The 2026 college football transfer portal opens on Jan. 2, and there have already been some marquee names planning to hit the open market, including quarterbacks Sam Leavitt and Josh Hoover. In the era of Name, Image, and Likeness, those top passers will come at a steep cost for programs interested in landing them.
Unsurprisingly, per Pete Nakos of On3.com, the Indiana Hoosiers, Oregon Ducks and LSU Tigers remain the three programs that seem to be the most in the mix for Leavitt. As for Hoover, Indiana is also eyeing him as a replacement for Fernando Mendoza.
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More interesting is the cost to land each of the quarterbacks. Nakos reported on Friday that the NIL deals for Hoover, Leavitt, and former Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby could touch $4 million or even $5 million for next season.
For comparison, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy ($5.463 million), Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. ($5.72 million), and Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix ($4.653 million) are all relatively close to that range in terms of their average annual contract values, now two years removed from being first-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. The cost of signing Leavitt or Hoover might wind up being more than Jaxson Dart ($4.244 million) and Mac Jones ($4.205 million) made this season.
The cost to sign one of the top three quarterbacks in the college football transfer portal might end up being why other Power 4 programs look to alternative options. A second-tier passer who is in the portal might only cost $2 million, meaning there is additional money that could be spent on the offensive line to support that quarterback next season.
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To that point, the going rate for top-end quarterbacks may also result in schools taking a closer look at players from smaller schools. The Tennessee Volunteers had great success this past season with Joey Aguilar, who previously played at Appalachian State, and Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was a Heisman Trophy contender in the SEC just a year after winning the Division II national title at Ferris State.
