Cal QB Devin Brown plans to re-enter NCAA Transfer Portal

Veteran Cal quarterback Devin Brown, a former transfer from Ohio State, plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal when the two-week window formally opens Friday, according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett. Brown, a former five-star prospect in the 2022 cycle, will have one season of eligibility remaining.

Despite his five-star status, the 6-foot-3 and 215-pound Brown has played sparingly throughout his collegiate career, including appearing in nine games this past season with the Golden Bears, where he backed up true freshman starter Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. Brown finished the 2025 season with just 48 yards and one touchdown on 4-of-7 passing in mostly mop-up duty, where he only recorded stats in five of his nine games.

Brown transferred to Cal last offseason after starting just one game in three seasons at Ohio State, where he backed up Kyle McCord in 2023 and former Kansas State transfer Will Howard in 2024. He finished his time in Columbus with 331 passing yards and three touchdowns on 27 of 48 passing to go along with 37 rushing yards on 28 carries and another touchdown on the ground in 15 combined appearances between 2023-24.

As a recruit, Brown was a five-star prospect ranked No. 31 overall in the 2022 class, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting media companies. He was also ranked as the No. 5 quarterback and No. 1 recruit from Utah.

After entering the portal the first time in Dec. 2024, Brown explained his decision to continuing playing with the Buckeyes through their eventual run to the College Football Playoff national championship.

“You know, we came to that decision for me to, you know, figure out somewhere else. … Yeah, it was definitely hard. You know, I’ve been here for three years now and I love this place, I love this team. So it’s definitely hard to leave them,” Brown said prior to the 2024 Rose Bowl game. “At the same time, you know, I made a promise to this team and I made a promise to these coaches coming back, you know, after the Cotton Bowl that I was going to help them go win these games and go finish out the season the right way. I wanted to stick to my word.”

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

On3’s Sam Gillenwater contributed to this report.