Ranking the Top 15 FCS Transfer Portal Quarterbacks for the 2026 Season

With the transfer portal window and National Signing Day in the rearview, it's time to turn our focus to analyzing all the great talent that signed with FCS programs across the country.

We will be releasing positional rankings for the top FCS transfers ahead of the 2026 season. It will culminate in our annual FCS transfer portal rankings, which will be released in early March.

There are many different ways to evaluate players and prospects, and these rankings are not meant to guarantee that a player will be successful, but to give an indication of how much value and potential they bring for the 2026 season.

We start with the quarterback position, focusing on Division I transfers from the FCS and FBS. We will circle back and take a look at some of the top Division II transfers later this month.

These rankings blend proven production with player potential. For the FCS, production is valued much more than potential; however, a large amount of value and consideration is given to the level of competition they have faced.

For example, we will be comparing players who may have experience in the Big Ten to players who found success in the NEC or Pioneer League, and that has to be factored in. The last thing we consider is the potential upside of a player.

It should be noted that you will see several quarterbacks on the list who may be on the same team. Where they are ranked has no bearing on who may win the starting job this fall. This is just a placement of where we currently see each player as a prospect heading into the season.

Below are the Top 15 transfer quarterback additions across FCS football ahead of the 2026 season, along with some notable honorable mentions.

15. Josh Holst (South Dakota State)

Holst is expected to be the backup behind Chase Mason, but should provide a nice No. 2 option in case Mason goes down with an injury again. It will put the Jackrabbits in a much better spot than last season, where they struggled without Mason.

Holst already has 10 starts in his young career at Northern Illinois. He will presumably take over as the starter in 2027. He has great size at 6-4, while he's thrown for 1,100 yards and four touchdowns over the past two seasons.

Northern Illinois Huskies quarterback Josh Holst (15) in action against the Maryland Terrapins | Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

14. Parker Awad (Chattanooga)

Awad started six games at New Mexico State over the past two seasons. He totaled over 1,000 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and four interceptions. He started his career at Golden West College at the JUCO level, where he had a solid true freshman season.

13. Carson Camp (Duquesne)

Carson Camp got another year of eligibility after stops at South Dakota, Sacramento State, and Southeastern Louisiana. He was the main starter for the Lions, but split time with Kyle Lowe throughout SLU's run to the playoffs. While the ceiling isn't extremely high here, he brings a ton of experience and a very high floor to the Dukes.

12. Garret Rangel (UTRGV)

Garret Rangel will provide Power Four experience at UTRGV after starting several games at Oklahoma State. He also served as the backup to Kyron Drones at Virginia Tech last season. In 13 career games, Rangel has over 1,000 passing yards and eight touchdowns.

Oklahoma State Cowboys quarterback Garret Rangel (13) warms up before the game against the BYU Cougars | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

11. Zolten Osborne (Tennessee Tech)

This is one of two great FCS-to-FCS additions for Tennessee Tech and head coach Bobby Wilder. Osborne is expected to compete for the starting role after seeing action in 19 games at Charleston Southern. He won the starting job as a true freshman but suffered a season-ending injury, which kept him out of the 2024 season. He returned last year and passed for over 2,200 yards and 12 touchdowns, which led to being an All-Conference honorable mention.

10. TJ Finley (Incarnate Word)

TJ Finley received a 7th year of eligibility after injuries cut several of his seasons short at previous stops. The biggest concern for Incarnate Word will be keeping him healthy for a whole year, as he's hardly been able to do that. Those health concerns keep him at No. 10, but Finley has the talent to be No. 1. His healthiest season came at Texas State under former UIW head coach GJ Kinne, where he was quite impressive with nearly 3,500 passing yards and 24 touchdowns.

9. Devin Brown (Weber State)

Devin Brown is the first player on this list with not much experience at all. However, Brown is a former 4-star prospect from the state of Utah and has always backed up excellent quarterbacks at Ohio State and Cal. In the couple of games he saw action, he played well, including a start in the Cotton Bowl for the Buckeyes. Brown has some dual-threat ability that should translate well in the Big Sky.

