In recent seasons FCS-to-FBS transfers have been some of the best producers at the quarterback position for college fantasy. From Bailey Zappe to Cam Ward, the opening of the transfer portal has provided the opportunity to move up a level and showcase their skills. This year lacks a true elite passer, but it does bring in multiple quarterbacks with fantasy relevance.
Maverick McIvor, Western Kentucky
Previous School: Abilene Christian
McIvor might be the top player on this entire list, and rightfully so. His 8,000 career passing yards at Abilene Christian puts him on track to win the Western Kentucky job. Additionally, he joins offensive coordinator Rick Bowie, who was named to the same position on WKU’s staff this year. McIvor is a dropback passer with significant Air Raid experience and seamlessly steps into the Hilltoppers system.
Although it’s hard to project Bailey Zappe-like potential onto McIvor, Western Kentucky has had their starter throw for over 3,100 yards in four straight seasons, averaging 3,700 yards and 31 touchdowns post-Zappe’s electric year. It’s hard to envision a scenario where McIvor doesn’t succeed. The offense is built on short passes and gets the ball out quickly. Bowie’s Air Raid system joins an offense that prioritizes aggressive pass rates in neutral scripts. Their 58.2% neutral game script pass rate ranks in the top three since 2022.
McIvor is likely to be a top pick in college fantasy leagues and supplemental drafts. The upside for a Western Kentucky quarterback will have drafters foaming at the mouth, pushing him up.
Zach Calzada, Kentucky
Previous School: Incarnate Word
A blast from the past? Zach Calzada returns to the SEC, this time to the Bluegrass State. Kentucky brings in the former A&M starter from Incarnate Word. Calzada had two quality seasons with ICW, an offense geared toward passing success with Air Raid principles. Kentucky provides none of that. Bush Hamdan returns as offensive coordinator after a down season where the Wildcats averaged 20.6 points per game and ranked 117th in offensive EPA/play.
There’s a real question as to whether the offense sputtered entirely due to subpar quarterback play from Brock Vandagriff or if the play-calling and a bottom-thirty offensive line were the culprits. I’d argue it was a mix of everything.
The seventh-year quarterback likely slots in as the QB1 for the Wildcats above last year’s late-season starter, freshman starter Cutter Boley. I want to like Calzada after rebounding well with the Cardinals, but I also watched Texas A&M in 2022 and his entirely schemed-up offense at Incarnate Word. The league is the same, and the situation is arguably worse with the Wildcats’ receiving weapons after losing both Dane Key and Barion Brown to the portal.
One wonders if Zach Calzada can hang in the SEC after his pit stop in the FCS. Maybe he does, but given the complete lack of weapons and a poor track record, it’s not a bet I’m willing to make.
Mark Gronowski, Iowa
Previous School: South Dakota State
I feel like the man in Freedom of Speech by Norman Rockwell…better visual than textual meme, I assume. Yes, I think there’s a realistic chance the Iowa quarterback isn’t a complete zero for college fantasy in 2025. Iowa’s 2024 team was by far the best unit on offense in the last four seasons they’ve put together. Nepo baby Brian Ferentz gave way to Tim Lester, who had this team ranked 72nd in scoring.
Enter Mark Gronowski. South Dakota State’s Mark Gronowski flirted with the transfer portal last season but ultimately put his name in and joined the Hawkeyes for 2025. Gronowski is a plus rusher, likely to rush for about 400 post-sack yards despite bringing average athleticism. In his four seasons with South Dakota, he had 37 touchdowns on the ground. He’s a legit short yardage and goal-line threat for any offense, given his size (6’3″, 225lbs).
Understandable skepticism ensues when mentioning any Iowa quarterback. Grownowski’s rushing ability provides some floor, but he’s also a quality passer with a 70% adjusted completion percentage. He won’t wow, but he is solid and won’t make many mistakes. It doesn’t have to be flawless or perfect for Gronowski to hit an upper-tier outcome, but Iowa returning as a 50th-percentile offense and average quarterback play provides a semblance of college fantasy production.
