The quarterback position is the singular No. 1 most important entity for any college program. Without competency at that spot, you stand virtually no chance of being a competitive football team.
The transfer portal has created a situation where teams won’t have to spend years meticulously developing a quarterback. Instead, they can hop into the portal and simply buy a ready-made signal-caller.
This list is going to reflect the latest developments at the position in the portal. Suffice it to say, but there’s been plenty of movement already.
John Mateer: Washington State —> Oklahoma
Mateer is the best player in the portal to date. The Texas native was fantastic this past year on the Palouse, accounting for 29 passing TDs to only 7 INTs. He threw for 3,139 yards at a 64.6 percent completion rate. For good measure, he also rushed for 826 yards and 15 more touchdowns.
With Ben Arbuckle leaving Washington State to become Oklahoma’s new offensive coordinator, it only made sense for Mateer to join him in Norman. He’ll be starting for the Sooners next season, and will immediately be among the most talented dual-threat options nationally.
Fernando Mendoza: Cal —> ?
Mendoza played well in a tough situation up in Berkeley. He didn’t always have great offensive lines in front of him, and the play-calling wasn’t exactly consistent. Having said that, the Miami native is a 6’4″ plus-athlete with the ability to push the ball downfield. Mendoza is also a very likable guy players gravitate toward.
This could ultimately come down to UCLA-Indiana with Georgia sniffing around in the shadows.
Darian Mensah: Tulane —> Duke
In his only year of starting with Tulane, the California native Darian Mensah played extremely well. He connected on nearly 66 percent of his pass attempts. He threw an efficient 22 TDs to only 6 INTs. For a younger player, Mensah did a terrific job in keeping his eyes downfield when searching for receivers.
With Maalik Murphy headed back West, Mensah could ultimately become an upgrade for Manny Diaz in what should be a wide-open ACC in 2025.
Miller Moss: USC —> Louisville
Moss was unceremoniously benched later in the year for reasons rather unknown. It wasn’t Moss’s fault that USC’s defense was borderline bad.
He does have some limitations. There’s not much there in the way of dual-threat ability. Moss also doesn’t have a cannon of a right arm. Having said that, he’s experienced, a good leader, and is an accurate thrower of the football.
Maalik Murphy: Duke —> Oregon State
This was an interesting one. Coming in from Texas, Murphy started this past year for Duke. He threw for 26 TDs to 12 INTs. You saw moments where anyone would be ‘wowed’ by Murphy’s arm strength on throws downfield.
At the same time, Murphy wasn’t a threat to run. The turnovers were problematic as well. Originally from Los Angeles, he’s since found himself back at an old member of the Pac-12 in Corvallis.
Jackson Arnold: Oklahoma —> Auburn
Arnold was a big-time recruit out of high school. In two years with Oklahoma, he really wasn’t all that bad — combining to throw 16 TDs to only 6 INTs on a 62.9 percent clip. In 10 games this year, he rushed for 444 yards and would’ve likely had more with a better offensive line in front of him.
At Auburn under Hugh Freeze, he should be in a better position to realize his talent. We’ll see if Arnold actually becomes the starter. From Freeze’s point of view, you’re getting a talented and motivated kid with starting experience in the SEC.
Kaidon Salter: Liberty —> Colorado
Salter was a perfect get by Coach Prime in the wake of likely losing son Shedeur to the NFL Draft.
Salter was the most prolific dual-threat QB in the P5 group. He’s thrown for over 1,000 yards in each of the last three seasons. In four years with the program, he’s rushed for 2,006 yards and 21 touchdowns and also threw for 5,889 yards and 56 touchdowns. Salter will walk into a starting spot with the hopes of leading Colorado to a Big 12 Title and eventually a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Michael Van Buren Jr.: Mississippi State —> LSU
The Maryland native was once committed to Oregon in high school before ending up at Mississippi State.
As a true freshman, Van Buren played in 10 games. He took over the QB1 role when the projected starter went down with an injury. It was tough sledding for the diminutive signal-caller. MSU was a dumpster fire all year. However, he did manage to accrue 11 TDs to 7 INTs.
Van Buren was constantly running for his life — which didn’t exactly help his completion percentage (54.7 percent). With that said, he’s a talented kid who has some real juice with his arm and legs. LSU is hoping with a more stable situation Van Buren can take the next step and be the team’s quarterback of the future.
