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By Tyler Erzberger
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As the college football world takes the sports landscape’s center stage this upcoming weekend with the start of the College Football Playoff, teams from across the country (including ones in the CFP) are already working towards what they can do win a national title in 2026.
The transfer portal, which officially opens in a few weeks, has become fully operational in the past few days, as several big-name players have declared their intent to transfer this coming offseason.
So if you’re a fan of a team needing your own Fernando Mendoza or just Lane Kiffin needing advice, here are my top-five college quarterbacks in this year’s portal.
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5. Dylan Raiola (Nebraska)
The former five-star recruit has captured headlines over his first two years in Nebraska, but he hasn’t lived up to the lofty hype that shrouded him when the Cornhuskers acquired him. Although he’s been good and even great at times, the name and presence are still larger than the impact he’s brought to a team. If he can find the right spot, though, he will have the opportunity to silence any of his critics before pursuing the NFL.
Prediction: Oregon
4. Brendan Sorsby (Cincinnati)
If your team is looking for a big, strong, and dual-threat quarterback, Sorsby is the way to go. Although maybe not catching as much attention as some other names in the transfer portal, Sorsby could be a program-changer if put in the right environment. He threw for over 7,000 yards for the Bearcats and has a tough running ability to match. Don’t be surprised if Sorsby is in Heisman conversations next season.
Prediction: Texas Tech
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3. DJ Lagway (Florida)
In terms of pure ceiling, there is no one entering the portal with as much upside as the former Gator. Lagway, another former five-star prospect, has all the tools to be one of the best players of his generation. Alas, it never came fully together at Florida, even though there were games and flashes that showed his true potential. If everything goes his way in 2026, he’ll rack up 55 touchdowns and become the face of college football. But there’s an equal chance that he is replaced in Week 7 by a junior college backup you’ve never heard about.
Prediction: Miami
2. Drew Mestemaker (North Texas)
While he isn’t officially in the portal yet, it appears to be a matter of when, not if, the North Texas Mean Green quarterback transfers. The kid who didn’t throw a pass during his varsity year in high school and came to North Texas as a safety has turned into one of the nation’s premier conductors of the ball. He threw for over 4,000 yards in 2025 and seems to be only getting better. Only 19-years-old, there is a chance for whichever program snags him to turn Mestemaker into a school legend by the time he moves on to the NFL.
Prediction: Indiana
1. Sam Leavitt (Arizona State)
Let’s look at the past years in which a college quarterback was favored to be the first taken in the NFL Draft.
2024: Cam Ward, formerly of Washington State (Pac-12), transfers to Miami.
2025: Fernando Mendoza, formerly of California (Pac-12), transfers to Indiana.
It’s really quite simple. All you need to do is find a quarterback from a school that was part of the now-defunct (and soon to be revived) Pac-12 and make him go east.
I feel the same way about Sam Leavitt, who has shown more than either Ward or Mendoza before their moves and has been excellent in the desert, aside from his in-your-face style, which has gotten him routinely beaten up and sidelined. But in the right program with bodies in the trenches that can protect him, and Leavitt can win you a national championship as your star under center. Ward and Mendoza laid the blueprint, and Leavitt will continue the Pac-12 legacy in 2026.
Prediction: LSU
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