An updated look at the busiest schools in the transfer portal
The current 45-day transfer portal open window ends today. 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 choose a new school other than a school’s academic calendar.
Six Power 5 schools have reeled in at least 13 players from the transfer portal. Not surprisingly, four of the six have new coaches – and those four also brought in new quarterbacks. Here’s a closer look at the six.
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.
Arizona State, 24
Coach status: Kenny Dillingham is a new coach
The 3 headliners: OL Ben Coleman (California), OT Aaron Frost (Nevada), RB Cameron Skattebo (Sacramento State)
The buzz: Dillingham spent the 2022 season as Oregon’s offensive coordinator; before that, he was the OC for two seasons at Florida State. Thus, he worked for two coaches who used the transfer portal successfully, though with different plans. Dillingham and his staff have done solid work in the portal in terms of adding depth. But there doesn’t appear to be a true standout among the newcomers. Notre Dame transfer Drew Pyne looks as if he will be the starting quarterback. Dillingham has done good work with the likes of Jordan Travis at FSU and Bo Nix at Oregon, but Pyne seems much more limited than those two. The offensive line additions should help. Coleman has played guard and tackle. Skattebo was one of the most productive running backs in the FCS ranks and the offensive centerpiece for the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
Colorado, 24
Coach status: Deion Sanders is a new coach
The 3 headliners: WR Jimmy Horn (USF), CB Travis Hunter (Jackson State), TE Seydou Traore (Arkansas State)
The buzz: Sanders frequently used the phrase “I’m coming” when he first spoke to his new team, and transfers are flooding in to play for Sanders and his staff. But there was a giant talent discrepancy between the Buffs and most of the Pac-12, and other than Hunter, there might not be another sure-fire star among the newcomers. The one facing the most pressure unquestionably will be QB Shedeur Sanders, who came with his dad from Jackson State. But putting up big numbers against SWAC defenses is a bit different than putting up big numbers against Power 5 defenses, especially when the surrounding talent is lacking. Colorado opens with TCU in 2023, so that will be an interesting test right away. Shedeur Sanders is one of six former Jackson State players to transfer to Colorado. Hunter is another, of course. He played both corner and receiver at Jackson State, but would seem to be most needed at corner for a Colorado defense that was atrocious against the pass. Traore was one of the most productive tight ends in the nation and Horn has good speed. How will OC Sean Lewis, who had been coach at Kent State, deploy those two?
Cincinnati, 14
Coach status: Scott Satterfield is a new coach
The 3 headliners: EDGE Daniel Grzesiak (Utah State), QB Emory Jones (Arizona State), WR Donovan Ollie (Washington State)
The buzz: Cincinnati is one of four schools moving into the Big 12 this fall, and the Bearcats – who are 53-11 in the past five seasons – also have a new coach. Satterfield comes over from Louisville and has hit the portal hard, though no one jumps out as a truly impressive addition. Still, there are some nice depth pieces. Jones started at two other schools – Florida, then Arizona State – and presumably will vie with holdover Evan Prater for the starting job. Both are former national top-150 recruits. Grzesiak (6-1, 240) is undersized but had 13 tackles for loss this season. He will need to be a consistent presence off the edge. Ollie (6-3, 212) is a big-bodied receiver who was a two-year starter at Washington State. He should slide nicely into the receiving rotation. North Carolina A&T transfer Sterling Berkhalter (6-4, 185), a Cincinnati native, also adds a big body to the receiving room. He had 28 receptions in 2022 and has an intriguing upside. The Bearcats lost second-team All-AAC K Ryan Coe via transfer to North Carolina but added Carter Brown from Arizona State.
Michigan State, 13
Coach status: Mel Tucker is going into his 3rd season
The 3 headliners: EDGE Tunmise Adeleye (Texas A&M), RB Nathan Carter (UConn), RB Jaren Mangham (USF)
The buzz: The Spartans have been busy in the portal. At the same time, there are questions as to the expected impact the new guys will make. Mel Tucker and his staff hit big on their 2021 transfers. That wasn’t the case in 2022, and the Spartans tumbled down the Big Ten East Division standings. It’s fair to wonder if the 2023 transfers will be more like the ’22 guys than the ’21 players. Adeleye has a nice upside; the upside of the other 12 is up for debate. They appear to be rotation pieces, not for-sure starters. Michigan State’s rushing attack was one of the worst in the nation (113.0 yards per game), so Carter and Mangham – a Detroit native who is going “home” – need to produce.
Oklahoma, 13
Coach status: Brent Venables is going into his 2nd season
The 3 headliners: EDGE Dasan McCullough (Indiana), S Reggie Pearson (Texas Tech), OT Walter Rouse (Stanford)
The buzz: The Sooners were one of the nation’s biggest disappointments in 2022, and most of the problems were on defense. To that end, OU has brought in five defensive linemen, including three edge rushers. McCullough, who left Indiana after his true freshman season, has a big-time upside and has (at the least) all-conference-type talent. The other two EDGEs are one-year “rentals” Rondell Bothroyd (Wake Forest) and Trace Ford (Oklahoma State). Both had success at their previous schools. Pearson, who began his career at Wisconsin, will add a veteran presence to the secondary. An added plus: He has spent the past two seasons going against the same league opponents he will see this fall. Rouse is a nice addition to the offensive line. He was a four-year starter at left tackle for Stanford. He also was a finalist this season for the Campbell Trophy, the “Academic Heisman,” as a biomechanical engineering major.
Wisconsin, 13
Coach status: Luke Fickell is a new coach
The 3 headliners: DB Jason Maitre (Boston College), QB Tanner Mordecai (SMU), C Jake Renfro (Cincinnati)
The buzz: Former coach Paul Chryst wasn’t a big fan of the transfer portal. That has changed in the short time Fickell has been in charge. The Badgers have done solid work, bringing in as many as six potential starters. The most important is Mordecai. One of Fickell’s first moves was to hire offensive coordinator Phil Longo away from North Carolina, and Mordecai – while mistake-prone – threw for 7,152 yards and 72 TDs in the past two seasons. The Badgers also have reeled in four receivers from the portal, with Bryson Green (Oklahoma State) likely to make the most immediate impact. Maitre has started at both corner and safety, and Renfro was an All-AAC guy in 2021 for Fickell before missing 2022 with an injury. EDGE Darian Varner is a former Temple standout who was headed to Virginia Tech before he reversed course and chose the Badgers. With star OLB Nick Herbig going pro, Varner needs to produce right away. Wisconsin also brought in K Nathan Vakos from Ohio; he was a second-team All-MAC guy. Fickell is known as a coach who does a great job developing players, but he needed immediate help with this Badgers roster.
Three Group of 5 schools – all in the AAC – have brought in at least 14 transfers each. Charlotte, which is moving to the AAC from Conference USA, has brought in 24. The 49ers also have a new coach in Biff Poggi. Memphis is at 15 and SMU at 14.