Top 10 quarterbacks available in the NCAA Transfer Portal

Dozens of quarterbacks across the country have entered the NCAA Transfer Portal over the past eight days since it opened officially on December 9.

The list includes a handful of former five-stars looking for new starts, as well as Power 4 backups, Group of Five starters and just about everything in between. A few are already off the board, including the No. 3 QB Luke Kromenhoek (Mississippi State), No. 5 QB Darian Mensah (Duke) and Former Five-Star Plus+ passer Jackson Arnold (Auburn).

Some talented signal-callers remain on the board though, and plenty more are sure to join college football’s version of free agency between now and December 28.

Below are the 10 best-available currently in the portal:

John Mateer

On3 Industry Transfer Portal Ranking: No. 2
Previous School: Washington State

Mateer led the Cougars to an 8-4 record in 2024, as the quarterback threw for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns while rushing for 826 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground. Mateer finished the regular season ranked No. 5 in the nation in total individual offensive production, producing 330.4 yards per game.

He is instantly viewed as one of the top available quarterbacks available on the transfer market, and Oklahoma — which hired his offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle — is considered the favorite to land him.

Fernando Mendoza

On3 Industry Transfer Portal Ranking: No. 16
Previous School: California

Mendoza just completed his third collegiate season at Cal. He has appeared in 20 games over the past two years with all but one of those being starts for the Golden Bears.

In those outings, Mendoza was 418/629 (66.5%) for 4,712 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. He also rushed for 191 yards and four more scores. He has already visited Indiana and is a top target for a handful of other schools.

Maalik Murphy

On3 Industry Transfer Portal Ranking: No. 93
Previous School: Duke

Murphy spent the first three seasons of his collegiate career at Texas and then Duke. Following two seasons as a backup with seven appearances — including a pair of starts — for the Longhorns, Murphy transferred to the Blue Devils where he was their starter this fall.

In their dozen games this season, Murphy had a record-breaking year at quarterback in Durham. He was 254-421 (60.3%) when passing for 2,933 yards, a single-season best for the program with 26 touchdowns, and a dozen interceptions.

Air Noland

On3 Industry Transfer Portal Ranking: No. 63
Previous School: Ohio State

The four-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class enrolled at Ohio State in January and went through spring practice with the Buckeyes. With the addition of Alabama short-term signee Julian Sayin to the quarterback room during the winter transfer portal window, Ohio State had five scholarship quarterbacks throughout spring practice.

While Sayin is expected to be the starter next season, Noland, as well as backup Devin Brown, are hitting the portal looking for an opportunity to see the field elsewhere.

Kaidon Salter

On3 Industry Transfer Portal Ranking: No. 66
Previous School: Liberty

Over his career at Liberty, Salter appeared in 35 games. He redshirted his first year before appearing in 33 contests, 29 of which were starts, the last three seasons. In those outings, Salter completed 412 of 702 attempts (58.7%), while throwing for 5,887 yards, 56 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions. He has also rushed for 2,013 yards and 21 more scores.

He struggled in the Flames’ new offensive system this year though and is currently considering Colorado and Syracuse, among others.

Anthony Colandrea

On3 Industry Transfer Portal Ranking: No. 120
Previous School: Virginia

Colandrea played in 11 games last season with Virginia, throwing for 2,125 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. According to On3’s Hayes Fawcett, Colandrea set three trips to see schools, heading to Ole Miss on Dec. 14 and Pitt on Dec. 16. He also plans to visit Syracuse.

Beau Pribula

On3 Industry Transfer Portal Ranking: No. 138
Previous School: Penn State

Pribula has appeared in 24 games over the past two seasons as a redshirt sophomore in Happy Valley. He has been the backup to Drew Allar during that time but has still been utilized within their offense.

In total, Pribula has completed 37 of 56 passes (66.1%) while throwing for 424 yards, nine touchdowns, and a lone interception. He has also had 94 carries for 571 yards and ten more scores when rushing. Per On3’s Pete Nakos, three programs to watch include Missouri, UCF and Iowa.

JJ Kohl

On3 Industry Transfer Portal Ranking: No. 147
Previous School: Iowa State

After playing in just four games over two seasons for the Cyclones, Kohl is looking for a new destination. He sat behind starter Rocco Becht each of the last two seasons, but was one of the most coveted quarterbacks in the 2023 recruiting class.

The 6-foot-6.5, 230-pound Kohl was the No. 171 overall prospect and No. 12 quarterback in the 2023 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Devin Brown

On3 Industry Transfer Portal Ranking: No. 159
Previous School: Ohio State

Brown came into Ohio State with high expectations in 2022 after putting up eye-popping numbers as a senior at Corner Canyon (Utah). He was saddled with injuries throughout his time in Columbus though, including one in the Buckeyes’ Cotton Bowl loss to Missouri last year. He fell down the depth chart behind transfer Will Howard this year, appearing in eight games in mop-up duty.

He announced his intentions to enter the portal last week but will stay with the Buckeyes through the College Football Playoff.

Caden Veltkamp

On3 Industry Transfer Portal Ranking: No. 169
Previous School: Western Kentucky

After redshirting in 2022, Veltkamp was thrust into the lineup in last year’s bowl game and threw for 383 yards and five touchdowns in a win. He returned to Bowling Green in 2023 and lost a quarterback battle to Texas State transfer TJ Finley. However, an injury knocked Finley out of the lineup and Veltkamp returned to the lineup. The redshirt sophomore ended the season passing for 2,806 yards on 8.0 yards per attempt with a 66.6 percent completion rate.