Transfer Portal Quarterback Matchmaker: Best fits for Riley Leonard, Cameron Ward, Will Howard and others

The transfer portal officially opens Monday at midnight, and there are all ready more than 30 quarterbacks who have publicly declared their plans to test college football’s free agency waters. 

Thanks to fat NIL packages, more and more prospects, especially quarterbacks, are sticking around for another season or two in college with the potential to make $1-2 million a year. 

Programs like USC, Ohio State, Nebraska, Auburn, Notre Dame, Washington and others will all be in the mix for a transfer QB this cycle, and yet there are still a finite number of spots. 

Big names like Cameron Ward, Riley Leonard, Dante Moore and Dillion Gabriel are all available, while staffs are keeping tabs on the likes of promising youngsters like Maalik Murphy and Brock Vandagriff, neither of whom is in the portal as of publishing.

Coaches are also monitoring the plans of veterans like KJ Jefferson, and Taulia Tagovailoa — who could play a sixth season elsewhere or head to the NFL?

Thus far, Texas A&M’s Max Johnson is the lone quarterback to pick a new school in North Carolina. But other dominos will start to fall fast. 

So let’s play a little matchmaker for some of the top QBs to enter the transfer portal thus far. This is not a prediction on where these quarterbacks will land, but a quarterback-school pairing based on fit and need. 

Riley Leonard — Duke ➡️ Notre Dame

The Duke transfer has long been linked to Irish, and while Auburn and others remain in the mix, Leonard ending up in South Bend makes a lot of sense. Marcus Freeman needs a bridge QB after losing Sam Hartman, and Leonard is looking for a premiere destination to showcase his dual-threat talents. He torched Clemson in the season-opener in 2022, and would have the opportunity in a similar spotlight game in Week 1 vs. Texas A&M.

Cameron Ward — Washington State ➡️ Oregon

Ward could opt to enter the NFL Draft if he receives the right feedback, but if he feels like he can improve his stock while making over $1 million in NIL earnings, Oregon seems like a perfect fit. Ward has operated heavy RPO offenses at both Incarnate Word and Wazzu with great success (No. 6 nationally in 2023 in total offense), and he could put up even bigger numbers in Will Stein’s system with the Ducks. Just ask Bo Nix. 

Dillon Gabriel — Oklahoma ➡️ Washington

Gabriel is set to play for his third school in six seasons, and while there’s the safest move would be to just follow Jeff Lebby to Mississippi State, whom he blossomed under at both UCF and Oklahoma. But what if the Hawaiian native opted to stay on the West Coast and flex his wings under the brilliance of Ryan Grubbs and Kalen DeBoer at Washington? They need a QB and that could be a fun pairing to see. 

Will Howard — Kansas State ➡️ USC

Howard is already being recruited by Lincoln Riley and the Trojans, and why wouldn’t he be? He’s among the best quarterbacks in the portal, with a ton of experience and an ability to freelance in the pocket. Rumor has it that Notre Dame was a potential landing spot for Howard before Leonard entered the portal, so the Trojans could benefit on a rival bypassing Howard for another option. Howard has some Baker Mayfield in his game, only at 6-5, 240-pounds. He threw for 24 touchdowns last season and would have better playmakers to work with at USC. 

DJ Uiagalelei — Oregon State ➡️ San Diego State

Despite Uiagalelei’s name and pedigree, he feels like a man without a natural home. The former Clemson and Oregon State quarterback has been linked to all sorts of destinations (Florida State, Oregon, Michigan State) but none of the landing spots make a whole lot of sense for those programs. Uiagalelei showed improvement last season playing for Jonathan Smith, but his numbers were only nominally better than his final year at Clemson. He’s still a quarterback who only completes around 58% of his passes and his a reluctant runner at times. But what if he stayed on the West Coast and played for new head coach Sean Lewis at San Diego State? Could a move to the G5 in a go-go offense that’s all about the QB be best for his career?

Dante Moore — UCLA ➡️ Michigan State

I’m already on record writing that Dante Moore is the most interesting available QB in the portal so far this cycle. The former 5-star and No. 3 overall prospect in the 2023 class didn’t work out at UCLA, but returning home and developing under Jonathan Smith at Michigan State would be a home run pairing. Moore has All-American upside if he lands at the right program.

Will Rogers — Mississippi State ➡️ Wisconsin

The Tanner Mordecai experiment didn’t really work for the Badgers in 2023, as Wisconsin’s passing game actually regressed (just 5.8 yards per attempt, 11 touchdowns) despite the offense’s transition to the ‘Dairy Raid.’ But maybe Phil Longo & Co., simply didn’t have the right guy. Rogers set records playing for Mike Leach — one of Longo’s longtime confidants. He had a down season in a more traditional, pro-style offense in 2022, but this could be a fresh start that both sides benefit from.

Grayson McCall — Coastal Carolina ➡️ Auburn

McCall nearly ended up at Auburn last year, but some academic hurdles had him return to Coastal Carolina. I know he’s already flirted with NC State, and playing in Robert Anae’s offense would seem like a good fit. But Hugh Freeze needs to get his guy this time around. The Tigers have loaded up at receiver in the 2024 cycle (multiple 5-stars), so McCall would be surrounded by plenty of talent. His experience and skill set would seem to translate well in Frieze’s scheme, too.

AJ Swann — Vanderbilt ➡️ Kentucky 

As a recruit, Swann was once committed to Maryland before flipping to Vanderbilt and the Terps need a quarterback in 2024. But what if the Swann stayed in the SEC and found success in Lexington like his former teammate Ray Davis, who had a monster senior season in Liam Coen’s offense. Swann has a lot of untapped potential and he’s flashed a raw ability and upside that’s arguably as high as almost any quarterback in the portal this system. He simply needs the right coaching and system to eliminate his inconsistencies and get the most out of his talent. Coen did it with Will Levis. Why not Swann?

Tyler Van Dyke — Miami ➡️ Louisville

I was tempted to reunite TVD with Rhett Lashlee at SMU, but the Mustangs look to have their QB in Preston Stone. Van Dyke has regressed the last two seasons since looking like a potential 1st Round pick in Lashlee’s offense, but perhaps another QB whisperer can resurrect his career? What if Jeff Brohm is the right coach to get the most out of Van Dyke? He’d still be in the ACC and he’d be operating in a QB-friendly system that’s gotten the most out of guys like Aidan O’Connell and David Blough — two guys in the NFL right now.

Jordan McCloud — James Madison ➡️ Indiana 

This one simply makes too much sense: The Hoosiers lost quarterback Brendan Sorsby to the portal, and so first-year head coach Curt Cignetti needs a new triggerman. Why not bring his QB1 with him from James Madison? McCloud put up big numbers for the Dukes in 2023, throwing for nearly 3,500 yards with 40 total touchdowns.