4,000-yard transfer portal QB linked with College Football Playoff team

A three-year starter at quarterback has been linked to a team still playing the College Football Playoff.

Nov 15, 2025; Annapolis, Maryland, USA; South Florida Bulls quarterback Byrum Brown (17) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Navy Midshipmen during the second half at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Navy Midshipmen defeated South Florida Bulls 41-28. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The NCAA transfer portal officially opens on Jan. 2, 2026, and will remain open for the following two weeks.

The number of college football quarterbacks headed for the NCAA transfer portal continues to swell. Among the high-profile names that have decided to search for new horizons are DJ Lagway, Dylan Raiola, Sam Leavitt, Josh Hoover, Rocco Becht and Drew Mestemaker.

A more recent entry into the transfer portal is USF quarterback Byrum Brown. He enters the portal with one season of eligibility remaining.

An early contender for Brown in the portal is Miami. The Hurricanes will search for a quarterback to replace Carson Beck this offseason.

Miami has become notorious for using the portal to acquire talent. Wisconsin sued Miami in June for tampering with a player's NIL contract and revenue-sharing.

Each of the Hurricanes' last two quarterbacks has been acquired from the transfer portal. Miami acquired former Washington State quarterback Cam Ward in the 2024 offseason. It acquired Carson Beck from Georgia in the 2025 offseason.

Should the Hurricanes look to Brown, they would acquire a quarterback with four seasons of college football under his belt.

South Florida Bulls quarterback Byrum Brown (17) | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The 6-foot-3, 231-pounder arrived when USF was still coached by Jeff Scott. He played the maximum of four games needed to keep a redshirt in 2022, passing for 404 yards, five touchdowns and an interception while rushing for 179 yards and three touchdowns.

Alex Golesh was hired as the Bulls' head coach in the 2023 offseason. Brown started in all 13 games that season, throwing for 3,292 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while rushing for 809 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Bulls were 7-6 in Golesh's first season with a win over Syracuse (45-0) in the Boca Raton Bowl.

Brown broke his fibula five games into the 2024 season. He concluded his abridged season with 836 pass yards and a pair of touchdown passes while he rushed for 269 yards and three touchdowns.

Brown stayed healthy in all 12 games of the Bulls' 9-3 effort this season. He racked up 3,158 pass yards, 28 touchdown passes and seven interceptions and rushed for another 1,008 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was named the 2025 College Football Comeback Player of the Year by the College Sports Communicators.

Golesh departed from Tampa to take the head coaching vacancy left by Hugh Freeze at Auburn on Nov. 30. Brown opted out of the StaffDNA Cure Bowl, a game USF lost to Old Dominion (24-10).