Former No. 1 QB commits to fourth college football program

A former No. 1 quarterback recruit has landed at his fourth college football program.

Texas El Paso Miners quarterback Malachi Nelson (7) looks to throw a pass during the first half against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

With over 10,000 college football players across every level in the NCAA transfer portal, there were quite a few names that fans were familiar with.

In line with a common trend over the past few years, a slew of former five-star quarterbacks entered their names into the transfer portal. The heavy hitters included names like DJ Lagway (Baylor), Deuce Knight (Ole Miss) and Husan Longstreet (LSU).

While those three quarterbacks are looking for an opportunity to have a clear path to the field or revive their respective careers with a fresh start, not every former five-star quarterback is the same.

As revealed on Friday, ESPN's No. 1 overall recruit in the 2023 class, Malachi Nelson, announced that he'd be committing to Syracuse.

Source: Former UTEP/Boise/USC quarterback Malachi Nelson has committed to Syracuse. He's ESPN's former No. 1 overall recruit from the Class of 2023. He's preparing to compete for the starting job there. pic.twitter.com/JZG3DULdWU

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 16, 2026

For Nelson, the move not only marks a return to the Power 4 level, but it also marks the fourth school of his college football career.

As a recruit, Nelson was committed to play for Lincoln Riley while he was still at Oklahoma. Once Riley bolted for the USC job, Nelson flipped his commitment to the Trojans in November of 2021. Unfortunately for the Southern California native, a shoulder injury on his non-throwing arm led to him being behind in workouts, and ultimately led to him falling on the depth chart.

With Riley known for bringing in transfer portal quarterbacks, Nelson opted to leave,

He sought out a clear path to the field, landing at Boise State ahead of the 2024 season. He was beaten out by Maddux Madsen, who, along with Ashton Jeanty, led the team to the College Football Playoff. With Madsen returning in 2025, Nelson ended up at UTEP.

UTEP’s Malachi Nelson (7) throws the ball during a game against Louisiana-Monroe at the Sun Bowl. | Gaby Velasquez / El Paso Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Nelson won the Miners' starting quarterback role at the beginning of the year, but found himself benched in favor of Skyler Locklear.

In his lone year in El Paso, Nelson threw for 1,163 yards with eight touchdowns and nine interceptions, while completing 54.7% of his passes.

He marks the third transfer quarterback that the Orange have added, as they also brought in Danny Lauter from Georgetown and Amari Odom from Kennesaw State.

While Nelson has yet to show he can consistently produce at the FBS level, he did have a game against Louisiana-Monroe in which he threw for 404 yards and three touchdowns. Odom is the likely favorite to win the quarterback battle for the Orange, but considering Brown started a former blue-chip lacrosse recruit who was a walk-on, it's clear anyone has a chance if they earn it.