Byrum Brown, Drew Mestemaker Headline Top Group of 6-to-Power 4 Transfer QBs
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College football teams are increasingly relying on transfer quarterbacks to take them to the postseason and beyond. Two years into the 12-team College Football Playoff format, all four starting signal-callers in the national championship game have been transfers. And the last three quarterbacks to win the Heisman Trophy all did so after switching schools.
This degree of movement has become commonplace in the unlimited transfer era, which Congress is currently trying to curtail. But Fernando Mendoza, Carson Beck, Will Howard, Riley Leonard, Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams all started their college careers at power conference programs. Quarterbacks making the jump from the Group of 6 to Power 4 is another trend benefitting well-resourced programs eager for ready-made solutions under center.
Some recent examples include Cam Ward (Washington State to Miami), Diego Pavia (New Mexico to Vanderbilt), Joey Aguilar (Appalachian State to UCLA to Tennessee) and Kurtis Rourke (Ohio to Indiana). And there are plenty of current quarterbacks who made similar moves, such as Darian Mensah (Tulane to Duke and now to Miami), Jayden Maiava (UNLV to USC) and John Mateer (Washington State to Oklahoma).
Who is following in their footsteps in 2026? These are the Group of 6-to-Power 4 transfer quarterbacks you need to know this season.
Drew Mestemaker (North Texas to Oklahoma State)
Drew Mestemaker was one of the most heralded players to hit the transfer portal, but there was never much mystery over where he would land. Once North Texas coach Eric Morris was hired at Oklahoma State, the writing was on the wall for Mestemaker to join him in Stillwater. And for good measure, they brought much of the Mean Green offense with them to tackle the Big 12 together.
The story of how Mestemaker went from a walk-on to Heisman Trophy hopeful was made for TV. He got his first shot to start in North Texas’ bowl game at the end of the 2024 season. Less than a year later, he threw for 608 yards in a single game, shattering a school record. Mestemaker led the country in passing with 4,379 passing yards in his first season as the starter. Accordingly, the Mean Green finished No. 1 nationally in points and yards per game.
Mestemaker is a gunslinger, but not at the cost of efficiency. He led all passers in yards per attempt and still completed close to 70% of his throws. And though he has never started a game against a power conference opponent, Mestemaker has the talent and weapons to maintain that level of effectiveness despite the jump in competition.
Byrum Brown (South Florida to Auburn)
Byrum Brown is also part of the growing trend of coach-quarterback package deals. He followed Alex Golesh from USF to Auburn on the heels of a historic season — along with several of the Bulls’ best offensive players — and he’s already had success against SEC opponents.
Across three seasons as South Florida’s starter, Brown set more than a dozen program records. He led the FBS with 42 total touchdowns in the regular season in 2025 and recorded at least one passing and rushing touchdown in each of his final eight games. Of the five quarterbacks who ran for more than 1,000 yards last season, Brown was the only one to top 3,000 passing yards.
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Brown’s unique combination of size and speed makes him a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses. He gave Alabama problems in 2023 and 2024, tallying 200 rushing yards in those two matchups. And last fall, Brown led the Bulls to their first win over Florida.
Golesh knows how best to deploy Brown. It was his arrival in Tampa that coincided with Brown’s 2023 breakout. They should enjoy similar success together in the Loveliest Village on the Plains.
Colton Joseph (Old Dominion to Wisconsin)
Old Dominion fared better against Indiana last season than Wisconsin. Colton Joseph is a big reason why. He ripped off a 75-yard touchdown run on the first snap of the season against the eventual national champions. Joseph finished with 179 rushing yards in a 27-14 Monarchs defeat. The Badgers lost 31-7 to the Hoosiers later in the season and tallied just 168 yards in the process.
That showing against Indiana is not the sole reason why Wisconsin pounced on the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year in the transfer portal. Joseph has been a big-play machine for ODU for the better part of two years. He progressed as a passer and a runner in 2025, which translated into more wins for the Monarchs.
Joseph still has room to grow as a passer with a career completion rate below 60%, but his mobility alone gives him a level of baseline production that the Badgers’ offense has been lacking. They had the second-lowest scoring offense in the country last season. Joseph had more passing and rushing touchdowns on his own than Wisconsin did as a team.
Even if Joseph struggles with the jump in competition from the Sun Belt to the Big Ten, this is a worthwhile bet on upside for coach Luke Fickell.
Katin Houser (East Carolina to Illinois)
Katin Houser is back in the Big Ten. He struggled in his first stint at Michigan State, but after back-to-back strong seasons at East Carolina he returned for his final year of eligibility at Illinois. Houser developed into a volume passer for the Pirates, and he demonstrated enough dual-threat ability a season ago to lead the team in rushing touchdowns.
Houser is one of the most experienced signal-callers in the country with 26 career starts. His efficiency has improved with each passing season, culminating in record numbers in 2025. Houser cut his turnovers in half, improved his completion percentage and emerged as a red-zone rushing threat.
Houser has big shoes to fill as he replaces Luke Altmyer, the Illini signal-caller for the program’s most successful two-season stretch in its history. He might be asked to be more of a game manager than he was at ECU. Illinois employs a methodical approach, prioritizing possession and minimizing turnovers. Houser can play that role for coach Bret Bielema, and he has the arm to add another wrinkle to the offense.
Anthony Colandrea (UNLV to Nebraska)
Dylan Raiola’s departure was a major blow for Nebraska. He was the highest-rated recruit the Cornhuskers ever signed, and he led them to their first back-to-back winning seasons in a decade. After Raiola transferred to Oregon, where he will back up Dante Moore, coach Matt Rhule pivoted to dual-threat Anthony Colandrea in the transfer portal.
Colandrea is not as talented as Raiola, but he does bring substantial starting experience to the table — including at the power conference level. Colandrea was a two-year starter at Virginia, where he had his ups and downs before a breakout 2025 season at UNLV. He won Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year, racking up more than 4,000 total yards and 33 touchdowns in Dan Mullen’s offense.
Colandrea has a capable wide receiver room and strong offensive line in place. Still, this is a sea change for the Cornhuskers’ offense, which lost All-America running back Emmett Johnson to the NFL and swapped out a pocket passer for a mobile quarterback. Nebraska’s schedule affords Colandrea some time to get his bearings in the Big Ten, but the second half is brutal.
Other Notable Transfers
- Alonza Barnett III (James Madison to UCF)
- Jalen Raynor (Arkansas State to Iowa State)
- JC French IV (Georgia Southern to Cincinnati)
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Related: College Football Bowl Projections for 2026-27
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jul 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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