These athletes star for new teams via college football's free agency market.
Brad Crawford
College football's transfer portal offered up opportunity as the great equalizer in roster management and rebuilding ahead of the 2024 season and many of the projected playoff contenders added bulk in free agency, including countless top-50 transfers. The dust from thetransfer portal recruiting cyclesettled with several teams strengthening their two-deeps.
Lane Kiffin, Mike Norvell and Deion Sanders continueto utilize the portal more than others, completely revamping their respective teams before and after spring practice. Whether that leads to nationally-ranked finishes in conference and national championship contention remains to be seen, buthalf of the preseason top 10 will flex transfers as their starting quarterbacks this fall with pressure to lead.
The only program not sign a transfer inside the national rankings is Clemson. Two-time national champion Dabo Swinney says he's been "very consistent" with his talent development plan and defended his decision-making process as it relates to the portal throughout the offseason.
RELATED:Underrated 2024 transfers and most overlooked players
Here arethetop 50 transfers ahead of the 2024 season:
50. Matthew Golden, WR, Texas (Houston)
49. Joey Slackman, DL, Florida (Penn)
48. Deion Burks, WR, Oklahoma (Purdue)
47. Toriano Pride Jr., CB, Missouri (Clemson)
46. Trey Amos, CB, Ole Miss (Alabama)
If you blinked, you may have missed Burks in the Oklahoma spring game. The former Purdue pass-catcher should take the SEC by storm after scoring several highlight-worthy touchdowns last season for the Boilermakers. ... Pride adds versatility to Missouri's new-look secondary after the Tigers were forced to replace three starters at the back end off an 11-win team.
45. CJ Daniels, WR, LSU (Liberty)
44. Riley Leonard, QB, Notre Dame (Duke)
43. Domani Jackson, CB, Alabama (USC)
42. RJ Oben, Edge, Notre Dame (Duke)
41. Will Howard, QB, Ohio State (Kansas State)
Oneof the 2024's best-available quarterbacks, Leonard battled through an injury this season and arrives in South Bend with 24 career touchdown passes and at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, is an ideal fit in Notre Dame's offense schematically. ... Howard replaces Kyle McCord as Ohio State's starting quarterback this fall on an offense littered with elite-level talent. McCord left for Syracuse, opening the door for Howard as his replacement.
40. Maalik Murphy, QB, Duke (Texas)
39. Noah Rogers, WR, NC State (Ohio State)
38. Marvin Jones Jr., Edge, FSU (Georgia)
37. Brock Vandagriff, QB, Kentucky (Georgia)
36. Marcus Harris, CB, Cal (Idaho)
Had Ohio State not been loaded at wideout this fall, Rogers would've been an impact player. He's not going to have to deal with a wealth of bodies at NC State and should be an instant-impact, high-target option in the passing game. ACC defensive coordinators are going to hate dealing with this possible 1-2 punch on the outside with Rogers and Kevin Concepcion.
35. Trevor Etienne, RB, Georgia (Florida)
34. Holden Staes, TE, Tennessee (Notre Dame)
33.Damien Martinez, RB, Miami (Oregon State)
32. Colbie Young, WR, Georgia (Miami)
31.Amari Niblack, TE, Texas (Alabama)
Miami reloaded offensively with the addition of Martinez.The All-American ballcarrier from Oregon Statewas reportedly expected to be the Beavers' highest-paid player in NIL next seasonand now takes 2,000-plus yards rushing with him tohis new destination. He's one of the highest-rated running backs this transfer cycle, just behind Georgia's Trevor Etienne and Quinshon Judkins at Ole Miss.
30. LT Overton, DL, Alabama (Texas A&M)
29. Andrew Mukuba, S, Texas (Clemson)
28.Caiden Woullard, Edge, Oklahoma (Miami, Ohio)
27.Jardin Gilbert, S, LSU (Texas A&M)
26. Juice Wells, WR, Ole Miss (South Carolina)
Wells, who caught three passes for 37 yards and a touchdowns overthree games in 2023 after injury limitations, was an All-SEC player as a sophom*ore in 2022 for the Gameco*cks and adds to the Rebels' vast weaponry at the wide receiver position. He's likely option No. 3 this fall behind Tre Harris and Jordan Watkins.
25.Jamaree Caldwell, DL, Oregon (Houston)
24.Jamon Dumas-Johnson, LB, Kentucky (Georgia)
23. Trey Moore, Edge, Texas (UTSA)
22.Parker Brailsford, C, Alabama (Washington)
21. Cormani McClain, CB, Florida (Colorado)
McClain, who ranked No. 14 overall and No. 1 among cornerbacks in the 2023 recruiting class, served as a spot starterin his first and only season atColorado, appearing in 10 contests and recording 13 total tackles, including one for a loss, and two passes defended. It's unclear how McClain factors into Florida's operation in 2024, but he's likely a depth option in the secondary.
