Star quarterback Jaden Craig, Harvard’s all-time leading passer, will transfer to Texas Christian University, he confirmed first to The Crimson Sunday evening.

With former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover committed to transfer to Indiana, Craig is expected to claim the starting job for the Horned Frogs this fall as a mid-year graduate transfer with one remaining year of NCAA eligibility.

Craig entered the transfer portal in early December, opting to forgo the NFL draft, and quickly drew interest from multiple Power Four programs thanks in large part to his veteran status and scheme-versatile skill set. After visiting Fort Worth, TX., on Saturday, he told The Crimson on Sunday that he planned to transfer to TCU.

A two-year starter, Craig leaves behind an iconic legacy for the Harvard football team. Craig set the program record in both career passing yards and career passing touchdowns, with 6,074 yards and 52 touchdowns. Harvard went 19-5 in the 24 games that Craig started, and won a share of the Ivy League title in all three years that he was active.

Big 12 Titans

The Horned Frogs went 9-4 last season, defeating No. 16 USC 30-27 in the Alamo Bowl on Tuesday. Led by four-star transfer candidate Hoover — who threw for at least 230 yards in all but one game — TCU boasted a high-powered offense that led it to notable wins over No. 23 Houston, SMU, and Cincinnati.

Coach Sonny Dykes has helped TCU experience unprecedented success since he joined the program in 2022. In his first season, the team finished the year ranked No. 3 and went all the way to the national championship game.

While the Horned Frogs ultimately lost to Georgia, they have won a bowl game in three of the four years he has coached.

Craig is joining an offense that generated nearly four thousand passing yards last season as one of the strongest units in a deep Big 12 conference. With a team that has produced multiple NFL receivers in the past few years — including two day two picks in the 2025 draft — Craig is no doubt excited to join arms with a powerful receiving corps.

Most notably, junior wideout Jordan Dwyer is expected to return to TCU next season. Last year, Dwyer served as the WR2 behind projected draft pick Eric McAllister, whose 1190 receiving yards were sixth-most in the nation.

There is no doubt that Craig will aid Dwyer, who had 730 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior, in stepping into a lead role on the TCU offense next year.

‘One Of Those Gut Feelings’

If he desired, Craig could almost certainly have a future in the NFL as early as next fall. He finished in the top 10 of Mel Kiper’s QB rankings for the 2026 draft before entering the portal.

Craig’s decision to enter the portal and continue his collegiate career stems from a desire to improve as a player while refining his resume as a professional prospect, he told The Crimson in an interview.

“Just one of those gut feelings,” Craig said. “Going somewhere to get developed and get better and prepare yourself that much more for the next level, I think that was the ultimate decision.”

Craig joins a small list of recent Crimson transfers to play for power conference FBS teams, including Thor Griffith, who played for the University of Louisville, and Cooper Barkate, who currently plays at Duke University. That pair has seen much of their own success, with Griffith briefly signing a contract with the Seattle Seahawks in July 2025 and Barkate becoming a top receiver in the Atlantic Coast Conference with over 1,000 receiving yards in his fall campaign.

“The Ivy League doesn’t get a ton of credit for how high-quality the football really is,” Craig said when asked about the FBS production from Barkate, whom he called one of his closest friends. “When a guy like Coop transfers to the ACC and has a thousand yards receiving, a ton of touchdowns, and a lot of production, it just goes to show that [game play] is pretty translatable.”

“It’s definitely not the same, but it’s still high-level football, so you know what you get on tape is what you’re going to get at your next school,” he added.

As for his academics, Craig — along with most of his senior teammates who also entered the transfer portal — prepared in advance so he could graduate with a Harvard degree and still be able to join a new team in the spring as a mid-year transfer.

“I’ve always been prepared to graduate a semester early, whether that was if I was going to be going to the draft or if I was going to grad-transfer,” Craig said. “To have that opportunity, it is really a blessing for me, and all other players that are in the same position as me will all benefit from being able to leave school in the winter.”

