2025-26 #PortalSZN Thread

[...TrueColors...]

I remember when people were foaming at the mouth when they didn't offer Isaac Zatechka even a PWO spot back in that era too.

And then Rhule came in and told Isaac that if NDSU offered him a scholarship he should pursue that over a walk-on offer from Nebraska.

 

[Goskers07]

He was never going to Mizzou or Nebraska with his grades. Obvious when he committed to Wyoming. Reinforced when he transferred to Butler.

That whole class is general is a disaster. I remember people being upset at the whole thing because there were 3 four stars that all went out of state. It seemed to have incredible depth for in state talent that year. Looking back, the only two you could really say are successful are Benedict Hausman and Garrett Oakley (KState TE). Maybe add Devon Jackson in there, but in 4 years he has less than 100 career tackles. What a wild class.

 

[Kaladin]

And then Rhule came in and told Isaac that if NDSU offered him a scholarship he should pursue that over a walk-on offer from Nebraska.

And then he went to Missouri and NDSU and never played

 

[Baron Winnebago]

And then he went to Missouri and NDSU and never played

He appeared in 1 career game at NDSU, you hater

 

[...TrueColors...]

And then he went to Missouri and NDSU and never played

He appeared in 1 career game at NDSU, you hater

Rob Z detailed their talk with Rhule on Doc Talk. I guess Rhule pretty much said that he’s not a scholarship guy at Nebraska. But he’d take him on the team as a walk-on. But it’s going to be extremely hard for him to get on the field. Then followed it up with saying something like “I’ve seen this legacy kid scenario play out before. And it ends up not being fair for anyone involved. Go to NDSU and play football.”

 

[Kaladin]

He appeared in 1 career game at NDSU, you hater

 

[Cavalot]

“We can now go get anybody we want. At the same time, we also have the ability to keep our guys now. Guys don’t have to be embarrassed about, ‘Hey, Coach, these people are offering me this.’ I think we can now be the best. … I want to put the best players in the country in this room and not worry about, ‘Hey, can I afford to do it now?’ Some people might still have more than us, but we got a lot.”

This just sucks. I hate this about college athletics right now. I have no problem with some pay for play in reasonable amounts, but where we are now???? It just takes away from the spirit of the college game.

I don't blame any coach for saying and doing what needs to be said and done....I just think the whole thing sucks!

 

[Alcaus]

Rob Z detailed their talk with Rhule on Doc Talk. I guess Rhule pretty much said that he’s not a scholarship guy at Nebraska. But he’d take him on the team as a walk-on. But it’s going to be extremely hard for him to get on the field. Then followed it up with saying something like “I’ve seen this legacy kid scenario play out before. And it ends up not being fair for anyone involved. Go to NDSU and play football.”

Gotta appreciate the honesty and evaluation. Sure it sucks to hear but looks like he was right.

 

[vailhusker]

And then Rhule came in and told Isaac that if NDSU offered him a scholarship he should pursue that over a walk-on offer from Nebraska.

Rhule said the same thing to my little cousin's boyfriend. He had a scholarship to SDSU played in all their games last year as a sophomore then transferred to UNK after the SDSU coach went to Washington St.

 

[dom91932]

Portal Buzz: Quarterbacks who might be on the move, Marshall’s impressive overhaul and more

Florida's DJ Lagway, a sophomore, would be the highest-profile transfer if he opts to depart following Billy Napier's firing.

www.nytimes.com

Portal Buzz: Quarterbacks who might be on the move, Marshall’s impressive overhaul and more​

By Antonio Morales, Manny Navarro and more
Nov. 14, 2025 6:00 am CST

If recent history has taught us anything, the quarterback market in the upcoming transfer portal window will be quite active. In today’s landscape, many programs do not have the luxury of keeping a starter around for several seasons.

And it’s not an issue for Group of 5 schools. More than half of the Power 4 starters who won a job out of fall camp in 2025 were either transfers, freshmen or inexperienced backups who finally got a shot because better options weren’t necessarily available in the portal.

With the regular season winding down, we lead off this edition of Portal Buzz with a look at some notable quarterbacks who could be on the move in January.

