Cam Ward to NFL Draft created more QB transfer dominos, but Auburn and Miami are left without obvious contingency plans

While the college football world waited to watch this year’s exciting playoff semifinals, the quarterback transfer portal dominos fell fast and furious on New Year’s Day. 

Washington State transfer Cam Ward opted to enter the 2024 NFL Draft, opening the door for former Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei to commit to Florida State and return to the ACC.  

Shortly thereafter, ex-Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson verbally pledged to UCF, hoping to reclamate his career in Gus Malzahn’s offense.

Independently, each of the moves is interesting. Ward reportedly turned down multiple $1 million NIL deals to go pro, believing he can perform well at the NFL Combine and pre-draft process to raise his stock. He’s seen as a potential second-round selection to a possible mid-Day 3 pick. 

Meanwhile, Uiagalelei had long been waiting on Ward to make his decision, and so when that finally happened Monday, the Oregon State transfer quickly pounced on FSU’s opening. The Seminoles were desperate for a veteran bridge QB for freshmen Brock Glenn and Luke Kromenhoek, and now they have a guy with 42 career starts under his belt. Assuredly, there will be all sorts of spicy storylines next season when Uiagalelei plays against his former Tigers teammates. 

But the two “losers” in Monday’s game of musical chairs were Miami and Auburn, both of which had pushed most all their chips in the Cam Ward sweepstakes. 

What's NEXT for Miami Hurricanes as the transfer QB's continue to fall 👀

I talk w/ @PeteNakos_ about the latest developments in the transfer portal.

▶️ https://t.co/1EkPC6szC1 pic.twitter.com/M7T267qasR

— Josh Newberg (@josh_newberg) January 1, 2024

Miami was long seen as the frontrunner for Ward should the Wazzu playmaker remain in college. But after Auburn’s porous offensive showing Saturday in the Music City Bowl, rumors swirled that the Tigers had suddenly become a real factor in Ward’s recruitment. 

It was just a few weeks ago that Huge Freeze had essentially rubber-stamped Payton Throne as the team’s likely starter for 2024, but that notion has clearly been reassessed after Thorne threw for just 84 yards (3.1 per attempt) on 27 passes with a touchdown and interception against the Terps. 

For all of Auburn’s success on the recruiting trail, Freeze failed to land a top QB target from the portal last year and looks to have waited too late to seriously enter the market in 2024. Barring the likes of his former Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter entering the portal in the next several days, Auburn may be forced to reassess the QB market in the second transfer window. 

Similarly, Miami looks hard-pressed to land a veteran quarterback nearly as accomplished as Ward. By waiting so long on Ward, the Hurricanes bypassed other potential options, and although they recruited Kansas State’s Will Howard, he now has even more options with USC, Ohio State and others in the mix. The aforementioned KJ Jefferson had been linked as a possible contingency plan for the Hurricanes, but he came off the board Monday by choosing to play at UCF. 

Miami has since been connected to former USC transfer Malachi Nelson, and while that would be an excellent pickup for the future, the 5-star freshman played just four snaps all season and would not help the Canes’ quest to compete for the ACC in 2024. 

So where does Miami turn?

TBD?

Perhaps it’s a quarterback who isn’t in the portal yet? Maybe they’re hoping to get into the mix with Taulia Tagovailoa, as the Maryland QB is allegedly seeing if he can get a waiver for a sixth season of eligibility.

In both cases, it seems unlikely Miami would have its transfer quarterback available for spring practice. And that’s not great.

These are less-than-ideal situations for both Auburn and Miami — two programs looking to make a leap in 2024. 

The Tigers entered the race for Cam Ward too late, and Miami’s inability to close the deal has put the ‘Canes in a tough spot, too. Both programs will continue to seek a match with a veteran quarterback, but for now at least, neither has many legitimate options.