Since Craig was able to graduate with his economics degree from the College in the fall, he is able to transfer immediately to his new program, and he is eligible for activities such as spring training and summer workouts before his final collegiate season with the Horned Frogs in the fall.

With dreams of going professional one day, Craig said it was important for him to be able to take advantage of advanced preparation and a quality coaching staff.

While he looks ahead to his new team as he tries to prepare himself to be in the NFL one day, Craig leaves behind one of the most impressive careers in a Crimson uniform.

‘I Just Fell in Love Right Away’

Craig is now a three-star transfer candidate according to 247 Sports’ ranking system. He’s primed to be the first Harvard quarterback drafted to the NFL since Ryan Fitzpatrick ’05. However, he was once an unranked recruit coming out of high school.

Growing up in Montclair, N.J., Craig started nine games at quarterback for Seton Hall Prep in his senior year of high school, throwing for 1566 yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for another six touchdowns. He was named to the all-state team during his junior and senior years.

Craig’s dual-threat properties drew interest from a variety of schools, with Craig receiving offers from at least six universities, including Kent State, Fordham, and Columbia. On Mar. 14, 2021, he committed to Harvard.

“I just fell in love right away,” Craig said in 2024, describing his affinity towards the Crimson over other Ivies showing interest in him.

After failing to see action on the field during his rookie season, Craig began the 2023 year as a backup to Charles DePrima '25, being utilized occasionally as a rushing threat. In Harvard’s seventh game of the season, DePrima was benched at halftime of a gritty win over Dartmouth, allowing Craig to start the second half against the Big Green and the remaining three games of the year.

Craig went 2-1 as a sophomore starter, notching a statement 25-23 triple overtime win over Penn in his second game at the helm, which clinched Harvard a share of the Ivy League title. In the thriller, Craig threw for 253 yards, rushed for 35 more, and accounted for three total touchdowns.

‘Most Talented Quarterback We’ve Ever Had’

In his junior season, Craig stepped into his role as a true starter with ease. He started all ten games of Harvard’s 8-2 year, throwing for 2430 yards, 23 touchdowns, and just three interceptions. This was strong enough to make him a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, FCS football’s equivalent of a Heisman Trophy.

In Harvard’s 31-28 win over Penn in the penultimate game of the season, Craig was stretchered off the field after taking a ferocious helicopter hit in the first quarter. With just seven days to recover before The Game, his status appeared uncertain.

The dependable Craig, who never missed a game at Harvard due to injury, was able to play against Yale and threw for 292 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Unfortunately, his performance was not enough to overcome the Bulldogs.

Among all of his successes at Harvard, the loss to Yale highlighted his most glaring shortcoming — Craig went 0-3 against Yale in his career, registering a TD-INT ratio of 6-4 in those games.

Despite the crushing finish to Craig’s junior season, he began his senior year by playing the best football of his life. With NFL scouts at many of his practices and games, Craig threw nine touchdown passes before his first interception.

Once more, Craig started all of Harvard’s games, beginning the season 9-0 before finishing 9-2. In the Ivy League’s return to postseason play, he led Harvard to an at-large bid in the FCS tournament. He registered a 61.5 percent completion rate, throwing for 2,869 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He also rushed for three touchdowns.

For the second straight year, Craig finished as a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, with a signature moment coming in Harvard's last-minute win over Penn. After Penn took a 43-42 lead with 22 seconds remaining, Craig took over from his own 25-yard line.

Craig surgically took Harvard down the field in seconds and set up sophomore kicker Kieran Corr for a 53-yard game-winning field goal. Throwing for a career-high 390 yards and accounting for four total touchdowns against no turnovers, some have called the game the most pristine in Craig’s career.

Craig’s legacy at Harvard is perhaps best summed up by legendary former head coach Tim Murphy, who once referred to him as “probably the most talented quarterback we’ve ever had here,” with only Fitzpatrick, who went on to play in the NFL for 17 years, matching his caliber.

—Staff writer Connor Castañeda can be reached at [email protected].