Vanderbilt QB Nate Johnson plans to enter transfer portal

Vanderbilt QB Nate Johnson plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Johnson told Thamel that he is open to playing both quarterback and wide receiver at his new landing spot. He’ll have two years of eligibility remaining ahead of the 2025 college football season.

He is a former four-star recruit in the 2022 recruiting class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, which is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. Johnson was the No. 351 overall recruit and No. 20 quarterback in his class.

Johnson transferred into the Commodores program over the offseason from Utah. Johnson appeared in 12 games for the Utes across two seasons, completing 55 percent of his passes while throwing for 515 yards and four touchdowns. He battled with Diego Pavia for the starting job throughout the offseason, but Pavia eventually emerged as the team’s full-time starter.

In that time, he played in 11 games, including three starts last season. In his opportunities this past year, he threw for 499 yards and a trio of touchdowns on 54.2% completion.

During his lone season in Nashville, Johnson logged stats in five games for the Commodores. He threw three passes during the 2024 season but was used as a rushing threat and totaled 11 carries for 114 yards and a touchdown.

The portal officially opens on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. More than 2,800 FBS scholarship players entered their names into the NCAA’s transfer database during the 2023-24 school year. Removing those who withdrew or went the professional route, the final total sat at 2,707 transfers.

That means roughly 25 percent of all FBS scholarship players hit free agency in one year, per On3’s Pete Nakos.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.