Which Power Five Quarterbacks Entered the Transfer Portal This Season?
The 2021 football season has seen an unusually large number of Power Five quarterbacks choosing to enter the transfer portal.
What has this shakeup in the college football landscape been caused by? Some quarterbacks have needed to find a new home after being benched by their former teams or not living up to their expectations at a school with a storied football program. Others decided to transfer based on the coaching carousel. Whatever the reason, things will be very different entering the 2022 regular season.
The following is a list of all of the Power Five quarterbacks who have entered the transfer portal since the beginning of the 2021 season.
Bo Nix, Auburn
In a shocking move, Bo Nix announced on Dec. 12 that he would be moving on from the Auburn football program. He started almost every game for the Tigers since he arrived in 2019, but has had his share of struggles on the field. Despite this, Nix was having a better season in 2021 before suffering a season-ending ankle injury against Mississippi State on Nov. 13. Nix finished his career as a Tiger 628-of-1,057 passing for 7,251 yards with 39 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He also added 869 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground.
Myles Brennan, LSU
Brennan has not had the career he wanted at LSU and has decided to pursue other opportunities. He missed the 2021 season due to a broken arm, but he has played at some point every season since joining the program in 2017. Brennan's most impressive year came in 2020 when he finished the season 79-of-131 passing for 1,112 yards with 11 touchdowns and three interceptions. His decision came as a surprise to Tigers fans, who had no idea that the veteran quarterback wanted to leave.
Max Johnson, LSU
Not one, but two LSU quarterbacks have entered the transfer portal since the hiring of Brian Kelly as the new head coach of the Tigers. In fact, they announced their decisions on the same day. Coincidence? Maybe Kelly is looking to bring in different veteran talent, or maybe he isn't making the greatest impression on his players in Baton Rouge. Johnson took over as the starting quarterback for the Tigers in Brennan's absence, and he finished the 2021 season 225-of-373 passing for 2,815 yards with 27 touchdowns and six interceptions. His motive for leaving remains unclear.
Quinn Ewers, Ohio State
Ewers is one of the few quarterbacks in the portal who already knows where he is going. The former No. 1 recruit in the 2021 signing class is heading back to his home state and taking his talents to the Texas Longhorns. It seemed evident that Ewers would end up back there eventually: he committed to Texas during high school before flipping to Ohio State and profiting off of NIL deals. He didn't see any playing time with the Buckeyes this season, which is probably another big part of the reason why he decided to leave.
Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma
For weeks, Rattler has been the biggest name in the transfer portal. He was expected to be a Heisman contender at the beginning of the season but was benched for true-freshman Caleb Williams in early October following a close game against Texas. Instead of working to earn his starting role back, he eventually chose to find another team. Rattler finished the season 140-of-187 passing for 1,483 yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. His future destination has been widely speculated, but 247Sports predicts that he will end up at UCLA-- the rival of former Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley's USC Trojans.
*Rattler announced he was going to South Carolina on Monday
Zach Calzada, Texas A&M
This morning, news broke of Zach Calzada's shocking decision to transfer from Texas A&M. He was thrown on the field midway through the second game of the season after starting quarterback Haynes King suffered a leg injury and remained the starter for the rest of the year. Calzada didn't have the most impressive season-- he went 184-of-328 passing for 2,185 yards with 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions-- but he led the Aggies to a postseason appearance with a big win against Alabama along the way. However, Calzada has taken a lot of heat this season and probably wants to find a program that he fits in with better.
Other Notable Transfers
Nick Moore, Arizona
Jacob Zeno, Baylor (committed to UAB)
Taisun Phommachanh, Clemson
Chubba Purdy, Florida State
Jordan Yates, Georgia Tech
Michael Penix Jr., Indiana
Deuce Hogan, Iowa
Nik Scalzo, Kentucky (committed to Samford)
Zack Annexstad, Minnesota
Jacob Clark, Minnesota
Adrian Martinez, Nebraska
Clay Millen, Nevada
Jack Miller, Ohio State
Ta'quan Roberson, Penn State
Jack Plummer, Purdue
Cole Snyder, Rutgers
Tommy Devito, Syracuse (committed to Illinois)
Dillon Markeiwicz, Syracuse
Matthew Downing, TCU
Harrison Bailey, Tennessee
Parker McQuarrie, UCLA
Kedon Slovis, USC
Charlie Brewer, Utah (committed to Liberty)
Peter Costelli, Utah
Jeremy Moussa, Vanderbilt
Ira Armstead, Virginia
Jacob Rodriguez, Virginia
Knox Kadum, Virginia Tech
Cammon Cooper, Washington State
Jake Haener, Fresno State (withdrew from portal)
