4 Possible QBs from The Portal

#77
#77
VolArmy74 said:
G-Mac apparently is still built like Manute Bol, you never want to rely on a freshman, as far as Faizon starting, and Merklinger is probably not an SEC caliber starter.

Raiola broke his leg in game 9, but that's normally a 3 month type injury to get back into strength training for the leg. I like that he completed 72 percent of his passes and has 22 starts under his belt in a major conference. His biggest negative, he doesn't run at all and takes a lot of sacks. 54 in two years and he has -156 rushing yards on 96 carries.
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Well that’s not very Mahomes like at all.
 
#80
#80
Volador said:
Good read from Adam Sparks about 4 possible QBs that we could pursue on the portal. Brendan Sorsby from Cincy, Lagway from Gatorville, Raiola from Cornville and Minchey (TN Born) from The Irish.

We do need a QB with experience. What say you VN??


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I say if Hype doesn't have a qb on our current roster now, he has a huge problem evaluating qb talent. I say use what we have, and spend that extra qb money on our defensive side of the team.
 
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#86
#86
if we could somehow get Mestemaker from North Texas, that’d be a dream. He’s got a wicked arm. Throws the 🏈 all over the lot. It appears Oklahoma State (where his coach Went) and Indiana are the favorites right now. Hard to argue Indiana with the success they’ve had and Mendoza most likely being a first round pick.
 
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#87
#87
VolsSince78 said:
Shut it down. Got the perfect portal QB.

TJ Finley, 6’7” and 250 lbs., is applying for a medical redshirt so he can play for his 7th school in 7 years.

Previously, he was QB1 at LSU, Auburn, the Texas State Armadillos, Western Kentucky, and Georgia State.

He also attended Tulane in early 2025 until April when he was arrested for possessing/driving a stolen pickup truck. (Lawyer says he was duped into buying a hot used vehicle online. I blame Tulane boosters for not getting Finley a suitable new ride.)

Great size, good stats, and a wealth of experience playing for 7 prior Offensive Coordinators (including 2 at Auburn).

www.on3.com

BREAKING: TJ Finley makes unfathaomble decision on football career

Georgia State QB TJ Finley plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, per On3's Pete Nakos.
www.on3.com www.on3.com
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I'd take him just to put him at TE. Holy mismatch Batman
 
#89
#89
bpalmer28 said:
Everything from his hair cut and facial hair to his arm sleeves and wrist bands he imitates Mahomes. Even his body language. It's weird. I mean I used to imitate Ken Griffey Jr... but I was 10 years old.

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Well Patricia Mahomes ain't jumping too high today.. should be about 9 months before that happens again.
 
#91
#91
cgrish said:
I say if Hype doesn't have a qb on our current roster now, he has a huge problem evaluating qb talent. I say use what we have, and spend that extra qb money on our defensive side of the team.
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Sounds logical but perhaps not practical, as none of our current QBs have any real significant experience at the college level. Where would we have been this year without Joey?
 
#92
#92
SayUWantAreVOLution said:
Faizon changed G-Mac's value to UT. If we didn't get Faizon (or someone else of his caliber,) G-Mac had a clear path to the starting job.

Once we signed a "superstar" QB, G-Mac obviously saw his stock fall as the thought is: can Faizon Brandon start as a true freshman?

G-Mac became the fifth chair around a 4 seat table VERY quickly after talk of how good Faizon Brandon is started.
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I believe Faizon can practice for bowl prep since he’ll be on campus and in school, but he cannot play probably cannot dress in the bowl game. Else theres no advantage to graduating early. I’m not an authority just what my understanding is. If correct GMac will see what the youngster has.
 
#93
#93
SayUWantAreVOLution said:
Everyone here knows we don't actually know how Faizon Brandon will turn out. We also don't know if we'll be hit by a turnip truck this afternoon.

What is your point with continuing this?
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Not true, he knows Faizon would "get destroyed" and "we would be lucky to win 6 games".

To some people around here opinions are like orgasms. Theirs are more important and they dont care if you have one.

It would be interesting, but time consuming, to go back and see what everyone was saying about Nico before he stepped foot on the hill.
 
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#94
#94

DJ Lagway, Florida​

Lagway, a former five-star prospect, was supposed to be the savior who orchestrated Florida’s rise back to prominence. Lagway flashed his all-world talent and promise as a true freshman but regressed as a sophomore in 2025.

