Transfer Portal Ripple Effect: How QB movement will impact HS recruiting

The transfer portal is open and there has been plenty of activity so far. National recruiting analyst Greg Smith takes a look at the impact of some recent quarterback transfer decisions.

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Steve Angeli leaving Notre Dame

AP Photo/Andres Leighton

It’s not shocking that one of the Notre Dame quarterbacks would transfer out of the program. At the start of spring football there were three players vying for the starting job after Riley Leonard graduated. The news of Angeli leaving the program leaves the Irish with two main competitors for the starting job in CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey.

It’s worth noting that Carr and Michey are both recruits that coach Marcus Freeman brought in. So now he’ll have his choice of homegrown players after going with transfers in back-to-back seasons. Neither quarterback has any experience in college. They have one pass total attempted in college between them.

The Irish also have 2025 four-star Blake Herbert entering the mix. That’ll give the program three young quarterbacks. This might make it difficult for Freeman to keep the verbal commitment of 2026 four-star Noah Grubbs. The depth chart he’d be entering into will be very crowded and each quarterback has eligibility beyond this season. That’s something to keep an eye on as the cycle unfolds.

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Trinidad Chambliss to Ole Miss

Quarterbacks are flocking to Oxford, Miss., right now. Under coach Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss has become a destination for quarterbacks who want to put up big numbers and showcase their talents for the NFL. It doesn’t hurt that Jaxson Dart is a player that some think has first-round NFL Draft potential.

Chambliss joining the Rebels was a huge pickup for Kiffin. He’s an explosive talent that has showcased his dual-threat ability at Ferris State for the last two seasons. The quarterback led Ferris State to a national championship last season while amassing 2,925 passing yards with 26 passing touchdowns. Plus, he ran for 1,019 yards and 25 touchdowns.

He joins a talented QB room that includes Austin Simmons, AJ Maddox and Louisville transfer Pierce Clarkson. This sets up an interesting competition heading into the summer and fall.

Class of 2026 quarterback recruiting is going well too. High three-star Rees Wise committed to the program this week. Former South Carolina commit and four-star Landon Duckworth is a priority target for Ole Miss, too. Someone else will transfer out in the next portal window or next year because the room is crowded and only getting better.

Kiffin wants competition to bring out the best in his signal-callers and he’s going to get plenty of competition.

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Gio Lopez to North Carolina

USA TODAY

Does Bill Belichick have his quarterback for the 2025 season? He might have found one after South Alabama transfer Gio Lopez announced that he would be transferring to North Carolina. As the Jaguars’ starting quarterback in 2024, he passed for 2,559 yards with a 66% completion rate with 18 touchdowns and only five interceptions. Additionally, he rushed for 463 yards and seven touchdowns. An interesting wrinkle here is that Lopez could be Belichick’s first left-handed quarterback.

North Carolina has highly touted freshman quarterback Bryce Baker on campus. The Tar Heels also have veteran Max Johnson, who started the season opener in 2024 but missed the rest of the season with a broken leg. He’s on track to return this season. The room already thinned out a little bit in anticipation of Lopez joining the team. Purdue transfer Ryan Browne joined the program in the winter portal window. He has re-entered the portal.

Lopez now enters as the presumed starter heading into the 2025 season. He has three years of eligibility left. We don’t know yet how this will impact the Tar Heels’ plans for quarterback in the 2026 recruiting class. The Tar Heels don’t have a commit yet and can now afford to take their time finding the right fit. There are some long-term projects such as New Jersey native Derek Zammit and Georgia native Travis Burgess.

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