LSU Tigers’ transfer AJ Sawnn moves to the Appalachian State Mountaineers to replace Joey Aguilar, who departed in the portal. He has big shoes to fill on the mountain, but his play with the Vanderbilt Commodores in 2022 and 2023 showcases that he has the ability to be an upper-tier starter.
Jaylen Raynor ranked third among Sun Belt QBs with 259 pass completions, whilst also throwing the most pass attempts of any passer in the conference (420) in 2024. The Arkansas State Red Wolves’ quarterback returns for his third season in Jonesboro and has proven to be incredibly consistent as a starter.
Transferring from the Maryland Terrapins, MJ Morris is the presumed starter for the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. It reunites the former NC State Wolfpack quarterback with his former OC, Tim Beck, who got to see Morris up close and personal as a freshman.
Ranking second among Sun Belt QBs in 2024 in pass completions (269) and pass attempts (410), the Georgia Southern Eagles weren’t afraid to let JC French throw the ball. He racked up 2,831 passing yards while completing 65.6% of his attempts.
Christian Veilleux returns to the Georgia State Panthers in 2025, ranking ninth in the Sun Belt in passing yards (2,047) a year ago. The former Pittsburgh Panthers and Penn State Nittany Lions transfer impressed in his first season in Atlanta and should be expected to increase his output as a second-year starter.
Matthew Sluka’s career is closely tied to the James Madison Dukes coaching staff. The FCS star played under HC Bob Chesney and OC Dean Kennedy at Holy Cross before transferring to the UNLV Rebels, where he left due to an NIL dispute. His pairing up with Chesney, who can make the most of his rushing ability, makes sense, even if it is harsh on 2024 starter Alonza Barnett III.
After rarely seeing the field for two SEC teams, Walker Howard transfers to the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns and is the projected starter ahead of the 2025 season. The former LSU and Ole Miss Rebels player has only 10 passing attempts for 56 yards across his three-year career, and returns home as a Lafayette native.
Zion Turner joined the Marshall Thundering Herd in the winter transfer portal, adding vital talent to the roster. The Jacksonville State transfer only threw one pass in 2024, but as a freshman at UConn, he passed for 1,407 yards and nine touchdowns in 13 games.
Starting eight games in 2024, Colton Joseph threw for 1,627 yards and 11 touchdowns as he ranked seventh in the Sun Belt with 7.3 yards per passing attempt. The former three-star recruit also tied for fourth in the conference with 11 touchdowns, showcasing his dual-threat ability by also having two games passing for 300+ yards.
The loss of Lopez to the transfer portal has hit the South Alabama Jaguars hard, but Major Applewhite may have the answer in attracting Zach Pyron. The former Georgia Tech quarterback threw for 409 yards in 10 games in 2024 and opted to transfer to Minnesota before entering the spring portal. Pyron will be looking to cement himself as the starter in Mobile and lead the Jaguars to improved form from their 7-6 record in each of the last two seasons.
Braylon Braxton has transferred within the conference, heading from Marshall to the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. It is easy to see why Charles Huff was interested in bringing in the QB. Braxton ranked fourth in the conference with an average of 7.9 yards per passing attempt and fourth with 19 touchdowns. Meanwhile, his passing efficiency rating of 154.9 was second-best in the Sun Belt.
The QB1 competition in San Marcos is no joke. Any one of Brad Jackson, Holden Geriner, Nare Yarnell, or Keldric Luster could be named the starter in the summer. The inside line is projected to be held by Yarnell, whose 1,056 yards and 10 touchdowns in 9 appearances at Pitt in 2024 prove that he has the playmaking capacity to replace Jordan McCloud.
All signs have pointed to Goose Crowder projecting as the Day 1 starter for the Troy Trojans. Matthew Caldwell has entered the transfer portal, signalling a clear runway for the 2024 starter to regain his place. With Crowder now back from injury, he should cement himself again as Gerad Parker’s starting quarterback.
In 12 appearances in 2024, Aidan Armenta completed 104 of his 190 pass attempts for 1,292 yards and nine touchdowns. But he did throw 10 interceptions. Named the starter from the off in 2025 will only serve to boost Armenta’s stock ahead of the season, but the sophomore still has some evolving and developing to do to be considered amongst the best QBs in the Sun Belt.
