How college football transfer portal will shape Power 4, Group of 5 in 2024

Miami (Ohio) coach Chuck Martin thought he had held on to Graham Nicholson. The RedHawks had made it through the winter college football transfer portal window and Nicholson was still on campus in Oxford, Ohio.

The reigning Lou Groza Award winner, Nicholson entered college football’s free agency in early December but quickly withdrew. But rarely does a Lou Groza Award winner come from the Group of 5. The kicker received interest from Oregon in December but stayed put. Martin could worry about maintaining different aspects of his roster.

But in April, Nicholson re-entered and transferred to Alabama. That’s life in the transfer portal in the Group of 5.

“We spent every single day of December and January trying to keep our guys, trying to fight to convince our guys to stay,” Martin recently told On3. “Even second semester, they don’t stop recruiting them. Even if you make it through that first portal window. So, that’s what becomes of the offseason.

“… It’s weird because you don’t really know if the guys you’re coaching in the spring are even going to be here in the fall. Graham kicked all spring.”

Martin’s experience is one of many. Sixty-three all-conference selections from the Group of 5 in 2023 will be playing in the Power 4 this season. There was an uptick in the number of Group of 5 scholarship players entering during the 2023-24 window, too.

In the 2022-23 cycle, 1,116 scholarship transfers entered. In this past year, the Group of 5 saw 1,327.

Across the college football landscape, conferences saw their top players make the jump. Toledo quarterback Dequan Finn, the MAC Player of the Year, is now at Baylor. The American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, UTSA linebacker Trey Moore, is expected to be a key piece of the Texas defense in 2024.

Notre Dame’s revamped wide receiver room will highlight Florida International’s Kris Mitchell. Seven former James Madison all-conference players followed Curt Cignetti to Indiana, including star receiver Elijah Sarratt and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds.

Every Group of 5 conference is dealing with a talent exodus. Toledo coach Jason Candle lost his starting quarterback and running back, Peny Boone. Rockets offensive lineman Vinny Sciury is now vying for playing time at Texas Tech.

“I don’t want to coach guys who don’t want to be here,” Candle told On3. “That’s the first and foremost. I want guys to really buy into the teammates in our locker room because if you don’t have that, your team’s not going to be what you want it to be or what they want to be anyway.”

The Group of 5 to Power 4 pipeline has continued to pick up momentum. In 2021-22, 123 Group of 5 scholarship athletes transferred up. That number nearly doubled to 239 in 2022-23.

The exchange of talent goes both ways, though. Over 320 former Power 5 athletes played in the Group of 5 last season. There are success stories, too. Boone started at Maryland, thrived at Toledo and is getting a shot to close out his career in the Big 12.

Former Nebraska quarterback Luke McCaffrey transferred to Rice and made the position change to wide receiver. He tallied 13 touchdowns last season and was selected in the third round of this spring’s NFL draft by the Washington Commanders.

NIL plays a role, too, with some athletes making the jump to the Power 4 for a payday. Others believe it is the best shot to land on the NFL’s radar. Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell turned down offers to enter free agency, staying with the Rockets. He was picked in the first round of the NFL Draft in April.

Jason Candle supports whatever move athletes make, but he believes athletes are also taking a risk when going G5 to Power 4.

“The student-athlete never gets told, ‘Well, what if I sprained my ankle in preseason camp, and I’m not the starter?'” he said. “What if you transfer and your percentage of degree goes back so far that now the entry to the draft and having a degree that’s not on the path it once was? What sacrifices are you making for instant gratification? There’s some success stories but the ones that don’t get told are the failures.”

The 2024 college football season kicks off in exactly two weeks. The transfer portal will have a significant impact on who does and doesn’t make the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. Miami (Ohio), the reigning MAC champions, believes it can compete for the Group of 5 spot.

But the RedHawks also lost Nicholson, running back Rashad Amos (Ole Miss) and defensive lineman Caiden Woullard (Oklahoma).

“The summer hits and it’s like, ‘OK, we finally have our team,'” Martin said.