College football programs have been using the transfer portal to bring in new talent to fill holes and immediate needs, with nearly 3,000 players entering their names into the database since Dec. 5.
We've seen new coaches use the portal to rebuild rosters in the past, with Lincoln Riley adding quarterback Caleb Williams, receiver Mario Williams and other offensive players to bring his high-powered offense to the Trojans last year. This offseason has been no different, with new Colorado coach Deion Sanders adding three players from ESPN's transfer rankings to his roster. We are also seeing coaches finding portal success following their first seasons, with LSU and Oklahoma bringing in new starters.
The transfer portal giveth and the transfer portal taketh away, however. New players joining programs means some schools are losing players just as fast. This offseason, we have seen Kent State and Texas A&M lose several players from the roster. For the new staff at Kent State, it will be difficult to rebuild in a short period of time with the sheer number of players who have entered.
It's a tightrope walk for coaches to manage the number of outgoing players with the number of incoming transfers. To catch you up on the recent movement, here is a look at who has had the most success and who has lost the most in the portal this offseason. Players have until Jan. 18 to enter the portal -- or wait until later in the spring.
WINNERS
Florida State Seminoles
The Seminoles won 10 games this season for the first time since 2016 and have turned a corner under coach Mike Norvell. After a six-year unraveling within the program, he and his staff have built a strong foundation through recruiting and are supplementing immediate needs through the transfer portal.
While starting quarterback Jordan Travis returns next season, Norvell is maintaining consistency and elevating the program by adding five players from ESPN's top transfer rankings -- focusing on defense.
Western Michigan defensive lineman Braden Fiske, who chose Florida State over several other major programs, had 58 total tackles (12 for loss) and six sacks this past season. He and Miami defensive tackle transfer Darrell Jackson Jr., who is just a sophomore, will give the Seminoles a bigger presence up front and add to the pass rush.
Virginia defensive back Fentrell Cypress II, the No. 8 transfer in our rankings, will give Florida State a lockdown corner as he broke up over 45% of passes as a primary defender last year -- well above the FBS average of 13.6%, according to TruMedia.
Offensively, Norvell is adding offensive lineman Jeremiah Byers, a 12-game starter from UTEP, and tight end Kyle Morlock from Division II Shorter. Morlock is a 6-foot-7, 250-pound tight end who had offers from Auburn, Wisconsin, LSU, Oklahoma and Tennessee, among others. He'll be joined by South Carolina tight end transfer Jaheim Bell to give the Seminoles two big targets at the position.
Michigan Wolverines
In the past, Michigan has not been active in the transfer portal. A changing environment within college football requires adaptation, though, and the Wolverines have had success this offseason in filling some holes.
With defensive end Mike Morris graduating and defensive ends George Rooks, Julius Welschof and linebacker Deuce Spurlock transferring out, Michigan added Nebraska true freshman linebacker Ernest Hausmann, the No. 19 transfer overall, and Coastal Carolina edge player Josaiah Stewart, the No. 22 transfer.
Hausmann had 54 total tackles, two tackles for loss and one interception in his first season with the Huskers, while Stewart, a sophomore who helped the Chanticleers go 20-6 over the past two seasons, had 36 total tackles (10 for loss) and 3.5 sacks.
On offense, the coaches focused up front along the offensive line, adding Arizona State guard LaDarius Henderson and Stanford's tackle Myles Hinton and center Drake Nugent. Michigan's offensive line has won the Joe Moore Award for the best offensive line the past two years, and adding in these three transfers will help keep that consistency moving forward.
The Wolverines lost quarterback Cade McNamara and tight end Erick All to Iowa but brought in backup quarterback Jack Tuttle and 6-foot-6 tight end AJ Barner from Indiana, adding some depth behind starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
Oklahoma Sooners
The Sooners ranked 122nd of 131 FBS teams in yards allowed per game on defense, so improving the talent on that side was imperative.
Coach Brent Venables has lost some players to the portal, including linebacker Clayton Smith, defensive backs Bryson Washington and Jordan Mukes, among a few others. But the players he and his staff are bringing in should help elevate the defense next season.
Most notably, Indiana freshman Dasan McCullough, a 6-5, 230-pound linebacker and edge player, is coming in after totaling 49 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and four sacks in 10 games. McCullough is the No. 3 transfer overall and made ESPN's true freshman All-America team as well.
The staff is also bringing in Texas Tech defensive back Reggie Pearson Jr., who had 55 total tackles, two interceptions and four pass breakups this past season.
The Sooners are also bringing in Oklahoma State defensive lineman Trace Ford, South Carolina tight end Austin Stogner and Notre Dame defensive tackle Jacob Lacey. They also held onto defensive end Joseph Wete, a 6-4, 230-pound linebacker who initially entered the portal but decided to stay.
Colorado Buffaloes
When Deion Sanders became Colorado's new coach, he told the current players that he was "bringing my own luggage -- and it's Louis [Vuitton]."
That was seemingly a reference to some players he is bringing in from his time at Jackson State, namely his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, and defensive back Travis Hunter, the No. 1 transfer in our rankings.
Shedeur Sanders won the Jerry Rice Award for the best FCS freshman in 2021 and led Jackson State to an undefeated regular season in 2022. With nearly 7,000 passing yards and 70 touchdowns under his belt, he is an immediate upgrade for Colorado.
Sanders made headlines in 2021 when he flipped Hunter from Florida State to Jackson State on national signing day. Hunter, the first five-star recruit to sign with an FCS program, had two interceptions, 20 total tackles on defense and had 188 receiving yards and four touchdowns on offense.
