As the 2023 college football season comes to a close, the start of a very busy offseason has already kicked into gear ahead of conference championship week.
Multiple players have entered the transfer portal, including several currently or formerly highly touted quarterbacks.
Here’s a look into some of the top passers currently available in the portal:
BENDER: CFP missed with Florida State, but it’s hard to complain about this four-team field
Transfer portal QB tracker 2023
Ty Thompson, Oregon
Thompson is set to enter the portal according to multiple reports, news that comes at roughly the same time as the announcement that former Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel had landed with the Ducks.
Over the course of 17 games over the past three seasons, Thompson is 42-of-66 passing (63.6%) for 456 yards with 6 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He has yet to break through as a full-time starter, but can perhaps do just that elsewhere.
Brayden Schager, Hawaii
Schager is officially in the transfer portal, as Rainbow Warriors head coach Timmy Chang confirmed during the week. Chang had previously refuted a report that Schager was on his way out of the program.
The Hawaii signal-caller is well-known for his efforts through the air, ranking 10th nationally in passing yardage. He finished out the 2023 season with a 63.2% completion rate, passing for 3,542 yards with 26 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
According to a report from The Star Advertiser, Schager was advised by his representatives to look for other options outside of Hawaii by entering the portal.
Kai Horton, Tulane
The Green Wave have now lost a pair of quarterbacks to the portal between Horton and Carson Haggard since the departure of coach Willie Fritz to Houston.
Horton was the quarterback some expected to take over the starting position by some as starter Michael Pratt is highly expected to be a mid-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. According to sources, there were several school who would have been strongly interested in Horton if he had entered the portal ahead of the most recent season, though he obviously chose to stay.
The Carthage product arguably had the highest ceiling in the room amongst the quarterbacks at Tulane in his time there, though Pratt was a bit more refined due to his higher level of success.
Horton brings plenty to be desired to the table that another program could develop into something incredibly special. Horton has said he views himself as a quarterback who could carries a similar skillset to Josh Allen, and he’s definitely flashed impressive arm strength and has an element of athleticism to his game.
Gunnar Gundy, Oklahoma State
Gundy is not nearly as big of name as or is he as established as just about every single other quarterback listed here, but he’s among the most intriguing because of the situation at hand: Gundy is transferring away from a school in which his father, Mike Gundy, serves as the head coach.
He’s seen limited action playing in three games this past season as he completed 21 of his passing attempts for 202 yards with a touchdown. In 2022, he saw action in four contests, completing 19 passes for 247 yards with three touchdowns.
Gundy will have two years of eligibility remaining at his next destination.
Chandler Rogers, North Texas
Rogers entered the portal on Dec. 5, coming off of a strong season at UNT. He finished out 2023 with 3,383 passing yards and 29 touchdowns with 5 interceptions, elevating the UNT offense to help make them a team that closely contended with some tougher opponents on their schedule, including Tulane.
That’s about as solid as anyone could have hoped for in Rogers’ lone season at UNT. He’s expected to be a popular player among teams in the portal and while he is a junior, he enters the portal with one year of eligibility as a grad transfer.
Dequan Finn, Toledo
Multiple MAC quarterbacks have entered the transfer portal but Finn is the most notable name to keep an eye on, appearing on several analysts’ top-20 quarterbacks lists throughout the 2023 season.
After finishing out 2023 with a 63.4% completion percentage, 2,657 passing yards and 22 touchdowns over 13 games with 563 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns, Finn earned the recognition he deserved while making a huge mark on the program record books.
On a bigger stage, Finn could be one of the next breakout names to watch at quarterback in 2024 with one year of eligibility remaining.
Kurtis Rourke, Ohio
The multi-year starter Rourke presents one of the more intriguing options at quarterback in the portal. Rourke suffered some injury issues with a torn ACL in 2022 during the month of November two seasons ago, but he was still named MAC Offensive Player of the Year.
Over 36 appearance Ohio, Rourke has put up some impressive numbers, completing 66.3% of his passes for 7,666 yards passing with 50 touchdowns passes. He also totaled 832 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 232 carries.
Rourke has one year of eligibility remaining.
Tyler Buchner, Alabama (Notre Dame, Lacrosse)
Buchner is among the latest quarterbacks in the portal as of Dec. 4, though his story is taking a bit of an interesting turn as he’s looking to continue playing out his sports career in lacrosse.
He originally committed to Michigan back in eighth grade as a lacrosse player. Buchner started off his college football career at Notre Dame, spending two seasons with the Fighting Irish before joining Alabama for the 2023 season. Over those three years, Buchner completed 54.7% of his passes for 1,010 yards with 6 touchdowns and 8 interceptions in extremely limited action.
