As the regular season has come to an end in college football, 12 teams are preparing for the College Football Playoffs. While another 72 teams prepare for bowl games, they will also be part of the 124 total FBS teams, knowing they cannot win a national title, and are preparing for 2026. This means players are considering next steps and evaluating the transfer portal. One of the most intriguing prospects in the portal this year will be Jaden Craig, the quarterback from Harvard.
It was announced today that Craig will be looking to exhaust his college eligibility elsewhere next season. He currently just finished his senior season at Harvard. He does have a season of eligibility left after not playing his freshman year at Harvard. Due to Ivy League rules, the quarterback either needs to transfer or declare for the NFL Draft.
Craig could have declared for the NFL Draft and may have been a late-round draft pick, receiving praise from both current NFL scouts and his former coach.
“Good decision-maker,” one NFL scout told CBS Sports. “Really like his pocket presence and mobility. Stands tall. Full field reads, gets through progressions with natural pace. Worried about his arm strength. That's what would hold me back from (him) being draftable at the moment. Better athlete than I expected though and has escapability.”
His numbers have also spoken of his ability. Craig is the all-time leading passer at Harvard in terms of both yards and passing touchdowns at Harvard. He could also become the second quarterback picked out of Harvard, joining Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Craig is also a two-time finalist for the Walter Payton Award, which is the equivalent of the Heisman Trophy for the FCS level. Past winners of that award include Taylor Heinicke, Cooper Kupp, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Trey Lance.
Regardless of his NFL future, Craig has decided the best solution for him next year and for his future is another year of college. There are two possible routes that he could take to make the most of this movement.
Craig takes the non-power route
Multiple jobs will be open at the non-Power Four ranks this upcoming season. One is going to be North Texas, most likely. Eric Morris will be leaving for Oklahoma State, and it is highly possible that he will bring with him his top quarterback, Drew Mestemaker. The Mean Green will be left looking for a quarterback, but with a still solid roster that will compete in the American.
Neal Brown has been brought in to be the new head coach for North Texas, and this could be a solid fit for Craig. The Harvard signal caller has been running a quick tempo attack that utilizes both 12 and 11 personnel groupings. The offense focuses on ball protection and simpler pass concepts, combined with utilizing the athleticism of the quarterback.
Meanwhile, Brown uses a hybrid system of the Air Raid and a Pro-Style offense, which focuses more on spread in the passing game, but a more physical running game. He has been known to use higher speed in getting to the line, and also will utilize the athleticism of the quarterback. This would give Craig a chance to move into a similar offense that has some more pro complexities to show off his talent for the next level.
Craig will likely be the starter at North Texas, assuming Mestemaker moves on to Oklahoma State. Brown can also prepare him for the NFL. Still, North Texas is not the type of program that gets players drafted high at the quarterback position, so Craig may choose to go compete for a job.
Craig competes for a big-time spot
Craig could take the route of Trinidad Chambliss. Chambliss went from Division-II Ferris State to Ole Miss as a transfer and was not originally the starting quarterback for the Rebels. He would ultimately earn the job at the start of the season and then lead Ole Miss to the College Football Playoffs. If Craig wants to go to a bigger school, he may have to fight for the starting job.
Currently, according to 247Sports, Craig is the third-ranked quarterback in the transfer portal. He is behind Kenny Minchey, who has been a backup for Notre Dame. Minchey does not have a ton of experience in his career. The Harvard transfer is also behind Colton Joseph, who is coming off a stellar year at Old Dominion.
One possible landing spot could be Miami. Carson Beck is a senior and will be hoping to move to the NFL. His eligibility will expire at the end of this season. Meanwhile, Mario Cristobal has not been afraid to use transfer quarterbacks in his career. Recently, Cam Ward was a transfer from Washington State and led Miami nearly to the playoffs in 2024. He went on to be the number one pick in the draft. Then, this past year, Cristobal brought in Carson Beck and is now in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Emory Williams has been the backup the past three seasons. He has passed for just 813 yards in his career. With not much competition on the depth chart, plus Miami having success with transfer quarterbacks, both as a team and for the quarterback, it would be a solid spot for Craig to head to.
Another great option would be Indiana, assuming Heisman Finalist Fernando Mendoza declares for the NFL Draft. Curt Cignetti has been great with transferring quarterbacks each of the last two seasons. He brought in Kurtis Rourke in 2024 and, after a stellar season, got Rourke drafted by the San Francisco 49ers. Mendoza is likely going to win the Heisman this year, after coming in from Cal. He is also the favorite to be the top pick in the NFL Draft.
Craig would have more competition at Indiana for the starting job. Alberto Mendoza, the brother of Fernando, has seen time each of the last two seasons and is still a redshirt freshman. He has also been solid in his mop-up duty. Still, that does not preclude Craig from competing with the younger Mendoza, or Mendoza starting after one more season on the bench.
There is going to be a market for the Harvard quarterback. His best bet is to wait to see how some other moves play out. Still, if he can land at Miami or Indiana, those would be the best options for his long-term career aspirations.
