$1.9 million QB rated highest graded transfer quarterback in college football

The 2026 winter transfer window was unusually active, with the NCAA reporting tallying more than 10,500 players entering the portal across all divisions.

Media trackers also logged over 3,200 FBS scholarship players by mid-window, all within a concentrated two-week span (Jan. 2–16) that reshaped rosters nationwide.

Notably, several high-profile quarterbacks switched programs and conferences this offseason, including Brendan Sorsby (to Texas Tech from Cincinnati), Anthony Colandrea (to Nebraska from UNLV), Drew Mestemaker (to Oklahoma State from North Texas), Sam Leavitt (to LSU from Arizona State), and Byrum Brown (to Auburn from South Florida).

Among all those moves, Pro Football Focus labeled Brown the highest-graded transfer quarterback of the offseason, assigning him a 91.5 overall grade, ahead of Sorsby (90.5), Colandrea (90.1), and Mestemaker (88.3).

Highest Graded Transfer Quarterbacks This Offseason🔁 pic.twitter.com/eI8K89tOZr
— PFF College (@PFF_College) February 9, 2026

Brown signed with South Florida out of Rolesville (Raleigh), N.C., as a three-star recruit in the 2022 class, ranked as the No. 73 quarterback nationally and the No. 29 player in North Carolina by 247Sports.

Across four seasons at South Florida, Brown developed into a true dual-threat quarterback. In his first full season as the starter in 2023, he threw for 3,292 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions while completing 64.8% of his passes, adding 809 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.

After missing most of the 2024 campaign with a lower-leg injury, Brown broke out in 2025, posting 3,158 passing yards, 28 passing touchdowns, and seven interceptions, along with 1,008 rushing yards and 14 rushing scores, producing over 4,000 total yards and 42 total touchdowns.

As one of the country’s top quarterbacks, Brown also carries a significant NIL profile, with On3 estimating his valuation at approximately $1.9 million, placing him inside the top 30 across all college athletes.

Auburn Tigers football head coach Alex Golesh. — Auburn Tigers football head coach Alex Golesh speaks during a press conference at Woltosz Performance Center in Auburn, Alabama. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Brown committed to Auburn after Alex Golesh left South Florida for the Tigers’ head-coaching job in November 2025, departing the Bulls after three seasons with a 23–15 overall record, highlighted by a 9–3 finish in 2025.

That 2025 campaign marked a breakthrough for USF, as the Bulls recorded their first nine-win season since 2017, finished at their highest level in eight years, and returned to the AP Top 25 for the first time in seven seasons, while ranking third nationally in total offense and fifth in scoring.

Shortly after Auburn formally announced Golesh’s hiring, Brown, who had been coached by Golesh since 2023, followed and quickly emerged as a high-profile transfer addition for an Auburn team coming off a 5–7 season (1–7 SEC) that has not posted a winning record since 2019.

The rapid pairing of Golesh and Brown illustrates how a single coaching change, combined with portal access, can quickly reshape a program’s outlook, giving Auburn an immediate offensive centerpiece to build around entering 2026.

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