NCAAF · 1 year ago

CFB Transfer Portal: Top 10 Winners of the Spring Portal

TJ Inman

Host · Writer

10. Indiana Hoosiers
The Indiana Hoosiers flipped much of the roster in one offseason under new head coach Curt Cignetti. After years of losing, that was necessary, and Cignetti has proven that he knows what it takes to win. IU targeted specific needs in the spring window, and the additions have helped shore up the weakest parts of the team. First up was the secondary, and IU landed FCS All-American Cedarius Doss from Austin Peay, versatile safety DJ Warnell from Arizona, and Freshman All-American D’Angelo Ponds from James Madison. Next was the defensive line, and the Hoosiers surprised many by landing an in-demand All-MAC transfer, CJ West, from Kent State, and then Tyrique Tucker from James Madison. Both will be in IU’s rotation right away. Nahji Logan was UMass’ leading tackler a season ago. He'll join the linebacker room as a depth piece. The Hoosiers hope to get to a bowl game in Cignetti’s first season.

IU 2024 Win Total: 5.5
1. Miami Hurricanes
The Miami Hurricanes entered “win now” mode as soon as Cam Ward arrived on campus. They spent the spring portal window bolstering a roster that now looks like a serious contender in the ACC. The Hurricanes added the top available running back, Damien Martinez from Oregon State, one of the top wide receivers, Samuel Brown from Houston, and one of the best defensive tackles when they landed Simeon Barrow from Michigan State. Miami was not done on defense. They brought in linebacker Jaylin Alderman and one of the better defensive backs in the Group of Five, Dyoni Hill from Marshall. Each of their five spring additions addressed specific needs, and Miami is now right behind Clemson and Florida State in odds to win the ACC (+450).

Miami 2024 Win Total: 9.5
2. Central Florida Knights
Gus Malzahn and the Central Florida Knights are newcomers to the Big 12 and appear to be the ones most poised to compete in the new look conference. They were moderately successful in 2023 and have loaded up in the transfer portal to make a real push in 2024. On offense, UCF added powerful running back Peny Boone. He appears to be a perfect fit for Malzahn’s downhill running attack and will pair with current quarterback KJ Jefferson and explosive running back RJ Harvey to form one of the more dynamic QB-RB trios in the country. They also grabbed Jacurri Brown from Florida as a quarterback of the future and 6’3” wide receiver Jacoby Jones from Ohio. Malzahn said the team wanted to address the secondary, so they brought in a pair of safeties and a pair of cornerbacks that should all be a part of the rotation. To top it off, UCF brought high-ceiling edge rusher Nyjalik Kelly from Miami. The Big 12 will be highly competitive, and UCF will be a factor.

UCF 2024 Win Total: 7.5
3. Oklahoma Sooners
The Oklahoma Sooners chose quality over quantity and filled a pair of gigantic needs with two top players available at each position. Oklahoma has not landed many high-profile defensive players under Brent Venables. Still, they had a significant hole on the interior of the defensive line and went all-in on landing TCU transfer Damonic Williams. The Sooners beat out Texas and LSU for Williams’s commitment and will immediately slide into their rotation. OU also needed a center, a position scarce in the spring window. Branson Hickman started all 14 games at the position for a good SMU squad in 2023. He committed to Oklahoma, immediately becoming the starting center in Norman. These were not earth-shattering moves but big for Oklahoma as they head to the SEC this fall.

Oklahoma 2024 Win Total: 7.5
4. Oregon Ducks
Much like the Oklahoma Sooners, Oregon targeted a few players with high ceilings for impact in the spring transfer portal window. By some accounts, they landed the top defensive tackle available with the addition of Derrick Harmon from Michigan State. The 6’5” and 320-pound tackle will be a big part of the defensive line rotation for Dan Lanning’s crew as Oregon prepares for a run at the Big Ten Championship in their first year in the league. The Ducks then added promising safety Peyton Woodyard, a former four-star recruit at Alabama, before entering the portal. Oregon is well-positioned to make a run to the College Football Playoff in 2024.

Oregon 2024 Win Total: 10.5
5. Florida Gators
Head coach Billy Napier is under a lot of pressure entering the 2024 season. The Florida Gators have underwhelmed in his first two seasons in Gainesville, and they will play the nation’s toughest schedule in this coming campaign. The Gators were quiet for the early portion of the spring window, but business picked up in May, and they signed a trio of highly-coveted players. First up was former five-star offensive lineman Jason Zandamela from USC. Zandamela is an intriguing freshman tackle who will probably redshirt, but he could be in the two-deep right away with his ability. In mid-May, they signed talented cornerback Cormani McClain and got a huge addition with wide receiver Elijhah Badger from Arizona State. Badger will be a significant factor in the offense immediately, and Florida hopes he can replicate the success of another receiver to go from Tempe to “The Swamp”: Ricky Pearsall.

