Why the spring transfer portal window didn't alter the 2024 national championship picture

So much for transfer portal Armageddon, huh?

The 2024 spring window closed Wednesday, and while a few more names may trickle out in the next day or so (schools have 48 hours to officially submit a player’s name), the carousel of movement should stop until the holidays this December. 

Hundreds of FBS players tested the waters over the two weeks, but while notables like Kadyn Proctor, Damien Martinez and Dylan Edwards, among others, switched teams, there wasn’t some cataclysm of fireworks many anticipated.

Star players didn’t start suddenly switching teams because of major NIL deals.  

Of the Top 50 transfers in the 2024 cycle, per On3, just seven have or will change teams this spring — three of whom (Proctor, Tyler Baron and Peny Boone) are on their second transfer this year. 

Quality players like Pitt edge Dayon Hayes (now at Colorado), TCU tackle Damonic Williams (uncommitted) and Arizona State wideout Elijah Badger (uncommitted) entered the portal within the last week, but they’re complimentary pieces — not no-doubt difference makers. 

Ultimately, the blockbuster teasers for the spring window were mostly a bust, which was great news for many of college football’s 2024 title contenders.

The real 2024 spring transfer portal winners

Colorado had its second-straight spring cleaning, and Miami, Auburn and UCF all made consequential additions within the last two weeks as well, but the clear-cut “winners” of the spring portal window were the core national championship hopefuls this fall — mostly because of who they didn’t lose. 

Georgia, Oregon, Michigan, Florida State and others all did an excellent job with roster retention during the spring portal window. 

The Bulldogs convinced potential starting defensive tackle Christen Miller to rebuff USC’s advances, while Sherrone Moore held onto Michigan’s key foundational pieces. Rumors ran rampant about Texas and others being in the mix for stud Wolverines linemen Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, yet both remain in Ann Arbor. Several schools also sniffed around star corner Will Johnson, but he too will wear Maize & Blue in 2024.

Alabama had a couple of young defensive backs (Peyton Woodyard and Tony Mitchell) who they surely would’ve liked to see stick around, but there wasn’t some mass exodus following Kalen DeBoer’s first spring. The Tide also lured Proctor back to Tuscaloosa, inked a Lou Gross Award-winning kicker and are in the hunt for multiple DBs. 

Despite fewer additions (thus far) than anticipated for the Tide, after losing 26 players to the portal back in January, the spring window has been a net success for DeBoer & Co. The same can be said for championship hopefuls like Oregon, Florida State and Ole Miss, who also deserve credit for keeping the bones of their rosters intact for next season. 

The reasons for this are likely two-fold: For one, many overlooked the inability for SEC players to transfer to other SEC schools during the spring window. The conference’s agreement to halt any potential intra-league tampering absolutely quelled potential movement. But the schools’ NIL collectives also stepped up to keep their priority players on the roster. 

The spring window didn’t alter the national title picture

As was the case last year, the spring portal window is a big deal for many FBS rosters. 

Colorado lost some impact pieces, but Deion Sanders also went shopping for a new set of Louis (hopefully discounted this time around) again, too. Kansas State, Mississippi State and others have added some players who are sure to help their teams this fall. 

Once again, the Group of 5 saw its best players raided by the big boys. Same for the bottom-tier Power Conference programs. It was a surprise to see a school like Michigan State (with all the Big Ten resources available) suffer so many significant departures, but that could be a result of a coaching change, too. 

But while the game of musical chairs may be important for individual programs, the spring window hasn’t changed the national title picture — the top contenders remain as such. 

Facing potential 15-17 game slates in the inaugural year of the 12-team College Football Playoff, the best teams maintained as much roster depth as possible — and that’s perhaps the most important takeaway of them all from a spring portal window that was billed as wild as ever but wasn’t.