Diving into the portal: 5 key transfers into the Big 12

There will be another spate of transfers after spring practices are over, but for now the transfer portal is relatively quiet, which gives us an opportunity to look at key transfers into each Power 5 league.

Today, it’s five key transfers in the Big 12. “Key” is a relative term, but you can expect each of these players to make an appreciable impact this fall for their new teams.

(We looked at the Big Ten on Monday, and will look at the SEC on Wednesday, the ACC on Thursday, the Pac-12 on Friday and independents and the Group of 5 on Saturday.)

TCU OL Alan Ali

The buzz: Ali was a four-year starter for SMU and followed coach Sonny Dykes to nearby TCU. Ali’s versatility is noteworthy: He started at guard as a redshirt freshman in 2018, at center in 2019 and ’20 and at center and tackle in 2021. He was a second-team All-AAC selection in ’21 as a tackle, though he seems most likely to end up at center in 2022 for the Horned Frogs. His experience and knowledge of Dykes’ scheme make him an important addition for a program that underachieved in 2021.

Texas QB Quinn Ewers

The buzz: There will be a ton of pressure on Ewers this fall; outside of new USC QB Caleb Williams, there won’t be a transfer who’s as heavily scrutinized as Ewers. One difference: Williams actually has starred at the college level, while the extent of Ewers’ college experience is two handoffs at Ohio State in garbage time in a rout of Michigan State. And remember that Ewers skipped his senior year of high school to enroll a year early at Ohio State. Ewers was the nation’s top overall prospect in the 2021 class in the On3 Consensus and possesses a big-time arm and solid athleticism. Texas has some big-time weapons in RB Bijan Robinson and WRs Xavier Worthy and Isaiah Neyor (more on him in a minute). And coach Steve Sarkisian’s offense is quarterback-friendly. Everything is in front of Ewers.

Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel

The buzz: Oklahoma lost QBs Caleb Williams and Spencer Rattler to the transfer portal, but Gabriel should be a great fit in OU’s new offense. The biggest reason for the great fit: OU’s new offensive coordinator is Jeff Lebby, who held the same role at UCF in 2020, when Gabriel led the nation in passing at 357.0 yards per game. He threw 32 TD passes and just four interceptions. As a true freshman starter in 2019, Gabriel threw for 3,653 yards, 29 TDs and seven picks. Yes, defenses are better in the Big 12 than they are in the AAC. At the same time, Gabriel’s surrounding talent — on both sides of the ball — will be better, too. Gabriel throws a nice deep ball and has good mobility, too. One more positive for Gabriel: Lebby was not the play-caller at UCF, but he held that role at Ole Miss in 2021 and can add pieces of both offenses to find what best suits Gabriel. And keep an eye on two other incoming OU transfers: DT Jeffery Johnson, from Tulane, and G McKade Mettauer, from California. Both should slide right in as starters for the Sooners.

Texas WR Isaiah Neyor

The buzz: Neyor’s was one of the most interesting portal recruitments. He originally said he was leaving Wyoming for Tennessee, then reversed field and ended up at Texas. Neyor is from the Dallas Metroplex, so in one sense he is going “home.” Neyor was a second-team All-Mountain West selection in 2021 after catching 44 passes for 878 yards (19.95 yards per reception) and 12 TDs. The TD total was tied for seventh nationally. The yardage total is notable not just for the big-play aspect but that it was 42 percent of Wyoming’s team total. Neyor was the only true receiving threat in a run-heavy offense (the Cowboys ran the ball on 65 percent of their plays from scrimmage), yet still managed to produce. He figures to be an important complementary piece to Xavier Worthy. In addition, defenses have to focus on Worthy, so Neyor figures to be a bit “freer” in 2022 than he was as Wyoming’s lone threat.

Kansas RB Ky Thomas

The buzz: Thomas led ground-bound Minnesota in rushing in 2021, with 824 yards in nine games. Thing is, he didn’t get his shot until two others were hurt and he likely would’ve been down the depth chart had he stayed at Minnesota. But Kansas isn’t exactly swimming in talented running backs, so Thomas — who is from Topeka, Kan. — figures to be the guy for the Jayhawks. Thomas isn’t necessarily a big-play threat (he had just four rushes of at least 20 yards in 2021), but he can handle a heavy workload and is comfortable running between the tackles. While this is a massive rebuilding job, second-year Jayhawks coach Lance Leipold knows what he is doing, and Thomas should be a nice fit in KU’s offense.