Fresno State offense takes hit. Quarterback Joshua Wood in transfer portal

Fresno State quarterback Joshua Wood entered the NCAA transfer portal on Wednesday, a significant hit to an offense that was developing nicely toward the end of the Bulldogs’ spring practices.

Wood, in a competition with Rice transfer E.J. Warner and redshirt freshman Jayden Mandal, is the most dynamic of the three, a dual-threat quarterback who appeared fully recovered from an arm injury that kept him out of the 2023 season.

Coach Matt Entz did not name a starter at the end of the spring, but it was expected Wood and Warner would compete over the summer and into fall camp to start when the Bulldogs open the season Aug. 23 at Kansas.

“I want to thank the Red Wave for the full support at all times,” Wood said, in a social media post announcing the transfer. “From the time I stepped on campus, I felt the spirit of what this university and community stands for.… To my brothers that I have been with from the start, I am thankful for the relationships we have built.”

Wood completed 18 of 28 passes last season (64.3%), averaging 7.0 yards per attempt with one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed the football 37 times for 118 yards and six touchdowns, adding a needed dimension to an offense that struggled at times when in the red zone.

Wood, who has three seasons of eligibility remaining, carried the ball 14 times inside an opponent’s 20-yard line and averaged 4.4 yards per play with the six touchdowns.

Fresno State as a team averaged only 2.4 yards on red zone rushing plays.

With Wood in the NCAA transfer portal, Fresno State has just two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster who have taken a snap in college.

Warner, who started games at Temple and at Rice and is the son of former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner, has played 2,136 career snaps. Mandal, the former Buchanan High star, has played just 33. They will be joined this summer by incoming freshmen Jonathan Craft from El Cerrito and Brayden Turner from Danville Monte Vista, who were recruited by the previous Bulldogs’ staff.

Fresno State wideouts Nathan Acevedo and Lyndon Ravare and defensive back Jordan Pierro also are in the transfer portal, as are non-scholarship walk-on quarterbacks Jack Jacobs and Dashiell Weaver.

This story was originally published April 17, 2025 at 8:39 AM.