College football’s quarterback carousel is more active—and more expensive—than ever this season.
For the first time this year, a single transfer portal window for football players is open Jan. 2–16. Previously, there were two windows, a winter window in December and a spring window in April.
Since the new portal opened Friday, teams across the country have been retooling their rosters for the 2026 season.
Staying on Top
While Indiana, the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, prepares for this week’s semifinal matchup against Oregon, the Hoosiers have landed former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover. The redshirt junior will succeed Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, who transferred from Cal a year ago and is now expected to be the top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore is also projected to be a top pick if he enters the NFL Draft.
Meanwhile, Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss announced he will return for one more season, pending his waiver request for a sixth year of NCAA eligibility. The news comes as the Rebels prepare to face Miami in the other CFP semifinal.
Big Spending
Texas Tech, which lost to Oregon in the Playoff quarterfinals on New Year’s Day, has signed former Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby to a deal that will pay him $5 million next season, according to multiple reports. To celebrate, the school bought an ad in Times Square welcoming Sorsby to Lubbock.
After losing Hoover to the top-ranked team in the country, TCU has signed Harvard’s Jaden Craig, widely regarded as the top FCS quarterback in the portal, to replace Hoover. Nebraska, which lost Dylan Raiola to the portal, has signed Kenny Minchey, who was Notre Dame’s backup this past season. North Carolina has signed former Wisconsin quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., who will replace Gio Lopez in Bill Belichick’s second season in Chapel Hill.
More Musical Chairs
Several notable quarterbacks who could command multimillion-dollar deals remain in the portal, including Raiola, former Florida star DJ Lagway, and Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt.
The 15-day transfer portal window will close Jan. 16—three days before the CFP national championship game. But players on the two teams competing in the title game will get an additional five-day period Jan. 20–24 to enter the portal after their season ends.
SPONSORED BY ELEVATE
Major Move Into Culinary Industry
Elevate has acquired Sweet Management Group (SMG), a premier chef representation and culinary consultancy. This strategic move marks Elevate’s entry into the culinary industry, integrating hospitality into its robust sports and entertainment portfolio.
Through this acquisition, Elevate gains a roster of more than 25 elite clients, including Michelin-starred chefs Marc Forgione and Ludo Lefebvre and Top Chef Season 22 winner Tristen Epps. By leveraging SMG’s expertise, the agency aims to create innovative culinary experiences for global audiences. This acquisition follows Elevate’s recent acquisitions of GA and Downstream, further diversifying its global reach and hospitality services.
The wave of coaching and front office changes on the NFL’s Black Monday is picking up more pace as the Browns dismissed head coach Kevin Stefanski, a two-time winner of the league’s coach of the year award, early Monday.
On the heels of a 5–12 season, Cleveland’s second straight without a playoff appearance and fourth such campaign in five years, Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam fired Stefanski. In six years with the Browns, Stefanski won the leaguewide honors in 2020 and again in 2023, but overall, he posted a 45–56 record and had been expected to be fired as the end of the regular season approached.
“I am disappointed that we could not accomplish more together and the collective underperformance of our group is something I own,” Browns EVP of football operations and GM Andrew Berry said of Stefanski. Berry will remain in his post.
“We will remain steadfast in our commitment to our fans in building the Browns into an organization that sustains success,” Berry said.
The firing arrives as the Browns are in the midst of other major transitions. The team recently reached a settlement with the city of Cleveland, worth at least $100 million, that will help allow the construction of a $2.4 billion domed stadium and mixed-use development in suburban Brook Park, Ohio. Chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta also left recently to become the Rockies’ president of baseball operations.
The next Browns coach will be the team’s 13th, including interims, since the franchise resumed in 1999. Six of the first 12 have been during the Haslam ownership era that began in 2012.
Peter Casey-Imagn Images
Other Teams Making Changes
Cleveland’s decision to move on from Stefanski is just one of several coaching and front office changes made across the NFL so far.
Ravens: Baltimore parted ways with John Harbaugh after 18 seasons. He was the second-most-tenured coach in the league, behind the Steelers’ Mike Tomlin, and led Baltimore to a Super Bowl XLVII title. Harbaugh had signed a three-year extension prior to this season and is under contract through the 2028 season. He earned $16 million this year, tied for fourth highest in the league.
