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Fast! Enter the transfer portal before it’s too late.
Closure hour
End of spring transfer window
The spring transfer window closes this evening. Players who wish to transfer must enter the portal by the end of the day today, although they are not required to commit to their new teams before the deadline. Here’s a look at the programs with the best transfer classes as they currently stand, according to the 247Sports Composites:
- Be miss (18 commitments, 1 five-star, 7 four-star): The big gain this spring window was former Miami RB Henry Parrish Jr., who will return to Oxford after starting his career with the Rebels (No. 5 to Stewart Mandel is in the top 25 too early in 2020.
- Texas A&M (27 commits, 8 four-stars): The Aggies brought in Kolinu’u Faaiu, who started eight games at center for Utah last season.
- Oregon (11 commits, 1 five-star, 5 four-star): The Ducks lost DL Johnny Bowens III to the portal this spring, but anchored a strong transfer class in the winter window with Texas A&M WR Evan Stewart and DB Jabbar Muhammad of Washington.
- Alabama (12 commits, 1 five-star, 6 four-star): New coach Kalen DeBoer brought some of his talent from Washington, but the Crimson Tide’s biggest story this spring was bringing back initially transfer T Kadyn Proctor outside the program. in Iowa.
- State of Florida (15 commitments, 10 four-stars): The Seminoles lost only three players to the portal this spring, including CB Greedy Vance Jr., who committed to USC.
More notes on the portal: After the old one Damien Martinez, Oregon State running back engaged in Miami this weekend, the former Arizona CB Tacario Davis took first place in Max Olson’s best available ranking. The top four players still on Max’s roster are defensive players while the former Elijhah Badger, Arizona State WR ranks fifth as the best offensive player available. Another major movement of the portal was the former Penn State WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith commitment to Auburn.
It is likely that news regarding player registrations will continue tomorrow afternoon, as more athletes publicly announce their decisions. AthleticismThe live blog will stay up to date with the latest news.
Where are they now?
Looking back at the Colorado reset
It’s been difficult to talk about the transfer portal over the past year without thinking about Deion Sanders’ exodus from the portal to Colorado. Max caught up with some of those Buffaloes who left (or were kicked out of) Sanders’ program to look back on their exit from Boulder and what’s happened since then.
“It felt a little bit like a reality TV show,” said Chase Sowell, who now plays at UTSA. Sowell described Colorado’s culture last spring as “us versus them” between the players who were there and those Sanders brought in as transfers.
A total of 53 scholars transferred from Colorado by the end of Sanders’ first spring. During that time, 87 newcomers joined the Buffs. Ranked by league affiliations, most of Colorado’s transfers have landed in Group of 5 programs.
- Power 5: 15
- Group of 5: 22
- FCS: 9
- Section II: 1
- College student: 2
- Unsigned/Non-football: 4
This spring, the Buffaloes have stayed busy in the portal, adding 34 players.
NFL Draft Recap
Most choices by college
With the NFL Draft officially behind us, let’s wrap up with a recap of the picks and trends to be aware of. Read Bruce Feldman’s takeaways here.
- Michigan did not break Georgia’s pick record. The Wolverines’ 13 picks led all schools in the 2024 draft, but fell short of Georgia’s 15 selections in 2022. Texas was second with 11 picks, followed by Alabama, in-state from Florida and Washington, which each had 10.
- Speaking of the Longhorns, Athleticism‘s expert, Sam Khan Jr., detailed the big weekend for Steve Sarkisian and company. Texas completely flipped the script, going from zero players selected in the draft two years ago to 11 selections with two first-rounders (Byron Murphy II → Seahawks, Xavier Worthy → Chiefs) this year. Now, the program finally appears to be establishing stability, and it comes just in time before a move to the SEC this summer.
- Of course, I have to dedicate a takeaway to my hometown Chicago Bears. I was excited to see Rome Odunze picked at No. 9. He was third on my Heisman ballot last winter and 80 percent of his catches last season resulted in a first down or touchdown. Of course, the Bears made it official with Caleb Williams, who I bet will overcome our bad luck at QB.
The podcast Until Saturday today debates a fun dilemma between college and the NFL. Last week, host Ari Wasserman asked: Do you still feel connected to your favorite players once they join the NFL?
I don’t think the answer is black or white. As a Michigan State alum, I loved watching Kenneth Walker completely dominate in his rookie season with the Seahawks and reminding all of my friends that he represented the Spartans. I will always support the college stars I loved to succeed. But at the end of the day, I value the team over the individual. Listen to the full debate on today’s podcast.
Group of 5 Playoffs?
Results are shared
Is it a good idea for the Group of 5 schools to split up and form their own playoffs? Here’s what readers responded to last week’s poll.
This vote was more divided than expected. I would probably vote “yes”. I’m all for more postseason competition and could see the sport starting to evolve that way as the College Football Playoff expansion and conference realignment evolves.
Quick snaps
Learn more about the transfer portal: Quarterback Casey Thompson The four-school journey includes playing for his old rivals until returning to his home state school. Read his story here.
How will be Oklahoma football rate in the SECOND? Seth Emerson responds to this in today’s SEC mailing.
Former five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola completed his first spring at Nebraska. But what’s next? Mitch Sherman reports from Lincoln.
Speaking of QB, Antonio Morales gives us an update on the situation with the best prospects in the sector. Class of 2025.
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(Lane Kiffin Photo: Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)