As we near the midpoint of this college football season, we're seeing more and more players making business decisions. After playing in four games, they're done for the year and ready to transfer.
Why is this trending? The four-game redshirt rule isn't new to college football. The NCAA put the policy in place in 2018 to give developmental or injured players who were redshirting more opportunities for playing time. Or at least that was the intent.
In 2019, Houston starting quarterback D'Eriq King changed the game by opting to sit out the rest of the season as a redshirt. He wasn't the first to do it, but King became the famous example of a proven player shutting down his season after four games to eventually enter the transfer portal.
The collision of NIL, the portal and the extra season of eligibility inevitably led to more players throughout the sport arriving at these decisions. A dozen FBS scholarship players have entered the portal since Oct. 1, and close to 20 more are redshirting with the intent to transfer in December.
Why are they making moves now? Here's a closer look at 10 notable players who've opted to sit out the rest of the season and their reasoning for redshirting.
DL Jehiem Oatis, Alabama
Class: Junior
ESPN 300 ranking: No. 38, 2022
The massive 6-foot-5, 325-pound defensive tackle isn't satisfied with his playing time under Alabama's new coaching staff and is redshirting to take his talents elsewhere in 2025. Oatis started 13 games for the Crimson Tide over the past two seasons but has played a rotational role this season and averaged 17 snaps per game. Offseason surgeries for shoulder, knee and ankle issues forced him to miss spring practice and limited him at the start of preseason camp, making it tough to put together a breakthrough season.
"Obviously he's been battling some injuries, has not been able to perform or produce the way any of us would like," Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said Monday.
Oatis recorded 52 tackles, 5 pass breakups and 1.5 sacks during his time with the Crimson Tide. He's looking to prove he's an NFL talent at his next stop. With his size and potential, Oatis will be heavily recruited when he officially enters the portal.
DL Bear Alexander, USC
Class: Junior
ESPN 300 ranking: No. 56, 2022
The 6-foot-3, 315-pound defensive tackle's decision to redshirt came down to playing time. Alexander averaged 23 snaps per game over the Trojans' first three games. Tony Jones, whom Alexander calls his father, wasn't satisfied with Alexander's role.
"If Bear not being a starter and playing 35 or 40 snaps a game isn't in the best interest of the team, we need to do something different," Jones told ESPN.
After spending one year at Georgia and two at USC, Alexander is expected to reenter the transfer portal in December. He came close to transferring in the spring before renegotiating with USC's collective to stay put. Now he's going back on the market. Alexander will have two more seasons of eligibility, but it's clear this move will be about maximizing his playing time and potential as an NFL draft pick with one more college season.
WR Xavier Townsend, UCF
Class: Junior
ESPN 300 ranking: NR, 3-star, 2022
This one was a surprising move, considering Townsend walked away from a legitimate starting role. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound playmaker was UCF's top slot receiver as well as the team's kickoff and punt returner, producing more than 1,600 all-purpose yards and five TDs in his career with the Knights. Townsend ranked third on the team in targets (16), with 10 catches for 69 yards and a score, when he opted to take his redshirt and move on.
He's a versatile playmaker who'll have good options when he does hit the portal. Townsend was committed to Iowa State during his senior year of high school before making a last-minute flip to UCF, so the Cyclones could be one program to watch for his services. The Knights have also lost kicker Colton Boomer and four more reserves who'll redshirt and transfer.
RB Leshon Williams, Iowa
Class: Redshirt senior
ESPN 300 ranking: NR, 4-star, 2020
Williams led the Hawkeyes' rushing attack and finished sixth in the Big Ten in rushing yards with 821 rushing yards last season. When an injury sidelined him for much of fall camp, Kaleb Johnson stepped up and took over as Iowa's featured back. Johnson is off to a prolific start, ranking No. 2 nationally in rushing (771 yards, 10 TDs), while Williams has played sparingly with 11 carries for 21 yards.
Now Williams is moving on and looking to find a program that will let him once again be an RB1 for his final season of eligibility. He's a tough runner who gained 532 yards after contact in 2023 and flashed home run capability with three rushes of 50-plus yards, most in the Big Ten. Iowa wide receiver Kaleb Brown, a touted former Ohio State transfer and their third-leading receiver in 2023, also decided to redshirt and is expected to reenter the portal.
S Devin Neal, Louisville
Class: Senior
ESPN 300 ranking: NR, 3-star, 2020
The Kentucky native began his career at Baylor before transferring closer to home and finding success as a starter with the Cardinals.
Neal earned third-team All-ACC honors last season after emerging as Louisville's second-leading tackler with 74 stops and a team-high four interceptions. The 6-foot, 210-pound free safety's playing time dropped off quite a bit this year when he was passed on the depth chart by Tennessee transfer Tamarion McDonald. After playing just nine snaps against Notre Dame, he decided to move on and play one more season elsewhere.
