Arch Manning and other QBs explain decision to transfer or stay put (2024)

THIBODAUX, La. — It’s news these days when a college quarterback doesn’ttransfer.

The top talking point to spawn during media availability at this year’s Manning Passing Academy surrounded the decision by Texas quarterback Arch Manning not to transfer away from Austin. Instead, Manning has elected to wait out returning starter Quinn Ewers to finish the 2024 season before likely taking the reins as Texas’ QB1 for the 2025 campaign.

“It’s tough because you want to be out there playing with your boys,” Manning said. “But (it came down to) just realizing there’s nowhere else I want to be, and it was my dream to play at Texas. I’m going to stick it out and play there eventually.”

Then there was Ewers, sitting about 20 yards away across the Nicholls State practice field, being asked about Manning’s decision to remain his understudy.

“I think he understands that what he’s got here is he’s gonna be the most ready whenever he goes to the NFL,” Ewers said. “I think coach Sark (Steve Sarkisian) does the best job getting quarterbacks ready for the NFL and developing guys. (Manning will) be playing in his third year. He’ll be more than comfortable in operating the offense, and it’s just a really good fit for him.

Asked about Manning’s patience, Ewers said: “I think his actions definitely go to show that the kid’s got some patience, for sure. I know it’s tough, because when I went to Ohio State, obviously it’s tough sitting behind somebody.”

Ewers’ allusion to his time at Ohio State — he transferred following the 2021 season — points to the reality for quarterbacks that it’s now more likely than not that you’ll land on at least two rosters during your college football career. No setting better exemplifies the normality of transfers quite like the field at the Manning Passing Academy.

Here’s a sample of some of the top quarterbacks who attended this year’s camp who have transferred at least once in their collegiate career:

• Quinn Ewers — Texas from Ohio State
• Riley Leonard — Notre Dame from Duke
• Jaxson Dart — Ole Miss from USC
• Tyler Van Dyke — Wisconsin from Miami
• Will Howard — Ohio State from Kansas State
• Donovan Smith — Houston from Texas Tech
• Graham Mertz — Florida from Wisconsin
• Dillon Gabriel — Oregon from Oklahoma via Central Florida
• Kyle McCord — Syracuse from Ohio State
• Dequan Finn — Baylor from Toledo

Certainly, not everyone’s reasoning is the same. And not everyone’s decision turns out as well as those made by Joe Burrow or Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels.

And yet, there’s still someone like Georgia’s Carson Beck. He waited what’s now considered an abnormally long time for his chance to start for the Bulldogs, which came last season, and he’s entering this year as the top quarterback prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft class.

I caught up with several quarterbacks during the Manning Passing Academy in late June to discuss the challenges of transferring or staying put. Here’s what they had to say:

Carson Beck, Georgia

How challenging was it for you to stay at Georgia?

Hard! At times, being there was challenging. And obviously, I’d say I’d never changed what I did. I don’t regret any decision. I don’t wish I would have left. Obviously, everything played out exactly how it was supposed to, which sometimes doesn’t happen for everyone. But my patience was able to pay off, which is awesome.

I’m super blessed to be in the position I am, but it was very challenging.

Those three years where I stayed and I wasn’t playing, and you’re working just as hard as all the other guys — you’re doing the workouts, you’re doing the practices — but you’re not getting to go out there on Saturday and go enjoy and reap the benefits of your work. I mean, it was very hard. But obviously, we got to the point where, once I got the opportunity, I was ready. So (I) always keep that in the back of my mind.

I’m assuming discussions happened on whether to stay or go. How tough was that to kind of stick with your conviction?

Yeah, absolutely. I mean I’d love to sit here and say that I never thought about it. It’s human nature. Like, you don’t get what you want, you’re going to go somewhere else. But for me to stay in that mindset and that mode of, like, ‘OK, I’m going to stick this out. I’m going to stay in this offense. I’m going to learn the system. I’m going to be comfortable in it. And then once I get my chance, I’m going to show my abilities.’

So, yeah — but it was definitely very challenging.

Summer scouting: I've put initial draft grades on 40 senior quarterback prospects so far (Carson Beck and Shedeur Sanders are the top-2).

Interesting that only 7 of the 40 are on the original CFB team they signed with out of HS (33 transferred at least once). pic.twitter.com/NiRtAUB984

— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) June 11, 2024

Will Howard, Ohio State

How challenging is having the thought of possibly transferring every year now, on top of everything else involved in playing quarterback?

It’s so normalized nowadays that people don’t really think about it, but it’s a tough process, man. That transition, especially for a guy like me who was at a place like (Kansas) State for four years. I was really cemented. I was comfortable. I knew all my guys.

