Where the QB dominoes stand in the Transfer Portal after a chaotic opening weekend

Oct 25, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) against the Houston Cougars in the second half at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Oct 25, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) against the Houston Cougars in the second half at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Transfer Portal opened up on Friday Morning sending chaos throughout college football as free agency in the NCAA began. While every program builds out their roster using the Transfer Portal, nothing rivals the activity in the Transfer Portal when programs need to land the quarterback to take them over the top.

The first weekend of the Transfer Portal set off a domino effect in the quarterback market with some of the top quarterbacks picking landing spots. Drew Mestemaker and Rocco Becht followed their head coaches as was expected.

The biggest domino fell when the Transfer Portal's top quarterback Brendan Sorsby picked Texas Tech over LSU giving the Red Raiders a massive win.

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Other significant moves came when Josh Hoover committed to Indiana, giving Curt Cignetti a clear heir to Fernando Mendoza. Katin Houser landed at Illinois which gave Bret Bielema an answer at quarterback for next season.

Now that some of the biggest dominoes have fallen, the market has gotten smaller, yet there are still plenty of teams that need a quarterback. Heading into the week, there are still several massive dominoes that are left standing, but could fall at a moment's notice.

Where the biggest dominoes stand in the Transfer Portal

Sam Leavitt is the best in show with a wide market

Sam Leavitt is the top quarterback left on the market after the opening weekend, making him everyone's top target. Leavitt spent the weekend at Kentucky, but left without being committed which works out perfectly for him as the market now focuses on him. Texas Tech was going to get a visit, but after landing Brendan Sorsby they're no longer in the market.

The LSU Tigers are next on deck as they'll get a visit from Leavitt this week, as Lane Kiffin tried to land Brendan Sorsby, but missed out.

Aside from Kentucky and LSU, who will have hosted Sam Leavitt on official visits, there should still be several other teams that show interest in the Arizona State star. Miami will likely be interested as they need to replace Carson Beck, while Oregon could be interested depending on where Dante Moore leans on entering the NFL Draft.

Does DJ Lagway make an In-State move?

DJ Lagway took a visit to Florida State on Saturday as Mike Norvell and the Seminoles look to replace Tommy Castellanos. The Seminoles also hosted UNLV transfer Anthony Colandrea, but he's looking at other schools as well, with a visit set to Georgia Tech, which lost Haynes King to the NFL and Aaron Philo to the Transfer Portal.

Lagway landing at Florida State would be fascinating, as he needs to land somewhere that will help his development. The Seminoles would need to go out and attack the portal everywhere else, but Lagway has the raw talent to be excited about.

Where DJ Lagway becomes interesting is if he waits, as LSU, Miami, and Oregon are all better landing spots on paper, and he could become their top target depending on where Sam Leavitt ends up.

DJ Lagway is ranked as the 4th best quarterback in the Transfer Portal and the 2nd best available in the Saturday Blitz Transfer rankings.

What does Dylan Raiola's market look like?

While several quarterbacks have already visited several schools, Dylan Raiola has been quiet with no public visits announced. The best path for Dylan Raiola may be exactly what he's doing and playing the waiting game. One of the top schools is going to end up without a quarterback, and it could benefit Raiola with a better landing spot than expected.

Can these guys commit already?

Everyone who's looking at the quarterbacks available in the Transfer Portal likely keeps passing by quarterbacks that everyone knows has a landing spot picked, but haven't committed yet. Byrum Brown has been expected to follow Alex Golesh from the moment he took the Auburn job, but hasn't committed yet.

Aaron Philo has been predicted to land at Florida since Buster Faulkner took the Gators OC job, but still remains on the market.

When Austin Simmons announced he was transferring, Pete Thamel instantly tied him to Missouri, but he may be waiting until Ole Miss' season is over to announce his commitment.

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