Five SEC QBs on transfer watch
The proliferation of the transfer portal and implementation of the one-time transfer waiver has dramatically impacted all of college football. But no position has been changed more than quarterback. Every year, a slew of signal-callers not happy with their playing time or situation enter the portal, and as they find new schools, that in turn leads other quarterbacks from those teams to seek out a new home.
The quarterback carousel has already started to turn in 2022, with Boise State's Hank Bachmeier entering the transfer portal on Monday after starting 29 games during his four-year career. The start of the first ever "transfer window" on Dec. 5, when all players will be eligible to enter the portal rather than just graduates and those who have experienced a coaching change, should crank up the pace.
Here's an early look at the quarterbacks in the SEC who could seek a new home following this season.
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Luke Altmyer, Ole Miss
Altmyer looked for a while like the successor to Matt Corral at Ole Miss, but true to his self-assigned "Portal King" nickname, Lane Kiffin brought in additional competition from the transfer ranks in the form of former USC quarterback Jaxson Dart. Dart appears to have seized the starting job, having started three of four games this season, including the past two.
Dart has been far from infallible this season, having completed 62.2 percent of his passes and thrown five touchdowns versus two interceptions, so it's not impossible that Ole Miss could turn to Altmyer if Dart struggles once the Rebels' schedule toughens up.
But assuming Kiffin sticks with Dart, who will still have two seasons of eligibility left after 2022, Altmyer looks like someone who could seek a starting opportunity elsewhere.
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Haynes King, Texas A&M
Like Ole Miss, Texas A&M added a quarterback with starting experience from the transfer portal during the offseason in Max Johnson. King actually beat out Johnson for the starting spot during fall camp. But once the season began, he struggled. King threw a pair of interceptions against Sam Houston State and then completed 13 of 20 passes for just 97 yards in the Aggies' loss to Appalachian State.
Since then, Jimbo Fisher has benched King for Johnson. Johnson hasn't put up huge numbers the past two weeks, but he has avoided turnovers and led the Aggies to wins over Miami and Arkansas, so it looks like the job is his to lose moving forward. Johnson still has two seasons of eligibility after this one, and former four-star recruit Conner Weigman will also be a factor in the quarterback competition for next season, so it wouldn't come as a surprise if King looks to try his luck elsewhere.
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Jalen Kitna, Florida
The son of former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna hasn't seen any game action at Florida, backing up Emory Jones last season and Anthony Richardson this year. Barring an injury to Richardson, that seems unlikely to change. Richardson has struggled at times as a passer this season (although he looked much better in Florida's loss to Tennessee on Saturday), but it would come as a surprise if Billy Napier were to bench someone with his dynamic ability.
Add in the fact that Kitna was brought to Gainesville by a different coaching staff, having committed to Dan Mullen, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him look for a new home following the season.
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Tyler Macon, Missouri
Macon started Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz's run of impressive quarterback recruiting, which now includes three four-star prospects in the past three cycles. But his play hasn't quite lived up to the hype. He started one game last season plus appeared in two others and struggled mightily with his accuracy.
This season, even with starter Brady Cook struggling and backup Jack Abraham throwing two interceptions in six pass attempts, Macon has not been able to get on the field. The competition should only get tougher as Sam Horn, a top-100 prospect in the 2021 class, gets another season under his belt and 2022 four-star Gabarri Johnson arrives on campus.
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Someone from Georgia
Even though Georgia's starting quarterback is a former walk-on, the Bulldogs' quarterback room is loaded with former highly-rated prospects. And with Stetson Bennett's eligibility finally expiring after this year, one of Beck, Vandagriff or Stockton should take over the offense.
In all likelihood, at least one will transfer, as well. Beck has the most experience of the group, having served as Bennett's primary backup this season and appeared in seven games throughout his three-year career, but Vandagriff, who scored an absurd 63 total touchdowns as a senior at Prince Avenue Christian, has seen some game snaps, as well.
The one wrinkle in this situation is the fact that, due to the new NCAA transfer windows, non-graduates must enter the portal by May 15 in order to be eligible for the following fall, so it's possible Kirby Smart could keep the quarterback competition close enough during spring that all three opt to stay at Georgia and battle it out during the fall. But given that all three put up ridiculous numbers in high school and should have no shortage of Power Five suitors, it seems likely that at least one will look for a guaranteed starting spot elsewhere.