Former four-star quarterback Jake Garcia is set to transfer to his third different college football program in four years. It will mark his eighth different school in seven years, dating back to high school.
Garcia’s career is very unique.
The Class of 2021 recruit was ranked as the 11th-best player at his position behind quarterbacks like Quinn Ewers, Caleb Williams, Jalen Milroe, Jaxson Dart, Kyle McCord and J.J. McCarthy. He also played a prominent role in the Netflix series ‘Titletown High’ during a brief stint in Georgia.
Jake Garcia’s high school journey was chaotic.
Garcia, who is originally from Whittier, Calif., began his high school career at Long Beach Poly. His head coach left after his freshman season, which led him to leave as well.
Garcia transferred to Narbonne High School in the Harbor City area of Los Angeles and played one year with the Gauchos. And then the program was ruled ineligible for the playoffs due to rule violations involving another player’s residency prior to his junior year.
Garcia transferred to La Habra High School in Orange County. COVID hit.
The California Interscholastic Federation decided to cancel all sports during the fall 2021 as result of the pandemic. Garcia transferred again!
His third move was the most unique. Garcia’s parents legally separated (!!) so that he could be deemed eligible by the Georgia High School Athletic Association. Their quarterback son moved across the country with his dad and enrolled at Valdosta High School to play for infamous high school head coach Rush Propst.
Garcia started the first game of the year for Valdosta. The school later had to forfeit that win because its quarterback was deemed ineligible. As a result, he transferred again.
Weird GHSAA rules allowed Garcia to be deemed immediately eligible at another in-state program so he landed at Grayson High School in Loganville. The Rams won a state championship in his lone season.
It was time for college!
Garcia, who had long pledged to USC, flipped his commitment to Miami at the last minute and saw limited action in two years with the Hurricanes. Due to a lack of opportunity, he hit the transfer portal and was prepared to compete for the starting job at Missouri in 2023.
Eli Drinkwitz went in a different direction. Garcia did not play, at all. The Tigers won 10 games.
Two days prior to the Cotton Bowl, Garcia announced his decision to leave. Now, on the day that Mizzou is set to play Ohio State, Garcia’s name is officially registered in the transfer portal, again.
And it appears as though he already knows where he is headed next.
The former four-star quarterback recruit entered the portal with a ‘Do Not Contact’ tag, which means that he has asked other schools not to reach out with interest. That normally indicates that a future destination is already in place. A decision has already been made.
Jake Garcia is set to transfer to his eighth different school in seven years!
UPDATE: Jake Garcia’s official account on X, formerly known as Twitter, responded directly to this story saying that his entry did not include a ‘Do Not Contact’ tag.
Where did you happen to see the no contact tag? That is entirely false and I want to get it cleared
— Jake Garcia, via X
However, upon further inquiry and sourcing, it was confirmed that his entry initially included a ‘Do Not Contact’ tag. That will soon be changed. He was not supposed to be listed as a ‘Do Not Contact.’
UPDATE: Garcia’s ‘Do Not Contact’ tag has been removed.