Auburn receiver transfer Ja'Varrius Johnson sets visit schedule

Auburn transfer wide receiver Ja’Varrius Johnson is gearing up for a busy two weeks of visits.

The former four-star recruit took a visit to UCF last week. In four seasons with the Tigers, the 5-foot-10, 159-pound receiver racked up 1,114 receiving yards on 64 receptions with eight touchdowns. He also rushed the ball for two scores.

Johnson will be at Arizona later this week before visiting Michigan State next week, his agent Shawn O’Gorman tells On3. With quarterback Noah Fifita back for another year, Arizona is an attractive transfer destination this offseason. He threw for 2,869 in 2023, tossing 25 touchdowns and just six interceptions. His 83.8 QBR ranked eighth in the nation, too.

If Johnson lands in the desert, he’d be a strong complement to Tetairoa McMillan, who was Fifita’s top target in 2023. The receiver tallied 90 catches for 1,402 and 10 touchdowns.

The Auburn transfer receiver will also visit East Lansing. First-year head coach Jonathan Smith brought quarterback Aidan Chiles with him from Oregon State. The former four-star was 24 of 35 for 309 yards and seven total touchdowns last season.

What is the transfer portal?

The spring transfer portal window is just 15 days, a crammed period that could reshape the 2024 college football offseason. The portal tool was launched in 2018 to allow athletes to be more involved in the process of transferring. Athletes must notify institutions of their intent to transfer. Each school’s compliance team has 48 hours to put a name into the portal. 

A total of 538 FBS scholarship players put their names in the transfer portal on Day 1 of the winter window in December. That number is not expected to be as high, in part because plenty of high-profile programs are still going through spring practice. 

After an athlete is officially in the portal, there is no rush on making a decision as long as they are properly enrolled at a new institution in time for fall camp. Commitments do not have to be made during the 15-day window. Grad transfers are allowed to enter the portal at any time. 

Roster retention will be crucial for programs, with NIL playing a vital role in keeping rosters together in the new age of college football. Exactly 645 FBS players transferred in last year’s spring window.