ESPN Ranks Anthony Colandrea As The No. 16 Transfer Portal Quarterback

Former UNLV Rebels quarterback Anthony Colandrea has once again entered the transfer portal with one year of eligibility left. He is coming off a tremendous season in which he was named First Team All-Mountain West and Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year. Since entering the transfer portal, he has been linked to multiple teams, including the Florida State Seminoles and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. ESPN's Max Olson ranked all the transfer portal quarterbacks, and Colandrea landed at No. 16.

ESPN On Their No. 16 Ranked Transfer Quarterback Anthony Colandrea

"Background: The Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year is moving back to the Power 4 level after a terrific season in Las Vegas. Colandrea showed promise as a two-year starter at Virginia but decided to leave after he was benched at the end of the 2024 season. He teamed up with new coach Dan Mullen and a rebuilt UNLV squad and put together his best season yet with 3,459 passing yards on 66% passing, 649 rushing yards, 33 total touchdowns and 9 interceptions on a 10-win squad that played for the Mountain West title. Taking care of the football has been an issue (36 career turnovers), but he's an exciting one-year answer for a team seeking an experienced QB1.

Scout's take: High-risk, high-reward player. Colandrea is at his best when things break down and he's improvising on the move. He throws well on the run with impressive arm strength, spraying the ball with zip across the field. We love his instincts and competitive temperament for the position, but he takes way too many chances with the football. High turnover rate despite having the tools to be an accurate passer. True dual threat and a dynamic runner who looks like he's playing street ball and is quick and elusive. He was much better being risk-averse and efficient at UNLV than he was the previous two seasons at Virginia. -- Luginbill"

Colandrea is a tough quarterback to rank because we have film of him both with the Virginia Cavaliers and the Rebels. It's difficult to determine how much of his success in 2025 was legitimate growth and improvement, and how much of it was the step down in competition from the ACC to the Mountain West Conference. We wouldn't be surprised to see him outperform this ranking in 2026, especially if he's used in a similar way that UNLV head coach Dan Mullen used him, and allows him to improvise and make plays with his legs.

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