If one thing encapsulates the madness that is the transfer portal – and how it leaks down to traditional high school recruiting – just look at the quarterback position and what has happened in the portal recently.

Wow.

In the movie JFK, Joe Pesci’s character said the assassination of President John F. Kennedy was a “mystery wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma.”

Welcome to transfer portal recruiting in 2025. And quarterbacks are supposed to figure all this out and what’s best for their future?

Let’s start with the news du jour that five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava transferred from Tennessee to UCLA which was followed by his brother, Madden, spending a cup of coffee at Arkansas before transferring to UCLA as well. Reports are Arkansas is trying to claw back Madden Iamaleava’s NIL money.

That’s child’s play compared with how many programs have taken one quarterback in the portal, only to over-recruit that player when someone else juicy jumps in. So much for loyalty – on all sides.

Let’s go down some of the list.

On Dec. 4, Auburn signed five-star quarterback Deuce Knight. Ten days later, former five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold transferred from Oklahoma to Auburn. Two days after that, Stanford starting QB Ashton Daniels transferred to The Plains as well. Four quarterbacks – Holden Geriner, Walker White, Hank Brown and Sam Jackson V – transferred away from the Tigers.

Four quarterbacks also left Cal (along with five running backs including its two stars at that position) including starter Fernando Mendoza, who cried during an interview following Cal’s 24-21 comeback win over Stanford on Nov. 23.

“I love my boys,” Mendoza said as fans rushed the field in Berkeley. “It’s amazing. I’m so proud of everybody on the team. … Go Bears forever.”

A month later, Mendoza transferred to Indiana.

Three weeks after Mendoza’s decision to leave for Bloomington, and after winning a national title at Ohio State, former four-star QB Devin Brown transferred to Cal. Even crazier, four-star quarterback Jaron Sagapolutele flipped from Cal to Oregon on signing day, practiced with the Ducks, and then entered the portal and flipped back to Cal in early January.

Charlotte, Coastal Carolina and Eastern Michigan were three smaller programs that took a transfer quarterback this cycle – and then took a second one on top of it.

Ryan Browne spent two seasons at Purdue before transferring to North Carolina in December. But then South Alabama’s Gio Lopez entered the portal earlier this month and the Tar Heels went after him so Browne, on campus long enough to just unpack his bags, decided to return to the Boilermakers instead of getting recruited over.

Iowa – the picture of stability and order in college football – has even jumped into the transfer portal quarterback swamp.

By Rivals’ tabulation, 30 Iowa players have hit the transfer portal this cycle including four quarterbacks – Cade McNamara, Brendan Sullivan, Marco Lainez and James Resar.

On Dec. 13, the Hawkeyes added former Auburn quarterback Hank Brown. In early January, former South Dakota State star QB Mark Gronowski picked Iowa. And just days ago, Iowa took a pledge from former Wake Forest quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski.

It’s enough to make your head spin. Or stop watching.