Every year, transfers flood the college football offseason news. This is especially true for quarterbacks, who look for the best opportunity to see the field. Here are the top quarterback transfers for the 2023 college football season.
Note: Only quarterbacks who are eligible for the 2023 season will be listed.
Brennan Armstrong, NC State Wolfpack
Armstrong started his career out at Virginia, where he spent five seasons with the Cavaliers. He played only a little bit in his first two seasons, but then started stepping into the starting lineup. His best season was 2021, when he passed for 4,449 yards, 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on 65.2 percent completion. A down 2022 season with a new coaching staff opened the door for Armstrong to transfer.
With NC State having Devin Leary transferring out, Armstrong will slide right in and start for the Wolfpack. Last season, NC State won eight games and return 10 starters to the team. If Armstrong can help by using his arm and legs to move the chains, NC State will be going bowling again.
Sam Hartman, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Hartman has been one of the more productive quarterbacks in college football over the last few seasons. In five seasons for Wake Forest, Hartman has passed for 12,967 yards, 110 touchdowns and 41 interceptions on 63.1 percent completion. As one of the more experienced players at the position, Hartman decided to challenge himself by transferring to Notre Dame.
The Fighting Irish started last season off slowly, but finished with a 9-4 record. One of their biggest weaknesses was their passing offense, which ranked 97th in the country. Hartman immediately helps fix their biggest issue. They have a tough schedule this season, but Notre Dame can improve because of the improved quarterback play.
Devin Leary, Kentucky Wildcats
Leary played four seasons at NC State where he helped the team make three bowl games while battling through injuries. His best season was 2021, when he was able to stay healthy. He passed for 3,433 yards, 35 touchdowns and three interceptions on 65.7 percent completion. Leary now is joining Kentucky where he hopes to stay healthy and improve his draft stock.
For the Wildcats, Leary will also be tasked with improving a bad passing attack from a season ago. In 2022, the Wildcats had the 94th-ranked passing offense in the country. They were still able to win seven games, but with an improved offensive line and Leary at quarterback, the Wildcats could get a few more wins. What also helps is offensive coordinator Liam Coen is back after leaving the school for one year to fill the same position for the Los Angeles Rams.
Cade McNamara, Iowa Hawkeyes
McNamara was able to help Michigan do great things during his time at the school. He was the starting quarterback in 2021, helping the Wolverines make the first of two College Football Playoffs. McNamara passed for 2,576 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions on 64.2 percent completion. Unfortunately, McNamara was benched in 2022 when the Wolverines turned the reins of the offense over to J.J. McCarthy.
After backing up McCarthy last season, McNamara decided to transfer to Iowa, where he will once again be lining up in a pro-style offense. The Iowa offense was one of the worst in the country and their inability to find a good quarterback has been a key issue. The Hawkeyes will still run the ball a lot, but if McNamara can make some key throws, they could improve on their eight wins from lasts season.
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado Buffaloes
After Deion Sanders took the Colorado job, Shedeur decided to follow suit. He played two seasons at Jackson State where he had plenty of success. In 2022, he passed for 3,396 yards and 36 touchdowns. He won the Jerry Rice Award in 2021, which is awarded to the best freshman in the FCS.
Sanders finds himself in a tough situation at Colorado. They team won just one game last season. While his father has brought in plenty of talent to help, there were also plenty of players who left via the portal. Sanders has played well before, but now he’ll have to prove himself at a new level with a lot of new faces.
DJ Uiagalelei, Oregon State Beavers
As a five-star prospect, Uiagalelei signed with Clemson out of high school. He backed up Trevor Lawrence in his first season, then took over the starting job in 2021. Over the last two seasons of his time at Clemson, Uiagalelei struggled to find consistency. He passed for 5,681 yards, 36 touchdowns and 17 interceptions on 59.8 percent completion.
Clemson decided to roll with Cade Klubnik and Uiagalelei transferred to Oregon State. The Beavers won 10 games last season, but struggled to move the ball through the air, ranking 104th for passing offenses. Uiagalelei has talent, but needs to read defenses better. If he can do that, Oregon State may have the quarterback they have been looking for over the past few seasons.
Other Notable Quarterback Transfers
Luke Altmyer, Illinois Fighting Illini- Altmyer started his career out at Ole Miss, but now gets a chance to lead Illinois.
Alan Bowman, Oklahoma State Cowboys- Bowman has played for Texas Tech then Michigan during his career. Now he will get a chance to start for Oklahoma State as a player with the most experience at the position on the team.
Tyler Buchner, Alabama Crimson Tide- With Sam Hartman winning the starting quarterback job in the spring at Notre Dame, Buchner decided to transfer to Alabama to rejoin his former offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.
Hudson Card, Purdue Boilermakers- Card played well when filling in for Ewers last season at Texas. With the Longhorns having Ewers, Maalik Murphy and Arch Manning on the roster, it was a good decision to transfer and go somewhere he can play.
Emory Jones, Cincinnati Bearcats- Jones started his career at Florida, played last season at Arizona State and now joins Cincinnati. His play could help the Bearcats adjust to Big 12 play.
Phil Jurkovec, Pittsburgh Panthers– Over his career, Jurkovec has battled injuries. He showed his talent at Boston College and will be looking for a healthy and good season in 2023.
Graham Mertz, Florida Gators– Things didn’t quite work out for Mertz at Wisconsin after he was the best recruit they had ever signed at the position. The Gators needed a quarterback after Anthony Richardson went pro and Mertz does provide experience.
Tanner Mordecai, Wisconsin Badgers– Mordecai put up big numbers for SMU. Now he has a chance to start for Wisconsin in Luke Fickell’s first year as head coach.
Drew Pyne, Arizona State Sun Devils– Pyne had some good moments at Notre Dame, but decided to transfer. He went 8-2 as a starter at Notre Dame and could help Arizona State turn things around after they won three games last season.
Spencer Sanders, Ole Miss Rebels– Jaxson Dart still figures to be the starter, but Sanders could have a special package of plays for Ole Miss. He has passed for over 10,000 yards in his career at Oklahoma State.
Jeff Sims, Nebraska Cornhuskers- Sims showed he can make things happen with both his arm and legs at Georgia Tech for three seasons. He is now set to be the quarterback for Matt Rhule’s first season at Nebraska.
Kedon Slovis, BYU Cougars– Slovis has transferred from USC to Pittsburgh to BYU trying to find a home. His best season was his freshman season, so he’ll be looking to refind that form.
Donovan Smith, Houston Cougars– Tyler Shough was hurt last season and Smith filled in decently for him at Texas Tech. Now he joins Houston, where he will get a chance to play his former team in conference.
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