The college football transfer portal often features unproven talent looking for a second chance, but this cycle featured a rare commodity in a proven statistical leader with multiple years of eligibility remaining.

Several top-tier programs engaged in a competitive pursuit to land one of the most productive passers from the FCS level to bolster their rosters for the 2026 season.

Coaches from the ACC, Big 12 and national independent brands identified this young signal caller as a primary target to solve depth chart issues or compete for a starting job immediately. His availability sparked a significant recruiting battle that spanned multiple time zones and conferences following his breakout debut campaign.

That pursuit ended abruptly on Sunday when the highly coveted prospect announced his decision to head to the Pacific Northwest. The move sends a ripple effect through the market and forces several major programs to look elsewhere for quarterback help as the offseason moves forward.

Mercer QB Braden Atkinson commits to Oregon State over Notre Dame, Baylor

Former Mercer quarterback Braden Atkinson has committed to Oregon State. His agents at AiC Athletes confirmed the decision to On3’s Hayes Fawcett. The move is a significant recruiting victory for the Beavers and a setback for five other major programs that showed interest in the prolific passer.

Atkinson enters the Oregon State program following a historic season at the FCS level. He threw for 3,611 yards and 34 touchdowns while completing 66 percent of his passes. Those numbers helped him win the Jerry Rice Award, which is given annually to the national freshman of the year in the FCS. He also finished fifth in voting for the Walter Payton Award while leading his team to a 9-3 record and a playoff berth.

His entry into the portal came after Mercer head coach Mike Jacobs left for Toledo. That coaching change sparked a recruitment battle involving Notre Dame, Baylor, Syracuse, Boston College and Cal. Each program had specific reasons for pursuing the 6-foot-1 standout.

Notre Dame explored adding Atkinson to a room that features starter CJ Carr. The Fighting Irish sought experienced depth to protect against injury, but will now have to look elsewhere. Baylor viewed Atkinson as a potential solution to replace Sawyer Robertson after he leaves for the NFL Draft. Head coach Dave Aranda faces pressure to find a competent starter after a difficult 5-7 season.

The ACC also missed out on a potential starter. Boston College is losing Grayson James to graduation and Dylan Lonergan to the transfer portal. This leaves head coach Bill O’Brien with limited proven options on the roster. Syracuse hoped to add competition behind Steve Angeli but failed to close the deal.

Cal viewed Atkinson as a way to bolster the roster under Tosh Lupoi, despite the presence of Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. The Golden Bears’ freshman starter has indicated he plans to return, but depth remains a priority.

Atkinson ultimately chose the Beavers and brings three years of eligibility to Corvallis.

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Frequently these days, we’re reminded that the Alabama Crimson Tide is no longer, in fact, the biggest, baddest recruiting powerhouse in the country. Not with rev-share and NIL essentially serving as a salary cap-less spending spree.

Rev-share has a cap, but NIL doesn’t. Schools can only offer $20.5 million as part of the sport’s rev-share agreement that went into effect at the start of the 2025-2026 academic calendar. NIL is the supplemental cash that big-time boosters, like Cody Campbell with the Texas Tech Red Raiders and Larry Ellison with the Michigan Wolverines, pay beyond that. How every team’s payroll shakes out each season isn’t as transparent. It’s unclear what comes from the school and how much comes from the boosters. Much of it is via taxpayers, who pick up the slack in states across the South because of tax-free NIL payments to players that exist because of these states’ laws.

To that end, the Texas Longhorns have multiple high-spending boosters that can help UT win any bidding war. The Crimson Tide does not.

On3’s Shannon Terry reminded the College Football world of that in the aftermath of former NC State Wolf Pack and Oklahoma Sooners running back Hollywood Smothers flipping his commitment from Alabama to Texas on Sunday.

“Another NIL-driven move. Texas is loading up and has the resources to do it. Alabama has resources, but not at this level. ‘FU money’ is driving the game — just the facts,” Terry wrote.

The Longhorns’ booster network is powered by its top donor, TRT Holdings, the parent company of Omni Hotels and Gold’s Gym, and its owner, Robert Rowling.

Who is Alabama’s top booster?

The Crimson Tide, like Terry, said, isn’t broke. C.T. and Kelly Fitzpatrick, the founders of Vulcan Value Partners, a Birmingham-based investment firm, are financially invested in the program. Yea Alabama, the Tide’s official NIL collective, also chips in for the cause.

UAT AD Greg Byrne has gotten on Yea Alabama’s case for not doing enough spending. We’ll see if the fanbase has enough Bama in them to donate the Tide back into contention with deep-pocketed Texas schools.

