Major college football program among candidates to land $1.4 million QB

A quarterback in the transfer portal has been linked a significant college football program.

Nov 29, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Josh Hoover (10) comes off the field during the game between the Horned Frogs and the Bearcats at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The NCAA transfer portal officially opens for college football players on Friday. The portal will be open for a two-week period ending on Jan. 16, 2026.

Multiple starting quarterbacks across college football have entered the transfer portal in the weeks following the 2025 regular season. Dylan Raiola, Rocco Becht, Drew Mestemaker, DJ Lagway and Brendan Sorsby will be among the thousands of college football players searching for new destinations in 2026.

Another significant portal entrant in the 2026 offseason is TCU quarterback Josh Hoover. He will have one season of eligibility remaining at his second college football program.

Some of the quarterbacks in the portal such as Mestemaker and Becht have clear linkages with schools out of the portal. As for quarterbacks like Hoover, the options remain more open than some.

One fascinating link to Hoover from the transfer portal is Alabama. While it may seem puzzling, Hoover was heavily recruited by Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan while DeBoer was at Indiana.

TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Josh Hoover (10) warms up before the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Mike Golic Jr. called attention to this connection between Alabama and Hoover during a recent edition of Bleacher Report's "College Football Show." Golic mentioned the fluidity of Ty Simpson's NFL draft status when using the rationale for Hoover's linkage to Alabama.

"A bit of connective tissue: his primary contact when he was being recruited by Indiana was Nick Sheridan, who is the co-offensive coordinator for Kalen DeBoer at Alabama," Golic said. "That's an offense that has really been one-dimensional, so they need a quarterback that can sling it all over the yard the way we watched Hoover do it a lot of the season at TCU."

While quarterbacks transferring from one school to another in the Power Four ranks is nothing new, it would mark a significant moment in the brief history of the NCAA transfer portal. While Alabama has won a national championship with a transfer quarterback, Jake Coker, it has not started a transfer quarterback in the portal era, which began in the 2019 offseason.

As Golic mentioned, Simpson's decision to stay or declare for the NFL draft could impact a potential pursuit of Hoover. Alabama also has coveted prospects on its roster behind Simpson in Keelon Russell and Austin Mack.

Hoover is leaving TCU as the third all-time leading passer for the Horned Frogs with 9,629 for his career, only behind Trevone Boykin and Andy Dalton. He threw 71 touchdown passes and 33 interceptions in his career with the Horned Frogs.