Getty Image / Jayne Kamin-Oncea
The transfer portal is far from dying down, as good players are picking new schools every day. But, Sunday evening proved that there are still some big names that could enter the portal as five-star USC quarterback Malachi Nelson is expected to put his name in the transfer portal.
The news broke Sunday night and shook the college football world.
Here’s more, courtesy of Matt Zenitz of 247Sports.
Dante Moore soon won’t be the only five-star quarterback from the 2023 recruiting class in the transfer portal.
Across town, USC five-star freshman quarterback Malachi Nelson is expected to enter the portal, sources tell 247Sports. Nelson informed USC of his plan to enter the transfer portal Sunday, according to sources. The Trojans are actively pursuing a transfer quarterback to replace Caleb Williams and are squarely in the mix for Kansas State transfer Will Howard, sources tell 247Sports, meaning Nelson’s path to the starting job in Los Angeles would have been the 2025 season at the earliest.
247Sports ranked Nelson as the fifth-best quarterback and 13th-best overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class.
The 6-foot-3 Los Alamitos native appeared in one game for USC as a freshman, preserving his redshirt and meaning he’ll have four seasons of eligibility remaining at his next stop. Nelson completed one of three attempts in a Week 0 win vs. San Jose State and backed up Williams and Miller Moss in Lincoln Riley’s quarterback room.
This is quite the stunner for many. The local product was a longtime commit of USC head coach Lincoln Riley both at Oklahoma and at USC. Many viewed him as the successor to Caleb Williams for the Trojans given his recruiting pedigree.
But, Nelson’s senior season in 2022 at Los Alamtios wasn’t great by the lofty standards he had set for himself in his junior season. Many wondered if he had regressed or stopped developing as other quarterbacks around the country continued to approve.
So, what’s USC going to do at quarterback next year? Rumors are they are likely to bring in former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard from the transfer portal to start next year. Another option is Dante Moore, who was mentioned in that 247Sports excerpt. Either way, expect the Trojans to be fine at quarterback next year.