As the College Football Playoff quarterfinals loom and eight teams prepare to see if they can become national champions, hundreds of players around the country are trying to find the right program to take them to that pinnacle in the 2026 campaign.
A star-studded list of quarterbacks has already thrown their name into the transfer portal, which officially opens in a week’s time on Jan. 2, and another just declared that he will be leaving his current school to transfer this coming winter.
And he just played in the College Football Playoff first round.
Alonza Barnett III, the reigning Sun Belt Player of the Year, is leaving James Madison following their loss to the Oregon Ducks in Eugene to enter the portal and join a new program for the upcoming 2026 season.
Barnett III played four years at James Madison, becoming a starter in the past two seasons, electrifying crowds with his dynamic play and dual-threat abilities.
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In 2024, he totaled 33 touchdowns through the air and ground, while racking up over 3,000 scrimmage yards.
2025 was even better for the North Carolina native, as he threw for 2,806 yards and 23 touchdowns. On the ground, he was equally as special, rushing for 589 yards and running into the endzone 15 times to help the Dukes make a magical run to the College Football Playoff.
Barnett III’s decision follows his head coach, Bob Chesney, who led him during his two starting years, also leaving James Madison to join a Power Four program out west with the UCLA Bruins.
While logic would point to the two teaming up out in Los Angeles, that will not be the case, as the starting Bruins quarterback and former 5-star recruit, Nico Iamaleava, re-signed with the team for the 2026 season.
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