4 Conner Weigman transfer destinations to revive former 5-star’s career

With the regular season over for all but a handful of teams and early signing day coming on Wednesday afternoon, the time is now for every college football player looking for a change of scenery to hit the transfer portal. And few could use a change of scenery more than quarterback Conner Weigman: The former five-star looked like the future of Texas A&M football when he committed to the Aggies back in 2022, but he never found a way to stay healthy, and the emergence of Marcel Reed left him riding the bench over the second half of this season.

With Reed not going anywhere and the coaching staff that originally recruited Weigman long gone, it came as no surprise that Weigman announced he was entering the portal on Tuesday evening.

Things didn't work out for Weigman in College Station, but labeling him as a bust may be premature. He showed real flashes of his upside in both 2022 and 2023 before getting hurt, and he was one of the top QBs in his recruiting class for a reason. The Cypress, Texas, native figures to have plenty of suitors on the transfer market, and he told ESPN's Pete Thamel that he's looking to lead a team to the College Football Playoff and "fight for the national championship."

Which program might give him the best chance to do just that? Here are some natural landing spots that could unlock Weigman's potential.

4. Syracuse could be a dark horse for Conner Weigman

The Orange might not be what you think of when you think about national powers, but don't laugh them off here. Syracuse just built one of the best passing attacks in the country around transfer QB Kyle McCord, and there's no reason to think they couldn't do the same around Weigman with plenty of receiving talent set to come back in 2025. Their playoff path isn't as tough as you think given the state of the ACC right now (especially with Miami set to lose Cam Ward), and they already have an in: associate head coach and defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson joined Fran Brown's staff from Texas A&M, where he overlapped with Weigman.

The Texas native might not be thrilled about heading to central New York, but if he wants a platform to put up big numbers, rebuild his NFL Draft stock and potentially make a run at a conference title and CFP spot, he could do a whole lot worse.

3. Oregon would reunite Weigman with an old favorite target

Weigman and Evan Stewart were both part of A&M's ballyhooed 2022 recruiting class, and now they could be in position to reunite in the Pacific Northwest. Stewart is draft-eligible already, but after a largely anonymous first season with Oregon, he could be inclined to come back for one more year as the lead target with Tez Johnson moving on. The Ducks have another former five-star, Elijah Moore, waiting in the wings, but Moore didn't exactly set the world on fire when given a chance at UCLA; it's not out of the picture to think that Dan Lanning might explore the portal to find the perfect fit for Will Stein's offense in a post-Dillon Gabriel world.

Weigman would seem to be just that fit, and he'd be crazy not to pick Oregon if the school offers him a spot. Lanning has built the Ducks into one of the country's premier programs, and they figure to be back at or near the top of the Big Ten next season after another strong recruiting class.

2. Can new Oklahoma OC Ben Arbuckle lure Conner Weigman to Norman?

Before he eventually settled on A&M, Oklahoma was one of the final five schools in the running for Weigman's services out of high school. Both he and the Sooners have experienced plenty of trials and tribulations since then, but a reunion might be a mutually beneficial arranagement.

Oklahoma is desperate for some offensive juice after collapsing in 2024, and the team's new offensive coordinator, Ben Arbuckle, helped turn Cam Ward and then John Mateer from unheralded recruits into some of the most prolific quarterbacks in the country. That should be music to Weigman's ears, and the Sooners should hopefully be getting promising young receivers like Jayden Gibson and Nic Anderson back healthy after the group was ravaged by injuries this season. Oklahoma has a long way to go to compete for SEC titles, but a Brent Venables defense plus Weigman and Arbuckle on offense could have them making noise sooner than you think.

1. Conner Weigman could jumpstart the Hugh Freeze era at Auburn

Auburn was another one of the finalists for Weigman as a high-school recruit, and Hugh Freeze might be able to actually close the deal this time around. The Tigers are finally ready to hit the portal with Payton Thorne moving on, and they remain just one competent quarterback away from really taking off. The defense is rock-solid, and Cam Coleman and the rest of 2023's star-studded receiver class will be ready to take a major leap with a year of experience under their belts. If Weigman wants to stay in the SEC and play against some of the biggest brands in the country, Auburn could be just the place to do it, with enough talent to make a playoff run a realistic proposition.