Raiders: Pete Carroll has had plenty of success in his coaching career, winning two college football national titles and a Super Bowl in Seattle. The Las Vegas stint, however, never came close to reaching those heights. The Raiders dismissed him Monday after a single season in which he went 3–14. That performance gave Las Vegas the first pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, but Carroll won’t be a part of it. Instead, GM John Spytek will “lead all football operations in close collaboration with [part-owner] Tom Brady, including the search for the club’s next head coach.” That decision will give Brady, also the lead on-air analyst for Fox’s NFL coverage, his biggest presence to date in the team’s functions. “Together, they will guide football decisions with a shared focus on leadership, culture, and alignment with the organization’s long-term vision and goals,” said Raiders owner Mark Davis.
Cardinals: As expected, Arizona parted ways Monday with Jonathan Gannon after three years. Posting a 15–36 record over that time, the fate of the former Eagles defensive coordinator was largely sealed as the Cardinals finished the 2025 season with nine straight losses. Arizona’s defense collapsed during that ugly streak as each game had at least 20 points allowed, six of them had at least 30 points allowed, and four of them had at least 40 points surrendered. GM Monti Ossenfort will lead the search for Gannon’s replacement.
Ole Miss offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. is one of several assistants straddling two jobs: He’s coaching the Rebels through their College Football Playoff run and has signed a contract to follow Lane Kiffin to LSU.
But as the Rebels have progressed through the postseason, interest in Weis has reportedly skyrocketed, bringing about questions about whether he might ditch LSU—and his contract—before even settling in Baton Rouge. He was linked to at least one NFL job, ESPN reported Sunday.
Weis, for his part, told On3 he still plans to join the Tigers. But if he does opt to take another role, his buyout would vary greatly depending on what job he takes, according to a copy of his LSU term sheet obtained by Front Office Sports.
If Weis leaves for any NFL “play calling” coaching position or a college head coaching position specifically, he does not owe LSU any buyout. He also wouldn’t owe LSU a buyout for taking a head coaching position in the NFL.
But if Weis leaves for another college assistant position before March 31, he owes LSU 300% of his current base salary and compensation, which would total $5.7 million. If he takes another college assistant position after March 31, he owes LSU 100% of his existing base salary and compensation, which starts at $1.9 million.
Weis would also not be required to pay a buyout if he opts to leave within 90 days of Lane Kiffin’s departure, however.
For now, though, Lane Kiffin has not torn Weis away from the Rebels, even as other Ole Miss assistants have landed in Baton Rouge for good. Weis is still with the Rebels, head coach Pete Golding said this weekend, plotting the offensive strategy for their semifinal matchup against Miami in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday night.
FRONT OFFICE SPORTS LIVE
Breakfast Ball Heads to San Francisco
Breakfast Ball is back for its second edition—and this year, we’re headed to the Bay Area.
Breakfast Ball 2026 will be hosted by San Francisco legends and NFL Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. Featuring both a celebrity pro-am and hospitality space, this event will be the ideal weekend kickoff leading up to the Big Game.
In partnership with Excel Sports Management, last year’s inaugural event brought together athletes, executives, celebrities, and creators in New Orleans. Now, we’re taking things to the next level with an unforgettable day at the iconic TPC Harding Park Golf Course on Friday, Feb. 6.
“There are many tournaments that we have in america and abroad where americans are already attending regardless of who is playing (excluding us open) where people come and don’t really cheer for their coutnrymen [sic] player.”
—Coco Gauff tweeted Sunday, clarifying comments she made at the United Cup calling U.S. fans “the worst” at supporting players overseas. Gauff, the No. 4–ranked women’s tennis player, was criticized on social media for not considering the financial burden for fans to travel overseas. She explained in her tweet that she understands tennis is “not accessible for everyone.”
“It was more of a comment for those who are already attending and how I wish they were as passionate as those from other countries,” Gauff wrote in her tweet.
Taylor Fritz, the top-ranked U.S. men’s tennis player, supported Gauff’s sentiments in a response to her tweet: “I was there sitting next to her, and I know EXACTLY what Coco meant and was trying to say, and she’s right. … We love the Americans that come out and support, some other countries abroad just have a really insane sports culture, but we appreciate every single American abroad that comes to watch.”
