Northwestern's Early-Season Starting QB Enters Transfer Portal

The transfer has one season of eligibility remaining.

Oct 26, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Northwestern Wildcats quarterback Mike Wright (5) looks on before a game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

At the beginning of the 2024 season, head coach David Braun named Mississippi State transfer Mike Wright his starting quarterback for week one. Wright started two games for the Wildcats before Jack Lausch started against Eastern Illinois and never lost the job.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported today on X that Wright will be entering the transfer portal. He had been trying out the receiver position this spring for Northwestern.

Veteran college quarterback Mike Wright is entering the NCAA transfer portal, he tells ESPN. Wright played at Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and spent last year at Northwestern. He redshirted last year, which means he has one year remaining. He has 16 career starts at 3 schools. pic.twitter.com/7oXTKsJXO5

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 16, 2025

In Evanston, Wright won his first start on the lake against Miami of Ohio, throwing for 178 yards and rushing for 65. The performance was good enough to secure the 13-6 win, but it wasn't fully convincing.

Then came Wright's nightmare game against Duke. Wright finished 19-for-35 through the air for 156 yards, rushing for 19. He threw just one interception in the game, but there were many other throws that very easily could have been picked off.

Ultimately, the 'Cats fell in double overtime to the Blue Devils, and Wright looked uncomfortable all night. Before the next game, Braun had made his decision, and Wright wouldn't start again for the rest of the season.

For that reason, this decision is far from surprising. It just never quite worked out for Wright in Evanston. Braun lauded his professionalism and leadership throughout the season after he was replaced, but Wright is likely looking for a better opportunity to get playing time.

It's unclear exactly how well the receiver experiment went this spring. But this is the second player who was playing the position to transfer out of the program in two days after Calvin Johnson II did so yesterday.

From a quarterback perspective, the Wildcats have their guy in Preston Stone. But from a receiver perspective, Northwestern is now seriously lacking in depth. Who knows if Wright was going to make an impact there, but that dream is now officially dead.

Wright will now begin the process of looking for a new school. He will join his fourth program as he started his career at Vanderbilt before heading to Mississippi State.