Stanford QB to Enter Transfer Portal

He'll be looking for a new opportunity in 2026

Nov 22, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Elijah Brown (2) runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the California Golden Bears at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The transfer portal is heating up. Officially opening up on Jan. 2, players all around college football are using these next two weeks to decide if they want to remain at their current schools or find a new place to call home for the remainder of their college career. So far, a lot of big name talents have entered their names into the tranfer portal, signaling a new era in the FBS.

And now it is time to add Stanford quarterback Elijah Brown to the list of transfers, with the redshirt freshman announcing on Tuesday, Jan. 13 that he is putting his name in the transfer portal, ending his two year campaign on The Farm.

The move however, does not come as much of a surprise, considering how the Cardinal are bringing in true freshman Michael Mitchell Jr. while also signing former Michigan quarterback Davis Warren from the portal.

Brown enters the portal with three seasons of eligibility remaining, and is coming off of a promising '25 campaign where he started a handful of games for the Cardinal towards the end of the season. Finishing with 829 passing yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions, Brown's sample size was limited, but he still showed that he has a fairly high ceiling.

Brown's best game of the season came in Stanford's 20-15 loss to North Carolina, where despite being unable to pull out the win for his team, he completed 27 out of his 39 pass attempts for 284 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

In total, Brown played in six games for Stanford with four starts, being named the starting quarterback for the rest of the season after struggles and an injury to the previous starting quarterback, Ben Gulbranson.

While Brown showed flashes of greatness during his time on The Farm, he was never able to live up the expectations that come with being a four-star recruit, which forced Stanford to look elsewhere at quarterback.

And with the Cardinal now set to bring in multiple new signal callers, Brown faced an uphill battle for the starting role, making transferring an appealing option for him if he wants to find a place where he can start.

A four-year starter at Mater Dei High School, Brown won the starting job as a freshman, becoming only the fourth player in school history to accomplish that feat. As a sophomore, a strong season from Brown helped Mater Dei finish 12-0 and win the CIF Open Division state title, throwing for over 2,500 yards and 30 touchdowns.

In his senior year, Brown threw for 2,785 yards, 31 touchdowns and four interceptions. In his final high school campaign, Brown won the CIF Southern Section Division I and the CIF State Open Division titles while being named Orange County Offensive Player of the Year.

Ending his high school career with a 42-2 record and leaving Mater Dei as one of the school's most accomplished quarterbacks, Brown committed to Stanford ahead of the 2024 season and became the program's highest rated quarterback commit since Tanner McKee back in 2018.