MADISON, Wis. — A growing trend of transfer quarterbacks is reshaping the landscape of college football, impacting high school prospects like Ryan Hopkins, a former three-star recruit from Mater Dei in Santa Ana, California, who recently chose to play for Wisconsin. Approximately 65% of FBS starting quarterbacks this season are transfers.
Trent Dilfer, a former Fresno State quarterback, first-round draft pick, and current high school coach at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, Tennessee, notes the change in recruiting philosophy. He explained, “It’s a totally different ballgame,” adding that colleges no longer prioritize developing quarterbacks over multiple years. The NCAA’s removal of the requirement for transfers to sit out a year before playing, beginning with the 2021-22 season, is the primary driver of this shift. “And that changed everything,” Dilfer said. “Because instead of recruiting the child, now you’re recruiting a man.”
Wisconsin is entering its fourth consecutive season with a transfer quarterback as its starter. Hopkins is currently competing with Louisville transfer Deuce Adams for the backup position behind Old Dominion transfer Colton Joseph, who started in the Badgers’ season-opening game against Notre Dame. Hopkins expressed confidence in the coaching staff’s approach, stating, “I feel like with this coaching staff – no matter if you’re the 2 or the 3 or the 1 - they’re coaching every guy the same.”
Washington coach Jedd Fisch highlights the increased pressure on high school quarterbacks to prove their worth. “If you’re a quarterback in this day and age, you have to earn it and you have to say, ‘I’m OK with taking less when I’m first getting recruited, because I want to get more when I show how good I am,’” he said. Data from 247Sports composite rankings reveals that over 80% of the top 50 quarterbacks from the 2023 class have transferred, with nearly double the number attending at least three colleges compared to those who stayed at one school.
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