10 defensive players still in the transfer portal who can help in 2023
We’re almost to the end of the current 45-day transfer portal open window. It started December 5 and ends Wednesday. There’s another window, this one lasting 15 days, that starts May 1, after most teams have ended spring practice.
The portal window closing means only that players cannot enter unless they are a grad student. There is no time element as to when a player can decide on a new school other than a school’s academic calendar.
While the vast majority of top transfers already have selected their new teams, there are players available who can help a team in 2023. Here’s a look at 10 such offensive players; we looked at 10 offensive players Tuesday.
For a look at all the players in the portal, go to On3’s transfer portal wire, which is updated continuously as players go into – and leave – the portal. In addition, there are position rankings of those who have entered the portal.
CB DeShawn Gaddie
Transfer from: North Texas
The buzz: DeShawn Gaddie (6 feet 1, 188 pounds) was a three-year starter for the Mean Green; he started at both safety and cornerback. Gaddie earned some All-Conference USA acclaim this season, when he had 61 tackles, 13 pass breakups (tied for 13th nationally) and two forced fumbles playing corner. In his three seasons as a starter, he had 145 tackles, two interceptions, 21 pass breakups and four forced fumbles. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
LB Nick Jackson
Transfer from: Virginia
The buzz: Nick Jackson (6-1, 234) was a three-year starter for Virginia; he earned second-team All-ACC honors after finishing this season with 104 tackles. Jackson was one of the most productive linebackers in the nation in each of the past three seasons; he had 105 tackles in 2020 and 117 last season. Jackson also had eight pass breakups and 13 quarterback hurries over the past three seasons. He has one year of eligibility left.
EDGE Trajan Jeffcoat
Transfer from: Missouri
The buzz: Which Trajan Jeffcoat (6-4, 269) will a new school be getting? The one who had six sacks and seven quarterback hurries against an all-SEC schedule in 2020? Or the one who had 4.5 sacks total the past two seasons? Jeffcoat was a three-year starter for the Tigers, but his production dropped off the table this season – one sack (it was against Georgia), 20 tackles, three quarterback hurries. Still, he’s a veteran SEC defensive lineman and has the talent and experience to be, at the least, an important rotation piece. Jeffcoat, who is from Columbia, S.C., has a season of eligibility remaining.
LB Monty Montgomery
Transfer from: Louisville
The buzz: Monty Montgomery had a medical redshirt approved in December, giving him a seventh year of eligibility. He then surprisingly entered the transfer portal Monday. Montgomery (5-11, 220) started his college career in 2017 at Tulane, where he redshirted. He starred at Hutchinson (Kan.) CC in 2018, then spent the past four seasons at Louisville.Montgomery became a starter late in the 2020 season, then opened 2021 as a starter but suffered a knee injury in Game 3 and missed the rest of the season. He started in 2022 and was second on the team with 70 tackles. While he lacks size, Montgomery has good quickness and had 15 sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss with the Cardinals. He also forced seven fumbles while at Louisville, including four this season.
EDGE Eyabi Okie
Transfer from: Michigan
The buzz: If nothing else, Eyabi Okie (6-5, 244) is well-traveled. He began his career (he was known then as Eyabi Anoma) in 2018 as a five-star signee at Alabama. Okie was dismissed in July 2019 and moved on to Houston. He didn’t play a game there before being dismissed in February 2020. Okie resurfaced at FCS member UT-Martin and had six sacks for the Skyhawks in 2021. He transferred to Michigan in August 2022, then finished second on the Wolverines with 4.5 sacks. Now he’s on the move again. In the right situation, Okie can be dangerous off the edge.
LB Omar Speights
Transfer from: Oregon State
The buzz: Omar Speights (6-1, 233) was a first-team All-Pac-12 performer this season, when he had 83 tackles and eight tackles for loss for a team that led the league in total defense. Speights had 308 tackles in four seasons with the Beavers, ninth-most in school history. Speights was a three year-starter for the Beavers; he started every game the past three seasons and was a team captain this season. He was a freshman All-America in 2019, when he had 73 tackles. Speight is not necessarily a splash-play guy, but he is steady and physical against the run.
S Jaxen Turner
Transfer from: Arizona
The buzz: S Jaxen Turner (6-2, 210) led Arizona with 79 tackles this season before deciding to transfer. He was a part-time starter in his first two seasons on campus, then earned a starting job in 2021 and kept it this season. Turner also had two picks, two forced fumbles and a pass breakup this fall. He made 138 tackles in the past two seasons, with two picks and six pass breakups. Turner has one season of eligibility remaining.
LB David Ugwoegbu
Transfer from: Oklahoma
The buzz: After two seasons as a key reserve, David Ugwoegbu (6-4, 250) became a starter in 2022 and was second on the Sooners with 109 tackles. He had double-digit tackles in four games and at least six tackles in every game this season to earn honorable mention All-Big 12 honors. Ugwoegbu (it’s pronounced “Uh-GWAY-boo”) played in 50 games in four seasons for OU, with 22 starts. He had 211 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, four sacks and one interception with the Sooners. Ugwoegbu never redshirted and has one season of eligibility remaining.
P Trey Wilhoit
Transfer from: Eastern Illinois
The buzz: Yes, we’re going off the beaten path here, but a top-flight punter definitely can help a defense. And Trey Wilhoit (5-10, 175) is a top-flight punter. He led the NJCAA in punting in 2021 at Dodge City (Kan.) CC with a 43.3-yard average. This season at EIU, he averaged 44.0 yards per punt to earn first-team All-Ohio Valley honors. He also was a semifinalist for the FCS punter of the Year award. Wilhoit, who is from Tallahassee, Fla., has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
S Ronald Wilson
Transfer from: New Mexico
The buzz: Ronald Wilson (5-10, 185) was a two-year starter for New Mexico, earning the starting job early in his true freshman season in 2021 and keeping it. He had 102 tackles in two seasons with the Lobos, along with four interceptions, four pass breakups and two forced fumbles. Wilson had seven picks and six forced fumbles as a high school senior at Fort Worth (Texas) North Crowley. He also ran the 100 meters and was on the 4×100 relay team at North Crowley. He has two seasons of eligibility left.