The transfer portal gained another intriguing quarterback prospect with the addition of USF quarterback Byrum Brown. The rising redshirt senior spent the first four years of his college career in Tampa and will now take his talents elsewhere. With his unique skill set and as arguably the best dual-threat quarterback in college football, Brown will be a highly sought-after prospect in the portal.
He burst onto the scene as a sophomore with over 4,000 yards of total offense and 37 total touchdowns. That season Brown was the only quarterback other than Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels to record 3,000+ passing yards and 800+ rushing yards.
He missed nearly the entire 2024 season with a broken leg injury, but returned without missing a beat, throwing for over 3,000 yards and rushing for more than 1,000 yards while accounting for 42 total touchdowns this past season for the Bulls. There is no doubt that Byrum Brown will be one of the hottest commodities in the upcoming portal, so let’s take a look at three potential landing spots for the former USF quarterback.
Auburn feels like the most logical and easy answer, as it would reunite him with his former head coach Alex Golesh who left USF for Auburn. Golesh is known for his unique, explosive, and fast-paced offense, which was a perfect fit for Brown’s skill set during their time together in Tampa.
Currently, the Tigers have just one quarterback with any experience in Deuce Knight. The rising sophomore was a highly rated four-star recruit and impressed in his lone start last season, throwing for 239 yards and two touchdowns while adding 162 rushing yards and four scores on the ground, albeit against Mercer. With only Knight and one incoming freshman in the quarterback room, Auburn will certainly be in the market for a transfer quarterback. The question is whether Brown and Golesh will look to reunite and try to replicate what they did at USF on a bigger stage in the SEC.
Brown could find a new home within the same state, and take over at Florida after helping USF upset the Gators this past season in The Swamp. New head coach Jon Sumrall appeared comfortable letting former Florida quarterback DJ Lagway walk, which suggests he may already have another option in mind.
Sumrall is very familiar with Brown after coaching in the American Conference for the past two seasons at Tulane. While Sumrall is known as a defensive coach, his offensive hire makes this an intriguing fit. Florida brought in Buster Faulkner as offensive coordinator, who was most recently the OC at Georgia Tech. Faulkner’s offense with the Yellow Jackets heavily utilized quarterback Haynes King’s legs, which is a style that would certainly be a fit for Brown.
Brown is originally from the state of North Carolina, so this option is more about returning home. However, if Bill Belichick is looking to change after a rough first season and fully embrace the college offense and quarterback style, Brown would be a perfect place to start.
Gio Lopez, who started the majority of last season is returning to Chapel Hill, but with how he played last year, the Tar Heels should be looking for a QB in the portal. Belichick also brought in Bobby Petrino to run the offense, and he recently had strong statistical seasons with Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green, a player whose skill set is very similar to Brown’s as a dual-threat playmaker. This one may be more of a longshot, but it could be a possibility if Brown is looking to return home and UNC is willing to open up the checkbook.