With one year of eligibility remaining, James Madison’s Alonza Barnett III looks to parlay his success into a lucrative opportunity via the transfer portal. Barnett, the 2025 Sun Belt Player of the Year, leaves the Dukes as the leading passer during the school’s four-year FBS journey with 5,433 passing yards and 72 total touchdowns.
1) North Carolina
After an embarrassing 4-8 season, the Tar Heels need a spark. Head Coach Bill Belichick hired Bobby Petrino to run the offense. Despite parts of his reputation being problematic, he knows how to run a productive offense.
Last season, UNC ranked No. 83 in PFSN’s OFFi metric, which measures efficiency and production. The burden would fall to Barnett, as the Tar Heels lost four receivers to the portal, along with two opt-outs and two graduations. Barnett is a dual threat who prefers throwing over running. As a result, Carolina can effortlessly slot him in.
2) Northwestern
Graduate transfer Preston Stone exhausted his eligibility, and the Wildcats need a quarterback able to run NU’s RPO Motion offense. That scheme centers around smart decision-making. Barnett displays the requisite acumen to handle a fast-flowing offense.
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The Big Ten remains light years ahead of the Sun Belt, but it’s a chance to compete in a Power Four conference with the city of Chicago as the backdrop. Plus, Barnett stood face to face with one of the conference’s best, tallying 318 total yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns in an opening-round College Football Playoff loss to Oregon.
3) Syracuse
Granted, the Orange, under Fran Brown, operates out of a hybrid of a spread and pro style. Syracuse lost its last eight games, and critical eyes turned on the head coach. Under those circumstances, the Orange need to dip into the portal, grab Barnett, switch to the complete spread, and go from there.
Brown needs a bounce-back season more than any other ACC coach not named Bill Belichick. Additionally, finding mid-tier wideouts and backs to cobble together a seven-win season, at a bare minimum.
4) Connecticut
Jason Candle hopes to build upon what Jim Mora accomplished before leaving for Colorado State. Barnett could become a gate attraction, and the Huskies need entry into a conference. Until then, the team needs to keep building on its success and lay the foundation for a better future. Barnett’s signing possesses an immediate benefit due to his exciting style and a future one, potentially drawing recruits to Storrs.
5) UNLV
Anthony Colandrea’s entry into the portal leaves Dan Mullen with a vacancy in the desert. Dan Mullen led the Rebels to their third double-digit win season in the program’s 48-year Division 1 history. Barnett could give UNLV a leg up in the revamped Mountain West, as the conference undergoes a shift by bringing in new teams as others depart for the Pac-12. Mullen values star power that brings an electric aspect to the offense.
