As we currently sit in an almost vacant College Football period between the end of the FBS regular season and the start of Bowl Season, all eyes have turned to the transfer portal.
The transfer portal is changing the college football landscape day by day. Players are looking for new homes and coaches are looking to rebuild programs for next year. And what’s the best place to start rebuilding your football team? The quarterback position.
Like every year of the transfer portal, this year has a vast selection of quarterbacks with varying experience. Let’s see where the top signal-callers could be playing in 2023 (without repeating schools).
HUDSON CARD
It was no real surprise when Hudson Card announced he would be leaving Texas in favour of the transfer portal. He played well filling in when Quinn Ewers was injured this season, but the impending arrival of Arch Manning next season would have ultimately seen him land 3rd on the depth chart.
NOTRE DAME
1st-year head coach Marcus Freeman was able to salvage a semi-respectable 8-4 regular season for Notre Dame after their miserable start to the year. But there’s a serious argument to be made that he is on the hot seat should the Fighting Irish not show much-needed improvement in 2023.
And having a solid quarterback is the first place to start.
Notre Dame hasn’t had a star quarterback in several years. And Hudson Card is more efficient and athletic than anyone else the Fighting Irish are projected to have in the QB room in 2023.
Notre Dame also gives Card a legitimate place to compete at a high level and develop as a player. Which were two of the major requirements reported when he entered the portal.
UCLA
In today’s college football market, you cannot rule out Southern California as a desirable destination for student-athletes. But UCLA could make sense for Hudson Card on more levels than location.
Hudson Card is coming from an RPO offensive system under Steve Sarkisian. This could translate well into Chip Kelly’s quarterback-friendly system and the no-huddle offence. UCLA is also competitive in the Pac-12, which seems to be an open battle.
The Bruins will also be on the hunt for a quarterback with Dorian Thompson-Robinson running out of eligibility and no definitive replacement waiting in the wings.
Another wrinkle in this potential move is Hudson Card has spent his entire football career in Austin, Texas. He attended Lake Travis High School in Austin before committing to Texas. If Card is looking to reinvent himself and start fresh, there are not too many places better than LA.
TCU
The Horned Frog faithful are not looking ahead to next season yet. There are still high hopes for the College Football Playoff. However, the guy who helped them get there and captured the hearts of the nation in the process, might be moving on.
Max Duggan has one year of eligibility left due to the covid year. But his NFL stock has never been higher after leading TCU to a playoff berth.
Duggan won’t be making his decision until after the playoffs in January. But should he decide to go pro, TCU could fill the gap with Hudson Card.
TCU became a high-powered offence under Sonny Dykes and despite the fact they will lose some key pieces next year, the Horned Frogs don’t look like they’re going anywhere from the top of the Big 12.
HONORABLE MENTIONS – Wisconsin, FAU, Kentucky
DEVIN LEARY
With one year of eligibility left, Devin Leary was a surprise entry into the transfer portal. He started his first three years at NC State and played the first six games this season before tearing his pectoral muscle causing him to miss the rest of the year.
He is arguably the best quarterback in the portal and is a highly desirable plug-and-play one-year option for a lot of programs. There are not many schools that would turn him down.
FLORIDA
Anthony Richardson shocked us all when he declared himself for the 2023 NFL draft. And following the Jalen Kitna dismissal, Florida is left without an experienced quarterback. Jack Miller III will see his first meaningful playing time as the starter in the Las Vegas Bowl. And unless he shows signs of brilliance, the Gators will be shopping for a new QB for 2023.
Billy Napier may only be entering his second year, but Florida is traditionally a winning program with little patience for head coaches.
Napier is bringing in some really promising talent at quarterback. But, will they be able to push Florida beyond a third straight 6-6 regular season? Probably not.
Leary would bring much-needed experience to the quarterback room and allow Coach Napier to keep the train on the tracks in Gainesville. Leary would also get an opportunity to boast his skills at an SEC level to potential NFL scouts.
ILLINOIS
The Illinois Fighting Illini are currently the leading favourites to land Devin Leary.
Illinois is looking to replace Tommy DeVito who led the Blue and Orange to their most wins since 2007.
A big draw for Leary heading to Illinois is to join his younger brother, Donovan. Donovan Leary joined the Fighting Illini as a quarterback in the 2022 class. Without knowing their relationship, an opportunity for Devin to teach his younger brother, pass knowledge to him, and help him get the starting job come 2024 would be an amazing opportunity.
Illinois is becoming contenders in a somewhat weak Big 10 West conference, and the addition of Devin leary could make them a threat to make a run at the Big 10 Championship.
ALABAMA
Alabama missed the College Football Playoff this year, but make no mistake about it, they are going nowhere.
It’s all but a given that Bryce Young is heading to the NFL, and will probably be the first overall pick. Leaving Alabama with what will be two sophomores with very limited experience.
And if we know anything about Nick Sabin, he will be coming into the 2023 season with a vengeance and determination to reclaim the #1 spot in the country.
The addition of Devin leary would be a perfect bridge between Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe or Ty Simpson.
