Transfer portal breakdown: Projecting the 10 most impactful transfer classes

All but two of the 65 Power 5 teams brought in at least one transfer this offseason who can be expected to provide help this fall; Clemson (which signed one player out of the transfer portal) and Georgia (none) are the schools that won’t benefit this season.

As for the other 63? While each of those brought in at least one important player, about 20 percent of them signed transfer classes in which at least five players will make significant impacts – i.e., play key roles in the success (or failure) of the season and potentially contend for all-league and even All-American honors.

This is an attempt to project the 10 most impactful classes. Also listed are the five transfers expected to make the biggest impact. (That does not mean those listed won’t make big impacts; their impact just won’t be as much as the five listed.)

10. Michigan State

Number of transfers: 8.
5 most impactful transfers: TE Daniel Barker (from Illinois), DE Khris Bogle (from Florida), RB Jarek Broussard (from Colorado), LB Aaron Brule (from Mississippi State), G/C Brian Greene (from Washington State).
The skinny: Mel Tucker did excellent work in the transfer portal last season, and looks to have done at least good work this time around. Broussard (and fellow transfer Jalen Berger, from Wisconsin) fill a big need at running back with Kenneth Walker III gone; Broussard is a former Pac-12 MVP. The Spartans make good use of their tight ends, and Barker is an established Big Ten veteran who knows how to get into the end zone (11 touchdowns on 64 career receptions). Greene provides versatility and experience for a line that lost three starters. Bogle and Brule are arrivals from the SEC who will help. Bogle, in particular, is worth watching because of his pass-rush ability; he didn’t get consistent time at Florida but could end up as a force off the edge. Brule is a physical presence for a defense that needed a plug-and-play linebacker; UNLV transfer Jacoby Windmon also will see time at linebacker.

9. LSU

Number of transfers: 16.
5 most impactful transfers: CB Sevyn Banks (from Ohio State), CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse (from Oklahoma State), DB Greg Brooks (from Arkansas), S Joe Foucha (from Arkansas), G Tre’Mond Shorts (from East Tennessee State).
The skinny: Yep, four defensive backs in “most impactful.” The secondary was decimated by transfer portal defections and graduation. Thus, a program known for producing top-flight DBs must have a handful of transfers come through. And this cannot be stressed enough: The newcomers must come through. Brooks (who will be the nickelback) and Foucha are Louisiana natives who already have been multi-year starters in the SEC. Bernard-Converse, another Louisiana native, was an All-Big 12 pick on one of the nation’s best defenses last season. Banks is talented (when healthy) and experienced. Shorts was a four-year starter at ETSU who earned some FCS All-America acclaim. He is a true road-grading masher when it comes to run blocking, which is something LSU hasn’t had for the past few seasons.

8. Miami

Number of transfers: 11.
5 most impactful transfers: DE Mitchell Agude (from UCLA), LB Caleb Johnson (from UCLA), DL Akheem Mesidor (from West Virginia), RB Henry Parrish (from Ole Miss), CB Daryl Porter (from West Virginia)
The skinny: New coach Mario Cristobal signed seven defensive players out of the transfer portal, and all seven figure to see appreciable time. UM needed help – and a lot of it – in the front seven, and that’s where Agude, Johnson and Mesidor come in. Agude can provide a consistent pass-rush threat. Johnson should be a steadying influence at linebacker. Mesidor can play tackle or end, and has the potential to be mighty disruptive, too. Porter looks to be a good fit in the secondary, which was inconsistent last season. Parrish is a Miami native who is part of a deep running back group. He was productive as part of a share-the-wealth group at Ole Miss and should be the same for the Hurricanes.

7. South Carolina

Number of transfers: 9.
5 most impactful transfers: RB Christian Beal-Smith (from Wake Forest), QB Spencer Rattler (from Oklahoma), S Devonni Reed (from Central Michigan), WR Corey Rucker (from Arkansas State), WR Antwane Wells Jr. (from James Madison)
The skinny: Second place is there for the taking in the SEC East, and the Gamecocks have a shot at finishing there because of Rattler. If he can regain his 2020 form – or at least play a lot better than he did last season – the division race becomes even more interesting. Rucker and Wells are coming off big seasons at their respective schools, and their additions give Rattler two proven threats on the outside. Beal-Smith is a solid pickup from Wake; he led the Demon Deacons in rushing last season. Reed was an All-MAC guy at Central Michigan and provides a veteran hand in an underrated secondary.