Jackson Arnold, Auburn: Arnold, a Class of 2023 five-star recruit from Texas, has not lived up to expectations at two SEC schools. But he did start the first eight games of the season for Auburn before being benched the week before Hugh Freeze’s dismissal. Arnold, who has one season of eligibility remaining, has 18 career starts and has thrown for 3,262 yards and 22 touchdowns and rushed for 818 yards and 11 TDs.

Alonza Barnett III, James Madison: Bob Chesney has done well in his two seasons at JMU, but it’s never easy holding onto players. Barnett, a redshirt junior, has started 22 games for the Dukes and has them at 8-1 overall and in the driver’s seat in the Sun Belt. Barnett has thrown for 4,384 yards with 42 touchdowns and only eight interceptions over the last two seasons. He’s also run for 838 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Ashton Daniels, Auburn: After starting 20 games in three seasons at Stanford, the Georgia native served as the backup for the Tigers this fall until he replaced Arnold two weeks ago against Kentucky. He struggled in his starting debut (13 of 28 for 108 yards) but was great in an overtime loss at Vanderbilt last week (31 of 44 for 353 yards, plus 89 yards rushing). He is a senior but has played in only three games in 2025. He could still redshirt and return to compete for a starting job if he so chooses.




Ethan Grunkemeyer, Penn State: The Ohio native and Class of 2024 four-star recruit took over for an injured Drew Allar in a loss to Northwestern. He’s 0-3 as a starter, but those starts have come at No. 21 Cockeye, at No. 1 Ohio State and at home versus No. 2 Indiana. Grunkemeyer has completed 65.3 percent of his passes for 562 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions. Whether or not he stays at Penn State depends on who the Nittany Lions hire to replace James Franklin.

Eli Holstein, Pittsburgh: Holstein, a redshirt sophomore from Louisiana, had a terrific first season with the Panthers in 2024 before he was sidelined by injury. He lost the starting job after four games this fall to freshman Mason Heintschel. In two seasons at Pitt, the former four-star recruit who began his career at Alabama has completed 62 percent of his passes for 3,283 yards, 28 touchdowns and 13 interceptions and run for 415 yards and four TDs.

Nico Iamaleava, UCLA: The Tennessee transfer, a Class of 2023 five-star recruit, redeemed himself after getting off to a slow start with the Bruins. A redshirt sophomore, Iamaleava could decide to enter the NFL Draft, but it’s more likely he’ll return to college to try to improve his stock. He’s thrown 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions and ranks 11th in the Big Ten in passing efficiency.

Brad Jackson, Texas State: The 6-foot San Antonio native ranks 17th nationally in passing efficiency and he’s only a redshirt freshman. Jackson has completed 69.2 percent of his attempts this season for 2,376 yards, 13 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Texas State coach G.J. Kinne has been rumored to be a candidate for the Oklahoma State job.

KJ Jackson, Arkansas: Jackson, a second-year blue-chip recruit from Montgomery, Ala., has backed up Taylen Green for the past two seasons. He’s unproven — 12 career attempts — but he’s talented and has been developed by offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. If he doesn’t stay at Arkansas, someone will take a chance on him.

Colton Joseph, Old Dominion: Joseph is thriving in his second season as the starter for Ricky Rahne. The redshirt sophomore from Newport Beach, Calif., has completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 2,231 yards, 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions, and he’s also run for 620 yards and nine scores.

Lincoln Kienholz, Ohio State: The former blue-chip recruit from South Dakota was in a battle with Julian Sayin for the starting job in fall camp. Sayin, who has emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation, can’t go pro until after the 2026 season. Kienholz, who has two years of eligibility remaining, was committed to Washington before flipping to Ohio State.

Deuce Knight, Auburn: Knight, a five-star prospect in the Class of 2025, was a big recruiting win for the Tigers, who flipped him from a long-time commitment to Notre Dame. But he’s appeared in only one game and has played 14 snaps thus far. He will be a top priority for Auburn’s next coach.

