Six winners from spring college football transfer portal window
More than a week after the spring transfer portal window closed in college football, the final pieces are coming off the board.
The 2023-24 academic year proved to be one of the busiest ever in the age of the transfer portal. The spring window did not offer the most talent but it was filled with depth players. Defensive tackles were at a premium.
On3 is taking a closer look at six teams who won the spring transfer portal:
Auburn
Transfer Commits: WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith (Penn State), OL Ronan Chambers (Akron), DL Philip Blidi (Indiana), DL Isaiah Raikes (USC), EDGE Keyron Crawford (Arkansas State)
Hugh Freeze did not target a quarterback this spring, however, the Auburn coach picked up a handful of impact players. The Tigers add Lambert-Smith, who led Penn State with 53 catches for 673 yards and four touchdowns in 2023. The addition gives Auburn an experienced receiver to pair with a young and talented receiver room, headlined by Cam Coleman. But more than that, Freeze beat out Texas A&M for Lambert-Smith.
Auburn also addressed the defensive line. Blidi posted 11 hurries in 2023 at Indiana. The 6-foot-3, 295-pound defensive lineman posted four tackles for loss, too. Raikes has SEC experience from his time at Texas A&M. In the last two seasons, he’s recorded 34 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. As a sophomore last season, Crawford ranked fourth in the Sun Belt, 19th among the Group of Five and 52nd nationally with 25 hurries. His 37 total quarterback pressures also ranked 55th nationally.
Colorado
Transfer Commits: RB Dallan Hayden (Ohio State), RB Rashad Amos (Miami OH), TE Charlie Williams (UNLV), OL Ethan Boyd (Michigan State), OL Payton Kirkland (Texas), OL Zechariah Owens (Clemson), OL Wyatt Hummel (Villanova) DL Tawfiq Thomas (Louisville), DL Rayyan Buell (Ohio) EDGE Dayon Hayes (Pitt), LB Nikhai Hill-Green (Charlotte), LB Johnny Chaney (Florida A&M), CB Ivan Yates (Furman), CB Colton Hood (Auburn)
The Buffaloes continued to address the need on the offensive line this spring. Colorado picked up four linemen in Boyd, Hummel, Kirkland and Owens. Boyd and Hummel are the most proven of the bunch. A 6-foot-7, 325-pound tackle with two seasons of eligibility remaining, Boyd played in 12 games in 2023 with 313 snaps, allowing two sacks, nine hurries and 13 quarterback pressures. Hummel is a grad transfer who played 402 Snaps for Villanova in 2023 and allowed just three total pressures.
Arguably the biggest loss of the spring portal for Colorado was the departure of Dylan Edwards, who was used at both running back and in the passing game. Deion Sanders answered that by adding Amos and Hayden. The Buffs actually flipped Amos from Mississippi State. The former South Carolina transfer rushed for 1,075 yards and 13 touchdowns this past season at Miami (OH). Hayden flashed at moments with Ohio State, most notably in 2022 as a true freshman when he rushed for 553 yards and five touchdowns on 111 carries. He played in just three games in 2023.
Colorado also addressed the defensive side of the ball. With new defensive coordinator Robert Livingston, who spent 12 years with the Cincinnati Bengals, the Buffaloes picked up two linebackers who should all be able to contribute immediately. Hill-Green started his career at Michigan and tallied 73 tackles as a team captain at Charlotte in 2023. Chaney was an All-SWAC second-team selection after posting 73 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.
Miami
Transfer Commits: RB Damien Martinez (Oregon State), WR Sam Brown (Houston), DL Simeon Barrow (Michigan State), LB Jaylin Alderman (Louisville), CB D’yoni Hill (Marshall)
Miami’s transfer portal plans were somewhat on pause this winter as the Hurricanes went all-in on Washington State transfer quarterback Cam Ward. They finally won out after Ward announced for the NFL Draft before deciding to return to college and play at Miami. Mario Cristobal’s staff has pieced together one of the best spring portal classes.
Martinez was one of the top impact players to enter the portal in April. An All-Pac-12 First Team selection in 2023 as a sophomore, he rushed for 1,185 yards on 194 carries with a 6.1-yard average. Brown has previous experience with offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson. The wideout has 1,394 career receiving yards on 113 catches and seven touchdowns.
Next to Martinez, landing a commitment from Barrow was a major win for the Hurricanes. The defensive tackle has 34 career appearances with 30 starts. He’s posted 110 career tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. Miami might not be done, either. The Hurricanes are still in the mix to land former Tennessee and Louisville EDGE Tyler Baron.
Oklahoma
Transfer Commits: OL Branson Hickman (SMU), DL Damonic Williams (TCU)
Oklahoma knew it needed to add proven talent in the trenches this spring before officially making the move to the SEC. The Sooners delivered. Hickman can be immediately slated into the starting mix on the offensive line, specifically at center. A three-year starter at SMU, he made 33 career starts for the Mustangs and played 2,436 snaps.
The biggest win of the spring for OU was landing Williams. A true freshman All-American in 2022, the Sooners beat out LSU, Missouri and Texas for the 6-foot-2, 320-pound defensive tackle. As impactful as Williams can be for Oklahoma’s defensive line, the transfer win signified the Sooners can compete in NIL and are ready for the SEC. The TCU transfer was the top available defensive lineman this spring. He totaled 60 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in two seasons with the Horned Frogs. Williams leaves Fort Worth with 26 career pressures and 20 hurries.
Oregon
Transfer Commits: DL Derrick Harmon (Michigan State), S Peyton Woodyard (Alabama)
Oregon did not have many needs in the spring portal window, but the Ducks landed exactly who they were looking for. Harmon picked Oregon over Colorado, Ohio State and USC. Sources told On3 that the opportunity to be developed and play on the national stage made a difference for the defensive lineman. The two-time All-Big Ten honorable mention finished the 2023 season with 20 pressures and 18 hurries.
Picking up Woodyard was another key win for the Ducks. A four-star recruit in the 2024 class was at Alabama for just a few months before heading back to the West Coast. The 6-foot-2, 188-pound freshman spent the spring working with Alabama’s second-team defense and was one of 12 players to receive the Ozzie Newsome Most Improved Freshman Award.
UCF
Transfer Commits: QB Jacurri Brown (Miami), RB Peny Boone (Louisville), WR Jacoby Jones (Ohio), OL Keegan Smith (Central Michigan), EDGE Nyjalik Kelly (Miami), CB Tre’quon Fegans (USC), S Sheldon Arnold II (East Tennessee State University), S Cedrick Hawkins (Ohio State)
As much as the transfer portal is about adding talent that can make an immediate difference on the field, UCF picked up a few pieces for the future, too. In Year 2 in the Big 12, the Knights want to take a step forward and compete for a conference title. Boone was the 2023 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year and rushed for 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns. His addition will give UCF another tailback in the arsenal to pair with RJ Harvey and Johnny Richardson.
Brown provides a talented backup to KJ Jefferson, who transferred from Arkansas for his final year of eligibility. The Miami transfer quarterback will also have a clear shot at the starting job for the 2025 season and fits head coach Gus Malzahn’s offense.
Another major pickup from the Hurricanes, Kelly picked UCF. The former top-100 recruit tallied 19 tackles, four sacks and a pass deflection in two years at Miami. The Knights also added former top recruits Hawkins and Fegans.
Jones missed most of the 2023 season at Ohio with injury, but he had 45 catches for 777 yards and six touchdowns in 2022. He averaged 17.3 yards per catch that season.