3 Kaidon Salter transfer destinations after QB leaves Liberty

Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter announced he’s hitting the transfer portal, according to multiple reports. He’s one of the top Group of 5 quarterbacks this season. While he didn’t quite look as good as he did a year ago, he can land somewhere and immediately be an impact. 

I’m not sure if he’s quite that upper echelon of quarterbacks that will land at a power school like a top Big Ten or SEC school. But he’s certainly talented enough to land with a Power 4 school. Malik Willis was fortunate enough to get drafted right out of Liberty. 

Salter has a chance to be the next Liberty product to take off. This time, he’ll get a shot at a bigger school before potentially heading to the NFL Draft. Here’s who should be keeping an eye on Salter this winter. 

The ACC could be the best fit for Kaidon Salter as he enters transfer portal, plus a potential reunion

3) Auburn Tigers

If Kaidon Salter landed at Auburn, that wouldn’t be a surprise. One, he’s talented enough to play at Auburn, but two, his connection to Hugh Freeze, who coached at Liberty before darting for the SEC. 

Freeze was very critical of his quarterback play this year and with Hank Brown planning on entering the transfer portal, Salter could be his choice to replace. This would make a lot of sense as Freeze recruited him out of high school. Now that Salter was able to grow as a college quarterback, he may take the risk again. 

Salter has 5,887 passing yards and 56 passing touchdowns in his collegiate career. He’s a dual threat as well, rushing for over 2,000 yards and 21 touchdowns in his career. He has the numbers to suggest he can be good at a bigger school. 

But his drop off from his Conference USA MVP season in 2023 suggests some red flags that he might not be ready. This season he was supposed to lead Liberty to the College Football Playoff as they were a favorite of the G5 schools to get in. But they fell short. 

Nonetheless, Freeze needs to win now more than ever so he could be desperate enough to go after the crown jewel he recruited at Liberty. 

2) Syracuse Orange

In one season, Kyle McCord had the last laugh after Ohio State essentially kicked him to the curb after losing to Michigan last season. This year showed us it was less his fault and more Ryan Day. 

Yet, in his only season at Syracuse, he managed to be one of the most productive quarterbacks in the country this season. It could be what intrigues Salter to try his hand in upstate New York.

Fran Brown was able to lead the Orange to a 9-3 season and finished the season with an upset win over Miami. That could be enough to convince Salter to see if he can grow there as well. The problem is, Syracuse won’t exactly build his draft stock. 

The ACC is probably the best fit for Salter. The conference is more talented than the C-USA, but wouldn’t be overbearing for him. This could be a good move for Salter and Brown could be a good alternative for him if he doesn’t land at Auburn. 

1) North Carolina Tar Heels

North Carolina could be a good landing spot for Salter as well next season. They’ve produced Sam Howell and Drake Maye. While Howell isn’t quite the star he was drafted to be, Maye has showed his potential in New England. 

That could be enough to convince Salter UNC could develop him to be an NFL prospect next season. But that was under Mack Brown. Whoever the Tar Heels hire is going to have a massive task ahead of them. 

The good thing is locking down an experienced quarterback via the transfer portal would make the job year one a little easier. And if it’s an offensive mind, it could be the perfect match for Salter. Of course this is all speculative. 

Salter may be wanting more than what the ACC has to offer. And with a year of eligibility left, his options aren’t as fruitful. 

Had he developed into a top tier quarterback this year, building on his 2023 season, he could go just about anywhere. But his best bet is either a reunion with his coach at Auburn or the ACC.