The biggest spring transfer portal winners 

Five weeks removed from the close of the spring transfer portal window, all of the four-star spring portal entrants have now landed with new schools.

Former UTSA wide receiver Zakhari Franklin had been the lone remaining free agent out of that group but committed to Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss on Saturday.

That makes this a good time to take a look back at the spring transfer cycle and, specifically, the teams that upgraded their rosters the most these last couple months.

Here are the 12 biggest winners of the spring portal cycle:

1. Auburn

Coming out of spring ball, Hugh Freeze and his Auburn staff had hoped to add transfer talent at quarterback (most notably) as well as several other spots. They were successful in accomplishing that. The Tigers landed eight transfers, including a likely new starting QB in Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne and as many as four or so other potential starters. There’s a lot of enthusiasm at Auburn about Appalachian State EDGE transfer Jalen McLeod and his ability as a pass rusher. McLeod posted six sacks for App State last season.

2. USC

Lincoln Riley already had a roster good enough for the Trojans to be viewed as a top contender for a spot in the College Football Playoff but added to it by landing the top defensive portal entrant this spring (Georgia defensive line transfer Bear Alexander) as well as one of the top offensive spring transfers (Wyoming guard Emmanuel Pregnon) and former Alabama defensive back Tre’Quon Fegans. Fegans was a top-150 overall recruit in the 2022 recruiting class. In addition to getting Fegans, USC also then secured a commitment from his younger brother, Class of 2025 top safety recruit Anquon Fegans.

3. SMU

Before Sonny Dykes left SMU for TCU, Jordan Hudson was committed to the Mustangs. Now, after a year with Dykes at TCU, Hudson is back to being set to play at SMU. Hudson, an On3 Class of 2022 five-star wide receiver, was one of five Power Five transfers the Mustangs added during the spring along with others like Oklahoma defensive line transfer Kori Roberson and Notre Dame offensive tackle transfer Caleb Johnson. SMU also beat out Power Five schools for North Texas EDGE transfer Cam Robertson.

4. Ole Miss

Only one team, USC, has landed more four-star or better transfers than Ole Miss this offseason. After adding six four-star transfers during the winter, Kiffin and the Rebels secured commitments from two more in the last couple weeks (Franklin and James Madison EDGE transfer Isaac Ukwu) to go along with Tulane cornerback transfer Jadon Canady, UCF cornerback transfer Justin Hodges as well as former Alabama and Nebraska defensive lineman Stephon Wynn. Getting another receiver had been a priority for Ole Miss after Auburn-bound Shane Hooks decommitted in late April, which was then followed by the Rebels dismissing Texas A&M wide receiver transfer Chris Marshall. That made the addition of Franklin, a two-time first-team All-Conference USA selection, a noteworthy win.

5. Alabama

Alabama had been interested in adding another starting-caliber quarterback and ultimately landed a potential starter in Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner, who ended last year with five total touchdowns in the Fighting Irish’s win over South Carolina in the Gator Bowl. The Crimson Tide also added two highly pursued defensive backs, beating out Florida State and others for ex-UAB safety Jaylen Key and LSU, Florida and others for former Louisiana cornerback Trey Amos. Both are expected to factor into the competition for playing time in the Alabama secondary.

6. Florida State

Florida State already had one of the nation’s top wide receivers in Johnny Wilson. By adding Michigan State transfer Keon Coleman, the Seminoles pair the 6-foot-7, 235-pound Wilson with another of the nation’s best receivers and now have one of the top (and biggest) wide receiver tandems in the country. Like with Wilson, NFL scouts project the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Coleman to be an early-round possibility for the 2024 NFL draft.

7. Louisville

Aside from Colorado, you’d be hard-pressed to find another Power Five team that was more active with adding players this spring than Louisville. The Cardinals landed at least 12 transfers this spring after previously adding double-digit transfers during the winter. Most notable were the players Louisville added to its secondary — former North Carolina and Penn State cornerback Storm Duck, fellow ex-UNC All-ACC defensive back Cam’Ron Kelly and former Georgia cornerback Marcus Washington.

8. Miami

As Miami gets ready for what should be a step forward season Year 2 under Mario Cristobal, the Hurricanes found five transfers this spring that could help the team moving forward, including Oklahoma cornerback transfer Jaden Davis, Nebraska running back transfer Ajay Allen and Alabama wide receiver transfer Tyler Harrell. Davis made 22 career starts at Oklahoma, including nine last season.

9. Arkansas

Arkansas upgraded the talent in its front seven on defense by beating out South Carolina and others for former Maryland starting defensive lineman Tank Booker and by edging Auburn, Wisconsin and Florida for Cincinnati linebacker transfer Jaheim Thomas, who recorded 70 tackles for the Bearcats last season. The Razorbacks also added others such as former North Texas All-Conference USA tight end Var’Keyes Gumms.

10. LSU

The biggest of LSU’s two spring portal additions was finding a potential starting running back in Notre Dame transfer Logan Diggs, a Louisiana native who chose the Tigers over South Carolina, Ole Miss and others. Diggs ran for 820 yards and four touchdowns at Notre Dame last season.

11. California

Cal has continued to add talent throughout the offseason, including with close to double-digit additions this spring. Among the spring portal wins for the Golden Bears were two-time All-Mountain West safety and NFL prospect Patrick McMorris, Texas A&M 2022 SEC All-Freshman Team offensive lineman Matthew Wykoff and Washington wide receiver transfer Taj Davis, who caught 47 passes the last two seasons.

12. Oregon

Oregon beat out Miami and others for USC wide receiver transfer Gary Bryant Jr., a former top recruit who posted 44 catches and seven touchdowns for USC in 2021. The Ducks also added a few other transfers, including former Colorado starting cornerback Nikko Reed.

Honorable mentions:

Ohio State, Colorado, Tulane