Multiple college football programs in the mix to sign SEC transfer quarterback

One of the more promising quarterbacks in the SEC is expected to be in the market for a new school when the 2026 college football season kicks off, and already the young signal caller is reportedly getting interest from a number of potential programs.

Kentucky quarterback Cutter Boley is reportedly set to enter the college football transfer portal and four schools have emerged as contenders to sign him, according to On3 Sports.

What programs are in the mix for the Kentucky quarterback, and what do their quarterback situations look like in the very early 2026 season picture?

Who is scouting Boley?

The leader of the pack? That would be former Big 12 champion Arizona State, the report noted.

The program suddenly finds itself in the market for a quarterback as former College Football Playoff starter Sam Leavitt is ready to enter the NCAA transfer portal himself soon.

Jeff Sims, Leavitt’s backup this season, has exhausted his NCAA eligibility, leaving a big hole at the most important position for the Sun Devils to fill ahead of the 2026 kickoff.

Hokies could be interested

James Franklin could be in the mix for Boley, as well.

The former Penn State head coach is now in charge at Virginia Tech, and it appears they are another school in the mix scouting the quarterback as a possible option, according to the report.

The quarterback situation for the Hokies took a notable turn after Pop Watson reportedly elected to transfer away as the program undergoes continued roster turnover after the Franklin hire.

Belichick getting involved?

North Carolina is also in the need of a quarterback development project as Bill Belichick embarks on his second season with the Tar Heels.

Bryce Brown, the first player Belichick signed as head coach, is expected to be out of the picture when 2026 rolls around.

Gio Lopez, the former South Alabama starter who transferred to North Carolina before this season, is expected to remain with the program, but the depth chart could use a player with more experience.

Big Ten contender

Another notable program suddenly out of a major quarterback prospect is Nebraska, after former five-star pickup Dylan Raiola elected to leave the program after playing as the Cornhuskers’ starter for two seasons.

TJ Lateef is the heir apparent for Nebraska after the Raiola departure, and he does have three seasons of eligibility remaining for the program to exploit. but a relative lack of depth could move the Cornhuskers to take a closer look at Boley.

What he’s done on the field

As a freshman, Boley played little as then-starter Brock Vandagriff dealt with injuries, and opened this past season as the backup behind Zach Calzada.

But after Calzada was injured in the second week of the year, Boley went on to play in 11 of 12 games this season, passing for 2,160 total yards while scoring 15 touchdowns in the air, but turnovers were an issue, as he had 12 interceptions.

In his two seasons with Kentucky, the quarterback has 2,498 passing yards and 17 touchdowns with 16 interceptions while completing 63.3 percent of his pass attempts.

How the college football transfer portal works

College football’s transfer portal officially opens on Jan. 2, but that hasn’t stopped a flurry of players from entering their names for consideration at a new school right now.

The new 15-day transfer portal window from Jan. 2-16 and the elimination of the spring transfer period has condensed the timeline for players and programs to make their moves.

The NCAA Transfer Portal is a private database that includes the names of student-athletes in every sport at the Division I, II, and III levels. The full list of names is not available to the public.

(On3)

More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | Teams

Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Picks