Let's get wacky.

Why not? In this day and age of the college football transfer portal, would anything surprise you? It doesn't take much for a kid these days to say, "Meh, this isn't what I thought it was going to be; I need a change of scenery."

Now, with college football's transfer-anytime-you-want rule, it's free agency without any salary-cap parameters. That light's always green to move freely, and it's going to be a free-for-all until college football can figure out a way to govern it.

So, you can expect college football's post-spring transfer portal to be bananas once again. If you thought this fall was wild with Nick Saban retiring, Kalen DeBoer replacing him and Jedd Fisch bolting Arizona for Washington just when he had the Wildcats ready to compete in the newfangled Big 12, watch out.

Quarterbacks who see the writing on the wall for their jobs and futures aren't going to hang around to watch. This list includes some far-out scenarios, but there are really no guardrails in today's transfer world.

We give you reasons why these guys could lose the quarterback battle (or fall behind) in the spring and search for greener pastures. Some of these are huge names, while others are guys with the stats that will travel. Here are some flight-risk guys for spring 2024.

Devin Brown to the Auburn Tigers

What is up with Hugh Freeze not being able to find a quarterback in the transfer portal since he's been at Auburn?

This was the thing he thrived on while at Liberty, rolling through halcyon years after taking Malik Willis from Auburn and getting Kaidon Salter to come to his program after leaving Tennessee. For whatever reason, though, that success hasn't translated on the Plains.

Last year, the Tigers were able to get Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne late, and he did OK but hasn't yet proved he is even a mid-tier SEC quarterback. After flip-flopping between him and Robby Ashford, the latter left for South Carolina.

Now, Auburn is again heading into a spring practice with an unproven bunch under center. The Tigers and Ohio State quarterback Devin Brown are a perfect match.

The Buckeyes believe they upgraded by bringing in Kansas State transfer Will Howard for his final season, and the future is on campus already in incoming elite freshmen Julian Sayin (who was plucked from Alabama) and Air Noland.

Their arrival leaves Brown without a spot, and he's too talented to sit on the bench. Why not head to the SEC to play your final three years and allow Freeze to help bridge the gap to some of the talented newcomers he has coming in?

It makes too much sense, even if Brown doesn't have any ties to the Tigers or the Southeast. He wants a shot at a starting job, and Auburn provides it right away. He would be the best quarterback on campus immediately.

Ashton Daniels to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons

The Stanford Cardinal are moving to the ACC in Troy Taylor's second season as head coach, and the bottom line is they must get better quarterback play.

Enter true freshman Elijah Brown, who is just the type of face-of-the-program Taylor needed. The 4-star Mater Dei school product has a lot of upside, even if he doesn't have the biggest arm. And the moxie and leadership he will provide coming from a powerhouse program is big.

So, that would leave incumbent starter Ashton Daniels without a home for the next couple of seasons. If that's the case and Brown beats Daniels for the job, the latter may bolt for somewhere else closer to home.

While Northwestern would be an option that would allow the 19-year-old to keep on getting a world-class education and play Power 4 football, so would another option closer to home. That would be Wake Forest, where Dave Clawson and the Demon Deacons have had difficulty since Sam Hartman left to play his final year for Notre Dame.

We'll roll with Daniels to the Deacs right now, because he could stay in the newfangled ACC and even move closer to his Buford, Georgia, home. The only problem is former Boise State and Louisiana Tech quarterback Hank Bachmeier transferred in to play his final season for Clawson. He and Daniels would battle for the job.

But this may be a more appealing destination because of the details mentioned above, and he can still get a great education and battle for the starting gig.

Heinrich Haarberg to the Illinois Fighting Illini

Another program that could go young at the quarterback position in 2024 is the Nebraska Cornhuskers. As Matt Rhule looks to continue building his program in Lincoln, it would make a bunch of sense to make Dylan Raiola the centerpiece.

The second-rated quarterback in the nation for the 2024 class was all set to sign with Georgia, but he made a late flip to play for his father, Dominic's, alma mater. And now the 6'3", 230-pound, strong-armed signal-caller is ready to do big things.

It's no guarantee Raiola will win the job, but after a 2023 season that saw Jeff Sims injured and ineffective before hitting the portal and Henrich Haarberg fail to seize the job, there aren't any scary obstacles in Raiola's way in the Big Red quarterback room.

Haarberg is a big, athletic Nebraska native with a lot of skills, but he was far too raw to do a bunch of damage as a redshirt freshman. With three seasons of eligibility left, he could be a good signal-caller somewhere in the Big Ten.

While Iowa would make a bunch of sense for future ability to replace Cade McNamara, the Hawkeyes seem set on the senior leading the way in 2024. So, that leaves Illinois as a possible destination for the 20-year-old.

It isn't far away, and he shouldn't be too worried about Luke Altmyer, who was mediocre at best in 2023 and is susceptible to losing that job.

Haarberg seems to love his home-state school and may stick around to compete, but Raiola is the future. If he sees that, there is a much better situation for him in Champaign.

