The UCLA Bruins lost some quarterback depth on Thursday with Karson Gordon entering the transfer portal after two seasons in Westwood as a Bruin. Gordon may have become the first football player to find a transfer portal loophole, entering the portal as a track athlete, rather than as a football player.
That’s big news because the portal isn’t open for football players currently, but with Gordon being a two-sport star, he’s able to survey other options which could land him on a new team this fall. Gordon tore his ACL in 2025 while competing for UCLA’s track team.
On3 Sports reported that Gordon would have the ability to join a new football team this coming season. It’s unclear if Gordon will remain at quarterback, with UCLA’s latest roster listing the 6’1” Gordon as a wide receiver rather than a quarterback.
Gordon didn’t appear in a game in the 2024 or 2025 seasons with UCLA but he was a three-star recruit out of Bellaire, Texas. Gordon received offers from Boston College, UNLV, Northwestern and Texas Tech before deciding to come to UCLA.During high school, Gordon was one of the top track and field athletes in the nation, winning Texas’ Gatorade Boys Track & Field Player of the Year for 2022-23.
Gordon has competed in track for the Bruins, starring in the triple jump, where he debuted at No. 5 on UCLA’s all-time indoor top-10 list with a mark of 15.82m. In addition to his achievements for competing, Gordon was named the 2025-26 Big Ten Jackie Robinson Community & Impact Award.
Now Gordon can take both his skills on the football field and on the track to a new school, with quarterback-needy teams suddenly having a new option available thanks to Gordon’s clever decision to enter the portal as a track athlete.
With many football players having the ability to compete in some sort of track and field event, Gordon’s decision could open up a can of worms regarding players positioning themselves as track athletes to get a late entry into the portal for football.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA’s Karson Gordon finds transfer portal loophole, enters portal
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
