More than a dozen former 5-star recruits are currently in the NCAA Transfer Portal

The NCAA Transfer Portal is red-hot right now, with more than 1,800 Division I players entering their names in over the first few days.

That includes the FBS and FCS levels, as well as both scholarship athletes and walk-ons. Combined that number has already surpassed the totals from the first two years of the portal — in less than 96 hours.

Players around the country are looking for a new start, whether moving up or down in competition. And that’s also the case for a number of former elite recruits in the 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 classes. As of Thursday at noon, more than a dozen former five-stars had entered their name into the portal officially:

WR Micah Hudson

On3 Industry Ranking (HS): No. 12

One of the top players in the 2024 class, Hudson signed with Texas Tech over Ohio State, Texas, Texas A&M and dozens of other offers. While dealing with injuries, he caught eight passes for 124 yards in his lone season in Lubbock before entering the portal earlier this week.

Hudson quickly scheduled a visit to Texas A&M, and the Aggies are considered the favorite to land him after expert predictions from On3’s Steve Wiltfong and Pete Nakos.

WR Johntay Cook II

On3 Industry Ranking (HS): No. 31

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Cook was considered a crown jewel of Texas’ 2023 class out of DeSoto (Texas). He struggled to break through in a very deep receiver room over the past two years though, catching 16 passes for 273 yards and two touchdowns. He showed glimmers of what made him a five-star prospect though, and will be looking to make a big jump in year three.

According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Oregon and Texas A&M are a couple of early schools to watch.

QB Jackson Arnold

On3 Industry Ranking (HS): No. 8

Arnold was a huge coup for Brent Venables and Co. in the 2023 class, as the Sooners identified him early in his junior year before he exploded onto the scene by winning the Elite 11 Finals and putting up massive numbers as a senior.

He waited behind Dillon Gabriel in 2023 and then was handed the reins this year when the former transferred to Oregon. Behind a patchwork offensive line and missing most of his top receivers, Arnold never got off the ground before being replaced by true freshman Michael Hawkins. He returned to the lineup to lead OU to an upset win over Alabama, but is looking for greener pastures.

Auburn and Mississippi State are both scheduled to host him for visits, and the Bulldogs are currently considered the favorite to land him.

QB Conner Weigman

On3 Industry Ranking (HS): No. 29

Texas A&M signed the No. 1 class in the modern recruiting era in 2022, and Weigman was one of the catalysts for that. He played in five games as a true freshman under Jimbo Fisher, throwing for eight touchdowns and showing the promise of being the Aggies future star signal-caller. He played in four games in 2023, completing nearly 69% of his passes while throwing for nearly 1,000 yards and eight scores. But a foot injury in Week 4 against Auburn sidelined him for the rest of the year.

He came into 2024 as the Aggies’ starter once more, this time under new head coach Mike Elko. He was dinged up again with a shoulder injury and was eventually replaced by freshman Marcel Reed after throwing 5 INTs in six games.

With two years of eligibility remaining, he is one of the portal’s most intriguing quarterbacks.

On Dec. 11, Weigman committed to Houston.

DL Keeshawn Silver

On3 Industry Ranking (HS): No. 22

After two unproductive years at North Carolina, Silver transferred to Kentucky ahead of the 2023 season. Paired with monstrous Deone Walker, the 6-foot-5, 300-pounder was expected to break out for the Wildcats after a change of scenery.

That never quite came to fruition, though Silver put up solid numbers over two years in Lexington. Across 24 games, he totaled 47 tackles, including three for loss. Nakos reported earlier this week that Silver will take official visits to USC, Miami, Florida and Michigan.

QB Devin Brown

On3 Industry Ranking (HS): No. 31

Brown came into Ohio State with high expectations in 2022 after putting up eye-popping numbers as a senior at Corner Canyon (Utah). He was saddled with injuries throughout his time in Columbus though, including one in the Buckeyes’ Cotton Bowl loss to Missouri last year. He fell down the depth chart behind transfer Will Howard this year, appearing in eight games in mop-up duty.

He announced his intentions to enter the portal earlier this week but will stay with the Buckeyes through the College Football Playoff.

