Tyler Buchner (Notre Dame to Alabama)
The skinny: Buchner’s move into the portal was mostly due to his back-up status in South Bend, which made his decision to join Alabama an interesting one. While he will be given a fair shot to earn the starting job, beating out Ty Simpson and the most likely starter, Jalen Milroe, will be far from an easy task. Buchner did show potential in spurts last season, especially during an impressive performance against South Carolina in the Gator Bowl, and has a longstanding relationship with Tommy Rees, who also jumped from South Bend to Tuscaloosa as the offensive coordinator. But even with these advantages, how much he sees the field in 2023 will remain a serious debate all the way through summer practice.
Payton Thorne (Michigan State to Auburn)
The skinny: Thorne’s entry into the portal came as a surprise to most. While he had some struggles, which included 21 interceptions over the last two seasons, he also experienced his fair share of success during his time in East Lansing. So, when he became available, there was plenty of immediate buzz about his potential landing spot. Some of the loudest buzz revolved around Auburn, who after striking out with quarterbacks during the winter window, quickly made Thorne a priority. Now that the Tigers have Thorne, he will have to earn the starting job against Robby Ashford. While this is far from a forgone conclusion, if nothing else it gives the Tigers depth at the position and also plenty of experience to lean on.
Casey Thompson (Nebraska to Florida Atlantic)
The skinny: Having passed for 4,520 yards and 41 touchdowns over his last two seasons at Texas and then Nebraska, Thompson will play his final collegiate season in Palm Beach County. In Boca Raton, he gets reunited with new Owls’ head coach Tom Herman, who he played for at Texas. Expected to be given full reigns of the offense at Florida Atlantic, will he be able to flourish while playing his final season in a Group of Five conference?
T.J. Finley (Auburn to Texas State)
The skinny: Finley hasn’t necessarily set the college football world on fire during his time at LSU and Auburn, so why is it interesting that someone who has passed for 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in three seasons has transferred to a Group of Five school? Mostly because of the offense that Texas State will be running behind new coach G.J. Kinne, who made the move from FCS Incarnate Word. Last season at Incarnate Word, quarterback Lindsey Scott, who ironically also started his collegiate career at LSU, passed for 4,686 yards and an FCS single-season record 60 touchdown passes. And now Finley will be given every opportunity to rejuvenate his career with the Bobcats. However, the starting job is not all his as he will be competing with a winter portal transfer addition, Malik Hornsby of Arkansas. Either way, a former SEC quarterback should be in line for a big performance in 2023.
Jaylen Henderson (Fresno State to Texas A&M)
The skinny: Despite only passing for 49 yards and rushing for 66 yards during his two seasons at Fresno State, Henderson became a hot commodity after entering the spring portal. With the Bulldogs, the dual-threat sat behind starter Jake Haener, who was selected in the fourth round of this spring’s NFL Draft, but showed enough potential to get upwards of a dozen offers when he became available. His decision to attend Texas A&M was a head-scratcher for some though, as the path to serious playing time will be extremely challenging. Conner Weigman, the likely favorite, and Max Johnson, have both started games for the Aggies while also possessing legitimate potential. This is especially true of Weigman, who some believe has NFL-level talent. It will be interesting to see the level of impact Henderson makes during his time in College Station.
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