Recapping CFB's biggest 2022 QB transfers

College football season is approaching quickly (not as quickly as I would like, of course, but patience is a virtue,) and amongst all of the conference realignment announcements, the unprecedented coaching carousel, and the discussions surrounding NIL guidelines, it’s been a pretty dramatic offseason, to say the least.

So you’d be forgiven if you’ve forgotten about the drama of the early 2022 quarterback transfers, but with opening day only six weeks away, it’s our responsibility to get you up to date on where everyone landed — or, at least, jog your memory after the NCAA has filled our brain space with total insanity.

So here’s a reminder of a few of the most impactful QB transfers in college football and what their upcoming seasons in their new programs might look like:

After getting the starting job at OU after leading a comeback drive against Texas halfway through his freshman season and benching preseason Heisman favorite Spencer Rattler, Williams followed Lincoln Riley out west, and with that coach-QB pairing in the Pac-12, he should be dominating the conference. He’ll probably be in the NFL by the time USC joins the Big Ten, so he won’t have to worry about those cold weather games — for now, his biggest challenges are Utah and Notre Dame. It’s his conference title to lose.

The eternal college journeyman JT Daniels — he started at USC, where he tore his ACL in the season opener of his second year, before heading to Georgia, where walk-on Stetson Bennett led the team to a national championship — may finally settle down and find a home in West Virginia. Mountaineers head coach Neal Brown said that Daniels, who was the No. 1 overall recruit in his class but has been plagued by injuries, will still have to go out and win the QB battle for the starting job. He’s had plenty of experience with that — a lot more than most get in a lifetime

After getting benched in favor of a kid who ended up transferring, Rattler simply couldn’t have stayed in Oklahoma, whether or not the starting job was his. It’s a matter of pride, you know? But honestly, I really like this move for both him and for Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks team — he’ll provide the experience and leadership that this up-and-coming team needs, and I think it’ll be a really interesting season with early matchups against Arkansas and Georgia, and A&M and Clemson in the second half of the fall.

Taking over for newly-minted Steelers QB Kenny Pickett, Slovis left after the Riley/Williams transfer announcement to head to the ACC — and then top wide receiver Jordan Addison made the opposite transfer. He’s never started a full season, and ended up with a 4-5 record last year at USC. Pitt has a manageable schedule this year, so he should be able to ease into the role, with his biggest challenges likely coming against Tennessee and Virginia Tech.

UCF to Oklahoma is a big jump, especially under new head coach Brent Venables, a defensive mastermind facing some pretty high expectations in this new role. Venables said that Gabriel was “a winner” at Big 12 media days this week, but the jump from a Group of 5 schedule to a Power 5 one isn’t going to be easy.

Bo Nix and Auburn no longer being synonymous just feels wrong, but he’ll join former Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning out in the Pacific Northwest, bringing some SEC power to the Pac-12. Maybe the legendary prediction will finally come true:

Calzada’s claim to fame is his role in A&M’s 41-38 upset of top-ranked Alabama last season. The Aggies’ backup was sprung into action and proceeded to throw for 285 yards and three touchdowns. The performance earned him the starting nod, along with Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Week, the Davey O’Brien Award Player of the Week, and the Maxwell Award Player of the Week awards. He’ll be competing against TJ Finley, who replaced Bo Nix, for the starting job under Bryan Harsin, who’s gained some undesirable media attention after a below-average first season. I’m not sure if Calzada’s locked into the job over Finley and Oregon transfer Robby Ashford, but that Alabama win on his résumé is a real standout.