The transfer portal window for the 2024 season is nearing its opening. However, that hasn’t stopped student-athletes wanting a change of scenery from announcing their intentions to transfer or those graduate transfers from already hopping into the portal.
With quarterbacks landing easily as the most important position on the field, we look at the top quarterback rankings from those athletes in the transfer portal.
Transfer Portal QB Rankings
This list will be updated daily with the new portal entrants.
The rankings used here will take into consideration both eligibility left for the athletes as well as their on-field success. Some programs will be looking for long-term solutions while others will be in the market for a veteran signal-caller to land as a bridge QB for a single season.
MORE: College Football Transfer Portal Tracker
These quarterbacks all have the potential to be program-changing players when all is said and done.
1) Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma
Next School: Oregon Ducks
A top-10 passer all-time, Dillon Gabriel’s entrance into the portal came as both a shock and a boost to those looking for a veteran signal-caller who can elevate the team around him. The left-handed quarterback has been around the block and is just over 4,000 yards away from the crown for most passing yards in college football history.
MORE: Dillon Gabriel to Transfer to Oregon
He’ll likely be looking for a new school where he can contend for a title while throwing the ball around the field freely. Gabriel is easily the best quarterback in the portal as he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the country overall.
2) DJ Uiagalelei, Oregon State
A career-revitalizing season in 2023, DJ Uiagalalei is back in the transfer portal following a stellar season for the Oregon State Beavers. Uiagalalei brought back the promise that saw him enter Clemson as one of the highest-rated recruits of all time.
MORE: DJ Uiagalelei Landing Spots
His season at Oregon State is now marred by the end of .. well an era and .. season that saw the Beavers lose their coach and have no conference to play within next year, and as such, his decision to transfer is not a surprise. His veteran leadership services will be coveted and he’s absolutely one of the most talented quarterbacks if he can land in the right system.
3) Jordan McCloud, JMU
The top Group of Five quarterback in the transfer portal is the well-traveled Jordan McCloud. From USF to Arizona to Harrisonburg, Virginia, McCloud was never better than he was in 2023 for JMU.
McCloud led James Madison to new heights and became the face of their franchise as they rocketed to fame as America’s team. He spread the ball around the field and was one of just two quarterbacks to throw to two 1,000-yard receivers, the other being LSU’s Jayden Daniels.
With head coach Curt Cignetti taking the job at Indiana, JMU’s mass exodus of players saw their veteran signal-caller follow suit and we wouldn’t be surprised if he made the leap to the Big Ten all the same.
4) Cam Ward, Washington State
The transfer portal got a big boost ahead of its opening from a quarterback in the same situation as DJ Uiagalalei. Cam Ward bolts from Washington State two seasons after arriving from Incarnate Word. He’s a gunslinger with some impressive accuracy and incredible arm talent.
MORE: Cam Ward Landing Spots
Ward’s lone issue as a quarterback has always been ball security, but in a system that sees him get the ball out quickly, he’ll push himself up the NFL Draft quarterback board all the same.
5) Chandler Rogers, North Texas
A dominant player for the North Texas Mean Green, Chandler Rogers’ injection into the portal gave a QB-needy team yet another option for a veteran leader. The best part about Rogers is the fact that he’s done this before and immediately dominated.
Rogers had just previously transferred in to North Texas, and despite not winning the starting job out of camp, quickly assumed the starting role and ran with it. He was dominant with both his arm and his legs and put his name on the national radar in doing so.
6) Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina
One of the all-time greats at the quarterback position, Grayson McCall had a down year in 2023 with Coastal Carolina. Still, when he’s on top of his game, McCall is incredibly accurate, sharp with his decision-making, and possesses an underrated dual-threat ability.
MORE: Grayson McCall Landing Spots
McCall is looking to break loose of the Coastal offense and unleash his arm talent on unsuspected defenses for the second season in a row after flirting with the portal a year ago. He’s a veteran who will have to learn a new offense, unless he transfers somewhere friendly.
7) KJ Jefferson, Arkansas
There is a lot of promise with KJ Jefferson and he’s arguably the top dual-threat quarterback in the portal. With his bruising running style, keeping him healthy has been a key for Arkansas (he was even lost in the final game for the Razorbacks this season).
