$2.3 million QB linked to unexpected college football program

A quarterback in the transfer portal has been surprisingly linked to a Power Four college football program.

Dec 5, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; North Texas Mean Green quarterback Drew Mestemaker (17) scrambles out the pocket against the Tulane Green Wave during the first half in the 2025 American Championship at Yulman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The NCAA transfer portal will open on Friday for all college football players seeking new programs. It will remain open until Jan. 16, 2026.

As the portal nears its opening, it has become clear that the quarterbacks across college football will be shuffling around to different schools via the portal. Dylan Raiola, Rocco Becht, DJ Lagway and Brendan Sorsby are among the most important names to enter the portal at quarterback in the 2026 offseason.

Another quarterback that is heading for the transfer portal is North Texas signal-caller Drew Mestemaker. He will have three seasons of eligibility remaining at his second school.

The obvious linkage for Mestemaker in the portal will be Oklahoma State. Former Mean Green head coach Eric Morris decided to take the head coaching vacancy left by Mike Gundy in Stillwater on Nov. 25.

Mestemaker can enter the portal with a "no contact" tag should he choose to follow Morris to Oklahoma State. However, if he does not enter with the tag, other schools can work to land Mestemaker out of the portal.

North Texas Mean Green quarterback Drew Mestemaker (17) stands in the pocket against the South Florida Bulls | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

One school linked to Mestemaker and in need of a quarterback from the portal in 2026 is TCU. The Horned Frogs lost their starting quarterback, Josh Hoover, to the portal on Dec. 18.

Chandler Morris is the only quarterback TCU has started under Sonny Dykes that it acquired in the portal. The Horned Frogs recruited both Hoover and Max Duggan to Fort Worth out of high school.

Mestemaker began his career in North Texas as a walk-on and backed up the aforementioned Morris, who was with the Mean Green between stops at TCU and Virginia. The 6-foot-4, 211-pounder appeared in three regular-season games, throwing for a total of 69 yards.

The Mean Green started Mestemaker for the first time in the Servpro First Responder Bowl at the conclusion of the 2024 season. He passed for 393 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions while rushing for another 55 yards and a touchdown.

North Texas started Mestemaker all 14 games of its 2025 season. He threw for an FBS-high 4,379 yards, 34 touchdowns and nine interceptions, guiding the Mean Green to a 12-2 record, AAC Championship appearance and New Mexico Bowl victory. He set the AAC single-game passing yards record with 608 in a win over Charlotte (54-20).

Mestemaker received AAC Offensive Player of the Year and All-AAC First Team distinction for his performance in 2025. He also won the Burlsworth Trophy, the award given to the best player in college football who began his career as a walk-on.