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12/30/2022 CFB Transfer Portal Update #3

As promised, I am going to pick 5 college football teams that I think have used the transfer portal as an advantage to help their teams as we take a diving look into the 2023-24 college football season.

Michigan Wolverines

Colorado Buffaloes

USC Trojans

Florida State Seminoles

Michigan State Spartans

The Michigan Wolverines have been among the most active teams in regard to the transfer portal as they initially saw a handful of players enter their names to leave Ann Arbor. At that, we have also seen many of the top names choose Michigan with little competitive interest in other schools. They brought in players who have multiple years of starting experience on the offensive line (Drake Nugent, LeDarius Henderson, Myles Hinton) as well 2 of the best transfer defensive linemen (George Rooks & Josaiah Stewart) along with a stout linebacker from Nebraska named Ernest Hausmann.

The Colorado Buffaloes might have the biggest roster makeover out of any team in the country since the hiring of their new head coach Deion Sanders. This far into the signing period he has already brought 6 of his former players with him from Jackson State to colorado including his son and soon-to-be starting QB for the Buffaloes along with the # 1 player in the portal Travis Hunter. Coach Prime has also done a good job adding players from other schools around the country such as Clemson, USF, and West Virginia.

The USC Trojans start up right where they left off last season, at the center of attention regarding players in the transfer portal. USC has added multiple players to fill positions of need and get better depth. They bolstered the defensive side of the ball with the additions of Christian-Roland Wallace, Kyon Barrs, Jamil Muhammad, and Mason Cobb. All 4 are proven starters and more importantly, sure-tacklers on a defense that had problems wrapping up and completing tackles. On the Offensive side of the ball, they added a top receiver from Arizona in Dorian Singer and a lineman from Florida named Michael Tarquin.

The Florida State Seminoles have had one of the biggest splashes by any program this recruiting cycle as they locked in commitments from top linemen on both sides of the ball in Jeremiah Byers and Braden Fiske as well as other big men from schools such as Miami and Colorado. My favorite player the Seminoles picked up is Tight end/H Back Jaheim Bell from South Carolina. Bell will play a big role for the FSU offense with the versatility to line up all over the field.

Michigan State has been actively adding big bodies to their team for the upcoming season. They have 3 new tight ends transferring from different schools in which they all garnered significant reps. They also added two runningbacks to their historically run-heavy offense. In my opinion, the biggest gets for the Spartans were along the defensive line where they added an interior lineman, an edge, and a guy who can play both. They will especially be tested when playing conference games next season in the blistering cold knowing they have to stop the run.

Of these 5 teams, the Michigan Wolverines and USC Trojans will most likely rely on their transfers the most while they look to hold their spots as college football bluebloods and stay in the hunt for a college football playoff berth in 2023-24.

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12/26/2022 CFB Transfer Portal Update #2

Since my last post, 11 of the players that I discussed have made their commitments. In this blog post, I am going to cover the choices these student-athletes made and their potential fit with new programs.

The once five-star prospect will look to take over as the starting Quarterback for the Purdue Boilermakers after Transferring from Texas where he was the backup to Quinn Ewers. This could prove to be a good move for Card because He was already a backup at Texas and next year will have another five-star top-ranked quarterback joining the room to bring even more competition. He joins a system with much less competition at Purdue where last year's starter in Aidan O'Connell is leaving for the NFL draft.

Shedeur Sanders did exactly as most thought he would which was to follow his dad to Colorado. Shedeur will step on campus as the immediate starting QB and be a share to the face of the program with his father, Deion, and teammate, Travis Hunter. He also is a big asset to future recruiting for the Boulder program as he can message players and talk with other athletes in grace periods when his father is not allowed by the NCAA to recruit.

After seeing Oregon State Quarterback Chance Nolan enter the transfer portal earlier in December the program is bringing in D.J. Uiagalelei to compete with last year's starter, Ben Gulbranson. This can be a fresh start for D.J. after a shakey 2 years of starting at Clemson. His brother recently committed to the University of Oregon so they will be able to play each other every year in the Civil-War rivalry game.

LJ Johnson will look to prove why he was so highly touted coming out of high school and take over as the lead back at SMU which had run by committee backfield last season where 5 different running backs split a majority of the workload. In my opinion, this can go either way for LJ. With so many capable runningbacks in one room, it will be hard to steal all of the reps and be a clear-cut #1 on the team. With that being said, if 5 running backs shared the majority of touches last year then Johnson has the potential to show the coaching staff that he is their do it all back and can perform the same capabilities as some or all of the other running backs at SMU.

RaRa Thomas committing to Georgia is huge for the Bulldogs as they add even more weapons to their already #1 ranked team in the country. With Stetson Bennett running out of eligibility and leaving for the NFL before next season, it is unclear who will be the QB throwing RaRa balls in 2023. If Georgia finds a ready-to-win QB for next season, they and RaRa are going to be a force to be reckoned with in CFB.

Ajani Cornelius committed to the University of Oregon where he will most likely make an immediate impact starting at either the left or right tackle position. This was a huge get for Oregon as they look to protect their returning starter at QB, Bo Nix, who was on the fence about going pro or returning for his final season of eligibility. This also brings a lot more national attention to Ajani that he wasn't necessarily getting at Rhode Island.

Amari Kight found a new home at the University of Central Florida where and will hope to shine as one of their best lineman in order to boost his draft stock in his final season of eligibility. The Big bodied tackle the frame and mobility that the NFL loves.

