Big Ten Program Loses QB to Transfer Portal Before College Football Playoff Game
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The quarterfinal round of the College Football Playoff is rapidly approaching, but so is the Jan. 2 opening of the transfer portal.
While the portal isn’t officially open until Thursday, more than 1,000 players across the sport have announced intentions to enter their names into the transfer portal. According to On3, the number of entries is already at 1,179, and with there being only one portal window this time around, the expectation is that thousands more will follow suit.
Although one would think that College Football Playoff teams are immune to losing players as they attempt to contend for a title, that is simply not the case, as the Oregon Ducks became the latest program to lose a player to the portal on Saturday.
As revealed by ESPN’s Pete Thamel, reserve quarterback and former four-star recruit Austin Novosad is expected to look for other opportunities.
Sources: Oregon quarterback Austin Novosad intends to enter the NCAA transfer portal. Novosad is a redshirt sophomore and will have two years remaining at his next stop. He’s played in seven games at Oregon, where he entered as an ESPN300 recruit. pic.twitter.com/x6BQ5l24XY
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 27, 2025
The redshirt sophomore out of Dripping Spring, Texas, has completed 12 of his 15 career passes for 99 yards, serving as a backup to both Dante Moore and Dillon Gabriel. As a recruit, Novosad was ranked as the No. 103 player in the class of 2023.
Novosad was committed to Baylor for a year before flipping his commitment to Oregon, which, under Lanning, has relied heavily on the portal for its quarterbacks. Lanning has had a transfer starting at quarterback in each of his four years on the job, with Bo Nix (Auburn), Dillon Gabriel (UCF/Oklahoma) and Dante Moore (UCLA) all reviving their careers in Eugene.
Based on Novosad’s decision, it appears Moore could be returning, or the Ducks have made it clear they plan to pursue another transfer.
As for the No. 5 seed Ducks, they are prepping for their New Year’s Day playoff quarterfinal in the Orange Bowl against the No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET on ESPN.
Related: Georgia Named Candidate for 1,200-Yard Transfer Portal WR
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Dec 27, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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