Dante Moore soon won’t be the only five-star quarterback from the 2023 recruiting class in the college football 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. The Trojans are actively pursuing a transfer quarterback to replace Caleb Williams and are squarely in the mix for Kansas State transfer Will Howard, 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.
Nelson was originally committed to Oklahoma in the 2023 recruiting cycle but flipped to the Trojans when Riley left Norman for Hollywood.
The vaunted class of 2023 quarterback crop has seen a turbulent 12 months since the last Signing Day. Nelson (No. 13) and Moore No. 4) were among the five quarterbacks ranked among the top 13 recruits, and they’ve already transferred. At No. 1, Texas’ Arch Manning appeared in one game, will be Texas’ backup QB in the College Football Playoff and very much looks like the future in Austin — regardless of whether that’s in 2024 or 2025, dependent on starter Quinn Ewers’ NFL decision. No. 2 player Nico Iamaleava will take the reins of Josh Heupel’s offense after Joe Milton’s final game, the upcoming Cheez-it Citrus Bowl. And at No. 10, Jackson Arnold already burned his redshirt at Oklahoma and will make his first career start in the Alamo Bowl (Dillon Gabriel transferred).
Even Aidan Chiles, the No. 7 QB in 2023, transferred from Oregon State to Michigan State after one season, reuniting with Jonathon Smith. Chiles ranks as the top QB in the transfer portal rankings, ahead of Moore, who struggled as a freshman at UCLA. 247Sports’ network of sources indicate Moore is OK with taking what amounts to a redshirt year in the upcoming 2024 season, which aligns with possible destinations Oregon and Michigan.
And of course, the No. 6 QB in the 2023 class, Jaden Rashada, had his own turbulent saga — well before he even signed with Arizona State.
What is the NCAA transfer portal?
The portal is an online database that players will enter their name into if they decide to pursue a transfer. Players notify their current school’s compliance office that they wish to put their name into the portal — typically, players’ names show up within 48 hours. Coaches have access to the database and can contact any player who has entered.
Check out 247Sports’ ranking of the top college football transfers.
