Transfer Portal Thoughts: On QB Aidan Chiles' intentions, wide receivers galore and notable exoduses at Notre Dame, Duke and Vanderbilt

The transfer portal opened Monday, and predictably, a tsunami of players submitted their names to the NCAA for their right to test college football’s version of free agency. 

By the end of the dizzying day, more than 500 scholarship FBS players were in the transfer portal. There were a bonanza of surprises like former 5-star wideout Julian Fleming from Ohio State, as well Oregon State freshman quarterback Aiden Chiles, who announced his plans to enter the transfer portal. 

And the dust has hardly settled. There will be plenty more movement the rest of this week, as the game of dominos and music chairs are happening at the same time. 

Players are making NFL Draft decisions, which could prompt more movement within a school’s own program, or cause a player elsewhere to leave and grab an opening in a premier program. Staffers, from the Power 5 to the FCS, are drinking water out of a firehose right now just trying to keep up with all the news. 

But with the Day 1 BANG in the books, let’s take a breath and issue some thoughts on the initial 2024 transfer portal cycle window. 

Dante Moore suddenly has competition for the portal’s most interesting prospect

Less than a week ago, I wrote that 5-star UCLA freshman quarterback Dante Moore was the most intriguing player in the transfer portal. He might still be, but with the news that Oregon State freshman Aiden Chiles plans to leave Corvallis after just one season means Moore isn’t the only stud quarterback prospect with at least three seasons of eligibility. 

Rumor has it that Chiles, who was the nation’s No. 150 prospect in the 2023 cycle per On3, is likely to reunite with Beavers head coach Jonathan Smith at Michigan State. That would be quite the coup for the Spartans, as Chiles has superstar potential. 

Compared to Moore, Chiles didn’t play as much while backing up DJ Uiagalelei, but in spot duty, he flashed traits (a cannon and twitchy wheels) that arguably are as high as any prospect in the portal so far. 

Does your school need a playmaking receiver? Well, your team is in luck!

Once again, the deepest portal position is wideout, with talented studs from schools across the country now available. 

While Fleming was a surprise entry, Vandy’s duo of Will Sheppard and London Humphreys will both be hot commodities. Same for South Carolina’s Juice Wells, potentially a 1st Round pick who was hurt most of the 2023 season. 

Purdue’s Deion Burks and Washington State’s Josh Kelly will both garner heavy interest. Same for Boise State’s Eric McAlister. The pool of options is so deep it includes multiple 1,000-yard receivers from last season like South Alabama’s Caullin Lacy and UTEP’s Kelly Akharaiyi. 

Staffs are still monitoring the decisions of plenty of other receivers who could enter the portal, too, headlined by the likes of former 5-star Evan Stewart at Texas A&M. 

Some final notes and thoughts:

* Last ones out of the door in Nashville and Columbia please turn out the lights. Both Vanderbilt and South Carolina saw double-digit players leave the program Monday. There was certainly some roster culling happening, but real contributors (the noted receivers and others) left the two teams, too. Vanderbilt saw both of its quarterbacks enter the portal. The sheer volume of turnover after one day has to be concerning for two programs looking for rebound seasons in 2024. Similarly, Notre Dame had its receiver room gutted — with four players leaving including top wideout Chris Tyree and two 4-star freshmen.

* Unsurprisingly, Duke has lost several impact players following the departure of head coach Mike Elko to Texas A&M. Quarterback Riley Leonard is the headliner, but Aeneas Peebles (four sacks in 2023) and RJ Oben (14 career sacks) are two of the better defensive linemen now headed to the portal.

* I played quarterback matchmaker Monday, and since then, other interesting QB options are now available, too. I’ve discussed Chiles already in this space, but Toledo’s Dequan Finn (88 career touchdowns) will have a hefty market for a school looking for a veteran, dual-threat option. Brock Vandagriff is a former 5-star recruit once committed to Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma, and now that he has his degree from Georgia, he’s looking to play elsewhere in 2024. Early reports are both Kentucky and South Carolina are two teams to watch. I’m very curious to see where Kyle McCord ultimately lands. He was inconsistent in 2023, but he still went 11-1 at Ohio State. How hot will his market be? And will the Buckeyes add a quarterback or will Ryan Day wait until the spring window to evaluate Devin Brown, 5-star freshman Air Noland and Lincoln Kienholz?

* It wasn’t a surprise to see former 5-star defensive tackle Walter Nolen become available, especially after Aggies DL coach Elijah Robinson left for the DC job at Syracuse. Nolen has yet to officially enter the portal, but he will be a game-changer for whoever lands his services. And that competition will be fierce, and pricy. Tennessee, Texas, LSU and others are among the schools in the mix.