The college football transfer portal received a captivating new addition on Friday in James Madison quarterback Alonza Barnett III. The veteran joins an intriguing portal class after a first-round loss to Oregon in the College Football Playoffs.
Although the Dukes suffered a 17-point beatdown from the Ducks, Barnett proved to a number of people that he is a Power Four-level quarterback. Not many fans were happy to see James Madison in the 12-team bracket, but Barnett won many of them over with an impressive performance against the No. 5-ranked team in the country.
Barnett led James Madison to a 34-point outing against Oregon, throwing for 273 passing yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions with 45 rushing yards and a rushing score. Only three teams even managed to score 20 against Dan Lanning's defense in the regular season before the Barnett-led Dukes became the only team to score four touchdowns against them.
Now, after leading James Madison to its best season in program history, Barnett will have a full season to prove himself at the next level. The college football transfer portal does not open until Jan. 2, but Barnett already has several viable options to end his NCAA career in 2026.
Indiana coaches have recruited Alonza Barnett before
The Alonza Barnett III to Indiana connection makes too much sense, considering the relationship the Hoosiers have with James Madison. Head coach Curt Cignetti coached the Dukes from 2019 to 2023 before accepting the vacant job in Bloomington, where he took many of his players with him.
From Elijah Sarratt and Ty'Son Lawton to DeAngelo Ponds, many former Dukes have had success in the Big Ten after following Cignetti to Indiana. Barnett, who committed to James Madison under Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan, could be the next.
Indiana will be looking for its next quarterback in the offseason once Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza officially declares for the 2026 NFL Draft. They have some in-house options to potentially succeed Mendoza, including his younger brother, Alberto, but Cignetti has recruited each of his last two starting quarterbacks from the portal.
After it seemed like James Madison was in for a rebuilding period once it lost Cignetti, Barnett took the program to its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance. He could very well end his story where it all started with his original head coach in a new city.
Alonza Barnett could follow Bob Chesney to UCLA
If he does not rejoin his old head coach, Barnett could also follow his current coach to his new school. Bob Chesney accepted the head coaching job at UCLA before leading James Madison into battle against Oregon and is already beginning to build his new dynasty in Los Angeles.
The biggest caveat to Barnett transferring to UCLA is Nico Iamaleava, who already confirmed he will return to the Bruins in 2026. Iamaleava's presence will likely deter Barnett from following his head coach in the portal, but the connection is still too strong to ignore.
Even with Iamaleava returning as a Bruin, it could still happen. It is not as if Iamaleava, who threw just 13 touchdowns to seven interceptions in 2025, would be a clear choice over someone like Barnett. UCLA has invested too much in the 21-year-old, but nothing can be guaranteed with Iamaleava after what he did to Tennessee in the spring.
Alonza Barnett stays home with North Carolina
Few families have deeper ties to the state of North Carolina and its football community than the Barnett family. Alonza Barnett III is their current representative, but his uncle, Troy Barnett, and his father, Alonza Barnett Jr., both have decorated histories in the Tar Heel State. Troy Barnett was a defensive tackle at North Carolina before playing for the New England Patriots, while Alonza Barnett Jr. was recently inducted into the NC A&T Hall of Fame.
Alonza Barnett III left the state to play for James Madison, but he could rep Carolina blue for his final season of NCAA eligibility. North Carolina is not the most desirable destination after going just 4-8 in 2025, but the Bill Belichick attraction still has some appeal, and it would allow the 22-year-old to return home.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Gio Lopez is reportedly returning to North Carolina in 2026 after starting the majority of the 2025 season. That helps Belichick some, but he cannot feel confident in Lopez after the season he endured to begin his college football coaching career.
North Carolina has a chance, but it has to commit to Barnett early and sell him on Belichick's current rebuild. Barnett is also using the 2026 season to build his future NFL Draft stock, and no college football coach has more NFL knowledge than Belichick.
Cincinnati already has underrated connection
Alonza Barnett's connections to Indiana and UCLA from the college football transfer portal clearly make them the two early candidates for his next team. However, Barnett also has ties to the coaching staff at Cincinnati, who recently lost quarterback Brendan Sorsby to the transfer portal.
It is not a direct connection, but Barnett was recruited by Cincinnati offensive coordinator Brad Glenn before he committed to James Madison. Glenn was then the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Georgia State, which was one of six FBS teams to send Barnett an offer.
Four years later, Glenn has had success on Scott Satterfield's staff at Cincinnati. The Bearcats were up-and-down in 2025, ending the year as the 49th-best scoring offense in the nation, averaging 28.3 points per game.
Glenn had a lot of success with Sorsby's dual-threat skill set, which has been his M.O. as an offensive coordinator. Barnett is arguably more dynamic than Sorsby through the air and on the ground and would immediately elevate Cincinnati's offense in 2026.
Vanderbilt needs a Diego Pavia successor
For the second consecutive season, Clark Lea and Diego Pavia made preseason SEC rankings look foolish by having Vanderbilt soar past expectations and into the national championship conversation. The Commodores are coming off arguably the best season in program history, but are now tasked with replacing the guy who has been the heart and soul of the team for the last two years.
While it might seem like Pavia will play college football forever, his NCAA career will finally reach its conclusion after the 2025 ReliaQuest Bowl. The six-year veteran will then try his hand in the NFL, leaving the recently extended Lea to replace his captain under center.
This is the most momentum Vanderbilt has had in decades, and Lea cannot afford to let it go to waste. Adding a championship-level quarterback like Barnett in the college football transfer portal has to be his priority. Barnett might not even be considering a move to Nashville just yet, but the Commodores have the resources to make him consider them.