HONORABLE MENTIONS – NOTRE DAME, MISSOURI, FLORIDA
DJ UIAGALELEI
Who’d of thought that following in the footsteps of DeShaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence at Clemson would be a tough task?
Uiagalelei was hailed as the next in line for Dabo Swinney and the elite Clemson quarterback conveyor belt. But after two years as a starter, he was benched in the ACC Championship game in favour of Cade Klubnik, and the writing was on the wall for DJ to enter the transfer portal.
OREGON
If Uiagalelei wants to move closer to home (Los Angeles), Oregon may not be the most geographical fit, however, they could make a good football fit.
Bo Nix transferred to the Ducks after struggling at Auburn and had the best year of his career and thrust himself back into the conversation of top quarterbacks in the NFL draft. And there’s no reason why Uiagalelei can’t replicate this.
Oregon is an offensive juggernaut. And despite the departure of offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham, they’ll most likely keep a similar offence in place for next year since things worked so well for Bo Nix.
Uiagalelei would have to beat out former four-star recruit Ty Thompson for the starting job, but if he’s willing to compete, he could be a good fit in Eugene.
VIRGINIA
An option from a little left field, but there is enough here to have Virginia in the race for Uiagalelei.
The main option is that Uiagalelei’s former offensive coordinator during his first two years at Clemson, Tony Elliot, is now the head coach for the Cavaliers.
Elliot and Uiagalelei appeared to have a good relationship during their times in Clemson with the quarterback publicly backing his offensive coordinator when the Tigers had a rough start to the 2021 season.
A little bit of familiarity could help both DJ Uiagalelei and Tony Elliot get their respective careers back on track.
HONORABLE MENTIONS – UCLA, NOTRE DAME
SPENCER SANDERS
You know it’s a crazy time in College Football when an All-American, four-year starting quarterback for a power 5 conference enters the transfer portal and no one bats an eye.
Spencer Sanders has thrown for nearly 10,000 yards in his four years as an Oklahoma State Cowboy. He has decided to use his fifth year of eligibility to transfer schools and try to jumpstart his NFL draft stock. By leaving Oklahoma State, it’s clear that Sanders is looking to make a move to a big program to round off his college career.
WISCONSIN
Although not necessarily known for churning out NFL-caliber quarterbacks, Wisconsin may become a possible destination for Sanders now with new head coach Luke Fickell.
Fickell is the architect behind turning Desmond Ridder into an NFL talent, and that has to be enticing for a dual-threat, athletic quarterback like Spencer Sanders.
Sanders may be looking to a more “win now” program, however, since he is entering his last year of eligibility. But if his top options don’t work out, Wisconsin could be a nice fit.
KENTUCKY
Mark Stoops has been able to turn the Kentucky Wildcats football program around. He is their winningest coach ever and has been rewarded with a contract extension. But with Will Levis leaving for the NFL draft, he will need a new quarterback to keep Kentucky competitive in the SEC.
If Spencer Sanders is looking for somewhere big to play his last year of college ball, the SEC is certainly the place to do it.
Kentucky finished last season 7-5, going 3-5 in one of the most competitive conferences in the country. If Spencer Sanders commits to the Wildcats and helps them make a run for the conference championship, he would certainly become a legend in Lexington and make a name for himself heading to the next level of football.
Kentucky relied on Will Levis to stretch the field and make plays with his legs, Spencer Sanders fits that description and could fit in Mark Stoops’ offence
nicely.
HONORABLE MENTIONS – FLORIDA, VIRGINIA TECH, INDIANA
GRAYSON McCALL
With over 8,000 career passing yards and just 8 interceptions in 780 attempts, three-time All-Sunbelt player of the year Grayson McCall can be pinpointed as one of the biggest factors in the recent rise of Coastal Carolina.
McCall jumps into the portal as one of the best in the class this year, and will undoubtedly have a lengthy list of suitors.
LIBERTY
Grayson McCall has played under one head coach during his collegiate career, Jamey Chadwell. So when Chadwell accepted the head coaching job at Liberty, McCall entering the transfer portal maybe shouldn’t have come as such a surprise.
With no clear starting quarterback at Liberty for the 2023 season, taking Grayson McCall with him to Lynchburg, Virginia, and having him slot in as QB1 is a no-brainer.
For McCall, it may not be a jump in the level of competition or prestige. But continuing to raise his NFL stock with his head coach could be enough to get him to flip to Liberty.
AUBURN
If McCall’s decision to leave Conway, South Carolina is not due to his head coach’s departure, it’s safe to presume it is to elevate his development and possible draft stock. One program where he could do this is Auburn.
Hugh Freeze will be the new head coach in Auburn next year, and despite Robby Ashford returning to the team, he would be foolish not to make a play for McCall.
McCall is a power 5 talent. He has the size, arm, poise, and dual-threat ability needed to be a quarterback in the SEC.
This move would give Auburn new life at QB, and allow Grayson to showcase his talents on a much larger platform.
This article was written by our new writer Ross Love. Thanks to Ross for contributing this article and you can catch more of his work here in the future.
Where do you think these QB will go in the Transfer Portal? Let us know! We would love to hear your thoughts. Head over to Twitter @ninetynineyards.
Feature Image Credit: Coastal Carolina Athletics