College Football Transfer Quarterback Predictions for the 2026 Cycle

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College Football Transfer Quarterback Predictions for the 2026 Cycle

Steven Lassan · Athlon Sports

Fri, Jan 2, 2026 ·

6 min read

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With college football 's transfer portal opening on Jan. 2, the quarterback carousel is arguably the most intriguing element of the player movement over the next couple of weeks. Several big-time signal-callers have already hit the portal, including North Texas ' Drew Mestemaker , Arizona State 's Sam Leavitt , Florida 's DJ Lagway , and Cincinnati 's Brendan Sorsby . With high-profile teams like Texas Tech, Miami, LSU , Penn State , and potentially Oregon searching for a quarterback, the battle to land a proven signal-caller will significantly shape the outlook for several programs.

Where will those top signal-callers and a few other key names in the portal end up? Athlon Sports predicts where the top quarterbacks will transfer to for the '26 season. For now, these predictions assume Oregon's Dante Moore will return to Eugene for '26.

These predictions and players will be updated as movement in the transfer portal happens over the next couple of weeks:

College Football Transfer QB Predictions for the 2026 Cycle

Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) against BYU at Mountain America Stadium on Nov. 23, 2024, in Tempe, Arizona. © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Rocco Becht , Iowa State
A reunion with former coach Matt Campbell in Happy Valley just makes too much sense for Becht. He will immediately become one of the Big Ten 's top quarterbacks in '26.
Prediction: Penn State

Cutter Boley , Kentucky
Early signs point to Boley transferring to Arizona State to replace Sam Leavitt. Boley showed flashes of potential in '25 for the Wildcats, throwing for 2,160 yards and 15 touchdowns in 11 games.
Prediction: Arizona State

Byrum Brown , South Florida
With Auburn losing Jackson Arnold , Ashton Daniels , and Deuce Knight to transfer, all signs point to coach Alex Golesh clearing the quarterback room to land his former South Florida quarterback. Brown led the nation in total offense per game (347.2 yards) and averaged 8.1 yards per snap in '25.
Prediction: Auburn

Aidan Chiles , Michigan State
Chiles lost his starting job at Michigan State this year, but the California native has untapped potential and starting experience for his next destination to build upon in '26.
Prediction: Virginia

Anthony Colandrea , UNLV
Colandrea started his career at Virginia and transferred to UNLV prior to '25 to work under coach Dan Mullen . He thrived in Las Vegas, leading the Mountain West in total offense (293.4 total yards a game) and reaching the end zone 33 overall times. Colandrea could be the perfect bridge quarterback in Knoxville until five-star prospect Faizon Brandon is ready.
Prediction: Tennessee

Josh Hoover , TCU
Could Hoover become coach Curt Cignetti's next star quarterback? The Texas native has finished second in the Big 12 in passing yards in back-to-back seasons and averaged a healthy 8.4 yards per attempt in '25. Kentucky is also another program to watch for Hoover.
Prediction: Indiana

Katin Houser , East Carolina
Houser has been connected to Arkansas as a potential addition to compete with KJ Jackson in new coach Ryan Silverfield's offense next year. Houser was one of the top quarterbacks in the American Conference this season, throwing for 3,300 yards and 19 touchdowns and adding nine more scores on the ground.
Prediction: Arkansas

Colton Joseph , Old Dominion
Joseph's mobility (1,007 rushing yards in '25) would be an excellent fit for coordinator Gus Malzahn's attack in Tallahassee.
Prediction: Florida State

Deuce Knight, Auburn
It's tough to assess Ole Miss ' quarterback situation for '26 without knowing whether or not Trinidad Chambliss will receive a waiver to play (or even consider a transfer to LSU ). Knight - a four-star prospect in the '25 signing class - is raw but flashed big-time potential in limited snaps with the Tigers as a true freshman.
Prediction: Ole Miss

DJ Lagway, Florida
Lagway's talent isn't in question, but injuries and interceptions (23 in two years) have hindered his overall play. He's a good bounce-back candidate at this next stop.
Prediction: Louisville

Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
Leavitt's '25 season ended early due to injury, but he emerged as one of the nation's top signal-callers the previous year. En route to leading Arizona State to a Big 12 title and playoff appearance, Leavitt threw for 2,610 yards and 21 touchdowns and ran for 401 yards and five scores. For now, let's project Leavitt to LSU. But if Ole Miss starter Trinidad Chambliss receives a waiver to play in '26, he could reunite with his old coach Lane Kiffin in Baton Rouge.
Prediction: LSU

Drew Mestemaker, North Texas
Mestemaker was one of the breakout stars in the 2025 season, throwing for 4,379 yards and 34 touchdowns and guiding the Mean Green to an appearance in the American Conference title game. A reunion with former North Texas coach Eric Morris at Oklahoma State is an obvious fit.
Prediction: Oklahoma State

Kenny Minchey , Notre Dame
Minchey lost a close quarterback competition with CJ Carr for the starting job in South Bend this season. The Tennessee native completed 20 of 26 passes for 196 yards and added 84 yards and a score on the ground in limited work in '25. Minchey doesn't have a ton of experience, but he has intriguing upside at his next stop.
Prediction: Nebraska

Aaron Philo , Georgia Tech Philo impressed in limited snaps for Georgia Tech over the last two seasons and could follow former play-caller Buster Faulkner to Gainesville. With DJ Lagway transferring, the Gators need at least one quarterback through the portal.
Prediction: Florida

Beau Pribula , Missouri
Pribula is on the move once again after a season at Missouri. The former Penn State signal-caller could look to reunite with his old coach James Franklin in Blacksburg.
Prediction: Virginia Tech

Dylan Raiola , Nebraska
Raiola hasn't quite lived up to his five-star billing coming out of high school, but he's still passed for 4,819 yards and 31 scores over 22 games at Nebraska. Could Raiola be the top option for Oregon if Dante Moore opts to depart for the NFL ?
Prediction: Miami

Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati
Sorsby has been tied to Texas Tech since he announced his intention to enter the portal on Dec. 15. With Behren Morton departing, and Will Hammond on the mend from a knee injury, the Red Raiders need a high-level starter in the portal.
Prediction: Texas Tech

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jan 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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