Kent State DL CJ West enters the NCAA Transfer Portal

Kent State defensive lineman CJ West has entered his name into the transfer portal.

West has spent the past four years as a member of the Golden Flashes.

In that time, West posted 110 tackles, including 19.5 for loss, and seven sacks during 36 games. The seven sacks allowed him to lead or tie for the lead on the team in two of his four seasons. He also deflected one pass, forced a fumble, and recovered another for their defense.

As a senior last fall, West totaled 40 tackles, seven being for loss, and a pair of sacks.

West played high school football at Nazareth Academy in Illinois. He was a three-star prospect there and the No. 1,319 overall recruit in the 2020 cycle. That’s according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also ranked as a Top-125 DL in the class and a Top-30 player from out of his state.

West is now the 15th transfer to leave Kent this offseason and one of the first in the spring portal cycle. He is one of seven on the defensive side of the football and one of three defensive lineman along with Macyo Williams (Utah State) and Marcus Winfield (Albany).

West will transfer as a graduate student and now play on another school’s defensive line this fall.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. 

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

Ohio DT Rayyan Buell enters the NCAA Transfer Portal

Ohio Bobcats defensive lineman Rayyan Buell has entered the transfer portal, per On3.

He made third-team All-MAC in 2023.

Buell played just two years at Ohio U, posting very strong numbers this past fall, including 12.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and 30 total tackles in 13 games played. Prior to suiting up for the Bobcats, he had been a star at Northwest Mississippi Community College, playing there as a freshman in 2020 and a sophomore in 2021.

While at NWMCC, he was recognized as “Distinguished Academic All-MACCC and first team NJCAA All-Academic selection” according to his bio on Ohio’s webpage. After his many accomplishments at the JuCo level, Buell transferred up to FBS. Now, he could be moving up again, perhaps to a power conference this time.

Unfortunately for Ohio U, Buell isn’t the only recent departure.

Ohio WR Jacoby Jones has also entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, On3 learned on Monday along with the Buell news.

Last season, Jones caught eight passes for 147 yards. He put up big numbers in 2022, amassing 45 receptions for 776 yards and six touchdowns.

Another big name transfer away from OU was former Oklahoma State quarterback Gunnar Gundy, who re-entered the transfer portal back in January after committing to the Bobcats.

Gundy, the son of Mike Gundy, found himself back in the portal after committing to play with Ohio on Jan. 5 after initially entering the transfer portal in December.  Gundy walked on at Oklahoma State ahead of the 2021 season, redshirting in his freshman year. He made four game appearances apiece in the 2022 and 2023 season. In those outings, he completed 19 of 39 pass attempts for 247 yards, three touchdowns, and four interceptions. He also added 19 rush attempts for 70 yards to his stat line.