Aidan Chiles, Oregon State
Jonathan Smith’s departure from Oregon State was bound to set off a string of exoduses. And as one highly-touted Beavers QB prepares to search for greener pastures, so too will another one of the roster’s most exciting talents.
Former four-star Aidan Chiles will depart the program, 247 Sports reported on Dec. 4, depriving Oregon State of one of its more prominent recruits in recent years.
The 18-year old was considered to be one of the best dual-threat talents in last year’s recruiting class. And although he didn’t play all that much — D.J. Uiagalelei was the clear-cut No. 1 for the Beavers last year — Chiles did make an impact when he got onto the field.
The true freshman completed 24-of-35 passes for 309 yards and six touchdowns (four passing, two rushing) as a secret weapon in Smith’s offensive attack. He’s widely expected to attempt to join Smith in East Lansing, although anything can happen at this moment.
Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma (Oregon)
For the second time in his NCAA career, Dillon Gabriel is in the transfer portal. After three years at UCF, the quarterback spent the last two seasons in Oklahoma as the starter for the Sooners. The redshirt senior started every game in 2023, helping Oklahoma to a 10-2 record while throwing for 3,660 yards and 30 touchdowns, and adding 373 rushing yards and 12 TDs on the ground.
The left-handed QB has always had impressive passing stats in college, but this year, he added more tools to his tool box by utilizing his legs more often. Gabriel has one more year of eligibility left, and could be a short-term fix at quarterback for a program next year.
Kyle McCord, Ohio State
Ohio State will be in the market for a new starting QB next season. Kyle McCord, who started every game for the Buckeyes in 2023 (3,170 yards passing, 24 TDs, 6 INTs), has entered the transfer portal, according to 247sports.com.
McCord, 21, was one of seven five-star recruits signed by Ohio State in 2021, a class that also included No. 1 overall prospect Quinn Ewers. Ewers transferred to Texas a year later, paving the way for McCord to take over as starting QB after the departure of C.J. Stroud to the NFL.
MORE: Where does Ohio State turn with QB Kyle McCord entering transfer portal?
Brock Vandagriff, Georgia (Kentucky)
Vandagriff is set to leave his hometown school. The Athens-area native has seen limited playing time as a sophomore in 2023 behind Carson Beck and reportedly is ready to look for another opportunity.
A former five-star recruit, the 6-3, 210-pound QB initially committed to Oklahoma before switching his allegiance to the Bulldogs. He also had offers from Alabama, Auburn and Duke, among others.
Vandagriff announced Dec. 6 he is headed to SEC rival Kentucky.
Drew Pyne, Arizona State
Pyne’s transfer from Notre Dame to Arizona State didn’t turn out the way he had hoped, as he appeared in only two games for the Sun Devils this year after playing in 11 for the Irish in 2022.
Pyne, a Connecticut native who turns 23 on Dec. 5, is set to move on once again in a college career that began in 2000.
Bryson Barnes, Utah
Barnes will join Nate Johnson out of Utah, with the former Utes QB set to set out for pastures new after Cameron Rising announced his intention to return to the school for one last injury-free campaign in 2023-24.
That made Barnes — who filled in admirably for Rising when the Utes lacked another option in the position — an untenable prospect.
With 1,517 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns and just nine interceptions, Barnes should have his fair share of suitors going forward.
Tyler Van Dyke, Miami
It was not long ago that Van Dyke was seen as one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, with the possibility of becoming a first-round draft pick. While Van Dyke has had his bright moments and started off the season on a major upswing, he’s met some struggles.
Van Dyke’s touchdown-to-interception ratio, largely due to some faultiness in reading a defense from time to time and decision-making, is an area of concern at 19:12. That’s the worst of his career.
There’s a sense that Van Dyke could get back to his former potential in a different offense, and that a parting of ways in in both he and Miami’s best interest. According to sources, it almost occurred last year when Van Dyke was expected to go to Alabama. Instead, he chose to stay.
Over four years at Miami, Van Dyke holds a 63.7% completion rate, passing for 7,478 yards with 54 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.
Will Rogers, Mississippi State
Some viewed Rogers as having regressed during the 2023 season as he looked uncomfortable within the offense and did not come close to matching the level of production he had reached in previous years.
That’s really not his fault though, as Rogers and the MSU team around him had to overcome the passing of the late Mike Leach, known for his success as an Air Raid guru. The Bulldogs tried to maintain continuity by promoting defensive coordinator Zach Arnett to head coach, but he did anything but that, as he hired offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay and flipped to an entirely different scheme.
