Transfer QBs who could have the biggest impact in 2023

According to On3, 58 of the 131 starting quarterbacks (44.3 %) at the FBS level in 2022 were transfers—a 6.7% increase from 2021.

Of those transfers, Caleb Williams (USC), Bo Nix (Oregon), Quinn Ewers (Texas), Michael Penix Jr. (Washington) and others played significant roles in their first year at a new program. 

High-profile QB transfers again dot the landscape of college football at the FBS level. Here are five who could be difference-makers in 2023:

Devin Leary, Kentucky |
Previous school: North Carolina State

With
one year of eligibility remaining, Leary arrives at Kentucky as a bridge quarterback from Will Levis to former four-star quarterback Destin Wade, who redshirted in 2022.

In
2021—Levis’s first season—Kentucky won 10 games for the second time under head coach Mark Stoops. In 2022, the Wildcats regressed to 7-6.

At
a crossroads in his tenure, Stoops snagged Leary out of the portal after Wade struggled in his debut in the Belk Bowl against Iowa. 

In
2021, his lone full season with North Carolina State, Leary led the Wolkpack to a 9-3
record with 3,433 passing yards and 35 TD passes. An injury in 2022 limited him to six games.

If
Leary can return to his 2021 form, he could help Kentucky regain its 2021 trajectory
before handing the reins to a better-prepared Wade.

Jeff Sims, Nebraska |
Previous school: Georgia Tech

A
month ago, Sims may not have made the cut for this list. However, in late April 2022, Nebraska starting QB Casey Thompson left the Big Red for Florida Atlantic.

Thompson’s move leaves Sims as seemingly the only viable option left in Lincoln for
Matt Rhule’s first season as Huskers head coach.