Quarterback Maurice Smith, who spent the past two seasons at Chowan, is making a rare leap from Division II football straight to the Big Ten. Smith signed with the Illinois Fighting Illini on Monday and will have one year of eligibility remaining.
Smith’s move highlights a growing trend involving North Carolina Division II quarterbacks this transfer portal cycle, several of whom are now seeking opportunities at the FBS or FCS level after productive 2025 campaigns.
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Illinois head coach Bret Bielema offered Smith in November shortly after Chowan wrapped up its 2025 season. The Illini are listing Smith as an “athlete,” signaling flexibility in how he could be deployed. Illinois also signed former East Carolina Pirates quarterback Katin Houser this week, making the quarterback room competitive heading into 2026.
“On paper, it might look like a depth move or a recruiting technicality,” SI College writer Pranav Hegde wrote of Smith’s signing. “In reality, it may hint at something more creative brewing in Champaign as the Illini prepare for life after Luke Altmyer. Illinois fans have seen this movie before. The best lower-division transfers can absolutely play at this level, and sometimes they arrive with fewer preconceived limitations.”
Smith threw for 2,244 yards and 13 touchdowns in two seasons as Chowan’s starter, appearing in 14 games. He also rushed for 487 yards and six touchdowns, showcasing the dual-threat ability that likely caught Illinois’ attention.
“As a passer, Smith is solid but not flashy,” Hegde wrote. “He can make routine throws, especially off play action, and he has enough arm strength to keep defenses honest. Where he separates himself is with his decisiveness as a runner — he reads leverage quickly and commits downhill, something that translates regardless of level.”
Smith isn’t the only North Carolina D2 quarterback testing the Division I waters.
Former Catawba Indians all-conference quarterback Preston Brown entered the transfer portal on Jan. 2 after directing one of the South Atlantic Conference’s most prolific offenses. Brown threw for more than 6,300 yards across three seasons in Salisbury after beginning his college career with the Charlotte 49ers.
Plenty of production at the D2 level.
2025 Season
209/303
2,755 yds 26 tds
69% comp (6th in country)
Harlon Hill Nominee
All Conference Selection
Scholar Athlete of the Year (SAC)
6,339 Career passing yards
62 Total Career Tds pic.twitter.com/LbEz8lJVkq — Preston Brown (@_prestonbrown) January 5, 2026
The Charlotte native (West Mecklenburg High) earned second-team All-SAC honors following the 2025 season and was also named the conference’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year. His senior stat line included 2,755 passing yards and 26 touchdowns, both career highs, along with a 3.922 cumulative GPA.
Former Wingate Bulldogs quarterback Elijah Holmes is also drawing significant interest. Holmes threw for more than 3,000 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2025, leading Wingate back to the D2 football playoffs. He has multiple FBS visits lined up this month, including trips to Georgia State, Buffalo and Wyoming, according to 247Sports.
Holmes has also reported offers from Elon, North Carolina Central, South Carolina State, Bowling Green, Furman, Stony Brook, Norfolk State, Morgan State and Robert Morris.
Meanwhile, former Winston-Salem State Rams quarterback Daylin Lee committed to Tennessee State last week. Lee was a three-year starter in the CIAA and finished his career with 5,616 passing yards and 55 touchdowns.
The path from Division II to the national spotlight is no longer theoretical. Former D2 quarterback Trinidad Chambliss helped lead Ole Miss Rebels to the College Football Playoff this season, just one year after winning a D2 national championship at Ferris State.
Whether Smith, Brown, Holmes or Lee can author similar small-school-to-big-stage stories in 2026 remains to be seen — but the attention surrounding North Carolina’s Division II quarterbacks is unmistakable.
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