In taking over for a team that has had just one season of at least six wins since 2008, Sanders is reshaping the Buffaloes' roster all over, including:
South Florida receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. (No. 26 in our transfer rankings)
Kent State offensive lineman Savion Washington (two sacks allowed in 12 games)
Western Michigan edge player Marshawn Kneeland (10 sacks in three seasons)
Clemson linebacker LaVonta Bentley (20 tackles in 2022)
West Virginia edge player Taijh Alston (seven sacks in the past two seasons)
Sanders has already added an incredible amount of talent in a short amount of time and is getting serious interest from top prospects in the 2024 recruiting class, as well.
LSU Tigers
The Tigers had success with the transfer portal in the 2022 cycle, bringing in quarterback Jayden Daniels from Arizona State. Coach Brian Kelly is hoping to replicate that this time around.
Kelly has brought in Arizona defensive lineman Paris Shand, who had 23 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks this past season. The coaches loaded up on defensive linemen with Shand, West Virginia transfer Jordan Jefferson, Oregon transfer Bradyn Swinson and Florida transfer Jalen Lee, who each have at least three years of experience.
LSU also added a few talented defensive backs in Zy Alexander from Southeastern and freshman Denver Harris from Texas A&M. Alexander was an FCS All-American and had nine interceptions over the past two seasons. Harris was an ESPN 300 recruit in the 2022 class who recorded 14 total tackles and defended three passes in five games.
On the offensive side, LSU is getting former Alabama receiver Aaron Anderson, who was the No. 69 prospect in the 2022 recruiting cycle. Anderson was the No. 8 receiver in the class from Edna Karr High School in Louisiana and gives the staff a good, young wideout to add to the receiver corps after the Tigers lost Kayshon Boutte to the draft.
LOSERS
Texas A&M Aggies
The Aggies had a rough season, finishing 5-7 after signing the No. 1 recruiting class in 2022. Now, the staff is seeing some major departures this offseason through the transfer portal.
The Aggies have had 28 players enter the transfer portal since the end of November, which is among the most of any Power 5 program. What's probably most shocking is that 13 of the 28 players are from Texas A&M's 2021 and 2022 recruiting classes.
That includes quarterback Haynes King, a former ESPN 300 recruit, running back LJ Johnson Jr., receiver Chris Marshall, defensive backs Denver Harris, Smoke Bouie and Marquis Groves-Killebrew and defensive linemen Tunmise Adeleye, Anthony Lucas and Elijah Jeudy.
The staff has lost quite a bit of its young players, which could start to impact future rosters if those spots aren't filled. The Aggies signed 10 ESPN 300 commits in the 2023 class and were able to bring in some talented transfers, including North Carolina corner Tony Grimes and Florida State defensive back Sam McCall, but it's a far cry from what the team has lost from the roster.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
The Cowboys have made good additions through the portal, including running back Sean Tyler from Western Michigan, Washington State receiver De'Zhaun Stribling and Tulsa edge rusher Anthony Goodlow.
But the staff has lost quite a bit in a short time. The Cowboys have had 19 players enter the transfer portal since it opened on Dec. 5, including four-year starting quarterback Spencer Sanders, leading rusher Dominic Richardson and four of their five leading receivers -- Braylin Presley, Bryson Green, John Paul Richardson and Stephon Johnson Jr., who combined for nearly 2,200 receiving yards in 2022.
They lost impact contributors on defense, too. Trace Ford, who has 8.5 career sacks; Mason Cobb, Oklahoma State's second-leading tackler; and corner Jabbar Muhammad, who broke up nine passes and picked off another, are among several Oklahoma State defenders to enter the portal this cycle.
Kent State Golden Flashes
Kent State isn't a Power 5 program, but the team has been impacted by the portal. So far, 18 players have entered the portal from Kent State, and quite a few are impact players.
Starting quarterback Collin Schlee, who threw for 2,109 yards and 13 touchdowns last season and was the team's second-leading rusher, transferred to UCLA. Running back Marquez Cooper, who topped 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons, transferred to Ball State.
The team's top three receivers -- Devontez Walker, Dante Cephas and Ja'Shaun Poke -- are all in the portal as well. Walker hauled in 11 touchdown receptions this season, and the trio combined for 15 of Kent State's 17 receiving touchdowns.
The coach, Sean Lewis, stepped down to take a coordinator position at Colorado. New coach Kenni Burns, formerly an assistant at Minnesota, has a tough task ahead of him to try to rebuild the offensive roster.
Florida Gators
Florida has lost 26 players to the portal since Nov. 11, including:
Former ESPN 300 safety Kamar Wilcoxson
Edge rusher Lloyd Summerall III (11 games)
Safety Donovan McMillon (20 tackles)
Linebackers Chief Borders (12 games) and David Reese (13 games)
Running back Nay'Quan Wright (753 career yards, five TDs)
Wide receiver Daejon Reynolds (244 yards, two TDs in 2022)
Billy Napier and his staff have made moves, bringing in Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz, Ohio State linebacker Teradja Mitchell and Louisville defensive lineman Caleb Banks.
Despite that and the fact the Gators have a top-10 recruiting class coming in, they still have work to do to replace depth and competition at some key positions on both sides of the ball.
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Hogs utilized the transfer portal to their favor in the 2022 cycle, landing defensive lineman Jordan Domineck from Georgia Tech, corner Dwight McGlothern from LSU and linebacker Drew Sanders from Alabama, among others.
Now, during the 2023 cycle, Arkansas has seen 29 players enter the transfer portal since Dec. 2. That includes Domineck, who has one year of eligibility remaining and can play right away because he's entering as a grad transfer.
Safety Jalen Catalon, receivers Warren Thompson and Ketron Jackson Jr., as well as tight end Trey Knox, are all in the portal, as are offensive lineman Marcus Henderson and backup quarterback Malik Hornsby.
The Hogs are moving in the right direction with the program and recruiting well, but losing this number of players hurts depth and potential positions in the future.