Those who argue no team from the Group of Five should be allowed to compete in the College Football Playoff often claim the G5 doesn’t have the talent to compete with Power Four programs.
But that’s tough to reconcile when so many G5 players, including quarterbacks, transfer to P4 schools every year. And this offseason will be no exception. Five of the six quarterbacks who were on the HERO Sports Group of Five All-American teams have announced they will be entering the transfer portal, which could very well mean they will be receiving more NIL money at a Power Four program in 2026.
Here’s my rankings of the top G5 quarterbacks who have announced they will be entering the portal in 2026:
Transfer Portal QB Rankings
| Rank | Name | Old Team |
| 1. | Drew Mestemaker | North Texas |
| 2. | Byrum Brown | USF |
| 3. | Anthony Colandrea | UNLV |
| 4. | Alonza Barnett III | JMU |
| 5. | Colton Joseph | Old Dominion |
| 6. | Amari Odom | Kennesaw State |
| 7. | Jaylen Raynor | Arkansas State |
| 8. | Katin Houser | East Carolina |
| 9. | JC French IV | Georgia Southern |
| 10. | Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi | Colorado State |
Who’s The Best Quarterback In The Transfer Portal?
Drew Mestemaker is the best quarterback in the transfer portal this season and will garner plenty of interest from Power Four schools.
Mestemaker, North Texas’ quarterback, announced Monday he will be entering the transfer portal. He was the HERO Sports Group of Five Player of the Year and the American Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2025.
Mestemaker, who was a redshirt freshman this season, led the country with 4,379 yards and 34 touchdowns through the air while throwing just nine interceptions and completing 69% of his passes. His 34 TD passes was a single-season program record and his 4,379 yards was a school record, was an American Conference freshman record, and was the second-most by a freshman in FBS history.
Mestemaker was one of the best stories in college football. The Austin, Texas, native is a former walk-on who was a backup in high school before he got his chance at UNT. He started for the Mean Green for the first time last year in the First Responder Bowl and totaled 448 yards and three touchdowns.
This year, he led UNT (12-2) to its first 12-win season and its first American Conference Championship berth as the Mean Green were first in the country in total offense (512.4 yards per game) and scoring offense (45.1 points per game). He won the Burlsworth Award, which goes to the country’s best player who began as a walk-on.
At 6-foot-4, 211 pounds, he has a good arm, is poised in the pocket, is accurate, makes good decisions, and is young.
Top QBs In The Transfer Portal
Aside from Mestemaker, there are several quarterbacks who played in the Group of Five in 2025 who could end up starting at Power Four schools in 2026. Here’s a few of them:
Byrum Brown, USF
It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Byrum Brown ends up at a big-name school. That includes Auburn, where former USF head coach Alex Golesh now is.
Brown leads the FBS with 347.2 yards of total offense per game. He’s also first in the country in points responsible for with 256. He’s seventh in passing efficiency, eighth with 28 passing touchdowns, 21st with 3,158 passing yards, and 33rd with a 66.3% completion percentage.
Brown has been one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in college football statistically over the past few decades. There’s certainly some P4 schools who could benefit from adding him.
Anthony Colandrea, UNLV
After transferring from Virginia, Colandrea was instantly successful in his one year at UNLV.
The Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year is sixth in the country with 3,459 passing yards. He’s also 11th in the nation with 198 points responsible for and is 12th with 293.4 yards of total offense per game. He’s tied for 28th with 23 passing TDs, 29th in passing efficiency, and 36th with a 65.9% completion rate.
Colandrea is another excellent dual-threat QB who can impact a game on the ground as well. Considering what he’s done in his career, he could be regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in all of college football by the end of 2026.
Alonza Barnett III, James Madison
Barnett’s career hasn’t been smooth, as he was benched as a redshirt freshman and suffered a season-ending injury in 2024. But he’s battled to get where he’s at and was the Sun Belt Player of the Year this season.
Barnett is fourth in the nation with 232 points responsible for. He’s tied for 28th with 23 passing TDs and is 43rd with 2,806 passing yards.
To me, Barnett is also one of the most impressive deep passers in the FBS. Keep an eye on UCLA adding Barnett, as former JMU head coach Bob Chesney is now with the Bruins.
Colton Joseph, Old Dominion
Joseph has been a solid quarterback in the Sun Belt the past few years. He certainly made another step in his development in 2025.
Joseph is eighth in the country with 302.6 yards of total offense per game and is tied for ninth with 204 points responsible for. He’s also 24th in passing efficiency and tied for 35th with 21 passing TDs.
Joseph will be a junior in 2026, so I could see him being even better in a P4 conference as he continues to get older and improve.