Jaylen Henderson to the South Carolina Gamecocks

When Jaylen Henderson was forced into action for Texas A&M late in the 2023 season, he did some things that made you realize just what an explosive athlete he is.

Though he decided to stay in College Station rather than join the mass exodus of Aggies after Jimbo Fisher left, it will be interesting to see if that sticks with two seasons of eligibility remaining and Conner Weigman coming back from injury.

Weigman is a former top-tier prospect, and he is the odds-on favorite to be QB1 for new coach Mike Elko next fall. If that is evident this spring, Henderson may look to transfer again after bolting his home state for Texas after playing his first two years for Fresno State.

If he does, he could see an SEC opportunity across the conference at South Carolina.

Coach Shane Beamer has far from a settled situation there, which is why the Gamecocks went after Vanderbilt transfer AJ Swann before he decided to choose LSU and compete with Garrett Nussmeier.

Robby Ashford transferred in from Auburn to compete for the starting job in Columbia with redshirt sophomore LaNorris Sellers and freshman Dante Reno, but Henderson has an exciting skill set that would be a nice addition to that room.

In limited action for the Aggies last year, Henderson completed 68 percent of his passes for 715 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions while running for 104 more. He's not a sure thing, either, but the path to playing time may be clearer under Beamer.

Fernando Mendoza to the Northwestern Wildcats

Now that we're through the first part of the list, the "bigger names" will come out to play as potential wild scenarios.

Let's start in Berkeley, where Stanford's biggest rival and fellow new ACC participant unnecessarily (and oddly) invited a quarterback battle by bringing in North Texas signal-caller Chandler Rogers to play his final year.

The Group of Five star could shine on a bigger stage and do big things for coach Justin Wilcox, but it was just a quizzical decision considering the Golden Bears looked to be grooming freshman Fernando Mendoza for the job.

Mendoza helped the team win its final three games to make it to bowl season for the first time in four years, completing 63 percent of his passes for 1,708 yards, 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

You have to think the idea is for Rogers to win the job, considering Cal's new offensive coordinator, Mike Bloesch, was his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach with the Mean Green in 2022.

Will that irritate Mendoza enough for him to head out? Maybe.

The Miami native, of course, would be blocked in Coral Gables by Washington State transfer Cam Ward, but the 6'5", big-armed quarterback could go home for the future. That makes sense, but what if he wants a job right now? There aren't any guarantees he'd beat out Jacurri Brown, Emory Williams and freshman Judd Anderson down the road.

At Northwestern, Mendoza could start for a Power 4 program and still get a great education. There aren't any ties that we know of pulling him to Evanston, Illinois, but he could go to another bowl program and carve his legacy in the Big Ten.

Dante Moore to the Michigan Wolverines

You want headlines and shockwaves? Well, here they are.

You were surely as taken aback as most when former UCLA signal-caller Dante Moore left the Bruins and transferred to Oregon to compete with graduate transfer Dillon Gabriel, who had already determined he'd leave Oklahoma to play his final year in Eugene.

Moore had a strong relationship with Ducks coach Dan Lanning and had been committed to Oregon for much of the '23 recruiting cycle, so that part with the relationships made sense. But is Moore content on waiting another year?

You know he went to Oregon to battle for the starting job right now, but Gabriel is a top-shelf transfer who has posted huge numbers at UCF and Oklahoma and is the perfect heir to Bo Nix in that offense. Will Moore wait?

In the world of no-penalty transfers, we're not sure. If Gabriel has the job in-hand this spring, there is a golden opportunity for Moore back home.

Thanks to the Michigan Wolverines winning a national championship, JJ McCarthy didn't declare for the NFL draft until really too late for his team to secure a quarterback in the portal who would have been scared off by the possibility of McCarthy returning another year.

When Jim Harbaugh left for the NFL, too, new coach Sherrone Moore, is left with a huge question mark in the quarterback room. Alex Orji and incoming freshman Jadyn Davis, right now, look like the likely candidates unless the Wolverines make a splash in the transfer portal.

Getting Moore to come back to his home state would be more like a tsunami. Would he be interested in helping keep the national champs on that level and stepping into an almost certain starting job in '24? That would be enticing.

Alex Orji to the Houston Cougars

In this fantasy scenario where Dante Moore heads to Michigan, that leaves Alex Orji without a spot. Even if the Moore thing is a pipe dream that doesn't happen, the Texas native has a bunch to prove before he can be the starting quarterback for the defending national champs.

There's a lot to love about his athleticism, and when Sherrone Moore was the offensive coordinator in '23, he had a special package for Orji to run the ball. But he didn't throw for a single yard, and now you think the Wolverines are just going to hand him the offense? It doesn't work that way.

In two seasons in Ann Arbor, Orji has been a weapon in the Wildcat package. Last season, the 6'3", 236-pound signal-caller ran for 86 yards on 15 carries and scored a touchdown. But that doesn't inspire a ton of confidence that he can be "The Man" under center.