Although Iowa QB production has been terrible recently…They have not had a player like Gronowski in years. Since 2020, who is your favorite? Cade McNamara, Brendan Sullivan, Jackson Straton, Deacon Hill, Spencer Petras, Alex Padilla. None of the above is an acceptable option (and the correct one).
Gronowski is a late-round target in deep leagues and bestballs. It’s still Iowa, and Ferentz will run his brand of complementary football, but with Kaleb Johnson gone and Lester opening the offense more (comparatively), this isn’t a non-viable selection. It’s also highly unlikely Iowa will continue its 33% neutral game script pass rate.
Jackson Proctor, NIU
Previous School: Dartmouth
Jackson Proctor is an Ivy-league transfer who has posted a quality season with Dartmouth in 2024 playing in seven games. In prior years, Dartmouth had used multiple quarterbacks but opted to roll with Proctor full-time. As a legit rushing threat, he returns off a season where he averaged 7.3 yards per rush without sacks and 352 non-sack yards (over 50 yards per game). He has quality mobility that translates to the next level. Dartmouth ran Proctor on designed runs, leveraging his athleticism, something the Northern Illinois staff has shown a willingness to do previously.
Given the Dartmouth offense, one wouldn’t expect Proctor to be crazy productive. On a per-pass basis, he averaged 7.9 yards per attempt. He didn’t have to do more than required in a more conservative system but still averaged an 8.3 aDOT and a 72% adjusted completion percentage. Dartmouth ran a rush-heavy offense, but we saw flashes of upside with Proctor. A high-end decision-maker who rarely puts passes in harm’s way, he also sports a 13.6% pressure-to-sack ratio, using his legs to avoid negative losses.
Now is the time when we have to address the elephant in the room: the Northern Illinois offense. They have not averaged over 200 pass yards per game since the COVID-19 shortened season. The offense skews rush heavy, and with Telly Johnson returning, there’s no reason to expect a change in 2025. However, the elite defense from 2024 loses most of their key pieces to the portal and draft including First Team All-MAC talents DL Devonte O’Malley and S Nate Valcarcel and three other key contributors. Thomas Hammock’s complimentary football might not be so complimentary. Expect significantly worse gamescripts on offense.
Proctor, like most players in this piece, are late-round or deep-league targets that show some upside. His ability to rush for potentially 50 yards a game provides a significant floor and potential ceiling in games where Northern Illinois will be forced to score.
Honorable Mentions
I can’t hit on everyone, but a few names are worth tracking throughout the off-season.
Grant Jordan – UMASS (Prev: Yale): Another Ivy League quarterback! Jordan joins the Minutemen after exhausting his eligibility at Yale post-graduation. Yale runs an uptempo spread offense that Jordan thrived in last season. He was exceptionally accurate, with a 74.9% adjusted completion percentage and a 22-to-3 TD/INT ratio. Like his Ivy League counterpart above, Jordan is a quality rusher and provides fantasy relevance with his legs.
However, he is UMASS-bound, and the system is far more pro-style than what Yale ran. I prefer Jordan to fellow transfer Brendon Rose and returning starter A.J. Hairston. Given his rushing work, he’s a name to watch, but I cannot recommend drafting him in good conscience.
Jack Layne – New Mexico (Prev: Idaho): I liked Layne at Idaho and think he did a good job doing what was asked in replacing Gevani McCoy. He follows his head coach, Jason Eck, and offensive coordinator, Luke Schleusner. Idaho’s offense was solid at the FCS level under Schleusner, a play-action-heavy scheme that won’t bring “sexy” but has been consistently top-15 in offensive efficiency each year under Eck.
Idaho was a top-ten team in the country, but passing opportunities were limited in gamescripts given their shutdown defense. New Mexico is a bottom-tier FBS team, and the opportunities could be more readily available in 2025. Layne is an aggressive downfield passer but brings no value on the ground, averaging only 17.8 fantasy points per game in 2024. He probably brings a weekly floor but lacks the ceiling that others in this article have. I think Layne is draftable only in deep leagues.
