New Mexico transfer RB Eli Sanders commits to USC
New Mexico Lobos transfer running back Eli Sanders is taking his talents to Southern California, committing to join the USC Trojans via the NCAA Transfer Portal, On3’s Hayes Fawcett reported.
Sanders had a breakout season with New Mexico in 2024, rushing for 1,063 yards on 147 carries, scoring nine touchdowns. He also caught 15 passes for 134 yards. Prior to his time with the Lobos, he played three seasons with the Iowa State Cyclones, scoring five times in 2023.
The portal officially opened on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. 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.
That means roughly 25 percent of all FBS scholarship players hit free agency in one year, per On3’s Pete Nakos.
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.
Top 10
- 1Hot
Lane Kiffin
Ole Miss HC calls out CFP committee
- 2New
Notre Dame vs. Georgia odds
Early Sugar Bowl line released
- 3
Nick Saban
Fed up, calling for change
- 4Trending
Desmond Howard
CGD host calls out Ryan Day
- 5
Kirby Smart reacts
Notre Dame fans chant 'We want Georgia'
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
More on the USC Trojans, NCAA Transfer Portal
In other USC news related to the transfer portal, former UCF cornerback Chasen Johnson has committed to the Trojans as well, he announced on Thursday.
Johnson logged 14 tackles during his true freshman season with the Knights. He entered the portal after head coach Gus Malzahn left to take Florida State‘s offensive coordinator job. The Trojans beat out the likes of Auburn and SMU for his services.
He logged statistics in seven games for the Knights in 2024 and was particularly active during the latter half of the regular season. He’ll now look to make a splash in the Trojans secondary in 2025.
Johnson was a three-star recruit in the 2023 recruiting 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. 1,103 overall player in his class, the No. 118 cornerback, and the No. 147 player in the state of Florida.
On3’s Dan Morrison contributed to this article.