Transfer Portal: Top 10 Best Available Quarterbacks after Riley Leonard commitment to Notre Dame
Another huge domino has fallen as it pertains to quarterbacks in the NCAA Transfer Portal, as former Duke star Riley Leonard has committed to Notre Dame.
In turn, the list of top quarterbacks in the portal has been shaken up. Some fascinating talents remain, but Leonard’s decision will have a ripple effect throughout the sport.
Alas, we have an updated list of the top 10 quarterbacks currently in the transfer portal, ranked utilizing the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average, based on their collegiate performance to date. Check it out below, as there’s plenty of tremendous talents remaining, searching for the program they’ll call home in 2024.
1) Cam Ward, Washington State Cougars
Ward spent the last two seasons on The Palouse after transferring to Washington State from Division II Incarnate Word. He started 25 games for the Cougars, throwing for more than 6,400 yards and 43 touchdowns while adding 11 more scores on the ground.
The Texas native immediately shoots to the top of the rankings, not just at quarterback, but as the No. 1 player overall in the On3 Industry Transfer Rankings. The competition to land Ward is expected to be fierce.
2) Dante Moore, UCLA Bruins
The former blue-chip prospect threw 11 touchdowns and 9 interceptions for the Bruins in 2023 while throwing for 1,610 yards. As a member of the Class of 2023, Moore was a five-star recruit out of Detroit (Mich.) Martin Luther King, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
He was the No. 1 overall prospect in the state, the No. 2 quarterback in the class and the No. 3 overall prospect in the class. Moore originally committed to Oregon before flipping to UCLA.
3) Will Howard, Kansas State Wildcats
Howard spent the last four years with Kansas State, emerging as a top-notch option. He is coming off his best year with 2,643 yards passing, to go with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also ran for 364 yards and nine touchdowns.
That production will make him a coveted option in the transfer portal, especially because of how versatile he’s been. Howard has thrown for 5,786 career yards with 48 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. He has also run for 934 yards and 19 touchdowns.
4) Aidan Chiles, Oregon State Beavers
During his freshman season at Oregon State, Chiles sat behind DJ Uiagalelei — who also entered the portal after the season — and put up decent numbers in his nine appearances. He completed 24 of 35 passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns after just missing out on the starting quarterback job and, ultimately, entered the transfer portal.
Chiles also got some work in the running game, totaling three rushing touchdowns. He arrived in Corvallis as a four-star recruit and the No. 160 overall prospect from the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
5) Kyle McCord, Ohio State Buckeyes
In his first year as a starter, McCord led Ohio State to an 11-1 record, but the lone loss came at Michigan on the final drive. He beat out Devin Brown to take over for CJ Stroud this season. In 12 games this season, McCord had 3,170 yards, 24 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 65.8% completion percentage.
As a member of the Class of 2021, McCord was a five-star recruit out of Philadelphia (Pa.) St. Joseph’s, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 2 overall prospect in the state, the No. 5 quarterback in the class and the No. 25 overall prospect in the class.
6) DJ Uiagalelei, Oregon State Beavers
After transferring to Oregon State from Clemson, Uiagalelei put together his most impressive season to date. He managed to throw for 2,638 yards and 21 touchdowns, against just seven interceptions. That was just shy of his 2022 touchdown total.
Uiagalelei will provide whatever team that picks him up with a real bonus. He’s already been through a transfer and has proven he can adapt quickly. Moreover, he’s responsible for 8,319 yards passing and 57 touchdowns, while also rushing for 1,132 yards and 21 scores.
7) Dequan Finn, Toledo Rockets
A first team All-MAC selection this year, Finn helped lead Toledo to the conference championship as part of his impressive 2023 season. He led the league in passing yards as a redshirt junior, but he’ll now use his last year of eligibility elsewhere.
Finn totaled 2,657 passing yards and 22 touchdowns for Toledo while also doing work in the running game with 563 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. Over the last three years, Finn threw for nearly 7,000 yards and 63 touchdowns.
8) Tyler Van Dyke, Miami Hurricanes
Van Dyke has been a starter for the Hurricanes for three years, winning the 2021 ACC Rookie of the Year and 2021 ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year awards. He threw for 2,931 yards and 25 touchdowns that season as a redshirt freshman. In two rockier years since, he’s now started 28 career games and has passed for 7,469 total yards and 54 touchdowns as a Hurricane.
He played high school football at Glastonbury (Conn.) Suffield Academy, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 260 overall recruit and No. 18 quarterback in the 2020 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
9) Kurtis Rourke, Ohio Bobcats
Rourke spent five seasons with the Bobcats, recording 35 starts. In 11 games this season, Rourke has amassed 2,207 passing yards and 11 touchdowns while only throwing five interceptions. He’s also picked up 219 yards and four scores in the ground game, as well.
Rourke’s 2022 campaign was even more impressive. In his senior season, Rourke exploded for for over 3,200 yards and 25 touchdowns. He only threw four interceptions. For his efforts, Rourke was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year and awarded the Vern Smith Leadership Award.
10) Jordan McCloud, James Madison Dukes
McCloud started his college career at USF and eventually transferred to Arizona in 2021. However, he didn’t play at all in 2022 before again entering the portal and heading to JMU. This year for Dukes, he threw for 3,413 yards and 32 touchdowns as they became the story of college football with an 11-1 record.
McCloud played high school football at Plant (FL) High School, where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 1,710 overall recruit in the 2018 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
As you can see, there’s a preposterous amount of quarterback talent in the transfer portal at the moment, even with Riley Leonard off the board. We’ll see where the best signal callers available end up moving forward.