Three elite college football programs are battling for one of the most productive quarterbacks in the transfer portal. A redshirt freshman signal-caller has emerged as a primary target for several major schools as the offseason quarterback carousel continues to spin.

The 6-foot, 186-pound dual-threat passer is coming off a breakout season at the FCS level and is now looking to make a jump to the Power Four, according to reporting from On3’s Pete Nakos and Steve Wiltfong.

One SEC head coach quickly pivoted to this rising talent after a previous target from Washington opted to remain in Seattle for the 2026 season. The program has been aggressive in its pursuit, hosting the quarterback for a visit that began on Wednesday and concludes this weekend.

The Radford, Virginia native also visited a Big Ten contender earlier in the week, creating a high-stakes recruiting battle between two heavy hitters.

The decision comes at a critical time for all schools involved as they look to solidify their rosters for the 2026 campaign. The prospect brings a dynamic skill set that has clearly intrigued coaches at the highest level. He accounted for nearly 3,000 yards of total offense last season, proving he can stress defenses with both his arm and his legs.

Landen Clark transfer news updates, visit schedule

Elon quarterback Landen Clark’s production suggests he is ready for a bigger stage. The redshirt freshman threw for 2,321 yards and 18 touchdowns while adding another 614 yards and 11 scores on the ground. His ability to create plays was on full display against Western Carolina, when he passed for 305 yards and two touchdowns.

Those traits appeal to offensive-minded coaches like LSU’s Lane Kiffin, who is looking to add explosive playmakers to his quarterback room.

It wouldn’t be the first time Kiffin plucked a big-time quarterback talent from a little-known school, just as he did ahead of this season when landing Trinidad Chambliss from Division II Ferris State.

Michigan is also making a strong push under new leadership. The Wolverines are looking to stabilize their offense following the departure of Sherrone Moore and the arrival of Kyle Whittingham.

Clark’s visit to Ann Arbor gave him a chance to see how he would fit into their revamped system. Meanwhile, James Madison remains in the mix as a program that can offer immediate playing time closer to home.

Named a Third Team Freshman All-American by Phil Steele, Clark is expected to announce his decision by Sunday evening.

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Texas has the financial resources to sign any college football player it wants. The Longhorns are making a statement by spending millions of dollars in NIL money to help build the roster around Arch Manning.

It also proves they are not broke.

Two of the biggest moves in the transfer portal directly contradict a recent narrative surrounding the college football program in Austin. There is plenty of cash!

Texas will not overpay for unproven contributors.

The University of Texas have seen 23 outgoing players enter the transfer portal this cycle. That is a little bit less than 25% of the 105-player roster.

NIL money is the driving force behind a large number of these departures.

Many Longhorns players are going to the financial administrators with requests for a pay raise, or threatening to enter the transfer portal based on their projected roles rather than proven on-field performance. Players and agents view the program as flush with cash so they want their piece of the pie. That initially created a lot of tension because Steve Sarkisian and his staff are unwilling to overpay for backups and/or unproven contributors. Their demands are unrealistic.

Some fans of college football, especially those who root for rival programs, learned of this targeted approach by Texas and used it as a reason to point and laugh. They thought the Longhorns didn’t have enough money to pay their players after flaunting their money for recruits with a fleet of Lamborghinis.

That is far from the truth, as we learned on Sunday.

Alabama didn’t offer enough NIL money for Cam Coleman or Hollywood Smothers.

This whole narrative about Texas being broke largely stemmed from Christian Clark. The rising sophomore running back initially announced his decision to enter the transfer portal after getting 55 carries for the Longhorns in 2025. He may or may not return to Austin.

Either way, Texas will now split the bulk of carries between Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers. Clark is an afterthought. If he decides to leave, good riddance.

Smothers was the top-ranked running back in the transfer portal. The former four-star recruit ran for 939 yards and six touchdowns on 160 carries at N.C. State last season.

Smothers initially committed to Alabama last week. He later flipped to Texas on Sunday.

D’Anton Lynn and Ikaika Malloe added another familiar face to the Penn State defense by signing veteran defensive tackle Siale Taupaki on Thursday. It’s the second UCLA Bruin defender Penn State has added on their defensive line, along with Keanu Williams.

Taupaki has seen the college football game evolve, as he pre-dates the NIL era. Taupaki got to UCLA in 2019, starting as a defensive lineman, converting to the offensive line, and now has returned to the defensive side of the ball.

Lynn and Malloe have both coached the UCLA defense in recent years, now the two coaches are joining forces again at Penn State under head coach Matt Campbell. With adding the pair of experienced defenders in Taupaki and Williams, gives the Nittany Lions some built-in experience under Lynn’s defensive philosophy.