DB Tony Grimes

On3 Industry Ranking (HS): No. 19

The 6-foot, 170-pound Grimes was extremely sought after in the Class of 2020, choosing North Carolina over Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma and dozens of others. After three solid but not spectacular years in Chapel Hill — where he totaled nearly 100 tackles and 19 pass breakups, Grimes jumped in the portal last year. He ended up at UNLV, appearing in 12 games with the Rebels.

Now he’s back in for a second time looking for a home for his final year of eligibility.

TE Arik Gilbert

On3 Industry Ranking (HS): No. 5

The saga around Gilbert has been nothing but heartbreaking since he signed with LSU 2020. In eight games during his first season in Baton Rouge, he broke out with 35 catches for 368 yards and a pair of touchdowns. However, he opted out of the end of his first year in early December due to injury and never played for LSU again.

He entered the transfer portal a month later and committed to Florida. A month after that, he was back in the portal and would later end up at Georgia. He didn’t play at all during the 2021 season and logged two catches for 16 yards and a touchdown in 2022 before entering the portal again.

Ultimately, he ended up at Nebraska for the 2023 season, but was was arrested for burglary twice — once in Lincoln and once in Georgia. After sitting out the 2024 campaign, he is back in the portal and looking for another home.

DL Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy

On3 Industry Ranking (HS): No. 13

Like Weigman, Brownlow-Dindy was a member of A&M’s vaunted 2022 recruiting class that also included Walter Nolen, Shemar Stewart, and others. Unlike his defensive line counterparts though, the former never got off the ground in College Station.

In three seasons, he appeared in eight games and recorded four total tackles while struggling to break into the two-deep consistently. Now he’ll look for another start with two seasons remaining to play.

Brownlow-Dindy told On3’s Hayes Fawcett on Thursday that he plans to visit Vanderbilt and South Carolina, and is also talking to Alabama and North Carolina.

TE Duce Robinson

On3 Industry Ranking (HS): No. 23

A dynamic two-sport athlete in football and baseball, Robinson chose USC out of high school over Texas, Alabama and Georgia. One of the biggest reasons for that was the ability to play both sports, but also to star in Lincoln Riley’s offense with the Trojans.

After two years, he is on the move. Robinson caught 39 passes for 747 yards and seven touchdowns in the 23 games he played, while showing spurts of his big-play capabilities. It will be interesting to see where he ends up this time and how much opportunities on the diamond — in addition to the football field — play into that.

EDGE Williams Nwaneri

On3 Industry Ranking (HS): No. 7

In addition to those listed above, former Five-Star Plus+ defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri announced his intentions to leave Missouri and enter the portal on Tuesday. On Thursday, he went into the portal with a do not contact tag.

Nwaneri played in just four games as a freshman after signing with the Tigers over Oklahoma, Tennessee and Georgia. However, his high school coach Jamar Mozee is now on staff at Nebraska, and the Huskers are considered the favorite to land him after expert predictions from Nakos and Wiltfong.

QB Ty Thompson

On3 Industry Ranking (HS): No. 31

Thompson has officially entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on Wednesday evening, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. Coming out of high school, Thompson was tabbed as a five-star prospect and the No. 31 overall prospect in America, according to the On3 Industry Rankings for the 2021 cycle.

He signed with Oregon as one of the prizes of Mario Cristobal’s final class, but his career never got off the ground in Eugene. After redshirting in 2021, Thompson played in seven games with the Ducks in 2022, completing 11 of 20 passes for 72 yards, attempting passes in five different games. The next season, he played in five games as a reserve to starter Bo Nix, completing 24 of 31 passes, while tossing in four touchdowns and one interception.

Thompson transferred to Tulane last winter, but failed to beat out star freshman Darian Mensah, who also entered the portal and committed to Duke earlier this week. Now he’ll look for a fresh start with a year of eligibility remaining.

QB Malachi Nelson

After one season apiece at USC and Boise State, former five-star quarterback Malachi Nelson is back in the transfer portal for a second time. The Class of 2023 star was thought to be Lincoln Riley’s next potential Heisman winner when he signed with the Trojans. But after a year on the bench behind Caleb Williams and Miller Moss, he opted for the portal and wound up in Boise.

Unfortunately for him, he was beaten out by incumbent starter Maddux Madsen, who had led the Broncos to the College Football Playoff. Nelson will have three years of eligibility remaining at his next destination.