Christmas came early for several teams, with many college football players finding new homes through the transfer portal on Wednesday. Over 1,900 players have entered the portal since it opened on December 5. It will remain open until mid-January.
Of particular note, Deion Sanders’ Colorado team added two of their former stars from Jackson State, cornerback Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Deion’s son. But the Buffaloes weren’t the only team to win in the portal.
Here’s a look at what you may have missed over the past week.
Schools that won the portal this week
Michigan: The Wolverines have received commitments from two Stanford offensive linemen – Drake Nugent and Myles Hinton – as well as Coastal Carolina defensive lineman Josaiah Stewart. Hinton’s brother, Christopher, played defensive tackle at Michigan from 2019 to 2021. Nugent and Hinton are looking to make an immediate impact by stopping the Wolverines, who ranked fifth in the FBS with 243 rushing yards per game.
Wisconsin: In response to Graham Mertz entering the portal and eventually heading to Florida, new Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell landed a quarterback to help run his program in Nick Evers. Evers, who was No. 166 in the 2022 ESPN 300, comes to Madison after a year with Oklahoma. He took a snap this season, in the Sooners’ 49-0 loss to Texas in October. The Badgers’ passing game will be looking for a well-deserved infusion after averaging just 189.5 yards per game, 11th in the Big Ten.
Georgia Tech: Former Texas A&M quarterback Haynes King is moving from College Station to Atlanta, giving new Yellow Jackets coach Brent Key an option after Jeff Sims and Taisun Phommachanh both entered the portal. King, who was No. 46 in the 2020 ESPN 300, spent three years with the Aggies and threw for 1,220 yards and seven touchdowns in six games in 2022. Additionally, Minnesota linebacker Braelen Oliver, of Douglas, Georgia, returns home having recorded 79 tackles (14 solo) and 3.5 sacks in 40 games for the Golden Gophers. The Yellow Jackets also got a commitment from Louisville running back Trevion Cooley.
USC: Lincoln Riley came out of the gate this week with three productive players: Arizona wide receiver Dorian Singer, Arizona cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace and Oklahoma State linebacker Mason Cobb. Singer led the Pac-12 with 1,105 receiving yards, while Roland-Wallace had 57 tackles (41 solo) with six passes defended. Cobb was the Cowboys’ leading tackler with 96 saves (58 solo), tied for fifth in the Big 12.
Kentucky: Quarterback Devin Leary’s decision to transfer from NC State will allow the Wildcats to immediately fill Will Levis’ shoes with an experienced flagman. Leary threw for 6,807 yards with 68 touchdowns and 16 interceptions during his four years with the Wolfpack.
Five key commitments
Collin Schlee: The Kent State starting quarterback decided to make the jump to UCLA last Saturday. He has two years of eligibility remaining and threw for 2,109 yards and 13 touchdowns last year. Schlee’s transfer, coupled with rookie No. 3 quarterback Dante Moore’s decision to move from Oregon to UCLA, improves Chip Kelly’s quarterback room with Dorian Thompson-Robinson leaving after This year.
Jeremy Byers: The UTEP right tackle moves to Florida State after committing to Mike Norvell’s team on Monday. Byers has started for the Miners in each of the past two seasons and joins an offensive line that has helped the Seminoles lead the ACC with 217.8 rushing yards per game.
#GONOLES @Coach_Norvell @CoachAAtkins pic.twitter.com/3YPD8vwjHk
— Jeremiah Byers (@JeremiahByers38) December 20, 2022
Drew Pyne: For a time, Kenny Dillingham thought he would coach highly touted quarterback Dante Moore as Oregon’s offensive coordinator. Now neither is at Oregon, with Dillingham the head coach of Arizona State and Moore signing with UCLA. Instead, Dillingham found his new quarterback, Drew Pyne, in South Bend. Pyne, No. 221 on the 2020 ESPN 300, threw for 2,021 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions for Notre Dame in 2022.
🔱 #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/QzGJb0GT8D
— Drew Pyne (@dpyne10) December 19, 2022
Ajani Cornelius: The Rhode Island right tackle, who has started 22 games with the Rams over the past two seasons, signed at Oregon on Wednesday, choosing the Ducks over Ohio State, Tennessee and Nebraska. Cornelius’ decision ended a monster day for the Ducks, as they rocketed up our recruiting class rankings from No. 14 entering National Signing Day at No. 5.
Tony Grimes: The North Carolina junior cornerback, who had 36 tackles (27 solo) and had seven assists, moves to Texas A&M. Grimes, who played 37 games in three seasons with the Tar Heels, will provide much-needed depth to the Aggies, who have lost four cornerbacks to the transfer gate in recent months.
Back at College Station @AggieFootball #GigEm 👍🏾
—Tony Grimes (@757EliteDB) December 15, 2022
Offers and tours
Mud Smoke: The former Texas A&M defensive back, who was 66th overall in the 2022 ESPN 300, played just three games as a rookie. He entered the portal last week and recently traveled to Georgia, where he initially engaged in November 2020, only to disengage in June 2021.
Carson Steele: Steele broke out as a sophomore for Ball State, rushing for 1,556 yards (sixth in FBS) and 14 touchdowns. He will visit UCLA this weekend.
Jimmy Horn Jr.: The South Florida sophomore wide receiver entered the portal last month after catching 37 passes for 551 yards and three touchdowns. He recently visited Houston and Colorado, and also attracted interest from Penn State and Texas A&M.
— Jimmy Horn Jr (@Tooswiftj5) December 19, 2022