Let’s examine the Bull and Bear Market for the signal callers heading into spring practices.
STOCK UP
Thomas Castellanos, Florida State
From the dual-threat Bill O’Brien doghouse to the dual-threat Gus Malzahn penthouse. Tommy C might as well have just changed positions like BOB wanted to do with Jalen Milroe. He now gets to work with a staff far better suited to play to Castellanos’ strengths, as we have seen from QBs like Nick Marshall, John Rhys Plumlee, and Jordan Travis.
DeQuan Finn, Miami OH
Congrats to the dynasty owners who refused to cut dead weight and are now about to be paid off handsomely by Finn’s return to the MAC. The dip in the level of competition is dramatic, and there is no Sawyer Robertson to overtake him when he struggles in the non-con against Wisconsin, Rutgers, and UNLV. He may not reach Toledo-level Finn, but he should succeed in MACtion and is supplied with six former P4 WRs to throw to, including Deion Colzie and Cordale Russell.
Dante Moore, Oregon / Austin Simmons, Ole Miss
These two land in the same bucket- The increasingly rare next guy up that actually comes to fruition bucket. Both Moore and Simmons are talented guys who play in lucrative CFF systems on rosters with an abundance of play-makers. They play for programs that frequent the portal, especially at the QB position. However, they appear to have staved off experienced additions to the room and hold the keys to running perennially high-powered offenses (for now).
Cade Klubnik, Clemson
Not everyone on this list has to be about transfers or lack thereof. Klubnik finds his way here as a pillar of offseason consistency and sustainability. Yes, he finished the year strong and was going to be drafted highly, no matter what. But he returns all three of his stud receivers in TJ Moore, Bryant Wesco Jr, and Antonio Williams. They combined for 21 TDs, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they combined for 30+ in 2025. Klubnik also returns his OC, Garrett Riley, with whom he made huge strides last year. This level of consistency is rare in this era of CFB.
STOCK DOWN
John Mateer, Oklahoma
Saying Mateer is in the Bear Market is a mostly relative designation. You can certainly make a case for him to be a top 10 QB, given his accompaniment to Norman with his OC, Ben Arbuckle. However, the ceiling of the overall QB1 likely doesn’t exist anymore, given the uptick in schedule difficulty, the recent struggles of the Sooner offensive line, and the uncertainty of the WR room depth. Don’t expect him to be in as many shootouts as he had at Wazzu. The Sooner D should be stout again, and expect Venables to push for complementary football so he can avoid having to update his resume.
Brad Jackson, Texas State
Jordan McCloud and PJ Hatter move on. So, what’s not to like here? Well, in comes Holden Geriner from Auburn and Giavani McCoy from Oregon State/Idaho. While neither of those QBs are all that intimidating based on their 2024 results, they do still cause reason for pause on the Brad Jackson hype train. McCoy has serious starting experience and was viewed as a solid prospect when he transferred from Idaho. Additionally, GJ Kinne has a history of starting former Auburn backup QBs. At the very least, it will be a legit competition for Jackson this spring/fall.
Chandler Morris, Virginia
This one is pretty obvious. Things don’t get much better than an Eric Morris/Jordan Davis system with solid WRs and an atrocious defense in the AAC. Virginia is not that. Morris averaged seven fantasy PPG against the two decent defenses he faced in 2024 in Texas Tech and Army, and that is probably being too kind to the Red Raiders’ defense.
CJ Bailey, NC State
Bailey is a really talented QB and will continue to grow as a player. That said, it hasn’t been the best winter for his CFF stock. There was an offensive coordinator switch from Robert Anae to Kurt Roper. Say what you will about the recent struggles for Anae, but he has a far better track record for CFF QBs than Roper. Additionally, Bailey lost his top-skilled position player in KC Concepcion, and the Pack has failed to replace him with anyone. Bailey is going to need to make some serious strides in order to overcome the recent setbacks.
Michael Van Buren, LSU
I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention the fall of MVB. Sometimes, you have to grab the low-hanging fruit, as MVB grabbed the low-hanging bag in the Bayou. An experienced and talented Jeff Lebby starting-QB is a prime CFF asset. Maybe Blake Shapen would have pushed him for the job, but MVB certainly looked the part late in 2024. His transfer to hold the clipboard for Garrett Nussmeier is a tragic turn of events for his 2025 status.
