College Football: Why do we have a quarterback transfer epidemic?

College football has a transfer epidemic. There have been countless blue chip quarterback transfers. Most have found homes, but why are they leaving?

So many players have chosen to leave their program this offseason in search of a new home. However, it is the quarterback list that really outweighs the rest and has many scratching their heads. Many are even former top-ranked recruits looking for and having found new homes.

For example, Tate Martell is headed to Miami. This guy probably created the most drama possible as he made his decision on Ohio State, just to pushed out of Columbus by the likes of yet another top ranked quarterback transfer, Justin Fields out of Georgia.

Fields was granted a hardship waiver from the NCAA due to the drama of what happened with a couple choice comments made by a now former baseball player. He will be likely taking over the quarterback duties for the Buckeyes in 2019. For Martell, he may be the 2020 quarterback for the ‘Canes- nothing is set in stone there.

If you’d like to continue to follow along with the transfer drama by names, you can follow 247Sports Transfer Portal Tracker here. The question is why are they all on the move?

For me, I think the answer is simple. Not every one of these guys has a hardship that is keeping them unhappy where they are. Not every one of these guys just isn’t happy with their decision now that they have arrived on campus. Not at all. Instead, what is causing this transfer exodus is simple: playing time.

Many are threatened by other quarterbacks that have already pretty much taken up much of exactly that, playing time. These guys came in and expected to play right away or at least within the first half of the season because they know that they are good.

Whether they are like Nick Starkel out of Texas A&M who lost his job to Kellen Mond or like Justin Fields who simply never had it, they all want to play. They all want to see the field for more than 15 to 25 snaps on the season.

This kind of exodus isn’t going to happen season after season. It is simply a large group of guys who realized they aren’t starting and want to do exactly that even if they have to do it somewhere else.