The first FBS transfer window officially opens Monday and we’re expecting hundreds of players to flood into the portal.
Graduate transfers and players whose head coaches were fired could enter the portal at any time, but the first open window for all players begins Monday and closes Jan. 18. It’s the first year with these transfer windows. The second comes after spring practice — from April 15-30. Players do not have to choose their transfer destinations during those windows, but that is when non-graduates have to submit their paperwork to pursue a transfer.
Rivals is tuned into the transfer portal extensively with its transfer tracker, updating it constantly as new names appear. In this space, we’ll keep you up to date on all the biggest names in college football who decide to pursue a new opportunity.
4-year starting QB Devin Leary leaving NC State
Another notable quarterback is hitting the transfer portal.
According to multiple reports, Devin Leary plans to leave NC State for his final year of eligibility. Leary was NC State’s starting quarterback for the past four seasons. He was the ACC’s Preseason Player of the Year but suffered a season-ending pectoral injury after playing in only six games.
Over four seasons, Leary threw for 6,807 yards and 62 touchdowns. In 2021, he threw for 3,433 yards and 35 touchdowns with just five interceptions. He will be heavily pursued in the portal.
With Leary moving on, NC State will either pursue a transfer of its own or turn to MJ Morris or Ben Finley. Morris impressed as a true freshman, becoming the starter a few weeks after Leary’s injury. When Morris had an injury of his own, Finley led the Wolfpack to a win over North Carolina in the regular season finale.
DJ Uiagalelei leaving Clemson
Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has decided to enter the transfer portal, according to multiple reports.
Uiagalelei was a five-star recruit in 2020 who backed up Trevor Lawrence as a freshman and notably had a starring performance for the Tigers in a road game vs. Notre Dame. But when he took over as the starter in 2021, Uiagalelei did not replicate that level of play. Uiagalelei threw for 2,246 yards with nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing just 55.6% of his throws as the Tigers’ ACC championship streak ended.
This season, Uiagalelei showed improvement and held onto his starting job even with another five-star, Cade Klubnik, nipping at his heels. Clemson went 10-2 in the regular season with Uiagalelei as the starter, but head coach Dabo Swinney pulled Uiagalelei for Klubnik in the ACC title game. Klubnik played great, going 20 of 24 for 279 yards and a touchdown in a 39-10 win.
With Klubnik looking like the quarterback of the future — including in the Orange Bowl vs. Tennessee — Uiagalelei decided to pursue other opportunities. A California native, it would make plenty of sense to see Uiagalelei end up back on the West Coast.
Graham Mertz to transfer from Wisconsin
After three years as the starting quarterback at Wisconsin, Graham Mertz is moving on. Mertz announced he will enter the portal Sunday and would have two years of eligibility remaining.
Mertz made 32 starts for the Badgers with mixed results. Wisconsin fired head coach Paul Chryst during the season. Jim Leonhard, Chryst’s defensive coordinator, was the interim coach but the school decided to instead hire Luke Fickell from Cincinnati.
Mertz has thrown for 5,405 yards with 38 touchdowns and 26 interceptions in his career. He has a 19-13 record as Wisconsin’s starting quarterback.
Wisconsin went 6-6 this season and is scheduled to face Oklahoma State on Dec. 27 in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. Wisconsin hasn’t finished with a losing record since 2001.
Other college football players in the transfer portal
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UCF QB Mikey Keene
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Oklahoma State LB Mason Cobb
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Ball State RB Carson Steele
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Rhode Island OT Ajani Cornelius
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Texas A&M CB Denver Harris
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Stanford OT Myles Hinton
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Florida State DB Sam McCall
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Texas A&M QB Haynes King
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Missouri WR Dominic Lovett
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Oregon WR Dont’e Thornton
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Virginia QB Brennan Armstrong
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Texas QB Hudson Card
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Notre Dame QB Drew Pyne
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Wisconsin OL Logan Brown
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Alabama RB Trey Sanders
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Western Michigan DL Braden Fiske
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Oklahoma WR Theo Wease
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Old Dominion WR Ali Jennings
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Boston College QB Phil Jurkovec
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USF WR Jimmy Horn
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Alabama WR Traeshon Holden
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Arkansas DB Myles Slusher
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Georgia Tech QB Jeff Sims
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Wyoming RB Titus Swen
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Oregon State QB Chance Nolan