Transfer portal breakdown: 7 particularly interesting transfer/defensive coordinator combinations

Some transfer portal “marriages,” as it were, seem perfect: They’re a great match of a player’s skills and a coach’s strengths. Last year, for instance, Caleb Williams-Lincoln Riley and Jahmyr Gibbs-Nick Saban fit the bill. But there were some other decisions that, in retrospect, should’ve been recognized early as perfect matches, like Charlie Jones-Jeff Brohm and Christian Gonzalez-Dan Lanning.

Today, we’re looking at seven transfer-defensive coordinator matchups that may have been overlooked but should be quite productive. The combinations are listed alphabetically by school. We looked at seven offensive combinations Wednesday.

Auburn

Transfer/coordinator match: DT Justin Rogers (Kentucky)/DC Ron Roberts
The buzz: Rogers (6 feet 3, 332 pounds) was a part-time starter at Kentucky in 2021, then moved into the starting lineup full-time in ’22. Rogers had 35 tackles in 2022. He didn’t make many splash plays, but that’s not the point. His middle-of-the-line presence is great for Roberts’ style of play. Roberts had been DC at Baylor, and Rogers figures to play the role that 358-pound Siaki Ika did for the Bears. He’ll hold down the fort as an immovable object in the middle of the line, taking up two blockers and letting a safety or a linebacker make the play. Auburn also added veteran DT Lawrence Johnson (Purdue) out of the transfer portal. But Rogers’ size and potential space-eating impact make him more important.

Cincinnati

Transfer/coordinator match: EDGE Daniel Grzesiak (Utah State)/DC Bryan Brown
The buzz: Grzesiak (6-1, 245) transferred to Utah State from Mountain West Conference foe Nevada after the 2021 season and his one-season stopover was a success. Grzesiak led the Aggies with 13 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks (tied for fourth in the league). Now Grzesiak will play for Brown, whose defense at Louisville in 2022 led the nation with 50 sacks and was seventh with 97 TFL. Grzesiak obviously lacks prototypical EDGE-rusher size, but he’s quick and understands leverage. Cincinnati lost its leading sack man (Ivan Pace Jr.), so Grzesiak figures to get numerous opportunities in a defense that looks tailor-made for his skill set.

Colorado

Transfer/coordinator match: CB Travis Hunter (Jackson State)/DC Charles Kelly
The buzz: New Buffs coach Deion Sanders hired Kelly away from Alabama, where he had been safeties coach. Kelly is a former DC at Florida State, where he oversaw defenses that featured the likes of DBs Jalen Ramsey, Derwin James and Ronald Darby. Hunter (6-1, 170) was the top-rated transfer available, and while he played both corner and wide receiver at Jackson State, he would plug a giant hole at corner for Colorado. The Buffs allowed 31 TD passes in 2022, second-most nationally. Kelly’s defense (which figures to have a lot of input from Sanders, especially with the corners) is a great fit for Hunter. Hunter had two picks and 10 pass breakups for Jackson State in 2022.

Iowa

Transfer/coordinator match: LB Nick Jackson (Virginia)/DC Phil Parker
The buzz: Parker annually oversees one of the stingiest defenses in the nation – one in which linebackers make a ton of tackles. And Jackson (6-1, 234) has proven he can make a ton of tackles. He was a three-year starter for Virginia who made 326 tackles in that span. He had at least 104 in each of those seasons. Jackson joins a Hawkeyes linebacker group looking to replace starting ILBs Jack Campbell and Seth Benson. Jackson should slide right into the starting lineup and again produce 100-plus tackles in Parker’s linebacker-friendly defense.

Oklahoma

Transfer/coordinator match: EDGE Dasan McCullough (Indiana)/DC Ted Roof
The buzz: Throughout his long career, Roof’s defenses have been known for being aggressive and always in attack mode. That goes for coach Brent Venables’ defenses at Clemson, too. McCullough (6-5, 230) should fit nicely in that style. He’s rangy and athletic, and was an On3 Consensus national top-100 player in the 2022 recruiting class. He had a good true freshman season at IU, with 49 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and a team-leading four sacks. While OU struggled mightily on defense in 2022, it did lead the Big 12 and was fifth nationally with 99 tackles for loss. Still, the pass rush was inconsistent. While OU racked up the TFL, it had just 26 sacks, fourth in the league. McCullough can help rectify that, as can fellow EDGE transfers Rondell Bothroyd (Wake Forest) and Trace Ford (Oklahoma State).

Oregon

Transfer/coordinator match: LB Jestin Jacobs (Iowa)/DC Tosh Lupoi
The buzz: Yes, Lupoi is the DC, but this still is coach Dan Lanning’s defense. And Lanning’s defenses at Georgia (well, Kirby Smart’s defenses, too) made good use of big and active linebackers. Jacobs (6-4, 238) is big and active. In addition, Jacobs will add some nastiness to an Oregon defense that needs that. Jacobs seems all but certain to line up next to holdover starter Jeffrey Bassa at inside linebacker for the Ducks. Jacobs was an important piece for a defense-first Iowa team in 2021 as an eight-game starter, finishing with 53 tackles. Big things were expected in 2022, but he was injured and played in just two games. Instead, expect big things this season.

Utah

Transfer/coordinator match: LB Levani Damuni (Stanford)/DC Morgan Scalley
The buzz: Damuni (6-2, 242) was a three-year starter for Stanford and obviously is familiar with the Pac-12. He led Stanford in tackles in 2021 (88) and ’22 (79). He was a team captain and an honorable-mention all-league guy in 2022. This is the second year in a row the Utes have signed a veteran Power 5 linebacker out of the transfer portal; last year, it was Florida’s Mohamoud Diabate. Diabate fit well in Scalley’s scheme, but Damuni should be an even better fit because he’s more physical. Damuni should move into Diabate’s vacated spot in the middle, and team with holdover starters Lander Barton and Karene Reid to give the Utes perhaps the best linebacker trio in the Pac-12. (That he is playing for the Utes surely will cause some family angst: His dad, Waqa, is an assistant AD at Utah State and his uncle, Jack Damuni, is director of football relations at BYU.)