College football transfer portal: Tracking where the top QBs will play in 2022
Quarterback remains the most important position in college football — or any football — and the transfer portal means that more of them are on the move.
Over two dozen quarterbacks have switched schools this offseason, upwards of 20 percent of the starting players in FBS, including some very elite names.
And some estimates report that nearly half of the starting quarterbacks in big-time football this season will have transferred from somewhere else.
Which should throw the occasional curve into this season's conference and playoff races when everything plays out this fall.
College football transfer portal: Where the best QBs are playing
West Virginia
Who's in: JT Daniels
Who's out: Jarret Doege
Originally a 5-star recruit in the 2018 cycle, Daniels first pledged to USC and looked like the answer the Trojans were looking for.
He passed for 2,672 yards with 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions as a freshman, but an ACL tear in his sophomore opener ended his career at Southern Cal.
Daniels transferred to Georgia after the 2019 season, playing the final four games of the Bulldogs' 2020 campaign, going 4-0 in that time and leading the team to a Peach Bowl victory.
Daniels played in nine total games for Georgia over the past two seasons, passing for 1,953 yards with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions. He went undefeated as the Bulldogs' starter in that time.
Now he reunites with Graham Harrell, West Virginia's offensive coordinator, to engineer what should be one of the better offenses in the Big 12 this season.
USC
Who's in: Caleb Williams
Who's out: Kedon Slovis, Jaxson Dart
Usually, when you lose a five-star potential phenom and a three-year starter, that makes you a loser. But when you pick up Caleb Williams on the other side of the deal, that makes you a very big winner. At least in theory: college football history is littered with teams that were high on expectations and low on results.
But this should be an exception to that rule. Williams was a consensus 5-star recruit and the No. 1 quarterback in the 2021 class. Stepping in mid-season at Oklahoma (during the Texas game, just to add some more pressure), Williams passed for 1,912 yards and 21 TDs with four picks — in just six full games.
Texas
Who's in: Quinn Ewers
Who's out: Casey Thompson
At first, it looked like Ewers would take the easy road to Austin, and at first he did. But then after NIL became a thing, the quarterback re-classified and enrolled a year early at Ohio State instead. Seeing that CJ Stroud had decisively taken the job (finishing a finalist for the Heisman Trophy), Ewers went back home and transferred to Texas.
So while he took the long way, ultimately the 5-star prospect landed where he always wanted, and all the better for Texas. Ewers is a virtual guarantee as an eventual first-round draft pick and a generational fixture at the position. The jokes about Texas being back are long-stale, but if there's any player that can help make that a reality, it's Ewers.
Ole Miss
Who's in: Jaxson Dart
Who's out: Matt Corral (draft)
Ole Miss didn't lose a quarterback via the transfer portal, but it says goodbye to Matt Corral, one of the most distinguished players at the position a year ago.
And for a school that doesn't sign blue-chip quarterbacks on the regular, the portal has been a blessing, and at the most opportune time.
A former 5-star on the trail, Dart originally pledged to USC and showed flashes in a brief outing in relief behind Kedon Slovis, passing for 1,353 yards and nine TDs in just six appearances.
Don't expect Dart to repeat Corral's success right away, but his mix of accuracy and mobility are a good fit for what Lane Kiffin wants to do.
Oklahoma
Who's in: Dillon Gabriel
Who's out: Caleb Williams, Spencer Rattler
Gabriel first pledged to UCLA as a transfer but saw a better opening at Oklahoma after Williams landed at USC. In the process, the quarterback reunited with offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby.
The two were together at UCF in 2019, commanding an offense that ranked second nationally in total offense (540.5), fifth in scoring (43.4), and eighth in passing (316.7). Gabriel also led the AAC in yards per completion and was second in efficiency.
Pittsburgh
Who's in: Kedon Slovis
Who's out: Kenny Pickett (draft)
Pitt is the defending ACC champion and coming off a superb offensive showing, but with Pickett leaving for the NFL, it needed a boost at the quarterback position. That it got when USC signal caller Kedon Slovis moved in this offseason.
Working in a pass-heavy scheme, Slovis had his best outing in 2019, completing 72% of his throws for 3,502 yards with 30 TDs and nine picks.
He threw the ball 44 times per game in 2020 and 42 times per game in '21, and though he won't have Jordan Addison to throw to, Pitt has other skill threats to exploit Slovis' skill set.
Oregon
Who's in: Bo Nix
Who's out: Robby Ashford
The post-Mario Cristobal phase at Oregon includes signing Dan Lanning — the architect of Georgia's historic defense — as head coach, and landing the three-year Auburn starter under center.
That should spice up the competition this offseason, which also includes Ty Thompson, a highly-athletic option who is yet to get a real shot.
Nix was good enough in the SEC, but never showed flashes of being elite. He's coming off his best season, throwing for 7.1 yards per pass, completing 61 percent of his attempts, and throwing a personal-best three picks.
Nebraska
Who's in: Casey Thompson, Chubba Purdy
Who's out: Adrian Martinez
It was a pretty productive four years for the Cornhuskers and Martinez, but clearly this team needed a new face and attitude under center for Scott Frost to make this work.
Thompson moves north from Texas with a reputation for being more efficient with the ball, throwing fewer interceptions and completing over 63% of his throws, while leading the Big 12 a year ago with 24 passing touchdowns.
Nebraska lost all nine of its games a year ago by single digits, but gave Frost another chance to make it right. Getting a transfer from Thompson in addition to signing OC Mark Whipple, who called plays for Kenny Pickett at Pitt in 2021, are two major steps in the right direction.
Auburn
Who's in: Zach Calzada, Robby Ashford
Who's out: Bo Nix
For the first time in three years, Bo Nix won't be running out of the tunnel at Jordan-Hare. His up-and-down Auburn career ended when he transferred out to Oregon, putting Bryan Harsin in a spot to choose the right successor.
Calzada comes over from Texas A&M a year after being Alabama and Auburn, but was nursing a shoulder injury going into spring camp. Ashford brings physical upside, but little experience. Expect both to compete with TJ Finley well into fall camp.
South Carolina
Who's in: Spencer Rattler
Who's out: Jason Brown
A year ago, Spencer Rattler was the undisputed starting quarterback for an Oklahoma team that seemed destined to win a national championship. This year, he's coming into a likely starting role with South Carolina.
A former 5-star prospect, Rattler led the Sooners to a Big 12 championship in 2020, but lost his job to Caleb Williams in the middle of the 2021 season.
He went 214 of 317 passing in 2020, completing 67.5 percent of his pass attempts, for 3,031 yards, scoring 28 TDs and throwing seven interceptions. In a shortened 2021 effort, Rattler was a 75% passer with 1,483 yards, 11 scores, and five picks.
He's a huge upgrade for the Gamecocks, who already look much better than what most people thought heading into Year 2 under Shane Beamer.
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