Stanford Looks Like a Great Landing Spot for Harvard QB in Transfer Portal

Stanford could take a look at an upgrade under center, and this QB could be a great fit

Sep 13, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal general manager Andrew Luck walks on the field before the game against the Boston College Eagles at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

With the college football regular season now wrapped up, the NCAA transfer portal is getting intense, especially for those who failed to qualify for a bowl game. In Stanford’s case, this may be their most important offseason in school history, and there is a certain someone that the Cardinal could pounce on.

Jaden Craig is a former Harvard quarterback that had immense success in the FCS for the Crimson. Craig spent three years playing for Harvard, and has one year of eligibility remaining. He was highly effective in his time in Cambridge, which could mean he'd be an upgrade for the Cardinal.

He didn’t play as a freshman, but started to get his work in as a sophomore, Craig started to get on the radar after playing three full games, where he put up 775 yards with four touchdowns to two interceptions. The numbers weren’t great, but clearly there was a future ahead of him.

His junior year is where he truly broke out. Craig put up 2,430 yards, throwing 23 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He led Harvard to an 8-2 record, and another successful year in the Ivy League. He had three games with 300+ yards, and had five games with 3+ passing touchdowns.

As a senior, Craig increased his numbers to 2,869 yards in the air with 25 touchdowns, but he did throw a few more interceptions, with seven. Regardless, his season was stellar, once again. He went off against Brown and Dartmouth, and stayed consistent all year. He brought Harvard to the FCS playoffs, but unfortunately lost badly to Villanova in the first round.

Craig has entered the transfer portal, hoping to get an FBS offer in his final season. He is currently ranked as the No. 14 overall player in the transfer portal by 247 Sports, meaning he should get tons of offers—and Stanford is the perfect place for him.

We can obviously start academically. Stanford is the only FBS academic institution that can compete at Harvard’s level. Craig would fit in perfectly, and get a great graduate degree.

The Cardinal are also known to pick up Ivy League talent and develop them well. Defensive stars Clay Patterson and Jordan Washington were in the Ivy League just last season, but now have come to Stanford and become key pieces to the Cardinal’s great defense.

But most importantly, Stanford needs a quarterback, and whomever they get is in a perfect position to succeed. The three most important people in the Stanford football program are general manager Andrew Luck, head coach Tavita Pritchard, and senior advisor Frank Reich.

Luck was a Stanford legend at quarterback, becoming the number one pick in the NFL Draft. Pritchard, also a former Stanford quarterback, won the biggest game in Cardinal history, and turned into an NFL quarterback’s coach with the Washington Commanders.

Reich, known for one of the biggest comebacks in NFL history, was also a successful quarterback. He was also a head coach in the NFL for six years, and helped get the program turned in the right direction for Pritchard.

Stanford is turning into a great place for a quarterback to be developed, and that’s what makes Craig a realistic, quality option for the Cardinal. Hopefully, we can see a dynamic quarterback on The Farm next season, and there’s certainly a chance it will be Craig.