Top 10 quarterbacks in the NCAA transfer portal

The NCAA transfer portal is quickly filling up with names, with more than 1,000 players entering on Monday, the first day in a 45-day window to transfer without penalty. On3 provides football transfer portal rankings broken down by position, and today we look at the Top 10 quarterbacks available in the 2023 transfer portal.

ACC quarterbacks hold four of the top five spots among players currently in the portal, led by NC State‘s Devin Leary.

Leary underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle, with the Wolfpack announcing his season was over on Oct. 15. The NC State veteran has thrown for 6,807 yards and 62 touchdowns in his career, against 16 interceptions.

He’s not the only ACC gunslinger available among the Top 10 quarterbacks in the NCAA transfer portal.

Virginia‘s Brennan Armstrong, Clemson‘s DJ Uiagalelei, Boston College‘s Phil Jurkovec and North Carolina‘s Jacolby Criswell also made the cut.

Here are the Top 10 quarterbacks in the On3 transfer portal rankings as of Dec. 6, 2022.

Top 10 Quarterbacks in NCAA Transfer Portal

1. Devin Leary, NC State: The Wolfpack thought they had a shot at the ACC title entering 2022, but much of that hope rested on the arm of Leary and a stingy defense. When Leary suffered a season-ending pectoral injury, the Wolfpack struggled to recover. The veteran threw for 1,265 yards and 11 touchdowns before he was injured this season.

2. Brennan Armstrong, Virginia: An effective dual-threat quarterback, Armstrong has racked up 1,267 career rushing yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground. He has also thrown for 9,034 yards and 58 touchdowns across five seasons, though he has been picked off 35 times. Armstrong will provide whatever team plucks him out of the 2023 NCAA transfer portal with a lot of experience.

3. DJ Uiagalelei, Clemson: The Tigers weren’t able to reach the College Football Playoffs in 2022, stumbling in the regular-season finale against South Carolina. Uiagalelei was much improved through the first two-thirds of the season but struggled down the stretch and lost the starting job to freshman star Cade Klubnik. Uiagalelei has plenty of experience, has run for 913 yards and 15 touchdowns and has thrown for 36 scores against 17 interceptions, racking up 5,681 passing yards in three seasons with the Tigers.

4. Austin Reed, Western Kentucky: The On3 transfer portal rankings were created, in part, because players like Reed hit the portal seemingly every year now. Playing in Conference USA, Reed put up monster numbers. He finished second in the nation at 326.7 yards per game, while finishing sixth nationally in total offense per game at 342.0 yards per game. He’ll have no shortage of suitors.

5. Phil Jurkovec, Boston College: One of the most savvy veterans in the 2023 transfer portal, Jurkovec was hamstrung behind a Boston College offensive line that replaced all five starters from 2021 and got him hammered all year long. He missed the final month of the season due to injury. In five years, two at Notre Dame and three at Boston College, Jurkovec has 5,405 yards passing, 37 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. He has also run for 568 yards and nine touchdowns. Jurkovec has committed to Pittsburgh.

6. Nick Evers, Oklahoma:One of the top targets for a handful of programs in the 2022 recruiting cycle, Evers was committed to Florida under former head coach Dan Mullen, only to flip to Oklahoma after coaching changes at both programs. Evers was a former four-star prospect and top-150 recruit nationally, but he threw just one pass for the Sooners as a true freshman.

7. Hudson Card, Texas: Following an injury to starter Quinn Ewers, Card came in against then-No. 1 Alabama and played very well, almost leading the Longhorns to an upset win. But Ewers regained the job when he returned to health, leaving Card watching from the bench. Card finished the season 75-of-108 passing for 1,523 yards with six touchdowns and one interception. He was a third-year sophomore.

8. Jacolby Criswell, North Carolina: With Drake Maye emerging as a fringe Heisman Trophy candidate during the 2022 campaign, Criswell seemed to see the writing on the wall and hit the 2023 transfer portal for a 2023 opportunity elsewhere. In three years at UNC he has thrown just 31 passes, but he’s a quality athlete who was a former four-star prospect as a recruit.

9. Cade McNamara, Michigan: After leading the Wolverines to a Big Ten title and the College Football Playoff in 2021, McNamara lost his job to promising sophomore JJ McCarthy after a battle early in the season. McNamara threw for 2,576 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior in 2021. He has committed to Iowa and will provide the Hawkeyes with a veteran quarterback with plenty of Big Ten experience.

10. Hank Bachmeier, Boise State: After the Broncos started the season 2-2, Bachmeier opted to call it a year to preserve his eligibility for a transfer after a four-year career at Boise State. In his four seasons in blue, he threw for 6,605 yards and 41 touchdowns, against 19 interceptions. He added three rushing touchdowns, as well.

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