Transfer portal notebook: Current leaders in 7 major statistical categories are transfers

By now, if you’re “against” the transfer portal, surely you’ve realized it’s a lost cause. Almost every coach – albeit some begrudgingly – uses the portal, and there is no shortage of transfers coming through in a big way. Consider this: Current leaders in seven major statistical categories are transfers.

+ Passing yards: The leader is Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. (1,733 yards), who left Indiana after the 2021 season. In addition, three of the top five are transfers. The others: No. 4 Austin Reed (1,663) of Western Kentucky, a transfer from Division II West Florida, and No. 5 Jayden de Laura (1,633) of Arizona, a transfer from Washington State. In all, nine of the top 20 are transfers.

+ Rushing yards: The leader is Illinois’ Chase Brown (733 yards), who transferred from Western Michigan after the 2018 season. And second is Marshall’s Khalan Laborn (731), who transferred from Florida State in the offseason.

+ Receiving yards: The leader is Old Dominion’s Ali Jennings (688), who transferred from West Virginia following the 2020 season. And as with passing yards, three of the top five in receiving yards are transfers. The others: No. 3 Charlie Jones (588) of Purdue, an Iowa transfer, and No. 5 Jacob Cowing (566) of Arizona, a UTEP transfer.

+ Sacks: Not only is the top sack man – Arkansas’ Drew Sanders, with 6.5 – a transfer – so are three others in the top five. Sanders is an Alabama transfer. Tied for second with six are UCLA’s Laiatu Latu (from Washington) and Cincinnati’s Ivan Pace Jr. (from Miami of Ohio), and Michigan State’s Jacoby Windmon (from UNLV) is fourth with 5.5.

+ Tackles for loss: It’s Pace, with 13.5, four more than anyone else. Players tied for second and fifth also are transfers. Washington State’s Daiyan Henley (from Nevada) is second with 9.5 and Georgia Tech’s Ayinde Eley (Maryland) is tied for fifth with 8.5. Two others in the top 10 – Windmon and Missouri’s Ty’Ron Hopper (Florida) – are transfers, too.

+ Interceptions: Nevada’s Bentlee Sanders (from USF) is tied for the national lead with four picks.

+ Forced fumbles: Three of the top four in the category are transfers. Windmon leads with four. Among the three tied for second with three forced fumbles are Eley and Michigan State’s Kendell Brooks, a transfer from Division II North Greenville (S.C.).

New transfer portal rules in action

The NCAA announced new transfer portal rules August 31, which require student-athletes to enter the portal during specific windows pertaining to their sport’s season. For football players, that means there is a combined 45-day “window” – this offseason, it’s December 5 through January 4, then again April 15-30. (It had been May 1-15, but the NCAA Division I Council voted Wednesday to move it.)

There is an exception in the window for grad transfers and for those whose coach has been fired; those athletes can enter anytime.

Last year, 22 football players entered the portal in the last week of September. This year, it was six.

Transfers in the spotlight

There are numerous interesting portal stories with this week’s schedule. Here are five.

+ NC State DT Cory Durden vs. Florida State: Durden is a sixth-year senior who began his career at Florida State. Though he grew up about 20 miles from Florida’s campus in Newberry, Fla., Durden signed with FSU as part of the 2017 recruiting class (Jimbo Fisher’s last with the Seminoles). He redshirted that fall, played extensively as a reserve in 2018 and 2020 and was a starter in 2019. He moved on to NCSU following the ’20 season and was a first-team All-ACC performer in 2021. Durden is coming off his best game of the season in a loss to Clemson, and will need to make his presence felt against an FSU ground game that is one of the best in the ACC.

+ North Carolina C Corey Gaynor vs. Miami: Gaynor is a sixth-year senior who played his first five seasons at UM. A Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native, Gaynor was the Hurricanes’ starting center the past three seasons (he was hurt in the third game last season and missed the rest of the year). He transferred to UNC during the offseason and has started the first five games at center for the Heels. Starting Gs William Barnes and Edwin Montilus also are Florida natives (both from Apopka High, in the Orlando suburbs), and the interior trio will be tasked with trying to carve out space against a Hurricanes defense that has been good against the run (85.0 rushing yards per game, 2.83 yards per rush).

+ Texas Tech OT Monroe Mills vs. Oklahoma State: Mills saw action on just 24 plays in two games in his first two years at Oklahoma State, then transferred to Texas Tech following the 2021 season. He has started all five games for the Red Raiders at right tackle this season. Mills and his linemates will face off against a talented Oklahoma State defensive line; the Cowboys have 12 sacks, and edge rushers have 11 of them.

+ Washington State QB Cameron Ward vs. QB Caleb Williams: This is one of two interesting Pac-12 matchups with teams whose starting quarterbacks are transfers. This also is one of the most-sided “rivalries” in the Pac-12, with USC leading 62-10-4. Washington State is 4-1, with the setback a three-pointer to Oregon in a game in which the Cougars led by 12 with four minutes left. Any hope for an upset in this one means Ward needs to put up huge passing numbers. Williams, meanwhile, faces a defense that gave up 458 total yards to Bo Nix.

+ Arizona QB Jayden de Laura vs. Oregon QB Bo Nix: Speaking of Nix, here’s the other interesting Pac-12 matchup with transfer quarterbacks. Nix is coming off three consecutive “good” games (BYU, Washington State and Stanford), and Arizona’s defense has some issues. De Laura is second in the Pac-12 with 14 TD passes – and Oregon is last in the league in pass defense. De Laura threw for 601 yards and four TDs in two games against the Ducks while at Washington State.