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Mike Marteny takes a look at the 10 best quarterbacks based on fantasy potential after the first window of the 2025 college football transfer portal closed.
119 quarterbacks have already entered the transfer portal during the first window. This transfer window had by far the most activity last year and that appears to be the case again this year. 132 quarterbacks were in the portal by this time last year, so we've seen a slight decrease in quantity but not in quality.
Jaden Rashada is the only quarterback in the portal who has not found a home. Given his track record, he may not. The Cal and Fresno jobs have already been taken. That said, Michigan somehow whiffed on every major portal quarterback. Who knows where Rashada will end up? He might even wind up at Michigan!
Air Noland went from third-string at Ohio State to backup at South Carolina, but he's still one of the most talented players to make a move. Freshman Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele spent one whole week at Oregon before transferring to Cal where he'll compete for the starting job against former Ohio State backup Devin Brown. All of them will be left off the list accordingly.
QB Transfer Impacts Last Season
I whiffed on a couple of these last year. Dequan Finn got hurt early and ultimately lost his job to Sawyer Robertson. DJ Uiagalelei was a mess for a Florida State team that had the worst season in generations. K.J. Jefferson was solid for Central Florida when healthy. Malachi Nelson was the best that never was at Boise. He's in the portal again after never winning the job in Boise.
I probably had Will Rogers too high. He wasn't a great fit for Washington. I had Kyle McCord too low. He had a season for the ages at Syracuse. I also had Will Howard too low since...you know...he won a championship. Cam Ward at the top was an easy pick.
After the Malachi Nelson debacle last year, I'm going to try to keep those quarterbacks who haven't won the job off the list. Of course, it's hard to know who will start and who won't. Coaches are now foregoing spring games because of tampering. Starters won't be decided until August in many places.
10. Thomas Castellanos, Florida State (from Boston College)
Thomas Castellanos is a fun, creative runner with excellent vision/feel and impressive change-of-direction ability.
He seems to be a good fit for what Gus Malzahn does.
What grade do you give FSU's transfer addition at QB?https://t.co/IrupPBpWCo pic.twitter.com/BQoMVxob7y
— Brendan Sonnone (@BSonnone) January 9, 2025
Castellanos trades one shade of garnet and gold for another -- the one that he wanted in the first place. He's from Waycross, Georgia, and grew up wanting to play for Florida State. Better late than never! This is a good fit whereas DJ Uiagalelei felt like a bit of a reach last year.
Castellanos doesn't have a cannon for an arm, but he won't need to in this offense. Gus Malzahn knows how to get the most out of mobile quarterbacks (Cam Newton, Dillon Gabriel, and John Rhys Plumlee, to name a few). I could end up having Castellanos too low on the list, but the leash might be shorter than normal after last year in Tallahassee.
9. Luke Kromenhoek, Mississippi State (from Florida State)
BREAKING? : Coach Jeff Lebby signs the highest rated QB in all Mississippi universities history.
Luke Kromenhoek a Five-Star + prospect out ranks previous top prospect, Mississippi QB Eli Manning.
“I am very grateful for this opportunity and honor. Merry Christmas” - Luke pic.twitter.com/qysFV2U9RD
— John D. Winchester (@JWinDawg) December 17, 2024
Kromenhoek started the last two games in the lost season for Florida State last year. He beat Charleston Southern and got smashed by Florida. It is worth noting that Florida didn't force a turnover out of him.
Kromenhoek is huge (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) with good speed, so he's more like Michael Van Buren than Will Rogers. We saw the Mississippi State offense evolve off of the air raid last season, relying less on short passes and passes to the backs. Kromenhoek is a good fit in the offense, but I do have questions about how good the team around him is.