He dealt with shoulder issues in the spring and a calf injury in preseason camp, which limited his practice time. But the coaching wasn’t good enough, and neither was Lagway. This season, he threw 14 interceptions in 12 games, which included a five-interception nightmare against LSU, and his yards per attempt dropped from 10.0 in 2024 to 6.7 in 2025. The Florida offense was one of the worst in the country, averaging only 21.6 points per game.

“Has all the physical traits you want, but he struggles seeing the field,” said an SEC personnel staffer who saw Lagway in person this year. “I’m not sure if it’s a combination of the coaches doing a bad job to put him in a good situation to succeed or if it’s a confidence issue with him. Just seems tentative at times. I don’t think it is only one thing with him that you can point a finger at.”

A Big Ten personnel staffer on how he views Lagway moving forward: “His wow plays are jaw-dropping, but his lows are low. … When you turn on the tape, he’s going to make some plays where you’re like, ‘Holy s—’ and he’s going to make other plays where you’re like ‘Ohhhh, holy s—.’ He’s someone probably who needs experience, time and to be in a scheme that benefits him.”

Despite these issues, several personnel staffers The Athletic spoke to on Monday believe Lagway is still worth the risk. He figures to be heavily pursued in the portal.

Dylan Raiola, Nebraska​

Raiola was committed to Ohio State, then Georgia, before he signed with the Cornhuskers during the 2024 recruiting cycle. He was solid as a true sophomore in 2025 before going down with an injury in early November, but he was never the transcendent player Nebraska fans hoped for when he joined the program.

Nebraska never put it all together in terms of scheme and personnel around Raiola, and he never really elevated the situation around him. The Cornhuskers struggled along the offensive line, which was its own problem, but Raiola contributed to the offensive issues as well.

“He takes way too many sacks and, in my opinion, sacks are a quarterback stat,” said the Big Ten staffer, who has seen Raiola in person. “Obviously, it’s an offensive line thing, but most people don’t put enough stock into the quarterback. The quarterback checks the protections. The quarterback can escape and extend. The quarterback knows when to get the ball out. The quarterback accurately goes through his progressions. It’s on the quarterback, too.”

Raiola was sacked seven times against Michigan and nine times against Minnesota.

Minchey not in the article. I excluded Sorsby because it's a foregone conclusion he's going to TT.
 
#96
#96
Why not this option?

North Texas QB Drew Mestemaker​

-passing yardage leader in the FBS in 2025
- expected to attract multi-million dollar offers after throwing for 4,129 yards and 31 touchdowns while leading the Mean Green to an 11-2 season and an appearance in the American Conference championship game.
-named the American’s Offensive Player of the Year and was a first-team all-conference selection. Mestemaker also recently won the Burlsworth Award, given to the most outstanding player in the country who began his career as a walk-on.
-might follow his former coach, Eric Morris, to Oklahoma State. Morris spent the last three years at North Texas
 
#98
#98
cgrish said:
I say if Hype doesn't have a qb on our current roster now, he has a huge problem evaluating qb talent. I say use what we have, and spend that extra qb money on our defensive side of the team.
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This is how Dabo has been navigating trying to only develop from within but I'm hearing even he is going to go all out for Lagway, Clemson was 2nd in his HS recruiting.
IMO, If the freshman or 2 & 3 year on roster QBs are afraid of incoming competition, what does that say. If they know they are picking up the system and can make all those quick decisions and throws in gametime situations. They should say bring it on it will give us depth in case I get hurt.
 
#99
#99
CBR07 said:
Yes we need a QB. We need a QB that can go make a play when we need it. Joey was good for us but there were several (WTH) was that moments.
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Weird situation UT faces. Think about it...
- JA could potentially petition for and win another year of eligibility;
- GMac looks to be the heir apparent at this point, at least for '26;
- Merk is suddenly the 4* odd man out;
- Faizon will (likely) be willing to sit a year, at most.

So UT could start the year with 4 QB's onboard, and 2 really good options at QB1. But the pundits for the local fishwrapper and Radio/TV types say Merk is almost certainly gone, so that means 3 QB's. If JA goes, now we're at 2 QB's. But if JA goes, does Merk go, or stick around to compete for the job?

All them balloons up in the air, and no idea which one(s) of them will float away.

Tough spot to be in. You almost have to figure that JA or Merk go, so you need a QB, if only a reliable backup. And you might end up needing 2 of them.

I'll say this: Gmac, Merk, and/or Faizon are going to have to grow up fast, because I can see one or more of them running the offense next year. And I think our '26 starter is already on the roster. The question is, who (or is it whom?)?

But I'm wrong a lot, so...
 
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