milroe opts to enter the 2025 NFL Draft.
One interesting player-school fit that is out there, but obviously isn’t legitimate until he enters the portal officially, is Arizona standout Noah Fifita and Miami. After a fantastic 2023 season, Fifita has had a down year so far this fall. With his top pass catcher Tetairoa McMillan off to the NFL, a change of scenery appears to be a certainty for the diminutive passer.
Relationships are everything in this business (well besides NIL money) and that is a big reason for perhaps the most interesting potential transfer destination I have heard, Avery Johnson (Kansas State) to Texas A&M. It makes so much sense when you consider Aggie offensive coordinator Colin Klein both recruited and coached Johnson during his freshman year in 2023. This one, I’m told, has legs to it.
After going to the portal last offseason, it sounds like Ohio State is happy where the room is at right now. The expectation is they will let the younger signal callers battle it out, including Julian Sayin, Air Noland, and Tavien St. Clair. There is also some worry that the room could take a hit from the portal, and Noland sounds like the most likely entry candidate.
Some of the biggest news I’ve heard centers around a couple of players I expect not to enter the portal. The big one is Florida star freshman DJ Lagway. Once it was announced that Billy Napier was returning in 2025, it appeared that solidified things with Lagway, at least for now.
The other big potential returner is Tulane star Darian Mensah. There has been a lot of speculation around the redshirt freshman, who has been tremendous this season throwing for 2,059 yards and 16 touchdowns so far. According to a source, the Tulane staff is not overly worried right now. It appears the expectation is that he stays.
What exactly the transfer portal quarterback class looks like ultimately will be in question until it officially opens. However, there are several other signal callers whose names have been mentioned. That is pretty much the extent of it right now, with no potential destinations mentioned.
Some of those quarterbacks to keep a close eye on include Billy Edwards Jr. (Maryland), Luke Altmyer (Illinois), and Sawyer Robertson (Baylor). While this won’t be the most star-studded group of signal callers, the potential depth of this class has a chance to be crazy. It’s going to be a wild ride.