Before that, Rogers had shown immense improvement in decision-making, accuracy and release time. He’s one of the best pure passers in the nation, the owner of the SEC’s single-season completion record (505 in 2021) and is the career completions leader with 1,264.
He’s the only signal-caller in conference history with over 1,000 career completions. The next closest (Georgia’s Aaron Murray, 2010-13) holds just 921 completions. He is also listed at fourth on the SEC career passing touchdowns (94).
He will have one year of eligibility remaining.
Will Howard, Kansas State
One of the biggest portal surprises regardless of position was the entry of Howard, who will garner a lot of attention. It is understandable why Howard entered the portal, though, as he split reps during the season with freshman quarterback Avery Johnson, who it appears the Wildcats will be moving forward with into 2024.
While there are other quarterbacks in the portal with some better individual attributes than Howard, he is still largely seen as one the best all-around option available.
He presents dual-threat capabilities as he’s completed just under 60% of his passes for 5,786 yards and 48 touchdowns with 25 interceptions on his career to this point while completing 58.8% of his throws. On the ground, he’s garnered 921 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.
Howard will have one year of eligibility remaining.
Max Johnson, Texas A&M (UNC)
Johnson showed upside as one of the bright spots of a loaded quarterback room at LSU, but once again finds himself in the transfer portal as he was unable to secure and hold onto the starting gig at another school.
Johnson saw the field for eight games at Texas A&M in 2023 and was named the starter when Connor Weigman went down with a season-ending foot injury. Johnson was unable to play in the final three games of the season for the Aggies, though, as he too suffered an injury.
As a graduate transfer, he will have immediate eligibility at UNC without the need to apply for a waiver for the second transfer.
Johnson has 30 games of SEC experience between LSU and Texas A&M, completing 60.5 percent of his passes with 47 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He’s also run for five touchdowns.
Tyler Shough, Texas Tech (Louisville)
Shough is another quarterback who, like Johnson, will be on the second transfer of his career. There was some optimism surrounding Shough after he transferred from Oregon to join the Red Raiders, but instead, he’s had trouble consistently showing what he can put together in his body of work due to injury.
Shough has taken the field just 15 times over three seasons for Texas Tech because of injuries. He’ll look to stay healthy and finish his career strong with a change of scenery. He has a career completion percentage of 63.5 with 36 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
Shough said Dec. 5 he is headed to Louisville.
Blake Shapen, Baylor (Mississippi State)
Shapen’s decision to enter the transfer portal comes around the same time it was announced the program had parted ways with offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes. The Bears are expected to announce the hire of a new offensive coordinator within roughly the next week.
The former three-star recruit started eight games in 2023, putting up 2,188 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions. Among Shapen’s biggest accomplishments is leading Baylor to a Big 12 Championship appearance in 2021, taking the place of an injured Gerry Bohanon. He has at least one year of eligibility remaining and will be immediately eligible.
Nate Johnson, Utah
The former four-star recruit brings a lot of potential to the table, but there’s little chance that potential would have been fully utilized by the Utes with the strength of the current quarterback room. Veteran quarterback Cameron Rising is returning for his seventh year and Bryson Barnes will also come back after he impressed for the majority of the 2023 season.
Johnson temporarily beat out Barnes for the starting position, but was later benched in favor of Barnes. Johnson finished out the season with 499 passing yards and 12 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He also had 235 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns over eight games.
Just a freshman, Johnson enters the portal with plenty of eligibility in search of becoming a team’s long-term option
Athan Kaliakmanis, Minnesota
After finishing out his first full season as the starter, the sophomore announced his entrance to the portal. The move makes sense for Kaliakmanis with a very real competition set to open up in the quarterback room.
Kaliakmanis finished out the season with a 53.1% completion rate, passing for 1,838 yards with 14 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.
Gerry Bohanon, USF
The former Baylor and USF quarterback was announced Tuesday evening to be in search of his next program. Bohanon has shown a lot of potential at times when he’s been healthy, but has dealt with injury issues that have set him back.
Bohanon will be on the sixth year of his college career, completing just under 60% of his passes for 3,464 yards with 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
Bohanon has one year of eligibility remaining.
Hank Bachmeier, Louisiana Tech (Wake Forest)
Bachmeier is looking for his third landing spot after stints at Boise State and Louisiana Tech. The multi-year starter was the No. 7 pro-style quarterback in the Class of 2019 and was Boise State’s highest-ranked signee in the history of the program at the time.
Heading into the sixth year of his career, Bachmeier has completed 63% of his passes for 8,663 yards with 51 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.
