Rants and raves about the transfer portal are getting louder and louder every day as the season continues on. With reform seemingly on the horizon, let’s take a moment to see how top transfers at football’s most important position have performed in weeks 1 & 2:
The Busts
Nico Iamaleava (UCLA)
Nico shocked everyone when he entered the portal from Tennessee, where he was given the reigns as a freshman in 2024. Even more surprising was his transfer destination, UCLA, which has struggled to field a competitive team since their PAC-12 days. Unfortunately for Iamaleava, he has not been able to change the culture in 2 games with the Bruins. His team is 0-2 with losses to Utah and UNLV and his performance has not inspired a lot of confidence. He looked pretty bad against Utah (11/22 passing, 136 yds 1 TD/1 INT) in a lopsided 43-10 loss. Against UNLV, he looked better, but he threw another pick and led his team to a loss against a Group of 5 opponent. Unfortunately, Nico’s draft stock and reputation have taken a quick nose dive since he entered the portal.
Mark Gronowski (Iowa)
Gronowski has a rare opportunity as an FCS Quarterback who inherited a College Football Playoff-caliber team. Coming into the season, Hawkeyes fans saw the former South Dakota State star as the key to unlocking an explosive offense in Iowa City for the first time maybe ever. In 4 seasons as SDSU’s starter, he threw for 93 Touchdowns and only 20 Interceptions, so those expectations were warranted. Unfortunately, it’s the same old Iowa through 2 games, with a 34-7 win over FCS Albany and a 13-16 loss to Iowa State on the ledger so far. The Hawkeyes offense, led by Gronowski, is no better than the anemic units we’ve seen in recent years. Mark’s average yards per completion is 3.3 and he’s completing only about 54% of his passes. Comparing that to his numbers last year at SDSU (8.1 yds per completion, 61% completion), it’s becoming apparent that the Iowa struggles are systemic.
Zach Calzada (Kentucky)
Calling Zach Calzada a bust among transfer QBs may not surprise anybody. The big surprise was when Head Coach Mark Stoops named him the starter in the first place. Calzada has bounced around the SEC from Texas A&M to Auburn before landing at FCS power Incarnate Word. He had 2 elite seasons at UIW, but nobody really thought his return to the SEC would prove successful. It looks like those predictions have become reality – Calzada is completing 47.2% of his throws and has 0 passing TDs to 1 Interception in 2 starts. Kentucky’s offensive staff has already made it clear that they are re-evaluating the QB situation following a 23-30 week 2 loss to Ole Miss.
The Best
Carson Beck (Miami)
Beck was all but unanimously regarded as the top transfer QB in the off-season after an impressive 2 year run as starter for the Georgia Bulldogs. Bulldogs fans are notoriously tough on QBs, so Beck left the program in search of a more comfortable situation that still gave him an opportunity to compete for national titles – enter Miami. So far, he’s been just as good as, if not better than, he was at his best with the Bulldogs. He led his Hurricanes to a win over Notre Dame in a top 10 matchup and he’s completed over 76% of his passes in 2 games. He’s also thrown 4 TDs and 0 interceptions. Things are looking up for Beck and Miami this season.
John Mateer (Oklahoma)
Anyone who rated Beck as lower than the #1 transfer QB likely had Mateer at the top of their list. The former Washington State superstar fits the mold of Oklahoma’s best QBs in recent memory like Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Jalen Hurts. He’s a top tier runner and passer in college football and the only real question he had coming into 2025 with the Sooners was whether or not he could handle top tier competition. After a decisive win over Michigan, it appears he has what it takes. Through 2 weeks, he’s got a signature win under his belt to go along with over 600 passing yards and 7 total TD’s. He’s thrown 2 picks, so he will need to limit those, but otherwise he’s looking like a legit Heisman contender.
Devon Dampier (Utah)
The casual fan won’t know Dampier from his time at New Mexico, but this QB has been putting up big numbers for a few years now. In 2 years at UNM, it became clear that he was way too big of a fish in that small pond, leading him to hit the portal. He landed out west with a team in desperate need of an offensive identity after years of Cam Rising or short term stop-gaps at QB. Utes fans are sold on Dampier as that new identity, as he’s dominated in 2 games, including a 43-10 smashing of Big Ten foe UCLA in week 1. He’s got 5 total TDs and 0 Interceptions so far this year and he’s shown that he can do it all as a passer and runner for this offense. Longtime Utah coach Kyle Whittingham may have his boys back in the College Football Playoff with Devon Dampier under center.
Beau Pribula (Missouri)
Longtime Penn State backup QB Beau Pribula has finally gotten his chance to shine in a new home. Many fans, myself included, lacked confidence in Beau as a top tier starter, especially since Missouri Head Coach Eliah Drinkwitz refused to officially name him the starting QB prior to week one. He did start that game with QB Sam Horn taking over in the second half before suffering an injury. Horn’s injury made it a non-decision in week 2, but Pribula’s play earned him the role decisively either way. His dominant performance against Central Arkansas bled into another breakout game in the Border War over Kansas. Beau racked up 617 passing yards and 5 TDs despite his reputation as a running QB. Through 2 starts, Drew Allar’s understudy is outplaying him in the SEC and Missouri fans couldn’t be happier.
Wait and See
Darian Mensah (Duke)
Mensah made big headlines when he chose to join Duke, which allegedly gave him an $8 Million dollar NIL deal to join the team following a great freshman season at Tulane. That’s a big bet on a freshman with Group of 5 experience, but the Blue Devils’ investment is looking like a pretty good one so far in 2025. Mensah put up a big stat line in a week one win beating of Elon and put up some really solid numbers in a lopsided 19-45 loss to Illinois. Good numbers is one thing, but Mensah will need to keep Duke competitive in big games, which we’ve still yet to see thus far in the season.
Fernando Mendoza (Indiana)
Mendoza is Curt Cignetti’s second try at a transfer QB after a very successful run with Kurtis Rourke last season en route to a college football playoff appearance. Through 2 games, the Hoosiers are 2-0 and Fernando has looked good, throwing for 438 yards, 4 TDs, and 0 Interceptions. Those 2 wins have come against Old Dominion and Kennesaw State, though, which is why Mendoza finds himself in the “Wait and See” category. If he keeps up this solid play as the schedule toughens, Indiana will be happy with their new short term QB rental policy for another season. The first real test will come September 20th at home against Illinois.
Tommy Castellanos (Florida State)
Florida State fans will not like Tommy Castellanos’ place in this article and there’s good reason for resentment. Despite the Seminoles being the laughing stock of 2024, Castellanos led FSU to a 31-17 upset of Alabama in week one and a 77-3 offensive explosion over East Texas A&M. There is no doubting that this is a team and a QB we need to take seriously. That said, his counting stats (especially as a passer), are just good – not great. He’s only thrown 25 passes for 389 yards and 3 TDs through 2 games. That small sample has been great, but I want to see more from him as a passer before naming him as one of the top transfer QBs. In a few weeks, I expect to see Castellanos climb this ranking rather quickly.