Transfer portal impact quarterbacks of Week 1

This season, 86 transfer quarterbacks earned starting jobs for Week 1. It’s the latest example of the growing number of programs bringing in transfer quarterbacks.

In the new age of college football, the transfer portal has become a major piece of roster construction. Throughout the college football season, On3 is breaking down the top 10 transfer portal quarterbacks based on weekly performances. Here are the most impactful transfer portal quarterbacks from Week 1:

1. Florida State QB Tommy Castellanos

The words of Thomas Castellanos were validated on Saturday night in Tallahassee. Just 71 days after he sat down for an interview with On3, where he unveiled plans to knock off Alabama in the season opener, his predictions came true. Castellanos delivered on his promise. He made a play every time FSU needed an answer to Alabama, finishing 9 of 14 for 152 yards while rushing for 78 yards and a touchdown en route to a 31-17 win. He has since capitalized on the win, releasing T-shirts with the “Nick can’t save them” quote, which he said back in June.

2. Cal QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele

Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele had one of the most impressive performances of a true freshman in Week 1. Sagapolutele flipped from Cal late in the recruiting process to Oregon before entering the transfer portal and rejoining the Golden Bears this winter. He beat out Ohio State transfer Devin Brown for the starting job in training camp. And on Saturday against Oregon State, he was 20 of 30 for 234 yards and three touchdowns, throwing perfect ball after perfect ball.

3. Miami QB Carson Beck

A year ago, the narrative surrounding Carson Beck was that he was in the midst of a down year. After entering 2024 with No. 1 NFL draft pick hype, Beck just did not deliver. But in his Miami debut Sunday night, Beck looked like the 2023 version of himself that was surrounded by draft buzz. Maybe he just needed a fresh start. Maybe it was a new wide receiver room. But Beck delivered in the win over Notre Dame, finishing 20 of 31 for two touchdowns and 205 passing yards.

4. Tennessee QB Joey Aguilar

When Joey Aguilar arrived at Tennessee this summer, fulfilling the trade with UCLA and Nico Iamaleava, questions were aplenty. How quickly could he learn the playbook? Would he work in Josh Heupel’s offense? He answered those questions Saturday in Atlanta with an emphatic yes. The former App State transfer looked the part of what Heupel wants in a quarterback. He finished the day 16 of 28 for 247 yards and three touchdowns. That included a 73-yard touchdown pass to Braylon Staley, along with six rushes for 34 yards.

5. Auburn QB Jackson Arnold

Jackson Arnold may not have put the questions to bed about his passing game in Week 1, but he did more than enough work running the ball to deliver a Week 1 win for Auburn. On the road against Baylor, he rushed for 137 yards on 16 carries, averaging 8.6 yards per carry. He added two rushing touchdowns, becoming the first quarterback since Cam Newton to rush and pass for over 100 yards in their Auburn debut.

6. Utah QB Devon Dampier

Last season, Devon Dampier tore up the Mountain West at New Mexico en route to earning first-team all-conference honors. On Saturday night in Los Angeles, he made his presence known to the rest of college football. Dampier was a precise 21 of 25 for 206 yards and two touchdowns. He flashed his athleticism, too, rushing for 87 yards on 16 carries for a touchdown as Utah picked up a 43-10 win over UCLA.

7. Tulane QB Jake Retzlaff

Despite only enrolling at Tulane at the end of July and only having a month to adjust to a new system, Jake Retzlaff looked comfortable Saturday against Northwestern. The BYU transfer was 18 of 31 for 152 yards passing to go with a touchdown. But he was also the Green Wave’s leading rusher in the 23-3 win, carrying the ball 10 times for 113 yards and a score. The win puts Tulane squarely in the mix for the Group of 6’s College Football Playoff bid.

8. Missouri QB Beau Pribula

Beau Pribula had to make the difficult decision of leaving Penn State before the College Football Playoff even started last winter. And after receiving interest from a number of Big Ten and SEC schools, he landed at Missouri. Pribula went head-to-head with Sam Horn in fall camp for the starting job, and in Week 1 showed off why he was a top portal target. Pribula finished 23 of 28 for 283 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 65 yards and two more scores in a blowout win against Central Arkansas. He faces his first real test in Week 2 against Missouri.

9. Oklahoma QB John Mateer

One of the top quarterbacks in the portal this past winter, John Mateer, picked Oklahoma over the likes of North Carolina and Miami. It was the offseason win Brent Venables needed entering the 2025 season. The Washington State transfer made his Oklahoma debut against Illinois State on Saturday, completing 30 of 37 passes for 392 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Mateer also rushed for 24 yards and a score. Oklahoma welcomes Michigan in Week 2 in an opportunity for Mateer to show the country why he was a top transfer quarterback.

10. Duke QB Darian Mensah

One of the highest-paid quarterbacks in college football made his debut on Thursday night against Elon. Tulane transfer Darian Mensah helped the Blue Devils pull away late for a 45-17 win, as he finished 27 of 34 for 389 passing yards and three touchdowns. Mensah and the Blue Devils host Illinois this weekend before visiting his former team, Tulane, in Week 3.