20. Dezz Ricks, CB, Texas A&M (Alabama)
19. Lance Heard, OT, Tennessee (LSU)
18.Princely Umanmielen, Edge, Ole Miss (Florida)
17. London Humphreys, WR, Georgia (Vanderbilt)
16.Jabbar Muhammad, CB, Oregon (Washington)
PerSwamp247's Jacob Rudner, Umanmielen was a player Florida hated to lose and wasone of the Gators' best defenders in the portalthis cycle.Umanmielen was a force on the edge of Florida's defensive front throughout the 2023 season, proving to be one of the nation's most effective pass rushers as he secured an elite win rate against opposing offensive linemen. Umanmielen paced all Florida defenders with career-highs in tackles-for-loss (11.5), sacks (7.0) and quarterback hurries (17) and tied his career-high in tackles (39), which was tied for fourth on the team but first among the Gators' defensive linemen.
15.Nic Scourton, Edge, Texas A&M (Purdue)
14. Cam Ward, QB, Miami (Washington)
13. A.J. Harris, CB, Georgia (Penn State)
12. Nyland Green, CB, Georgia (Purdue)
11. Cayden Green, OL, Missouri (Oklahoma)
An ideal fit for Mike Elko and the Aggies, this former Purdue star wreaked havoc throughout the spring at Texas A&M.Scourton led the Big Ten with 10 sacks and 15 tackles for a loss andwith Edgerrin Cooper entering the NFL Draft along with Fadil Diggs and Walter Nolen entering the transfer portal, adding a pass rusher was one of the top offseason priorities for the Aggies. Scourton has several offers and chose the Aggies over Oklahoma and Missouri, among others.
10. Dante Moore, QB, Oregon (UCLA)
9. Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State (Ole Miss)
8. Aidan Chiles, QB, Michigan State (Oregon State)
7.Jason Zandamela, OL, Florida (USC)
6. Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State (Alabama)
Judkins rushed for 106 yards and caught a touchdown for Ole Miss during its bowl win over Penn State and finished with 1,158 yards last fall, a year after gashing SEC defenses for 1,567 yards and 16 scores as a true freshman. He was the top running back available this cycle and signed with a Buckeyes team that was already gearing up for the return of TreVeyon Henderson in the backfield. That's a vicious 1-2 punch for Ryan Day and his new OC, former UCLA head coach Chip Kelly.
5. Evan Stewart, WR, Oregon
Transferred from: Texas A&M
Evan Stewart scored four touchdowns last season for the Aggies as their chief weapon on the outside, but he gets a plethora of targets in a more wideout-friendly scheme in the Big Ten at Oregon. He plays alongside Tez Johnson too, another all-conference caliber pass-catcher. At his best, Stewart is a field-stretcher and reliable target on third down capable of going the distance after the catch. His skills translate well to the wide-open Ducks scheme.
4. Isaiah Bond, WR, Texas
Transferred from: Alabama
Isaiah Bond was one of several Alabama weapons to leave Tuscaloosa for another elite program after the 2023 season and has speed to burn on the outside. He recorded 48 catches for 668 yards and four touchdowns this past season. He famously caught the 4th-and-31 touchdown pass in the back of the end zone at Jordan-Hare Stadium during Alabama's thrilling 27-24 win over Auburn in November, per Bama247.Bond will pair with fellow portal signees Matthew Golden and Silas Bolden with the Longhorns.
3. Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss
Transferred from: Texas A&M
The addition of Florida edge Princely Umanmielen and former Texas A&M five-star defensive lineman Walter Nolen is a big reason why the Ole Misstransfer class ranks No. 1. Nolen, a former five-star signee in College Station, is a nightmare to block and ultimately chose the Rebels over Oregon this spring as one of the top defensive players available. He has a starting role in the middle of Pete Golding's defense in Oxford.
2. Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
Transferred from: Iowa
KadynProctor started every game at left tackle for Alabama last season and passed the eye test as a difference-maker at the tackle position. The former five-star signee, a Des Moines native, earned True Freshman All-American honors and helped the Crimson Tide reach theCollege Football Playoff. Then Nick Saban retired and Proctor, like several other notable players, ended up in the transfer portal, where he was ranked as the No. 2 overall prospect before signing with Iowa. Now, he's back in Tuscaloosa.
1. Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
Transferred from: Alabama
Caleb Downs finished his true freshmancampaign at Alabama with a team-leading 107 tackles to go along with 3.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions. He earneda spot on the247Sports True Freshman All-American Teamalong with national All-American honors. He was one of college football's best overall players on defense last season and quickly earned his stripe this spring with the Buckeyes. Downs makes this Ohio State defense one of the most-feared nationally given the talent coming back.