DJ Lagway, Florida: Lagway, a sophomore, would be the highest-profile transfer if he opts to depart following Billy Napier’s firing. The Texas native, a Class of 2024 five-star recruit, has struggled in part this season because of injuries, throwing more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (11). He ranks 15th in the SEC among qualified quarterbacks in passing efficiency and was benched in a 38-7 loss at Kentucky last week. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Drew Mestemaker, North Texas: The redshirt freshman has become a star under Eric Morris, who also coached Cam Ward at Incarnate Word at Washington State. He’s completed 69 percent of his passes for 2,702 yards, 21 touchdowns and four interceptions and rushed for four scores this season.

Kenny Minchey, Notre Dame: Minchey, a redshirt sophomore, lost a battle with CJ Carr for the starting job in fall camp. The former four-star recruit from Tennessee has played a total of 71 snaps in three seasons with the Irish. He’s completed 11 of 12 passes this season for 130 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.

Maalik Murphy, Oregon State: The well-traveled Murphy started the first eight games of the season for the Beavers, but his time in Corvallis could be over after losing the starting job. Murphy, a redshirt junior, has started 22 games in stops at Texas, Duke and Oregon State.

Austin Novosad, Oregon: Novosad flipped from Baylor to Oregon during the early signing period in December 2022 and competed with Dante Moore for the starting job this fall. The former four-star recruit from Texas has played a total of 48 snaps in three seasons. If Moore goes pro, Novosad could be next in line for the Ducks.

Michael Van Buren, LSU: Interim coach Frank Wilson has been using a two-quarterback system since Brian Kelly was fired, allowing Van Buren, a sophomore, to get some valuable reps as the season has gone south in Baton Rouge. Van Buren, a Baltimore native, made eight starts last season at Mississippi State. He’s completed 55.8 percent of his passes for 2,110 yards, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions and rushed for six touchdowns as well.

First portal signing​

The transfer portal doesn’t officially open until Jan. 2, but we already have our first FBS scholarship transfer signee of the 2025-26 portal cycle.

Oklahoma State right guard Noah McKinney, who entered the transfer portal on Oct. 16, signed with TCU on Wednesday, The Athletic has learned.

The 6-foot-4, 330-pound McKinney appeared in seven games and started five for the Cowboys. He was one of 12 scholarship players from Oklahoma State who entered the portal during the 30-day window following Mike Gundy’s firing in September.

McKinney attracted recruiting attention from North Carolina, Oklahoma, Kentucky and Virginia, among others. He visited TCU for the Horned Frogs’ most recent game, a 20-17 home loss to Cockeye State on Saturday.

Adding an offensive lineman with legitimate Power 4 experience is a good start to the portal cycle for TCU. McKinney fills a need, as the Horned Frogs have two interior offensive line starters who will be out of eligiblity after this season. And quality veteran offensive linemen are hard to come by in the portal because they’re in high demand.

McKinney has ties to the Dallas-Fort Worth region, having started his high school career at Hebron High in Carrollton, Texas, before moving to the Las Vegas area. He played in seven games this season for the Cowboys.

Herd getting it done​

Considering that coach Charles Huff left Marshall for Southern Miss in the offseason and brought nearly 20 players with him, these two Sun Belt programs were always going to be tied together for the next few seasons.

The Golden Eagles, who went winless in league play in 2024, are 7-2 overall and 5-0 in the Sun Belt and very much in the hunt for the conference championship. Marshall, on the other hand, is 4-5 overall and 2-3 in the Sun Belt — not super impressive on paper, but still very solid when factoring in the roster and staff turnover the Thundering Herd experienced over the past year.

Remember, Marshall won the Sun Belt with Huff last season but had to opt out of its bowl game because of the mass roster exodus after Huff’s departure.

First-year coach Tony Gibson brought in 54 transfers, and Marshall entered the 2025 season with just eight players on the roster who had started a game for the program.

Syracuse transfer quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson has thrown for 1,440 yards with 14 touchdowns and three interceptions and rushed for 490 yards and four scores.

Defensive back Boogie Trotter, a transfer from FCS Tennessee State, is tied for the national lead with five interceptions.

Marshall is set to face a 1-8 Georgia State squad this weekend. Win that game and the Herd would need just one win over their final two games (at App State, vs. Georgia Southern) to reach a bowl game — a strong accomplishment for a program that basically had to start from scratch.