Talented incoming freshman Jadyn Davis is expected to be the quarterback of the future, but relying on the Charlotte, North Carolina, product to come in and do it from Day 1 is a tall ask.

It makes all the sense in the world for Moore to go portaling after the spring session, and that may leave Orji to see the writing on the wall. If it happens, he would be wise to head back closer to home and play for Willie Fritz at Houston.

His home of Sachse is just a four-hour jaunt to Houston, and though Donovan Smith should be entrenched with the Cougars in '24, Orji could compete with another dual-threat transfer, former Louisiana-Lafayette freshman starter Zeon Chriss, to be Fritz's future signal-caller.

That's a move that would make sense for all.

Air Noland to the Alabama Crimson Tide

Without a doubt, Dante Moore would be the biggest move on this list, but there would be a whole lot of buzz around the college football transfer portal once again if this one happened.

When Kalen DeBoer left Washington for Alabama, he took talented-but-unproven quarterback prospect Austin Mack with him, and he also took a major gut-punch when top-rated QB Julian Sayin from the 2024 class bolted from the Crimson Tide to Ohio State.

At the time, the Buckeyes were set on their quarterback of the future being Air Noland in the 2024 recruiting cycle, and he was already in Columbus when Sayin decided to make it an even more crowded quarterback room.

Wouldn't it be something if DeBoer returned the favor by getting the Fairburn, Georgia native to move back to SEC country?

The 6'2", 195-pound southpaw is the nation's No. 61-ranked prospect in the 2024 class and had Alabama as one of his finalists before deciding to head to the Big Ten to play for coach Ryan Day.

He is familiar with Tuscaloosa, and if Sayin is as good as advertised, and Noland sees his present situation blocked by Will Howard and his future growth stunted by Sayin's arrival, don't think he won't jump ship.

The quarterback room at Ohio State is far too loaded for there to not be some turnover. With Auburn's desperate need right now, we gave them Buckeyes veteran Devin Brown, which could push Noland to Alabama where he can watch Jalen Milroe in 2024 and then compete with Mack for the future.

The thoughts of this move are tantalizing.

Reese Poffenbarger to the Pittsburgh Panthers

Perhaps you haven't heard of Reese Poffenbarger, but that's just because he is coming to the Power 4 from the FCS, where he was Albany's quarterback.

If you don't know much about the Great Danes, well, join the club, but they did give big-time college football one of its biggest most recent stars in former Florida State edge-rusher Jared Verse, who is heading to the NFL after a stellar Seminoles career post-Albany.

Poffenbarger was ready to head to Miami after a gaudy season for the Great Danes in 2023 where he led the FCS with 36 passing touchdowns and 3,603 passing yards last season. Entering his fifth season of college football, the former Old Dominion walk-on who found success at a lower level wants to play right now.

Those hopes were dashed when Mario Cristobal landed Cam Ward, getting him to withdraw his name from the NFL draft and play one season in Coral Gables instead.

Now, don't be surprised if Poffenbarger decides to go somewhere else to finish his career. The former Maryland state player of the year and a first-team all-state quarterback out of Middletown High School can't play for the Terrapins because he will be blocked by N.C. State transfer MJ Morris.

Pittsburgh is close, and coach Pat Narduzzi's Panthers don't have any sure answers under center. Nate Yarnell is probably going to start as of now over Christian Veillieux, and former Alabama freshman Eli Holstein is in the mix, too.

Poffenbarger could solidify that spot early and do it near his backyard, too, just a shade over three hours from his Middletown, Maryland, home. This is a no-brainer.

Ty Simpson to the Oklahoma State Cowboys

Ty Simpson probably hung around in Tuscaloosa because he knows coach Kalen DeBoer loves to throw the football around, and incumbent Jalen Milroe doesn't exactly fit the former Washington coach's system.

But Milroe is still one of the most talented QBs in the nation, and it would be a major stunner if he wasn't the starter in 2024. Where does that leave the former 5-star quarterback from the 2022 class?

In two seasons, he's thrown for just 214 yards and no touchdowns.

How long is he going to wait? If he can stick things out through the 2024 season, he may have a couple of years to legitimately have a stake in the starting job for Alabama. But DeBoer is always going to be looking for potential upgrades to keep the Tide on a high level.

Simpson is from Martin, Tennessee, but the Vols are set at quarterback for the next few years. At this point, it would be tough to see Simpson at a program like Vanderbilt, which is mired at the bottom of the SEC standings.

A wild-card destination would be Oklahoma State. Again, Simpson has no ties to coach Mike Gundy, but the Cowboys are going to be relying on seventh-year senior Alan Bowman in 2024, and he is a game-manager. Beyond him, the cupboard for the future is bare.

Simpson would be the most talented quarterback on that roster and could have a chance to start right away.

All stats courtesy of CFBStats and Sports Reference unless otherwise noted. Recruit rankings courtesy of 247Sports unless otherwise noted.

Follow Brad Shepard on Twitter, @Brad_Shepard.