8. Darian Mensah, Duke (from Tulane)
That’s Darian Mensah the top quarterback in the transfer portal with the Cameron Crazies who remained on campus during the break of Duke basketball’s win last night. pic.twitter.com/hliVGHhTDr
— Blue Devil Nation (@BlueDevilNation) December 11, 2024
Mensah had Tulane in the playoff race last year, throwing for 2,723 yards and 22 touchdowns with only six interceptions. The big question here is whether Duke's offensive ineptitude was the quarterback (Maalik Murphy) or the system. I thought Murphy was a solid fit last year, but Duke didn't give him much to work with.
Landing Anderson Castle from Appalachian State will help, but the running game wasn't the problem last year. Duke needs receivers. Mensah played well in a run-centric offense last year and may be asked to do the same. We'll see how the Spring window goes for Duke, but I'm cautiously optimistic.
7. Devon Dampier, Utah (from New Mexico)
Devon Dampier is going to fun to watch at Utah ?
pic.twitter.com/8z7UKI7f61— SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) February 4, 2025
The Cameron Rising saga is finally over in Utah. Dampier is going to feel like the first cool breeze of fall in Salt Lake. That highlight above showcases the arm strength and he can run with the best of them. His offensive line at New Mexico was not very good, and he still ran for 1,166 yards.
Washington State transfer Wayshawn Parker will join him in the Utah backfield, so don't expect Dampier to run as much this season. It's not all roses for Dampier. He threw as many interceptions as touchdowns (12) last season. He needs to make better decisions, but Dampier has enormous potential in this situation.
6. Kaidon Salter, Colorado (from Liberty)
Kaidon Salter has one of the most UNDERRATED arms in college ball.
Salter reportedly believes he’ll be able to “perform at a level” that is similar to Shedeur Sanders.
Salter was recently asked about his opinions on Colorado’s next season, and he said this:
“Shedeur did his… pic.twitter.com/crc4NtzSjC
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) February 5, 2025
Salter had a season for the ages in 2023 in pushing Liberty to a New Year's Six Bowl. Last year was a giant step back in both stats and team performance. An upheaval of the coaching staff had a lot to do with that. We're about to find out if Deion Sanders made Shedeur great just because it was his son or if there was something more to it.
Shedeur Sanders made a seamless transition from FCS Jackson State to Colorado. Salter thinks he can do the same. I'm not going to argue with him. We've seen how explosive the Colorado offense is, even behind a less-than-stellar line. Everything else has improved even though Sanders and Travis Hunter are gone.
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5. Michael Van Buren Jr., LSU (from Mississippi State)
This one is tough for me because I think Brian Kelly is a schmuck, but he must have made quite a pitch to get Van Buren. Van Buren had some great years in front of him at Mississippi State. Now they'll come in Red Stick with a better supporting cast around him.
LSU’s newest quarterback, Michael Van Buren pic.twitter.com/29ByzVGpou
— tik (@twosuh) December 15, 2024
There's a rumor going around in StarkVegas that the Bulldogs allegedly told Van Buren to transfer so they could get Jackson Arnold, who ultimately wound up at Auburn. If that rumor is true, I hope the Bulldogs lose 10 games a season until Van Buren is in the pros. Take this from an Oklahoma fan: Van Buren is three times the quarterback Arnold is.
That clip above shows the arm strength, but Van Buren showed poise beyond his years in a trying season for Mississippi State as a true freshman. Van Buren's first start was in Austin, followed by a game in Athens in which the Bulldogs tested Georgia (and Kirby Smart famously shoved Van Buren). He not only survived those starts, but he thrived.
4. Miller Moss, Louisville (from USC)
New #Louisville QB Miller Moss spoke on why he chose to play for Jeff Brohm & the Cards:
“Coach Brohm’s ability to consistently put guys in the #NFL really stood out to me.”
?: @247Sports pic.twitter.com/ZTnuYjcVSo
— Jeff Lightsy Jr. (@jlightsy7) December 18, 2024
What could be better than a kid who grew up in Pacific Palisades starting for USC? It was a dream come true for Moss until Lincoln Riley benched him in favor of Jayden Maiava. I chose that clip above on purpose. There was a time not long ago when Lincoln Riley was a quarterback's ticket to the NFL.
