Which teams nailed the 2024 transfer portal quarterback carousel

We’ve arrived at the midseason point of the 2024 slate, with every team playing at least six games thus far this fall. So now is the perfect time to evaluate the most important position on the field. 

Quarterback. Specifically, transfer quarterbacks. 

Close to 100 quarterbacks changed teams this offseason, with more than 30 quarterbacks becoming the immediate starter at their new school. 

So with a strong sample size, did your team nail the 2024 transfer portal quarterback carousel?

Yes, no, TBD? 

Let’s take a look. 

The ACC

Duke — Maybe?

The Blue Devils are 5-1 with Maalik Murphy, but the Texas transfer has feasted on a cupcake schedule (14 touchdowns to five picks) and he’s averaging just 6.9 yards per attempt and is completing just 60.1% of his passes — both which rank 15th in the ACC. 

Florida State — Hell no

The D.J. Uiagalelei experiment is mercifully over. He missed the Clemson game with a finger injury but was effectively benched after a disastrous first five games with the ‘Noles (1-4 record, 53.8% completion with four touchdowns to six picks). 

Louisville — Yes-ish

Tyler Shough started the season like gangbusters for the Cards (eight touchdowns to zero picks while averaging over 11.1 yards per throw), but the seventh-year senior has been much more uneven as the schedule has stiffened. Still, he’s been an upgrade over Jack Plummer and he has the best TD:INT ratio (14:3) in the ACC.

Miami — Ace’d it

Cam Ward is tied for the nation’s lead with 20 touchdowns, and the former Wazzu transfer ranks in the Top 5 in yards, QB rating and yards per attempt. He’s a big reason why the ‘Canes are undefeated and is atop most Heisman Trophy boards.

NC State — Fail

Dave Doeren pounded the portal to upgrade NC State’s entire offense, and while none of the additions have really panned out, Grayson McCall has been a whiff. The once prolific Coastal Carolina gunslinger cannot stay healthy (just two full games played) and his career could be in jeopardy after taking a vicious hit that sent him to the hospital in the loss to Wake Forest. NC State was supposed to be a darkhorse ACC contender this season, and instead are 2-4. 

North Carolina — Nope, X2

The Tar Heels have a lot more problems than just at quarterback, but suffice to say, Mack Brown came up 0-for-2 in the portal this offseason. He brought in Max Johnson from Texas A&M, but wasn’t crazy about what he saw from the veteran over the spring, so he refused to name a starter and then added former UNC backup and Arkansas transfer Jacolby Criswell during the second portal window. Johnson, who suffered season-ending injuries in his final two seasons with the Aggies, ultimately won the job in fall camp but broke his leg in an ugly debut (12 of 19 with 71 yards and a pick) in the opener against Minnesota. Criswell has since started the last four games — all UNC losses. He has eight touchdowns to three picks, but is completing just 56% of his throws with a yards per attempt that ranks 13th in the ACC.

Pitt — Yes

Redshirt freshman Eli Holstein has excelled in Kade Bell’s spread offense, becoming the Panthers’ first-year starter to open the season 6-0 since Dan Mario. He had a clunker the win over Cal last week, but otherwise, Holstein has been really solid overall (15 touchdowns to five picks, 285 yards per game).

Syracuse — Definitely

Fran Brown is going to send Ryan Day a case of champagne at this point, as Kyle McCord has been a major reason why the ‘Cuse are 5-1 with a one-score loss to Stanford away from being undefeated. McCord has thrown some picks (six) but he also has 19 touchdowns and ranks No. 2 nationally in yards per game (360).

Wake Forest — No

Hank Bachmeier has just been ok for Wake Forest, and while he’s not the reason the Demon Deacons are 2-4, the well-traveled transfer hasn’t done much to upgrade the team’s passing offense. Take away Bachmeier’s debut against a bad FCS team, and he’s averaging just 6.7 yards per attempt with six touchdowns and four interceptions.  

The Big Ten

Indiana — Definitely

The Kurtis Rourke Hive is flourishing. The former MAC transfer leads the nation in passing efficiency, and is carving up opponents  (14 touchdowns to two picks) for an undefeated Indiana team that ranks No. 2 nationally in scoring offense (47.5 points per game).

Minnesota — Yes?

Max Brosmer has had his best two games the last two weeks, leading the Gophers to a pair of comeback victories with game-winning touchdown drives. The FCS transfer hasn’t put of the numbers he did at Rhode Island but he has been better than what Minnesota got out of Athan Kaliakmanis last season. 

Michigan State — Probably?

Jonathan Smith brought former blue-chip signee Aidan Chiles with him from Oregon State, but it’s been a very bumpy first season as a starter for the sophomore. Chiles has shown flashes of electric talent but he also has been a turnover turnstile (10 total picks + fumbles). The Spartans are banking on upside and development. 

Northwestern — Nope

Mike Wright didn’t work out at Vanderbilt, Mississippi State or now Northwestern. The nomadic transfer last just two games as the Wildcats’ starter before David Braun pulled the plug and went with Jack Lausch. Wright did not throw a touchdown pass and avenged just 5.4 yards per throw.

