The advent of the transfer portal has accentuated traditional December festivities in the CFB sphere. It’s been a nice spin-off on the canon event that is the playoffs. We’re deep into this season’s iteration, and a plethora of players have traversed in and out. There’s still quality out there. With so many moving parts, a pecking order of players in the upper echelons of the portal is a bit of a godsend.

Quarterbacks shall always remain a precious commodity. Owing to their perpetual importance, most are snapped within days of hitting the portal. However, the conveyor belt isn’t really exhaustive. New QBs hit the portal all the time, seeking a change of scenery and an opportunity for ascension to the next level. Perhaps even to escape a stagnating career as a backup. Here are the 5 best quarterbacks currently in the College Football transfer portal:

‘Rankings Director & National Transfer Portal Analyst’ sounds like the perfect mesh of roles to conjure a list like this. Which is what Rivals.com’s Adam Friedman is. He’s released the hierarchy in question. From 5 through 1, Friedman named Tyler Van Dyke, Cade McNamara, JJ Kohl, Devin Brown, and, to top it off, Mark Gronowski.

Off the bat, not everyone’s a household name for the regular CFB fan. However, that’s the purpose of this list. That’s the purpose, ideally,  of the College Football transfer portal as a whole. Players leaving to make a name and show out elsewhere. A couple of these names are especially intriguing propositions for a team that’s able to provide the platform and environment for them to thrive.

Those versed with the FCS know Mark Gronowski is deserving of the #1 spot. He bids adieu to the SDSU Jackrabbits after consecutive championships in the previous two seasons as the MVP for each championship game. The translation from FCS up to the FBS is not a linear one. But as an unranked prospect out of high school, Mark Gronowski has a knack for thwarting convention. He’s not the only one worth discerning if you’re an athletic director or head coach needing a new face under center.

This faction of QBs in the transfer portal could be the answer for an ACC powerhouse

#4 Cade McNarama’s career has seemingly dwindled after his escapades with the Michigan Wolverines. Cade was QB1 in Ann Arbor back in 2021 and started 14 games. In the 3 seasons since he’s started a grand total of 14 across 2 programs. # 3 JJ Kohl was a top 10 QB in the class of ‘23. However, he’s not been afforded a shot at Iowa State since Rocco Becht has locked that starting spot up for the Cyclones.

#2 Devin Brown is in the same boat. He just couldn’t quite break through at Ohio State, which is not an indictment whatsoever. He’ll seek to put the tutelage of Chip Kelly and Ryan Day into effect wherever he lands. Lastly, #5 Tyler Van Dyke is perhaps the most fascinating name on here due to his history with a certain team. The Miami Hurricanes are one of the more prominent teams in the hunt for a QB. It’s a real possibility that one of these 5 names fills their Cam Ward-shaped void. 

Van Dyke was QB1 for the Canes for 3 seasons before Ward came down to southern Florida. He’s accustomed to the Cristobal system and the building. One worry is that he’s coming off a torn ACL suffered while at Wisconsin last year. One thing of note is that more players will imminently enter the portal when the CFP concludes. More cogs in this proverbial wheel are on the way, and expect the College Football transfer portal to spew a couple ofsurprises along the way.