QB Matthew Sluka, UNLV
Class: Senior
ESPN 300 ranking: NR
Sluka's decision to redshirt and leave over a dispute about his NIL compensation made UNLV the biggest story in college football for one chaotic week. The Holy Cross transfer believed he would earn $100,000 for his season with the Rebels, demanded payment when he only received $3,000 and left a starting gig at a top-25 team when it was clear the Rebels wouldn't pay up.
It'll be fascinating to see what options emerge when Sluka reenters the portal. Former Holy Cross coach Bob Chesney says several Power 4 programs were willing to pay a lot more money for Sluka this spring after he committed to UNLV. Will teams seeking a proven veteran still be eager to pick him up?
Over his three games at the FBS level, Sluka led two wins over P4 opponents and proved to be an explosive runner with 253 rushing yards. But he threw for just 318 yards on 44% passing and went 4-of-19 (21%) on throws of 20 or more yards, according to TruMedia. It's easy to fixate on the financial dynamics, but Sluka succeeding at his next school will depend on finding a good scheme fit.
LB Bangally Kamara, South Carolina
ESPN 300: NR, 3-star, 2020
Kamara was one of the more experienced linebackers available in the transfer portal in December, a two-year starter at Pitt who'd played in 47 career games. The fifth-year senior played 67 snaps in a reserve role through four games with the Gamecocks this season behind starter Debo Williams.
"He came to my office yesterday and told me he was redshirting," South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said Tuesday. "I told him that's not quite how it works."
Kamara did get on the field for a season-high 27 snaps and recorded one tackle for loss in South Carolina's loss to Ole Miss, but he's looking for a more significant role and will have to go back in the portal to find it. He didn't utilize his redshirt at Pitt, so sitting out gives Kamara one more season of eligibility in 2025.
DL Red Hibbler, NC State
Class: Senior
ESPN JC 50 ranking: No. 3, 2023
Hibbler joined the Wolfpack as a four-star junior college transfer and impressed as a situational pass rusher in 2023, recording 16 pressures and a team-high 6.5 sacks while playing 15-20 snaps per game. He racked up 5.5 of his sacks on third downs, according to TruMedia, and forced fumbles on two sacks.
After playing behind starter Travali Price in four games, including just nine snaps against Clemson, Hibbler opted to redshirt and transfer. He'll have one more season of eligibility for his next program.
LB Trevor Woods Colorado
Class: Senior
ESPN 300: NR, 3-star, 2021
Woods was the only scholarship player left on Colorado's roster who was a starter for the Buffaloes in 2022 prior to coach Deion Sanders' arrival. He re-earned a starting job with the new coaching staff, made a transition from safety to linebacker during the 2023 season and started nine games, recording 56 tackles and two interceptions.
Charlotte transfer Nikhai Hill-Green surpassing him on the depth chart this season has led to a more limited role (94 snaps through four games), so now Woods is redshirting along with fellow linebacker Jeremiah Brown, a former Jackson State transfer. It's unclear whether they intend to transfer at the end of the season.
OL Jason Brooks Jr., Oklahoma State
Class: Redshirt junior
ESPN 300 ranking: NR, 3-star, 2020
Brooks, who goes by the nickname "Queso," transferred from Vanderbilt to Oklahoma State in 2022 and made 11 starts for the Cowboys, including seven at left guard in 2023 before a knee injury ended his season. He has not appeared in a game this season.
Coach Mike Gundy told reporters Brooks asked to sit out this year because he didn't feel recovered from his knee injury. Brooks then opted to transfer and is now officially in the portal as a grad transfer. He'll have one final season of eligibility at his next school.
WR Donaven McCulley, Indiana
Class: Senior
ESPN 300: NR, 3-star, 2021
McCulley signed with Indiana as a quarterback recruit and started four games as a true freshman backup to Michael Penix Jr. in 2021. He transitioned to receiver as a sophomore and became the Hoosiers' leading receiver as a junior with 644 yards and six TDs.
The 6-foot-5, 200-pound wideout tested the transfer portal after the firing of coach Tom Allen, and new coach Curt Cignetti thought he might be heading to Florida State. But McCulley chose to come back and give it a shot with the new staff. He suffered an upper-body injury in the season opener and fell behind in a receiver group that added a ton of new talent via the portal in Elijah Sarratt, Myles Price, Miles Cross and Ke'Shawn Williams.
McCulley caught two passes in four games, including a 12-yard touchdown against Maryland, and decided to redshirt and transfer. He's now officially back in the portal as a grad transfer with one more season of eligibility.