Going to a new place was kind of what I needed. It was a step out of my comfort zone, and I was ready for that. But, yeah, it’s not easy by any stretch. I leaned on those guys I came in with a lot because we were all kind of going through the same thing. And it took a little bit, you know, to kind of get my feet wet, get comfortable just with the guys, with the program. But it honestly didn’t take too long. By the time spring ball came around, I was pretty well engrossed in it.

Is it kind of weird that transferring is the norm?

It is weird that it’s the norm now. Even when I was coming out of high school, it was different. Years ago, you didn’t see that story as much. I was making a four-year decision. I was trying to focus on my future at K-State, and I didn’t leave when we brought in Adrian Martinez at K-State. People were like, ‘Why isn’t he leaving?’ And I’m like, ‘This is what I signed up for.’ And yeah, it’s weird and it’s definitely different. But you’ve gotta change and adapt with the game, and that’s the way it’s going.

I mean, but it’s great. I think the (transfer portal) is really good. It can be bad in some ways, but if you use it the right way and try to use it to help yourself and help the guys wherever you’re going or wherever you come from, it can be useful.

Kyle McCord, Syracuse

How mind-boggling is that it’s the norm to transfer?

It’s nuts. I think you look across the NFL, there’s a lot of guys who started out at one school and it wasn’t a great situation. And they went to another school (to) ball out, and then went on to the league. So I think it just goes to show there’s a million different ways to get there, but it definitely is nuts. It’s like free agency almost. You put your name in the portal, and it’s like a second dose of recruiting all over again.

But I think it’s good. I think it allows guys to put themselves in a good position to play and ultimately get on to the next level.

I mean, I think at the end of the day, speaking for myself, it was definitely tough at first. It’s obviously a change of scenery and completely new staff, completely new teammates. But at the end of the day, it’s just football. So I think that that’s the one common denominator is that you get to go out and play the game that you love. It was definitely tough at first, but then once we started playing, (I) felt right at home and bonded with the guys right away. So it’s been a smooth transition.

Riley Leonard, Notre Dame

Is it the norm now for a quarterback to almost expect to have to transfer at some point?

Yeah, I think that’s a tricky question, because it’s not something — like, I never wanted to be a transfer quarterback. I never see myself as a guy that would turn my back on anything. So it’s really hard to make the best decision for yourself while juggling the fact that there are so many people you’re going to leave behind. I don’t know if it really still sits well with me or any of these guys. Like, none of us are like, ‘Oh we’re gonna go in the portal. We’re going to go and do this.’

It’s tough. It really is. I really hope that people aren’t going into programs thinking, ‘If I don’t get the job, I’m going to transfer.’ But it’s also crazy seeing all this movement and guys are having to play politics in the locker room — ‘start this guy in the spring so he doesn’t transfer’ and this and that.

RILEY LEONARD 44-YARD TD RUN 🔥

🎥@DukeFOOTBALL | @rileyleonard13_pic.twitter.com/adh7UXRyQj

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) September 5, 2023

Graham Mertz, Florida

How wild is it that transferring is more of the norm?

You never want to turn your back on a place that you committed to out of high school. And I’m in a little bit (of a) different area, because I came into college before NIL, before transfer portal. So I kind of saw it like in the old days. So for me going through and seeing the changes, it’s interesting because you see guys enter the portal and there’s plenty of different reasons. And I think just if that’s your decision, it needs to be a decision that’s best for your career.

You never want to see somebody leave your team. But it always comes down to fit — how do they fit in the offense or the defense? So there’s a lot of layers to it that makes it really complicated.

It wasn’t fun to leave. Me leaving Wisconsin, I never wanted to leave. But you have a coaching change. You’re at the end of your college career. You want to find out — like, for me — you want to find out who your OC (offensive coordinator) is going to be. You want to know, and that was kind of what led me to that decision. But it wasn’t easy. And the portal, now you’ve got 18 days to make a decision. So yeah, that’s becoming the norm.

Quinn Ewers, Texas

How tough is it to go to a place and then decide to kind of go elsewhere?

I mean, yeah, it’s tough. But at the end of the day, you’ve got to think about what’s best for you, and (what) type of situation that you’re in. I just felt like I wanted to be closer to home and closer to all the resources I have.

But, yeah, at the end of the day, it’s tough leaving the relationships that you built and all that. You also can’t have that mindset that you’ll eventually leave. You’re trying to go in and play. If you think you’re going to leave, you’re not going to end up playing well.

(Photos of Carson Beck and Quinn Ewers: Steve Limentani / ISI Photos / Getty Images; Tim Warner / Getty Images)

Larry Holder is a Senior Writer for The Athletic, focusing on the NFL. He was a Saints beat writer from 2006 to 2013, then became a Saints/NFL columnist starting in 2013. Before joining The Athletic in 2018, he worked for the New Orleans Times-Picayune, CBSSports.com and the Biloxi (Miss.) Sun Herald. Follow Larry on Twitter @LarryHolder