MORE: KJ Jefferson Landing Spots
When he’s kept clean in the pocket, Jefferson has impressive arm talent but some questionable decision-making. He’ll thrive in a quick-read offense that looks to utilize his dual-threat ability safely.
8) Riley Leonard, Duke
There was a time when Riley Leonard had the needle moving in the right direction for Duke as a passer, but that came to a swift end this year with injuries. Still, that injury notwithstanding, Leonard is one of the top passers in the portal, without a doubt.
MORE: Riley Leonard Landing Spots
He’ll enter a new offense — or a familiar one at Texas A&M — with renewed hope for a clean bill of health. Leonard is accurate with the football to all levels of the field and does have some underappreciated athleticism that he uses to buy time and maintain vision downfield.
9) Dequan Finn, Toledo
With back-to-back MAC Championship appearances, few quarterbacks have as many wins as the starter than Dequan Finn. That goes for not just QBs in the portal but starting QBs in general at the college level.
Finn is an elite dual-threat option who has shown he can throw on any defense in front of him. After a near-upset over Illinois to start the season, Toledo rallied off double-digit consecutive wins and Finn had never looked better.
10) Kurtis Rourke, Ohio
A dynamic dual-threat athlete when he’s on top of his game, Kurtis Rourke is another valuable addition to a team in need of a playmaker at quarterback. He’s an accurate downfield thrower and plays well within the structure of an offense.
When forced off his spot and to make something out of nothing, Rourke has shown to be an elite creator. Dominant with his legs, Rourke can create from anywhere on the field and is accurate from any arm angle.
11) Taylen Green, Boise State
Leaving a lasting impression with his performance in the Mountain West Championship Game, Taylan Green should be a coveted asset in the portal this offseason. Green has elite size and tools.
Though his accuracy was erratic at times in 2023, his top-level play mirrors some of the best quarterbacks in the country. Finding a simplified offense that can allow him to get the ball out of his hands quickly and utilize his legs would behoove Green and his future team’s season prospects.
12) Kyle McCord, Ohio State
There was never any elevation of talent around him at Kyle McCord, and he had the benefit of throwing to a generational quarterback, but the pieces are there for him to take a step forward. Though the lasting impression of him is an interception to the hands of rival Michigan, the former Ohio State quarterback should be coveted in the portal all the same.
MORE: Kyle McCord Landing Spots
He ran the Ohio State offense incredibly well and a change of scenery — and a lot less pressure somewhere else — may do him wonders.
13) Will Howard, Kansas State
Will Howard is a big deal, physically and literally. Standing tall in the pocket, Howard can deliver NFL throws with the best of them and has no trouble distributing the ball in progression.
He’ll stare down receivers at times and isn’t the most athletic guy when he is forced off his spot, but Howard has done a great job of managing drives and staying ahead of schedule in his time at Kansas State. After all, he did win the Big 12 with the Wildcats in 2022, so he brings with him a winning pedigree all the same.
14) Dante Moore, UCLA
The going got tough for UCLA in 2023 but the promise is absolutely there for Dante Moore. He exits after flashing some incredible arm talent but incredibly shaky decisions during his true freshman season.
MORE: Dante Moore Landing Spots
We knew the road would be bumpy for him as the starting quarterback as a true freshman in the Pac-12, but we saw enough to warrant a ton more looks for him going forward. He’s dynamic and has a gunslinger attitude about him that, if he can harness it, will make for impressive viewing, multiple wins, and eventually an NFL Draft selection.
Other Top Portal QBs
- Tyler Van Dyke, Miami (FL)
- Brayden Schager, Hawaii
- Aidan Chiles, Oregon State
- Will Rogers, Mississippi State
- E.J. Warner, Temple
- Cam Fancher, Marshall
- AJ Swann, Vanderbilt
- Tyler Shough, Texas Tech (Transferred to Louisville)
- Blake Shapen, Baylor (Transferred to Mississippi State)
- Brendan Sorsby, Indiana
- Athan Kaliakmanis, Minnesota
- Logan Fife, Fresno State
- Jase Bauer, Central Michigan