Five first-year transfer quarterbacks are leading their teams to a potential spot in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. In the first year on their respective campuses, these quarterbacks have put their teams in a position to compete for the national championship.
All stats are through Week 11
1. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
Gabriel is lighting it up under center for the No. 1 Oregon Ducks. He led Dan Lanning's squad to one of the biggest wins of the season over then-No. 2 Ohio State, when he threw for 341 yards and two touchdowns. Gabriel is leading the country in completion percentage (74.1) and tops the Big Ten with 284.8 passing yards per game.
The lefty gunslinger spent his first three seasons with UCF before taking his talents to Oklahoma for the previous two seasons. He is a college football veteran, and his experience is on full display in Eugene. He has put the Ducks in a great position to potentially capture their first national championship in program history.
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2. Will Howard, Ohio State
Howard stepped in to take over a talented Buckeyes squad in hopes of competing for a national championship, and similar to Gabriel, he has delivered. Oddly enough, heading into Week 12, Howard and Gabriel have each passed for 22 touchdowns with only five interceptions. And Howard sits just one decimal point behind Gabriel in completion percentage (74.0).
After spending his first four seasons with Kansas State, Howard has taken his game to new heights in Columbus. He is only three touchdowns away from breaking his career-high, and his five interceptions are only half as many as he threw last season.
He matches up with Kurtis Rourke — another quarterback on this list — in Week 13 in a game that will have serious repercussions for the Big Ten championship and likely the College Football Playoff.
3. Cam Ward, Miami
Ward is the most explosive quarterback on this list, leading the country in passing yards (3,494) and touchdowns (32). Miami took a hit last week, dropping its first game of the season to Georgia Tech, but Ward still passed for 348 yards and three TDs.
The Heisman candidate spent his first two seasons at the FCS level with Incarnate Word. Fans got a glimpse of the talent he would later bring to the FBS level during his sophomore season, where Ward passed for over 4,600 yards and 47 touchdowns with the Cardinals.
After spending the previous two seasons with Washington State, Ward committed to the Canes for his fifth season. The ambidextrous gunslinger has already led Miami to its most wins since 2017, and if Mario Cristobal's squad wins its final two games, the Canes will reach 11 wins for the first time since 2003.
He has already passed for seven more touchdowns than he did with the Cougars, and if Miami holds on to win the ACC championship, he should be captaining the Canes as they compete for a national title.
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4. Kurtis Rourke, Indiana
Rourke is leading the Cinderella team of the season — Curt Cignetti's Indiana Hoosiers. The Ohio transfer has guided the Hoosiers to their first 10-win season ever, and Indiana is well on pace to be competing in the College Football Playoff come December.
Rourke spent his first five seasons with the Bobcats, passing for over 3,200 yards with a 25-4 TD to INT ratio in 2022. He is putting together a similar campaign in his first season in Bloomington, with 2,410 yards, 21 TDs and just four picks through nine games.
Heading into Week 12, Rourke leads the Big Ten in passer rating (182.7) over Gabriel and Howard. Rourke and Cignetti will have their biggest test of the season in Week 13, as Indiana looks to secure its first win over Ohio State since 1988.
5. Riley Leonard, Notre Dame
Leonard is the outlier on this list. The Duke transfer's passing stats don't pop off the page like his peers above, but combining them with his rushing prowess, Leonard is a nightmare for defensive coordinators.
The 6-foot-4 senior has passed for 1,575 yards and nine touchdowns while also tallying 609 yards and 13 scores on the ground. After an absolute blunder in Week 2 against Northern Illinois, Leonard and the Irish have found their footing, outscoring their seven opponents since the loss 308 to 71.
Notre Dame has its biggest matchup of the season in Week 12 against Army, and if Leonard can guide the Irish to another win, we will likely see the dual-threat QB competing in the College Football Playoff.
