With spring practices getting underway across the country and the spring transfer window just three weeks away, now is the time to take a look at college football’s 10 most fascinating quarterback battles and their potential transfer portal implications.
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ALABAMA
Contenders: Ty Simpson, Austin Mack, Keelon Russell
The pressure is on for Kalen DeBoer in his second season as the head coach of Alabama and he’ll have a huge decision to make when it comes to his quarterback for this season.
Simpson, Mack and Russell, the No. 1 prospect from the 2025 Rivals250, are the three scholarship quarterbacks Alabama has on its roster. With Russell still getting acclimated to the college level, the starting job will likely go to either Simpson or Mack. The race between the two is very close right now and it would be surprising to see DeBoer declare a winner before the fall. Simpson is rumored to have the slight edge right now but DeBoer’s relationship with Mack, who transferred from Washington to follow DeBoer to Alabama, could pay dividends down the road.
Either way, Alabama needs the depth that all three would provide heading into next season.
CAL
Contenders: Devin Brown, Jaron Sagapolutele
With Fernandoa Mendoza transferring to Indiana in December, Cal looked to the transfer portal to find its next starter. It turns out that the Bears were able to get former commitment Sagapolutele back in the fold after he flipped to Oregon on National Signing Day and they were able to sign Brown after Ohio State finished its season.
With the bulk of spring practice remaining, it seems like Brown is the favorite to win the starting job despite an uneven performance in a recent scrimmage. However, if that becomes a trend, Sagapolutele is within striking distance of being named the starter. The freshman is supposedly ahead of schedule, which bodes well for Cal going forward.
COLORADO
Contenders: Julian Lewis, Kaidon Salter
The quarterback battle at Colorado is one of the most fascinating races of any team in the country. Shedeur Sanders is off to the NFL and head coach Deion Sanders needs to find a replacement.
The long-term future of the Colorado program seems to be in Lewis' hands but the former five-star prospect may not start the season as QB1. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur knows the upside Lewis brings to the field but he also values proven productivity, experience and leadership. Those are all things that Salter brings with him after an impressive career at Liberty.
How quickly will Lewis be able to make up for what he lacks in those areas? We'll have to see how spring practice and the rest of the offseason play out. Either way, both Lewis and Salter are likely to play for the Buffs this fall.
GEORGIA
Contenders: Gunner Stockton, Ryan Puglisi, Ryan Montgomery
Georgia is turning the page after the Carson Beck era and will look to either Stockton, Puglisi or Montgomery. The real race seems to be coming down to Stockton and Puglisi because it would be truly surprising for Montgomery to win this quarterback battle as a freshman.
There are plenty who believe Puglisi could be the starter next season but there is a lot going for Stockton. He gained valuable experience last season and he's been in the Georgia program for a bit longer than Puglisi. On top of that, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo seems to favor Stockton over Puglisi, although he has not said so publicly.
Regardless of who wins the competition, don't expect Georgia to lose any of its quarterbacks to the transfer portal this spring. Head coach Kirby Smart and company have seen what can happen when they let a strong quarterback prospect walk via the transfer portal.
MICHIGAN
Contenders: Bryce Underwood, Mikey Keene, Jadyn Davis
The Wolverines are looking to bounce back in a big way after getting next to no production from the quarterback position last season. Underwood is getting all the headlines but the homegrown five-star isn’t a shoe-in to start right away this fall.
Keene left Fresno State as a grad transfer and his experience as a starter could go a long way for Michigan if he’s named the starter. The Wolverines also have Davis on the roster, who has another year of development under his belt. It will be interesting to see if he’s able to make some waves during spring practice.
With Davis Warren also returning but recovering from a torn ACL, Michigan is set to have four scholarship quarterbacks. If one were to decide to transfer, it wouldn’t be a total shocker.
NORTH CAROLINA
Contenders: Max Johnson, Bryce Baker, Ryan Browne
North Carolina is the most fascinating program in the nation right now thanks to the arrival of Bill Belichick. The six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach had the luxury of having Tom Brady under center for each of those titles. Whoever is the quarterback for the Tar Heels next season, he definitely won’t be Brady.
Right now the options for North Carolina are Johnson, who still has a ways to go in his recovery from a catastrophic leg injury he sustained in the season opener last year, Baker, a true freshman who was a top-100 prospect in the 2025 class and Browne, who played in seven games with two starts over the last two seasons at Purdue.
With Johnson seemingly not a legitimate option, Belichick is left with two potential starting quarterbacks with little to no experience at the college level.
It seems like North Carolina dipping back into the transfer portal for a quarterback is more of a probability than a possibility.
NOTRE DAME
Contenders: Steve Angeli, C.J. Carr, Kenny Minchey
The Fighting Irish are looking to make another deep College Football Playoff run but first they need to sort out who will be lining up under center this season.
The race for the starting quarterback job is a real battle but it appears Angeli has the inside track due to the experience he brings to the table. However, he is by no means too far ahead in the race to count out Carr or Minchey. Carr was one of the highest-ranked prospects in his class when he signed with Notre Dame while Minchey has made a strong impression during his time in South Bend.
However this race turns out, don't expect Notre Dame to bend over backward if whoever finishes third decides to head for the transfer portal. The Fighting Irish have a deep quarterback room and should be able to withstand any major injury that could pop up.
OHIO STATE
Contenders: Julian Sayin, Lincoln Kienholz
The reigning national champions will have a new starting quarterback this season. Head coach Ryan Day and his staff probably won’t announce a winner in this quarterback battle until August but most people feel like Sayin will earn the reins this fall. The former five-star has impressed everyone in Columbus from the moment he arrived on campus but he’ll need to hold off Kienholz. The junior from South Dakota has been patiently waiting for his turn in the spotlight but it doesn’t sound like he’ll be able to beat out Sayin.
Sayin, Kienholz, and five-star freshman Tavien St. Clair are the only three scholarship quarterbacks on Ohio State’s roster so the Buckeyes will do what they need to do to keep any of them from transferring. Don’t rule out Ohio State looking to the portal to add an experienced veteran arm to its roster to help these young quarterbacks along.
OREGON
Contenders: Dante Moore, Austin Novosad, Luke Moga
The Dillon Gabriel era is over at Oregon and the Ducks are full steam ahead but they have not officially named his replacement. Head coach Dan Lanning has called it a quarterback battle and Moore, Novosad and Moga are the main contenders.
It appears the race is trending toward Moore being named the day one starter. The former UCLA quarterback spent last season in Eugene backing up Gabriel and he is seemingly ready to move into the starting role. Novasad was a touted recruit when he signed with Oregon in the 2023 class and he's been a mainstay on that roster since but it will be interesting to see what he does in mid-April.
Oregon will very likely do what it takes to keep all three quarterbacks from entering the transfer portal to ensure they have a strong position group in case of injury.
USC
Contenders: Jayden Maiava, Husan Longstreet, Sam Huard
Head coach Lincoln Riley is hoping to reverse momentum this season and it starts at the quarterback position.
Maiava took over for Miller Moss midway through last season but his play left plenty to be desired. With another offseason under his belt, Maiava is trending to be USC’s starter heading into the 2025 season but it's not a slam dunk. Riley admitted that Maiava is slightly ahead of the pack when it comes to the quarterback race but Longstreet and Huard may have something to say before Riley announces his QB1.
As far as the transfer portal goes, it would be surprising to see any of these three decide to leave this spring regardless of who is named the starter.