Florida 2024 Win Total: 4.5
6. Auburn Tigers
The Auburn Tigers have not yet unloaded their entire NIL arsenal as they held back on pursuing an upgrade at quarterback, clearly believing they are still a year away from truly contending. They have a bunch of young talent as Hugh Freeze continues to amass young talent, but they also did an excellent job adding good pieces in the spring transfer portal. The Tigers added veteran wide receiver Keandre Lambert-Smith from Penn State to help uber-talented Cam Coleman develop and then loaded up on depth on the defensive line with three solid big men (Keyron Crawford, Isaiah Raikes, and Philip Blidi). Auburn will be dangerous if they can get competent play at quarterback.

Auburn 2024 Win Total: 7.5
7. Ole Miss Rebels
Lane Kiffin, also known as “The Portal King,” has the No. 1 ranked transfer class once again, according to 247Sports. Much of that class came in the first portal window. They targeted a replenishment at running back in the spring and landed three players who could be impactful for the Rebels as they target a berth in the College Football Playoff. Henry Parrish is a nice back from Miami, and they dipped into the Group of Five to snag Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Domonique Thomas. Croskey-Merritt had a fantastic season at New Mexico and would be a featured back at many schools but will be a role player at Ole Miss as they have the luxury of rotating running backs. Kiffin added Isaiah Hamilton, a solid cornerback from Houston, to bolster the secondary depth and top off the class. Anything short of a playoff spot will be a significant disappointment for Ole Miss.

Ole Miss 2024 Win Total: 9.5
8. Texas A&M Aggies
New Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko added four players during the spring transfer window and improved both sides of the ball. Jacob Bostick is a 6’2” wide receiver from Iowa, and Shane Calhoun is an intriguing tight end from East Carolina. Calhoun is a plus-level blocker, and his size could make him an excellent red-zone target. The most significant addition was Kolinu’u Faaiu, a 324-pound center transferring from Utah. Faaiu allowed only one sack and two quarterback hits all of the 2023 season. The defense got a solid addition with linebacker Solomon DeShields. Linebacker is not a premium position but DeShields is a proven tackler who put up big numbers at Pitt. Texas A&M has the fourth-ranked overall transfer class.

Texas A&M 2024 Win Total: 8.5
9. Colorado Buffaloes
The Colorado Buffaloes are enduring another near-total roster reset under head coach Deion Sanders. This is not a surprise, and Sanders has been very public about his desire to improve the talent at his disposal by any means necessary. The quickest fix is the transfer portal, and the Buffaloes are throwing a bunch of darts at the wall, hoping a few hit the target. They added a few potentially impactful defensive linemen (Rayyan Buell, Dayon Hayes, and Tawfiq Thomas) and tried to improve the secondary by adding transfers from Auburn, Miami, and Arkansas. Johnny Chaney Jr. is a decent linebacker on a team that needed depth. The offensive line transformation continued with Ethan Boyd from Michigan State and a former four-star recruit from Clemson. Colorado lost a lot of pieces, and it is impossible to create a positive culture with constant turnover, but watching this experiment continue to unfold will be fascinating.

Colorado 2024 Win Total: 5.5
10. Indiana Hoosiers
The Indiana Hoosiers flipped much of the roster in one offseason under new head coach Curt Cignetti. After years of losing, that was necessary, and Cignetti has proven that he knows what it takes to win. IU targeted specific needs in the spring window, and the additions have helped shore up the weakest parts of the team. First up was the secondary, and IU landed FCS All-American Cedarius Doss from Austin Peay, versatile safety DJ Warnell from Arizona, and Freshman All-American D’Angelo Ponds from James Madison. Next was the defensive line, and the Hoosiers surprised many by landing an in-demand All-MAC transfer, CJ West, from Kent State, and then Tyrique Tucker from James Madison. Both will be in IU’s rotation right away. Nahji Logan was UMass’ leading tackler a season ago. He'll join the linebacker room as a depth piece. The Hoosiers hope to get to a bowl game in Cignetti’s first season.

IU 2024 Win Total: 5.5
1. Miami Hurricanes
The Miami Hurricanes entered “win now” mode as soon as Cam Ward arrived on campus. They spent the spring portal window bolstering a roster that now looks like a serious contender in the ACC. The Hurricanes added the top available running back, Damien Martinez from Oregon State, one of the top wide receivers, Samuel Brown from Houston, and one of the best defensive tackles when they landed Simeon Barrow from Michigan State. Miami was not done on defense. They brought in linebacker Jaylin Alderman and one of the better defensive backs in the Group of Five, Dyoni Hill from Marshall. Each of their five spring additions addressed specific needs, and Miami is now right behind Clemson and Florida State in odds to win the ACC (+450).

Miami 2024 Win Total: 9.5

CFB Transfer Portal: Top 10 Winners of the Spring Portal

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