Purdue transfer WR CJ Smith receives interest from five major programs

Purdue transfer receiver CJ Smith, a former transfer at Georgia, has received strong interest since entering the NCAA Transfer Portal on Monday.

Among those showing the most interest in Smith are UCF, USF, Michigan State, Oklahoma State and Tulane, according to On3’s Pete Nakos.

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Smith spent just one season with the Boilermakers after playing the first two years of his college career at Georgia. Smith appeared in only three games this past season to finish with six catches for 69 yards. He also had one carry that went for four yards.

Smith, a rising redshirt junior, will have two years of college eligibility remaining after redshirting in 2022.

At Georgia, Smith appeared in 11 total games in 2022 and 2023, and finished his career in Athens with six catches for 116 yards.

Smith played high school football for Mt. Dora in Orlando, Florida, where he was a four-star prospect in the 2022 class. He ranked as the No. 311 overall player and No. 52 receiver in the cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Purdue is coming off of a 1-11 finish to the 2024 season, and losing a player like Smith certainly doesn’t help. He is now the 26th player the Boilermakers have lost to the portal this season.

The portal officially opened on Dec. 9. More than 2,800 FBS scholarship players entered their names into the NCAA’s transfer database during the 2023-24 school year. Removing those who withdrew or went pro, the final total sat at 2,707 transfers.

So far this cycle, 2,119 players have entered the transfer portal with 624 of those already having committed to new schools.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

Purdue CB Nyland Green enters NCAA transfer portal

Smith isn’t Purdue’s only former Georgia transfer to enter the portal this week. Purdue defensive back Nyland Green also made the jump.

Green had the most productive year of his career during his lone season with the Boilermakers. He totaled 23 tackles, a pair of sacks and a forced fumble.

A former four-star recruit who began his career at Georgia, he spent three seasons in Athens as a part of the 2020 recruiting class.

He was a top 50 recruit in his class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, which is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. He was the No. 3 cornerback in his recruiting cycle

Barkley Truax and Chandler Vessels contributed to this report.