Story by
Former 5-Star College Football QB Makes Unexpected Transfer Portal Decision
- Story by
- Former 5-Star College Football QB Makes Unexpected Transfer Portal Decision
The college football transfer portal is moving quickly after it officially opened on Friday.
Some big dominoes have already fallen, including TCU Horned Frogs QB Josh Hoover going to the Indiana Hoosiers and Iowa State Cyclones QB Rocco Becht following head coach Matt Campbell to the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Advertisement
On Wednesday, another big-name QB found a new home in the transfer portal: Auburn Tigers signal-caller Jackson Arnold .
Arnold spent two seasons with the Oklahoma Sooners before transferring in 2025, but he entered the portal again after a disappointing season. He was benched during the season and played sparingly over the last few games.
Now, Arnold is joining the UNLV Rebels , per a report from Pete Nakos of On3.
In 2025, Arnold threw for just 1,309 yards with six touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. In 2024 with the Sooners, he threw for 1,421 yards with 12 touchdowns and three interceptions, but he was also benched that season by Oklahoma coach Brent Venables.
Advertisement
However, Arnold was a five-star recruit and a top-10 overall player in his class coming into college, so moving to a Group of Five program such as UNLV is a bit unexpected.
Coming out of high school, Arnold had offers from programs such as Alabama , Florida , Penn State , Texas Tech and Ohio State , among plenty of others, so he was a hot commodity.
Although he made 18 starts between his time at Auburn and Oklahoma, he did not find the success many expected, so perhaps making a move to the Group of Five could be a wise choice for Arnold.
Advertisement
Auburn Tigers quarterback Jackson Arnold (11) takes the field.© Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
UNLV saw QB Anthony Colandrea enter the portal, and he transferred to the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Tuesday, leaving an opening at the QB spot in Vegas.
UNLV head coach Dan Mullen led the Rebels to a 10-4 record in his first year as the head coach, and now adds a talented player in Arnold, who is hoping for a career resurrection after some disappointing seasons in the SEC .
Related: Oregon's Dan Lanning Called 'Classless' Over College Football Playoff Decision
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jan 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