Maybe...just maybe, Caleb Williams was the reason and not Riley. Moss left home, but he gets a very soft landing. Tyler Shough went from oft-injured and sometimes good to shining under Jeff Brohm and putting himself back on the NFL radar.
Brohm's offense is an old-school version of the Air Raid. Louisville made it work last year with an experienced quarterback who made good decisions and a bruising run game. Moss will have to be that guy this year, and he has the talent to do it.
3. Carson Beck, Miami (FL) (from Georgia)
Carson Beck, going out injured this past Saturday, is not the curtain call he deserves. Many hated on him, trashed him, wanted him benched. He still played his heart out despite everything. He played it to the bone.
Thank you, Carson Beck. ❤️#GoDawgs Forever a DGD! pic.twitter.com/Fx0FXuzZXb
— valerie (@Valthehbic) December 9, 2024
I never got the Carson Beck hate from some sections of the Georgia fan base. He was never the problem with that offense. Beck was a game manager because Georgia needed him to be a game manager. When they needed him to go win a game, he did.
Miami threw more money at Beck than he could make on an NFL rookie contract, so he's pulling a Rodney Dangerfield and going Back To School. On top of that, it allows Beck to prove that the UCL injury he suffered in the SEC Championship Game won't be a pressing issue. He couldn't do that as a backup in the NFL.
Beck isn't Cam Ward, but we are going to see a more explosive side of him in this offense. Georgia's offense is purposefully vanilla. They thrive on a dominant defense that needs rest to be dominant. We'll see Beck turned loose in Miami, and it could be a glorious thing.
2. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana (from California)
Look what Indiana did last year with a MAC quarterback who played most of the season with a torn ACL.
Kurtis Rourke re-tore his ACL in AUGUST and played through it in the 2024 season
Led the Hoosiers to the Playoff on one leg as he threw for 3,042 yards, 29 touchdowns/5 interceptions, on 69.4% completion rate
WARRIOR pic.twitter.com/aGznlKIUvs
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) January 3, 2025
Now the Hoosiers get two years of a completely healthy Mendoza who shined on a bad Cal team. Indiana might win 11 games again, but no one will discount their body of work with Oregon, Penn State, Iowa, and Wisconsin on the schedule. Curt Cignetti is going to get the most out of Mendoza.
1. John Mateer, Oklahoma (from Washington State)
? John Mateer isn't good because the competition wasn't good ?
Cam Ward says hi.
Dillon Gabriel says hi.
Jared Verse says hi.
Trey Moore says hi.
Cam Skattebo says hi. pic.twitter.com/tt1XRL4S2m— The Main Line Podcast (@TheMainLinePod) December 19, 2024
For the second straight year, the top impact transfer will come from Washington State. Mateer is not Cam Ward. His arm isn't as good as Ward's. Oklahoma's schedule is up there with Florida's from last year, so we Sooner fans can't expect a quick turnaround and playoff berth. That's too much. We'll settle for healthy receivers and a running back.
Mateer accounted for 44 total touchdowns last season in Pullman. Oklahoma needs that kind of production from him. Injuries ravaged the offense last year, but inconsistent quarterback play was just as big of a factor. If Mateer can solidify the quarterback spot, Oklahoma might pull a miracle in 2025.
Honorable Mention: Malachi Nelson, UTEP (from Boise State); Zach Calzada, Kentucky (from Incarnate Word); Maalik Murphy, Oregon State (from Duke); Conner Weigman, Houston (from Texas A&M); Jackson Arnold, Auburn (from Oklahoma); E.J. Warner, Fresno State (from Rice); Deshawn Purdie, Wake Forest (from Charlotte); Beau Pribula, Missouri (from Penn State)
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