"When you're a veteran college quarterback transferring to your fourth school in six years, you know what to expect if you check the internet comments. He's still around? Geez. Isn't he like 30 years old? He needs to move on with his life. He isn't going to the league. It's time to hit LinkedIn and get a job. And yet, despite the haters, we've reached a peak moment for journeyman quarterbacks across college football."
"Freshmen who began college in 2020 during the COVID pandemic were granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA. Now they're still hanging around as sixth-year seniors. Nearly 40 quarterbacks from the 2020 class came back this year for one more season at the FBS level. They're 23- and 24-year-old grizzled veterans who feel even older inside their locker rooms."
"The days of QBs bouncing from school to school for starting jobs aren't going away. In this new era of unlimited transfers, 85% of top-50 quarterback recruits from 2018 to 2021 have transferred and more than 40% have switched schools multiple times. But we are nearing the end of the road for a historic fraternity of super seniors granted additional eligibility because of the pandemic."
Veteran quarterbacks are commonly transferring multiple times, with some attending four schools in six years. Freshmen from 2020 received an extra year of eligibility and many returned as sixth-year seniors, including nearly 40 quarterbacks who came back at the FBS level. These players are typically 23- and 24-year-old veterans who train like professionals and hold college degrees. The explosion of NIL, the transfer portal, coach firings, conference realignment, the expanded College Football Playoff, collectives, agents, and revenue sharing reshaped the sport. High transfer rates among top recruits reflect a lasting shift in quarterback mobility, but pandemic-era super seniors are beginning to phase out.
Read at ESPN.com
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