Bachmeier will have one year of eligibility remaining at Wake Forest.
E.J. Warner, Temple
Warner, the son of former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner, announced during the week he was departing from Temple. The move comes on the heels of the team missing bowl eligibility for the fourth consecutive season.
He’s thrown for at least 3,000 yards in back-to-back seasons, finishing out the 2023 season with a completion percentage of 57.5%, passing for 3,076 yards with 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Warner will have two years of eligibility remaining at his new destination.
Emmett Morehead, Boston College
Morehead began the season as the starting quarterback for Boston College, later losing his job to Thomas Castellanos.
Morehead, a sophomore, finished out the season 15-of-30 passing for 124 yards in a newly run-heavy offense.
Ken Seals, Vanderbilt
Seals marked the first quarterback to leave the room at Vanderbilt, leaving the Commodores with a lot to think about heading into the 2024 season.
There was a point in time Seals was viewed as a player who could be a legitimate multi-year SEC starter, though there’s been some continuous shakeup at quarterback throughout his time in Nashville.
Perhaps he can find his footing with a change of scenery. In his time at Vandy, Seals completed 60.6% of his passes for 4,292 yards with 28 touchdowns and 22 interceptions.
Seals has two years of eligibility remaining.
A.J. Swann, Vanderbilt
The Commodores also lost Swann to the portal, just one day after Seals announced his intent to transfer. Swann showed a lot of promise, but fell short of where the bar was set, finding himself on the bench due both to injury and poor performance.
“I want to start off by thanking God for guiding me and blessing me with the opportunities I have had,” Swann said in a statement. “I would also like to thank my teammates for sticking with me and being by my side and to all y’all boys, love y’all and I know y’all are gonna be great and can’t wait to see y’all succeed.”
Swann will have two years of eligibility remaining. He finished the 2022 season with a 54.6% completion rate, passing for 1,457 yards with 12 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.
Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina
McCall announced on the afternoon of Nov. 26 that he was leaving Coastal Carolina and entering the transfer portal. This marks the second time McCall has entered the transfer portal after he entered it the first time when Jamey Chadwell departed for the Liberty job.
Under new head coach Tim Beck, McCall threw for 1,919 yards, 10 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He threw for 2,700 yards, 24 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in 11 games during the 2022 season.
McCall at his best and in full-capacity from a health perspective has been one of college football’s most electric players to watch and was once considered one of the best quarterbacks in the nation.
He has one year of eligibility remaining.
Riley Leonard, Duke
Duke starting quarterback Riley Leonard has entered the transfer portal following head coach Mike Elko’s departure to Texas A&M.
Landing a quarterback like Leonard will be a major accomplishment for whichever program snags him as he was considered a potential early first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft before suffering a season-ending foot injury he said he underwent surgery for around early November.
Leonard finished out the season with a 57.6% completion rate, passing for 1,102 yards with 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions as he consistently battled through injuries. He also ran for four touchdowns.
DJ Uiagalelei, Oregon State
Oregon State turned some heads this season as the Beavers made their way into the rankings, but it looks like Uiagalelei won’t be joining them in 2024.
He’s a multi-year starter who saw time at both Clemson and Oregon State in the role. While he ultimately did not become what he was expected to at Clemson, Uiagalelei reestablished himself at OSU and should be strong candidate for several schools with his improvement.
Uiagalelei has one year of eligibility left. He completed 57.1% of his passes for 2,638 yards with 21 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in 2023.
Dante Moore, UCLA
A year before UCLA is slated to head to the Big Ten, its quarterback is going to look for a change of scenery.
Freshman Dante Moore is reportedly entering the transfer portal, according to 247Sports. Moore told 247Sports he is looking for a place that will focus on his development, “making sure you’re bettering yourself every day and having a staff around you that’s going to help develop you.”
Moore was one of the most vaunted prospects coming into 2023, starting as a true freshman after 247Sports Composite Rankings ranked him fourth nationally and third among quarterbacks. Moore, who went to Martin Luther King High in Detroit, appeared in nine games and completed 53.5 percent of his passes for 1,610 yards with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Cam Ward, Washington State
Ward still has a ceiling of being an early-round NFL Draft pick, though there are some things this past season that didn’t exactly go his way.
At Incarnate Word, Ward threw for 4,648 yards, 47 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. In the following season, he started 13 games and threw for 3,231 yards and 23 touchdowns. For 2023, he threw for 3,732 yards, 25 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, while also rushing for eight touchdowns.
Entering the 2024 NFL Draft is a possibility for the grad transfer, though he could stay another year with many pinning Oregon as a possibility for him.
