Where the Top 10 college football quarterbacks in the transfer portal landed

There were plenty of high-profile quarterbacks on the move in this year's transfer portal cycle.

Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) against the Houston Cougars at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The 2025 college football season was greatly impacted by transfer quarterbacks, and the same is expected for the 2026 season.

All four of the teams that made it to the semifinal round of the College Football Playoff were starting a transfer at quarterback, with Cal transfer Fernando Mendoza emerging as the star of the season. The former two-star recruit went on to win the Heisman Trophy, while also leading Indiana to college football's third 16-0 season in the history of the sport.

With some of the biggest names in college football at quarterback opting to transfer this offseason, it wouldn't be shocking to see a playoff field similar to that of the 2025 season, which featured seven of the 12 teams starting a transfer at quarterback.

With the transfer portal storm winding down and the majority of the top players in the portal now off of the board with school starting again, it seemed more than necessary to go over who ended up where. Here is where the top 10 starting quarterbacks in the On3 transfer portal rankings decided to continue their careers.

Auburn Tigers quarterback Deuce Knight (9) runs the ball into the end zone. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

10. Deuce Knight

Transferring from: Auburn

Transferring to: Ole Miss

Once viewed as the future of Auburn football, Knight hit the portal after the firing of Hugh Freeze and hiring of USF's Alex Golesh. Knight sat and watched behind former five-star Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold and Stanford transfer Ashton Daniels for most of the year, but did shine in a start against Mercer. He ran for 162 and four touchdowns, while also throwing for 239 yards and two scores in the 62-17 win. His path to the field in Oxford is currently unclear as Trindad Chambliss is suing the NCAA for another year of eligibility via hardship waiver.

9. Rocco Becht

Transferring from: Iowa State

Transferring to: Penn State

Penn State lost one of college football's premier passers in Drew Allar, but replaced him with the most experienced player in college football. After Matt Campbell left Iowa State for the Penn State head coaching job, he brought his quarterback, Rocco Becht, with him. Becht has 39 starts under his belt, and even led the Cyclones to its first 11-win season in program history. With 26 wins to his name, Becht has thrown for 9,274 yards and 27 touchdowns in his career.

Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) looks on during. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

8. Dylan Raiola

Transferring from: Nebraska

Transferring to: Oregon

A former five-star recruit, Raiola found some success at Nebraska, but wasn't able to take the program back to its glory days. He broke his leg in November, but was still able to rack up 2,000 yards passing and 18 touchdowns. Despite being a two-year starter, Raiola opted to transfer to Oregon, where he will back up Dante Moore in 2026, before presumably taking over in 2027. Moore took the same route at Oregon after leaving UCLA, and it has worked out quite well for him, as he could have been a top-five pick this year, and will have a chance to be the No. 1 pick next year.

7. Husan Longstreet

Transferring from: USC

Transferring to: LSU

In one of the more bizarre transfer portal sagas this offseason, Husan Longstreet left USC in search of more playing time after Jayden Maiava announced he'd return in 2026. With that being said, Longstreet ended up transferring to LSU, where he will sit behind Sam Leavitt, who is the top quarterback on this list. Longstreet threw for 103 yards on 15 attempts with 76 rushing yards and three total touchdowns.

Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby (2) runs with the ball during a game. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

6. Brendan Sorsby

Transferring from: Cincinnati

Transferring to: Texas Tech

Sorsby exploded onto the scene this year and even garnered some chatter for being the top quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft at times. He finished the year with 2,800 yards passing and 27 touchdowns through the air, while also rushing for 580 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. The Red Raiders reportedly paid Sorsby around $5 million to be the solution for their quarterback problem in the College Football Playoff.

5. Josh Hoover

Transferring from: TCU

Transferring to: Indiana

While there is pressure on every one of these quarterbacks in 2026, none may have bigger shoes to fill than the new Indiana quarterback, Josh Hoover. After a historic career in Fort Worth that saw him throw for a program record 3,949 yards in 2024, and walk away with 9,629 career passing yards and 71 passing touchdowns overall, Hoover will be tasked with replacing Mendoza. He is the most productive passer in the sport in passing yards and touchdowns, and is expected to help the Hoosiers' offense remain one of the most electric in the sport as they defend their title.

North Texas Mean Green quarterback Drew Mestemaker (17) throws a pass. | Danny Wild-Imagn Images

4. Drew Mestemaker

Transferring from: North Texas

Transferring to: Oklahoma State

Drew Mestemaker went from a quarterback that no one had ever heard of to one of the best players in the sport. Mestemaker threw for 4,379 yards and 34 touchdowns this past season for the Mean Green en route to winning the American Conference Offensive Player of the Year. He also led the team to a program record 12 wins, and commanded a deal worth over $7 million from Oklahoma State. In Stillwater, he will have a chance to play for former North Texas head coach Eric Morris again, as the dynamic quarterback-coach duo are already generating playoff predictions for next season.

3. Byrum Brown

Transferring from: USF

Transferring to: Auburn

Another Group of Five quarterback following his coach to the Power 4 level, Byrum Brown is one of the best dual threats in college football. He led the country with 42 total touchdowns, and had the Bulls in the playoff hunt for a majority of the season. He leaves Tampa with 9,955 total yards and 92 total scores to his name, and will look to provide some stability at quarterback for an Auburn program that has been a revolving door of mediocrity.

Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah (10) celebrates. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

2. Darian Mensah

Transferring from: Duke

Transferring to: Miami

After announcing he was returning to Duke following a season that saw him break program records in passing yards and touchdowns while also leading the program to an ACC Championship, Darian Mensah was lured into the transfer portal on its final day. He is expected to receive around $10 million for transferring to Miami, and will be tasked with filling the shoes of Carson Beck, who led the team to a 13-3 record and an appearance in the College Football Playoff National Championship. Mensah was a star at Tulane and Duke, and is expected to make a push for the top spot in the 2027 NFL Draft.

1. Sam Leavitt

Transferring from: Arizona State

Transferring to: LSU

Sam Leavitt's season was cut short by a foot injury, but he has put enough on tape over the past couple of years to earn the top spot. He led the Sun Devils to the College Football Playoff in 2024 after they were projected to finish last in the Big 12, and threw for 4,513 yards and 34 touchdowns during his time in Tempe. He flirted with just about every program on this list, but ended up making his way to Baton Rouge to play for Lane Kiffin. He headlines the No. 2 class in the portal, and will have an elite group of receivers to sling the rock to. While LSU has had some down years over the past couple of seasons, they are legitimate title contenders in year one under Kiffin with Leavitt behind center.