Five transfer QBs who could have the biggest impact in 2023
According to On3, 58 of the 131 starting quarterbacks (44.3 %) at the FBS level in 2022 were transfers—a 6.7% increase from 2021.
Of those transfers, Caleb Williams (USC), Bo Nix (Oregon), Quinn Ewers (Texas), Michael Penix Jr. (Washington) and others played significant roles in their first year at a new program.
High-profile QB transfers again dot the landscape of college football at the FBS level. Here are five who could be difference-makers in 2023:
Devin Leary, Kentucky | Previous school: North Carolina State
With one year of eligibility remaining, Leary arrives at Kentucky as a bridge quarterback from Will Levis to former four-star quarterback Destin Wade, who redshirted in 2022.
In 2021—Levis’s first season—Kentucky won 10 games for the second time under head coach Mark Stoops. In 2022, the Wildcats regressed to 7-6.
At a crossroads in his tenure, Stoops snagged Leary out of the portal after Wade struggled in his debut in the Belk Bowl against Iowa.
In 2021, his lone full season with North Carolina State, Leary led the Wolkpack to a 9-3 record with 3,433 passing yards and 35 TD passes. An injury in 2022 limited him to six games.
If Leary can return to his 2021 form, he could help Kentucky regain its 2021 trajectory before handing the reins to a better-prepared Wade.
Jeff Sims, Nebraska | Previous school: Georgia Tech
A month ago, Sims may not have made the cut for this list. However, in late April 2022, Nebraska starting QB Casey Thompson left the Big Red for Florida Atlantic.
Thompson’s move leaves Sims as seemingly the only viable option left in Lincoln for Matt Rhule’s first season as Huskers head coach.
A three-year starter at Georgia Tech, Sims has struggled with consistency. In seven games in 2022, he threw for just 1,115 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions and posted a middling efficiency rating of 113.9. That figure would have ranked 99th in the country had Smith met the minimum requirements.
Sam Hartman, Notre Dame | Previous school: Wake Forest
In 2022, the first year of head coach Marcus Freeman's era in South Bend, inconsistency at quarterback plagued the Fighting Irish, who started the season ranked fifth.
With Tyler Buchner at QB, Notre Dame started 0-2, including a loss to Marshall. Buchner, who has transferred to Alabama, completed just 56% of his passes for 378 yards and zero touchdowns with two interceptions in the losses.
In five seasons at Wake Forest, Hartman threw for 12,967 yards and 110 touchdowns and completed 59.1% of his passes. The graduate transfer could be a game-changer for Freeman.
Cade McNamara, Iowa | Previous school: Michigan
Perhaps no quarterback enters 2023 with more challenges than McNamara.
The new contract signed by offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, the son of head coach Kirk Ferentz, stipulates Iowa must average 25 points per game. Under Brian Ferentz last season, the offense was among the worst in college football, averaging 17.7 points.
As the starter at Michigan in 2021, McNamara completed 64.2% of his passes for 2,576 yards and 15 touchdowns. The Wolverines averaged 35.8 points per game—31.9 points per game in 10 Big Ten matchups— and finished 12-2 with McNamara piloting the offense.
The Hawkeyes need similar production and success from McNamara or a seismic shift could be in store for a program that boasts the longest-tenured head coach in the FBS.
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado | Previous school: Jackson State
Much like Sims at Nebraska, Sanders—the son of new Colorado head coach Deion Sanders—helps usher in a new coaching staff.
Shedeur Sanders, however, does so in a program that has become a spectacle under Coach Prime—a spectacle that drew an average of 551,000 viewers on ESPN for the Buffs spring game.
In two seasons at FCS Jackson State, Sanders completed 68% of his passes for 6,983 yards and 70 touchdowns with just 14 interceptions. He also rushed for 157 yards and nine touchdowns.
The jump from FCS to FBS Power 5 is huge, but Sanders must hit the ground running. Colorado opens against TCU, a playoff team in 2022, and historic rivals Nebraska and Colorado State. A good start would do wonders for Shadeur and his dad.
Honorable mentions: DJ Uiagalelei (Oregon State | Previous school: Clemson), Tanner Mordecai (Wisconsin | Previous school: SMU), Tyler Buchner (Alabama | Previous school: Notre Dame), Payton Thorne (Auburn | Previous school: Michigan State)
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