8. Kaden Anderson (Tarleton State)

Anderson is one of two Tarleton State quarterbacks on this list. He started several games over the last two years at Wyoming. He has excellent size at 6'4 and is always hunting the big play, but that sometimes leads to turnovers. Despite that, Anderson recorded nearly 3,000 passing yards and 18 touchdowns for the Cowboys.

Wyoming Cowboys quarterback Kaden Anderson (12) drops back in the fourth quarter against the Air Force Falcons | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

7. Jackson Proctor (South Dakota)

Jackson Proctor's transfer to Northern Illinois didn't quite work out, and he now returns to the FCS level. He spent four seasons at Dartmouth, showing his dual-threat ability with over 600 yards rushing on 7.8 yards per carry. He also completed 70% of his passes for 2,355 passing yards, 18 passing touchdowns, and only six interceptions. He's expected to compete with longtime backup Nevan Cremascoli, but Proctor will almost certainly be featured in South Dakota's offensive attack.

6. Evan Bullock (Lamar)

Bullock started 10 games at Louisiana Tech in 2024, but suffered an injury that limited him to only five games in 2025. In his breakout freshman season, Bullock was named to the All-CUSA Freshman Team after throwing for over 2,100 yards, 14 touchdowns, and three interceptions at a 66% completion rate.

5. Emmett Brown (Abilene Christian)

Brown missed the entire 2025 season with an injury, but flashed his potential in a potent San Jose State offense in 2024. He started six games for the Spartans, throwing for over 1,600 yards, 16 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. He'll compete with several other transfers for the starting spot at Abilene Christian.

San Jose State Spartans quarterback Emmett Brown (9) throws against the Washington State Cougars | James Snook-Imagn Images

4. Jax Leatherwood (Tennessee Tech)

Jax Leatherwood was off to a nice season as a first-year starter for SEMO until injuries limited him to eight games. He has incredible size at 6'8" and finished with nearly 2,000 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and only two interceptions in his eight starts. He could flourish in a more established offensive system. Leatherwood was a standout at San Diego Mesa College before transferring to SEMO for the 2025 season.

3. Collin Hurst (West Georgia)

Hurst has the advantage of playing in the system, as he followed his head coach, Steve Englehart, to West Georgia. He's now a two-year starter, which includes his Freshman All-American season in 2024. He followed that up with another outstanding season, in which he was named the PFL Offensive Player of the Year. He's totaled over 5,000 passing yards and 43 passing touchdowns at a 67% completion rate.

2. Braedyn Locke (Tarleton State)

Braedyn Locke served as the backup for Noah Fifita at Arizona last year, seeing action in only four games. Before that, Locke started 12 games at Wisconsin, where he had nearly 2,000 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He was thrown into the fire as a redshirt freshman, being forced to lead a Wisconsin team with very limited skill position talent.

1. Carson Conklin (Sacramento State)

Conklin returns to Sacramento State after spending a season at Fresno State. With the Hornets, Conklin was a Freshman All-American in 2023. In two seasons, he recorded 3,620 passing yards, 34 passing touchdowns, and 10 interceptions for the Hornets. Until Sacramento State officially announces its move to the FBS, Conklin will remain at No. 1 here.

*Note: Conklin will be removed if Sacramento State announces an official move to the FBS level.

Honorable Mentions (No. 16-35):

Jackson Kollack (UC Davis)
Jadyn Davis (ETSU)
Walker White (Central Arkansas)
Brady Stober (Elon)
Luke Marble (West Georgia)
Marcelis Tate (Tennessee State)
Noah Lugo (Southern Utah)
AJ Hairston (Merrimack)
Collin Shannon (Murray State)
Jaylen King (Mercer)
Jackson Gilkey (Tarleton State)
Cobey Thompson (North Carolina Central)
Jalen Woods (Hampton)
Chance Wilson (SEMO)
Anthony Rezac (South Dakota State)
Gage Roy (Illinois State)
Tucker Parks (Abilene Christian)
Justin Kowalak (UT Martin)
Dez Thomas II (Georgetown)
Keegan Patterson (Northern Colorado)

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