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College football's leading passer enters transfer portal after 4,000-yard season

The leading passer in college football intends to enter the transfer portal when it opens.
Tucker Harlin|
Oct 10, 2025; Denton, Texas, USA; North Texas Mean Green quarterback Drew Mestemaker (17) stands in the pocket against the South Florida Bulls during the second half of a game at DATCU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
Oct 10, 2025; Denton, Texas, USA; North Texas Mean Green quarterback Drew Mestemaker (17) stands in the pocket against the South Florida Bulls during the second half of a game at DATCU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

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North Texas Mean Green

The 2025 college football season is approaching its end.

12 FBS college football teams will participate in the 2025 College Football Playoff beginning on Friday. An additional 70 college football programs are participating in bowl games that will run into the first two days of January.

The NCAA transfer portal opens on Jan. 2, 2026, for all college football players seeking new destinations for the 2026 season. The portal will stay open until Jan. 16.

North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker joined the hundreds of players who have declared their intent to enter the portal on Tuesday. The decision comes after Mean Green head coach Eric Morris was named to fill the head coaching vacancy left by Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State.

Mestemaker will enter the transfer portal with three seasons of eligibility remaining as a redshirt sophomore.

The 6-foot-4, 211-pounder arrived in Denton as a walk-on in 2024. He redshirted that season, throwing for 69 yards in three regular-season appearances.

Mestemaker's first start was in the 2024 ServPro First Responder Bowl against Texas State. He went 26-of-41 passing for 393 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions while running for an additional 55 yards and a touchdown in the 30-28 loss.

The Mean Green went 11-2 with Mestemaker running the offense in the 2025 season. North Texas scored no fewer than 31 points in any regular-season game this year, while Mestemaker accumulated an FBS-high 4,129 passing yards to go along with 31 touchdown passes and seven interceptions.

The production from Mestemaker earned him the distinction of 2025 American Conference Offensive Player of the Year. He also won the Burlsworth Award, given to the best player in college football who began his career as a walk-on.

Mestemaker was a semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien Award, given to the best quarterback in FBS, and for the Walter Camp Player of the Year honor.

The Mean Green won all four of their non-conference games against Lamar (51-0), Western Michigan (33-30), Washington State (59-10) and South Alabama (36-22). The losses for North Texas came against South Florida (63-36) on Oct. 10 and in the American Conference championship game at Tulane (34-21) on Dec. 5.

The Mean Green is scheduled to play San Diego State (9-3, 6-2) in the Isleta New Mexico Bowl at University Stadium in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Dec. 27 (5:45 EST, ESPN).

Drew Mestemaker is in the Servpro First Responders Bowl.
Jan 3, 2025; Dallas, TX, USA; North Texas Mean Green quarterback Drew Mestemaker (17) scores a touchdown against the Texas State Bobcats during the fourth quarter at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
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Tucker Harlin
TUCKER HARLIN

Tucker Harlin is a passionate sports fan and journalist covering college sports. His work can be found on Vols Wire of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and The Voice of College Football Network. He graduated from the School of Journalism and Media at the University of Tennessee in 2024 and is based in Nashville.

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