Top 10 College Football Power 4 QB Transfers To Watch In 2025

Dozens of college football programs hit the transfer portal in search of a starting quarterback heading into the 2025 season, and the dust has finally settled (hopefully) as teams hit training camp.

The transfer portal is a perfect system for proven veteran QBs with how important nailing that position is for the number of coaches heading into the fall camp on some level of hot seat. There’s a premium price for elite football throwers, and the cost is continuing to rise.

Below is a look at the top 10 Power 4 transfer quarterbacks to watch for the 2025 season.

Nico Iamaleava

The Tennessee vs. Nico Iamaleava NIL dispute became the biggest story of the spring transfer portal window and potentially the entire offseason. He landed back in his home state at UCLA after his first full season as a starter. Iamaleava was solid in his first season as a starter with the Volunteers, which qualified for the College Football Playoff for the first time in 2024. Plenty of eyes will be on Iamaleava this season, and Knoxville has never been more interested in UCLA football.

Carson Beck

After originally declaring for the NFL Draft, former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck hit the transfer portal for Miami this offseason. His 2024 season ended in the SEC Championship when a throwing elbow injury forced him to miss the College Football Playoff after undergoing UCL surgery. Beck did not participate in spring practice but claimed he’s 100% during ACC Media Days this week.

Kaidon Salter

Deion Sanders’ new QB is the only player on this list where it’s unclear whether he will start as the Liberty transfer competes with true freshman Julian Lewis for the starting spot during fall camp. Salter has just one year of eligibility remaining and understood the risks when he committed in December, but he could spend his final college football season on the bench. Still, he’s likely the favorite to start as a multi-year starter.

Fernando Mendoza

Indiana is back on the college football map, and head coach Curt Cignetti went to Cal in his attempt to keep the program’s momentum going. Fernando Mendoza started the last two seasons with the Golden Bears and is getting plenty of buzz from NFL Draft scouts and analysts over the last few months. Mendoza has two years of eligibility left to play as the Hoosiers look to return to the College Football Playoff.

John Mateer

It’s easy to compare the two, but Oklahoma’s debut season in the SEC was a struggle compared to its former Big 12 rival Texas, which nearly competed for a national championship. The Sooners finished with a below .500 overall record last season for the second time in three years under head coach Brent Venables, who needed a big splash at QB this offseason. They did that by landing one of the top QBs in the portal with John Mateer out of Washington State. He has just one year of starting experience but threw 29 touchdowns last season with 826 rushing yards and 15 TDs on the ground.

Jackson Arnold

Speaking of the Sooners, Jackson Arnold exited Oklahoma where he spent the past two seasons but stayed in the conference with Auburn. Head coach Hugh Freeze battled inconsistent quarterback play through his first two years with the Tigers and is certainly hoping Arnold is the answer. If not, Auburn has other options with talented true freshman Deuce Knight and Ashton Daniels, who brings plenty of experience from Stanford.

Thomas Castellanos

Florida State might be the biggest wild card of the 2025 college football season after what we’ve seen the last two seasons. The Seminoles went from being the first team to miss the College Football Playoff with a winning record to a 2-10 campaign in 2024. Will Thomas Castellanos be the answer for a significant turnaround? He lost his starting spot at Boston College last season, which immediately led to a transfer portal entry, but this could work if coaches and players are on the same page in 2025.

Gio Lopez

The Bill Belichick headlines died down over the last few months, and we could get back to talking about his coaching expertise over his personal life drama with a solid season at North Carolina. The Tar Heels lost Max Johnson for the season in Week 1 in 2024 but solidified the position with South Alabama transfer Gio Lopez. He finished Year 1 as a starter with three seasons of college football eligibility remaining heading into the 2025 season.

Mark Gronowski

Very few quarterbacks have as much Division I college football experience than incoming Iowa QB Mark Gronowski. He’s making the jump from the FCS level after spending five years at South Dakota State where he was a four-year starter. The Hawkeyes offense saw significant improvement in 2024 when Kirk Ferentz went outside the family tree for an offensive coordinator, and Gronowsk seems like a good fit for this team.

Conner Weigman

Former Texas A&M QB Conner Weigman battled through injuries that held him out of plenty of football games over the last few seasons and is hoping he can stay healthy with Houston this season. He claimed to have no health limitations during spring practice and will be tasked with turning around an offense that ranked ahead of only Kent State in points per game among FBS programs last season.