Five QB Options to Watch After OSU Loses Out on Brennan Armstrong

It was long believed that Virginia transfer QB Brennan Armstrong would land either at OSU or Wisconsin, but lo and behold, the transfer this past week officially committed to NC State, leaving the Pokes in a difficult spot at quarterback where it needs to add talent but the pool in which it is now trying to add from has been picked over.

So who could be next on the radar?

With Garret Rangel and Gunnar Gundy back and Zane Flores enrolling but Spencer Sanders gone, it still seems likely that the transfer portal will net the Pokes one player at the QB spot for depth if nothing else. So here’s five I’d keep an eye on that are available now and could be options. (The five options are in no particular order.)

1. Zach Calzada, Auburn

If Calzada sounds like a familiar name that’s because he is. OSU recruited him out of high school, then a three-star prospect, before he eventually committed to Texas A&M where he spent three seasons primarily as a backup. Calzada spent the last year at Auburn before hitting the portal again after not seeing the field. So, yes, the production isn’t there and he’s not a surefire starter. But at this point he has the talent that OSU obviously liked before and could at worst be a viable backup to push for starting. Very toolsy at 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds.

2. Tristan Gebbia, Oregon State

Gebbia was a four-star recruit in the 2017 class who drew out offers from Alabama, Ole Miss, Miami and others before committing to Oregon State where he has been since. This isn’t 2017, obviously, and Gebbia is far from the same talent many considered he was years ago, but again: desperate times, etc. He played against Oklahoma State in 2019 where he threw for a touchdown and completed three of seven passing attempts, so there is some familiarity here. (Although, probably not much.)

3. Carson May, Iowa

OSU did not pursue May a year ago when he was a three-star recruit from Jones, Oklahoma, who eventually committed to Iowa. So it’s hard to see the staff changing its tune on that front and pursuing him now that he went one-and-done with the Hawkeyes. But the 6-foot-5 QB did visit OSU several times and there’s an awareness there of who he is and what he could bring to the table.

4. Hank Bachmeier, Boise State

Bachmeier hit the portal midseason at Boise State after mostly underwhelming based on his four-star recruit expectations. But he was very productive at Boise State overall; you don’t rack up 6,000+ yards passing without some arm talent. Multi-year starters at the high-major level like him — even if he wasn’t quite the star many hoped — bring a ton of value. It’s surprising he hasn’t landed somewhere yet.

5. Malik Hornsby, Arkansas

This is a total dart throw on my part because it doesn’t appear Hornsby was seriously recruited out of high school in 2020 when he was a four-star recruit and there are thus far no indications that either OSU is in the mix or interested this time around, either. But Hornsby has a nice high school pedigree as a former top-100 talent at 247Sports and brings a dual-threat ability similar to what Spencer Sanders did for OSU’s offense. His passing numbers at Arkansas send up some red flags about his ability at this level but maybe he could develop into something?