College football’s postseason is just getting underway, and the transfer portal doesn’t open until Jan. 2, but the quarterback carousel is already spinning around several big-time signal-callers in the sport’s new free-agency era.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, and Maryland’s Malik Washington are all planning to return to their respective schools in 2026. While Manning and Sellers forgoing entry into the NFL Draft is not unexpected given their performances this season, Washington’s decision not to transfer is somewhat surprising, given today’s landscape.
Washington broke Maryland’s freshman passing record with 2,963 yards, and he would have been a top target for QB-needy programs in the transfer portal. The Terps finished 4–8 this season, but they opted to retain head coach Mike Locksley, with AD Jim Smith promising to “rapidly strengthen our NIL support for 2026 and beyond.” It’s unclear what type of new financial deal was struck with Washington to keep him in College Park.
Sellers did sign a new deal with South Carolina, according to ESPN. Manning, already one of the highest-compensated players in college football, has not reportedly signed any new deal. Both players are projected to have first-round potential when they do enter the NFL Draft.
USC also announced that it had re-signed quarterback Jayden Maiava, a redshirt junior.
Portal Piling Up
The transfer portal is already filling up with several notable QBs from Power 4 teams looking for new homes, though:
- Florida’s DJ Lagway
- Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola
- Oklahoma State’s Zane Flores
- Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby
- Michigan State’s Aidan Chiles
- UCF’s Tayven Jackson
Lagway, currently a sophomore, will likely command a costly NIL (name, image, and likeness) and revenue-sharing package wherever he ends up. He leaves a Florida program that paid roughly $21 million to fire coach Billy Napier, who recruited Lagway to Gainesville in 2023, and is waiting on new coach Jon Sumrall to finish leading Tulane’s College Football Playoff run before taking on the Gators job full-time.
Raiola, also a sophomore, leaves Nebraska, which this season signed head coach Matt Rhule to a two-year contract extension through 2032. The Cornhuskers finished 7–5 and will play Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
More quarterbacks, potentially including some competing for teams in the CFP, are expected to enter the transfer portal, too, as the carousel picks up even more pace later this month and in January.