Ohio State — Yes

Ryan Day could’ve had his pick of the litter out of the transfer portal this offseason, but the decision to bring in Will Howard from Kansas State looks like a shrewd move. Before the ill-fated slide to end the game at Oregon, Howard was excellent against the  Ducks and his dual-threat ability (19 total touchdowns) has been a great fit in Chip Kelly’s offense. 

Oregon — 100%

Dillon Gabriel was the catalyst in Oregon’s upset over Ohio State, throwing for 340 yards and two scores and then busting off a 25-yard touchdown run. The prolific passer is now among the Heisman Trophy favorites for the No. 2 in the country. 

Rutgers — Shrug 

Could Greg Schiano do better than Athan Kaliakmanis? Probably not. Could Rutgers have landed someone worse? Perhaps. So shrug. Kaliakmanis has been dreadful the last two games (38.5% completion with one touchdown and three picks — both Rutgers losses) but he did help lead the Knights to a 4-0 start, too. So yea. 

Washington — Yes

Will Rogers transferred to Washinton with the expectation that Kalen DeBoer would be his head coach. He briefly re-entered the portal when Jedd Fisch was hired, only to return to Seattle for his fifth-year senior season. And he’s been good. He has 14 touchdowns, just three picks and is pushing the ball vertically more than he ever did in Mike Leach’s ‘Air Raid’ offense at Mississippi State. 

Wisconsin — No 

You could make an argument that this evaluation should simply be dubbed ‘incomplete’ since Tyler Van Dyke tore his ACL early in the Week 3 loss to Alabama. But Van Dyke wasn’t posting impressive numbers against horrible competition in his first two starts with the Badgers, and since turning to sophomore Braedyn Locke, Wisconsin’s offense (and passing game downfield) is suddenly much more explosive. So if the answer was on the roster all along?

The Big 12 

Arizona State — Yes

The news has dampened here a bit with Sam Leavitt suffering a rib injury in the win over Utah, forcing Kenny Dillingham to turn to Jeff Sims this weekend against Cincy. Still, the former Michigan State transfer has come up with timely plays (with his arm and legs) in multiple upset victories. The redshirt freshman’s stats aren’t otherworldly, but that’s not what Dillingham has asked him to do, either. 

Baylor — No

During the preseason, there was excitement around Dequan Finn playing in Jake Spavital’s offense, but the Toledo transfer was just decent for two games before getting hurt in the loss to Utah. The Bears have since turned — and stuck with — Sawyer Robinson, a former Mississippi State transfer who joined the program in 2023. 

Cincy — Definitely 

One of the biggest surprises of the QB carousel has been Brendan Sorsby’s success with the Bearcats. The Indiana transfer has led the team to a 4-2 start and he ranks in the Top 5 of the Big 12 in passing efficiency, touchdowns, yards per attempt and yards. 

UCF — NOPE

KJ Jefferson hasn’t looked right for two seasons now, and the move to UCF did not pan out as expected. Even during the Knights’ 3-0 start, Jefferson was mostly blah outside of a big game against TCU. In the following two games (both UCF losses), he had three picks, a couple fumbles and was benched in a loss to Cincy where Gus Malazhan played two other quarterbacks. 

The SEC 

Arkansas — Sort of

Former Boise State quarterback Taylen Green has had some highs and lows as Arkansas’ starter through six games. He’s 4-2, with some ‘Wow’ moments, but he’s also been responsible for a slew of turnovers in close losses to Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. If he plays a cleaner brand of football, then Sam Pittman might really have something here (70% completion, No. 2 among SEC QBs with 326 rushing yards). 

Kentucky — Not really?

Brock Vandagriff has not looked like a 5-star quarterback with the Wildcats, badly struggling with consistency. He had a couple of big-time throws in the upset over Ole Miss, but that is far-and-away the outlier performance in his season to date. He’s completing just 59% of his passes and he has just two passing touchdowns to one pick in four SEC games. 

Mississippi State — Ish

Operating Jeff Lebby’s offense, Blake Shapen was pretty good through four games (eight touchdowns, one pick at 9.0 per attempt) before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in the loss to Florida. 

Vanderbilt — ABSOLUTELY

Diego Pavia might go down as the most beloved Vandy quarterback ever after leading the ‘Dores to an upset over No. 1 Alabama. He’s also recorded wins against Virginia Tech and Kentucky. The New Mexico State transfer has 388 rushing yards (tops among all SEC quarterbacks) and has 12 total touchdowns with just one pick. 

The INDY

Notre Dame — I think so?

Riley Leonard got off to an inauspicious start with the Irish, but the Duke transfer has settled in the last few weeks, throwing six touchdowns with zero picks in the last three games. Leonard had his best showing in the blowout over Stanford, passing for a season-high 229 yards at 10.4 yards per attempt with three touchdowns (his season-total in 2023). The athletic quarterback has been an asset in Notre Dame’s run game all season, too, rushing for 405 yards and eight touchdowns.