Braden Fiske decided to go with the East coast and commit to Florida State rather than the likes of USC on the West. The massive interior defensive lineman will look to not only prove that he can compete against the best playrs in a power-5 conference but will also hope to gain attention from NFL scouts.

Tunmise Adeleye is leaving the heat of college station Texas for the shivering cold of East lasing Miching to join the Michigan State Spartans. This move makes sense for Adeleye because he in joining a much more run-heavy conference in the BIG10 as compared to the SEC. This will allow Tunmise to display his run-stuffing abilities as there will be far more opportunities.

Travis Hunter decided to follow his head coach and top hall-of-fame cornerback, Deion Sanders to Colorado. Travis will fit right back into Coach Sander's system where he played on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball last season for Jackson State University.

Tony Grimes decided to join the Texas A&M Aggies who have seen the departure of 4 defensive backs through the transfer portal in just this past month. Grimes will make an immediate impact at corner as there isn't much competition for his spot.

Thank you for reading my post that covered all of the now-committed players from the transfer portal who I talked about in my last blog. In the near future, I will post my update #3 and talk about programs that have been the most successful in replenishing their teams with talent from the CFB transfer portal.

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12/20/2022 CFB Transfer Portal Update #1

Starting last year, the NCAA Transfer Portal has become a major topic of interest and opened doors for players and schools that weren't available ever before.

Here are some of the highest-rated players by position to have recently entered their names into the college football transfer portal.

Quarterbacks: Hudson Card (Texas), Shedeur Sanders (JSU), D.J. Uiagalelei (Clemson)

Running Backs: LJ Johnson (TAMU), Trey Sanders (BAMA)

Receivers: RaRa Thomas (MSU)

Offensive Line: Ajani Cornelius (RI), Amari Kight (BAMA)

Defensive Line: Braden Fiske (WMU), Tunmise Adeleye (TAMU)

Defensive Back: Travis Hunter (JSU), Tony Grimes (UNC)

The Schools showing interest and why...

Hudson Card's name has come up mostly when talking about TCU as their Quarterback is leaving for the NFL and Cards is already in the state at the University of Texas.

Shedeur Sanders is probably the easiest uncommitted Player to project his destination as his dad, NFL hall of Famer, Deion Sanders recently accepted the head coaching job at the University of Colorado Boulder.

D.J. Uiagalelei has been getting a heavy recruiting buzz around schools like Fresno State and Hawaii. He most likely has an interest in these schools because Fresno State is closer to his parents and where he grew up while Hawaii is where his family was from before they moved to Southern California. Both of these schools give D.J. the opportunity to start day 1 with not as much competition as other schools that had offered him.

LJ Johnson joins a large group of players entering the portal that were listed on the Texas A&M roster last season. He was barely used last season only warranting 10 carries. With that being said 2 of these carries went for touchdowns. He has been predicted to commit to SMU by 247 sports analysts.

Trey Sanders was once the number one ranked RB prospect in the country coming out of high school where he played at IMG Academy. He joined a crowded running back room at Alabama where players typically have to wait their turn to get the starting job or get in the rotation. He was behind at least 2 other proven guys this past year which ultimately is the reason for his departure from the program. Sanders is from Florida and showed interest in Miami, Florida, FSU, and Georgia. Expect him to return to his home state.

RaRa Thomas is the number 1 receiver in the transfer portal after averaging 14.2 yards per catch with 7 touchdowns last season. He is a bigger body receiver who can play on the outside and has been gaining interest from school like Alabama and Georgia.

Ajani Cornelius is the top-rated offensive lineman in the portal because he has played out of his mind at Rhode Island. He has the size and athleticism you want to see in a lineman with massive upside and potential. He has shown interest in Oregon and USC.

Amari Kight is a tall and athletic tackle and a previous starter for the Crimson Tide. Schools such as USC and Georgia have shown interest in him. He is from Georgia and played high school football there before going to Alabama in 2019.

Braden Fiske is a 6'5 310-pound defensive lineman at the top of everyone's recruiting priority. He has recently shown interest in Texas A&M and USC. USC could be a good fit because of their need for defensive lineman and help on the defensive side of the ball.

Tunmise Adeleye is a big-body interior D-lineman who has posted multiple pictures with USC's head Coach Lincoln Riley at his house for recruiting visits. This would be a huge get for the trojans as they need help filling interior gaps and stopping the run. Knowing this, he has also grew a relationship with the coaching staff at Auburn.

Travis Hunter was the number one player in the class of 2021 and committed to Jackson State to play for Deion Sanders. He played like a top talent in 2022 and will look to continue showcasing his talent as well as develop at a power 5 school. Colorado is the favorite to land Hunter as Deion Sanders recently accepted the Coaching job there. He named Alabama, USC, and Miami as potential transfer destinations as well.

Tony Grimes is a plug-in starter for any defense in the country. He has proven that he is a top corner and has gained a lot of attention from schools in every conference. Texas A&M, USC, Alabama, and Georgia are considered the front runners for the talented North Carolina DB.

I will follow up this blog with updates on commitment decisions as well as the cover players that entered the transfer portal since this first update. If you have any questions, concerns, or players and schools you suggest I cover, please leave a comment or email 19tottenct@gmail.com. Thank you for reading. Until next time.

The following is a link to the 247 sports list of players in the transfer portal with constant updates and news.