The NCAA Transfer Portal is set to close tonight, but graduate transfers can enter at any time.
Miami has some work to do.
Tyler Van Dyke, UM’s starting quarterback in 2023, made the decision to enter the transfer portal after the regular season and will play his final year of eligibility at Wisconsin.
Van Dyke had an up and down career at Miami in which he flashed plenty of potential, but also lacked some consistency from game to game. Van Dyke finished his Miami career with 7,469 yards, 54 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions while completing 63.7 percent of his snaps. Over his final three years at Miami, Van Dyke worked with three different offensive coordinators in Rhett Lashlee, Josh Gattis, and Shannon Dawson.
Miami’s quarterback depth currently features redshirt sophomore Jacurri Brown, rising sophomore Emory Williams, and incoming freshman Judd Anderson, but the UM staff would prefer to have a bridge quarterback start in 2024 as those players continue to develop for a battle for the starting job in 2025.
Who are the best transfer portal quarterback options available at this stage?
Read on for a look at five transfer portal quarterbacks currently available in the portal
JAYDEN DE LAURA, ARIZONA
Jayden de Laura (Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
De Laura is a veteran quarterback with plenty of experience at the college level, starting his career at Washington State and playing the last two seasons at Arizona.
De Laura has thrown for 8,489 yards with 63 touchdowns and 31 interceptions in his college career. In 2022, De Laura was the full-time starter for Arizona, throwing for 3,685 yards with 25 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
De Laura is mobile enough as well, having rushed for 338 yards and 12 touchdowns at the college level.
De Laura, who is from Hawaii, is respected on the football field for his ability to use the ball downfield. In 2022, de Laura threw for 484 yards and six touchdowns in a win over Colorado.
De Laura has one year of eligibility remaining at the college level. As a juvenile in high school, De Laura was accused of sexual assault and a settlement for that case was rejected by a judge in September of 2023.
JAYDEN MAIAVA, UNLV
(Photo: Aaron J. Thornton, Getty)
Maiava was a redshirt freshman starting quarterback at UNLV this season, passing for 3,085 yards with 17 touchdowns and ten interceptions while rushing for 277 yards and three touchdowns while the Rebels finished with a 9-5 record.
Maiava’s best performance in 2023 came against Colorado State in which he went 27-of-36 for 353 yards.
PFF graded Maiava with a 62.2 passing grade. As a runner, Maiava averaged 2.89 yards per carry after contact and forced 21 missed tackles.
Maiava is a rising redshirt sophomore with three years of eligibility remaining at the college level.
DIEGO PAVIA, NEW MEXICO STATE
Aggies QB Diego Pavia (Photo: New Mexico State)
At 6-feet and 200 pounds, Pavia is a dual-threat quarterback that has thrown for 4,423 yards with 39 touchdowns and 15 interceptions while totaling 1,436 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.
In 2023, Pavia threw for 2,973 yards with 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 60 percent of his attempts and rushing for 928 yards and seven touchdowns.
Pavia played a big role in New Mexico State earning a 31-10 win over Auburn in November, going 19-of-28 for 201 passing yards with three touchdowns while rushing for 35 yards.
PFF graded New Mexico State with a 75.2 passing grade. As a runner, Pavia averaged 3.37 yards per carry after contact and forced 45 missed tackles on the year.
Pavia has one year of eligibility remaining.
MATTHEW SLUKA, HOLY CROSS
(Photo: Danny Wild, USA TODAY Sports)
At 6-feet-3 and 215 pounds, Sluka is a veteran dual-threat quarterback at the FCS level who has thrown for 5,896 yards with 59 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in his four years at the college level while rushing for 3,579 yards and 38 touchdowns.
In 2023, Sluka completed 61.9 percent of his passes for 1,723 yards with 20 touchdowns and five interceptions while rushing for 1,243 yards and nine touchdowns. Against Boston College, Sluka went 10-of-15 for 130 yards while rushing for 131 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.
Sluka is a talented runner at the quarterback position. Sluka has averaged 4.6 yards per carry after contact for his college career and he forced 57 missed tackles in 2023. PFF graded Sluka with an 82.1 passing grade in 2023.
Sluka has one year of eligibility remaining.
REESE POFFENBARGER, ALBANY
(Photo: Getty)
At 6-feet and 210 pounds, Poffenberger played at the FCS level in 2023 and led Albany to a semifinal appearance in the FCS playoffs before falling to South Dakota State. Poffenbarger threw for 3,603 yards, 36 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 2023 while rushing for 187 yards and five touchdowns. He led the FCS in passing yards and passing touchdowns.
He was honored as a Third Team All-American at the FCS level by some publications.
Poffenbarger started 11 games at Albany in 2022, passing for 2,999 yards with 24 touchdowns and four interceptions while rushing for 128 yards and two touchdowns.
According to Pro Football Focus, Poffenbarger earned an 81.2 passing grade in 2023 and a 76.8 passing grade in 2022. Poffenbarger showed a willingness to push the ball downfield in 2023, attempting 103 deep shots and completing 35 of them. As a runner, he averaged 2.99 yards per carry after contact and forced 18 missed tackles.
Against Marshall, Poffenbarger threw for 194 yards and one touchdown while completing 22-of-38 attempts and rushing for 37 yards and one touchdown. Against Hawaii, Poffenbarger completed 10-of-31 passes for 93 yards and one interception while rushing for 13 yards and a touchdown.