6. Texas

Number of transfers: 7.
5 most impactful transfers: TE Jahleel Billingsley (from Alabama), QB Quinn Ewers (from Ohio State), WR Isaiah Neyor (from Wyoming), LB Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey (from James Madison), CB Ryan Watts (from Ohio State).
The skinny: Ewers’ return “home” (he is from the Dallas area) certainly received a lot of attention, and he is surrounded by high-level skill-position talent with the Longhorns. Neyor quietly had a great season for a run-first/run-second/run-third Wyoming offense last season, and he and holdover Xavier Worthy should be a dynamite duo. Billingsley has a lot of talent as a receiver, but he also spent a lot of time in Nick Saban’s doghouse. Watts is another Ohio State transfer from the Dallas area, and he will provide help in a secondary that needed it. Tucker-Dorsey was a big fish at the FCS level; though undersized (5 feet 10, 214 pounds), he can help rev up a defense that was atrocious at times last season.

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5. Oklahoma

Number of transfers: 14.
5 most impactful transfers: QB Dillon Gabriel (from UCF), DT Jeffery Johnson (from Tulane), DE Jonah Laulu (from Hawaii), G McKade Mettauer (from California), DB Trey Morrison (North Carolina)
The skinny: Brent Venables was hired off the Clemson staff, and Tigers coach Dabo Swinney famously doesn’t think much of the transfer portal. Good news for Sooners fans: Venables doesn’t seem to have the same aversion to the portal as his former boss. Gabriel should put up monster numbers playing for a coordinator (Jeff Lebby) he has played for before (at UCF in 2019). Mettauer is a solid run-blocker who is a great plug-and-play fit. Johnson was a four-year starter at Tulane who can be an anchor in the middle of the defensive line. Laulu has big-time potential as a pass rusher. Morrison, a four-year starter at UNC, provides a lot of experience for a secondary that doesn’t have many upperclassmen. He is expected to be OU’s nickelback.

4. UCLA

Number of transfers: 13.
5 most impactful transfers: WR Jake Bobo (from Duke), CB Azizi Hearn (from Wyoming), LB Darius Muasau (from Hawaii), DE Grayson Murphy (from North Texas), OT Raiqwon O’Neal (from Rutgers).
The skinny: Chip Kelly might not be a high-level recruiter when it comes to high school prospects (OK, forget the “might not be” part; he’s not), but, man, he and his staff did a great job in the transfer portal this offseason. The roster had a lot of holes, but the new guys filled a lot of those holes. O’Neal has the ability to be an all-conference guy at left tackle. Bobo should be the Bruins’ go-to receiver. Murphy and his twin, Gabriel, should be expected to provide a consistent pass rush off the edge. Muasau is a physical and productive presence at linebacker. And Hearn should be an upgrade in a secondary that was shredded way too often last season.

3. Ole Miss

Number of transfers: 17.
5 most impactful transfers: OT Mason Brooks (from Western Kentucky), LB Troy Brown (Central Michigan), QB Jaxson Dart (from USC), RB Zach Evans (from TCU), TE Michael Trigg (from USC).
The skinny: Ole Miss lost a ton of talent – but Lane Kiffin also brought in a ton of talent from the transfer portal. Dart figures to take over for Matt Corral; he won’t be the same type of runner, but Dart has a good arm and is mobile. The Rebels lost their top four rushers from last season, but Evans has immense talent – when he is focused. Given that he can turn pro after this season, focus shouldn’t be an issue this fall. Brooks is a solid addition up front after a strong career at Western Kentucky. Trigg should be a big-time receiving threat at tight end. Brown is a tackle machine, and while he is a bit undersized (6-1, 220), he plays with passion and a certain ferociousness.

2. Alabama

Number of transfers: 5.
5 most impactful transfers: WR Jermaine Burton (from Georgia), RB Jahmyr Gibbs (from Georgia Tech), WR Tyler Harrell (from Louisville), CB Eli Ricks (from LSU), OT Tyler Steen (from Vanderbilt).
The skinny: Forget quantity; this is about quality. In what should surprise no one, Nick Saban was extremely precision-like in signing high-level players from the transfer portal to fill specific needs. A go-to receiver? Burton. A shutdown corner? Ricks. A starting tackle? Steen. A big-time running back? Gibbs. And a complementary receiver who is a legit deep threat? Harrell. Alabama already had the best roster in the country, yet Saban improved upon it.

1. USC

Number of transfers: 20.
5 most impactful transfers: WR Jordan Addison (from Pitt), CB Mekhi Blackmon (from Colorado), RB Travis Dye (from Oregon), LB Shane Lee (from Alabama), QB Caleb Williams (from Oklahoma).
The skinny: New coach Lincoln Riley did a great job with churning his roster this offseason. He reconfigured his offense and got some help for a defense that simply was not good last season. Williams and Addison were among the top three or four players available in the portal, and they should form a potent pass-catch combo. Dye is an established Pac-12 star already; he is a tough runner with a burst, as well as a solid receiver. Lee figures to be both an emotional and physical leader on defense. Blackmon might be the best player in a revamped secondary that woefully underachieved last season.