More players seem to be entering the college transfer portal every year. For the players it gives them a chance at a new start. For some schools it presents an opportunity to immediately reverse the fortunes of their team – just look at Mel Tucker and Michigan State this season. Here are the top ten players to announce their entry into the transfer portal so far.
Zach Evans – RB, TCU (5-11, 212, Sophomore)
Evans may well be the most sought after player in this year’s transfer portal. He was a highly regarded high school recruit and was the No. 16 overall player in the 2020 class. Bijan Robinson was the only running back ranked ahead of him. Evans committed to the Horned Frogs ahead of offers from the likes of Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State.
His performances in college have more than lived up to this billing. He has averaged an astonishing 7.3 yards on his 146 career carries. As things stand, this would be the ninth best mark in college football history. Evans is incredibly elusive and has forced 40 missed tackles throughout his career. He is also a legitimate home run threat, with a 13% breakaway run rate during his time at TCU. For context, this is higher rate than any of the running backs taken in the first round since 2017. Expect him to land at a major program anytime soon.
Eli Ricks – CB, LSU (6-2, 195, Sophomore)
Ricks was a five-star recruit back in 2020 and the No. 14 overall player in the class. He had an exceptional true freshman season alongside Derek Stingley, giving LSU the most talented cornerback pairing in college football. He earned Freshman All American honours and was named a Second Team All-SEC member in the process. His 2021 season was unfortunately cut short by a shoulder injury, limiting him to just six games.
When healthy, there is no doubting Ricks’ talent. He has given up just 24 completions on his 45 career targets for a total of 373 yards. He has actually allowed just 0.77 yards per coverage snap, which puts him ahead of Stingley. Ricks has all of the movement skills and athleticism you want from a cornerback and offers top tier ball production. He already has 10 forced incompletions throughout his career and has given up a passer rating of just 63.7 throughout his career.
Jahmyr Gibbs – RB, Georgia Tech (5-11, 200, Sophomore)
Great players don’t tend to last on bad programs, and Gibbs had clearly had enough of losing with the Yellow Jackets. He enters the transfer portal with two great years of tape to his name and will have plenty of suitors. A top 100 player in the 2020 class, Gibbs received 28 offers and chose Georgia Tech over a number of college football powerhouses. He has since earned a reputation as one of the most well rounded backs in the country.
Gibbs has averaged 5.2 yards per carry throughout his career, with 69% of that coming after contact. His 0.31 forced missed tackles per touch is also one of the best in college football. It is his skill as a receiver that is likely to see him coveted at the next level though. Gibbs has natural hands, with just one drop on 60 career catchable targets. He has also posted 3.01 yards per route run, which is the second best total of any running back in college football.
Spencer Rattler – QB, Oklahoma (6-1, 205, rs-Sophomore)
This has been a rough year for Rattler. He entered the season as the Heisman favourite and one of a number of players in contention for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 Draft. In the end he was benched in favour of true freshman Caleb Williams. There is no denying that Rattler’s tape was bad. His decision making seemed to get worse and there were far too many ill-thought throws. The highlight reel plays he was known for virtually disappeared too.
Rattler is clearly in need of a fresh start, and still has plenty of potential as an NFL prospect. He possesses one of the liveliest arms in college football and is capable of making some truly spectacular throws. His numbers from 2020 stack up with the best in the country. He ranked second amongst Power Five quarterbacks in big time throw rate and ranked ninth in adjusted completion percentage. There is no doubt he will drafted highly in the future if he can rediscover that form.
Terrence Lewis – LB, Maryland (6-1, 200, Freshman)
This one is a bit of a projection. Lewis was a five-star recruit in the 2021 class and ranked as the No. 21 overall prospect and the top linebacker. As you would expect, he received over 40 offers, including from all of the biggest schools in the country. After initially committing to Tennessee, he switched to Maryland, becoming their fourth highest rated recruit in the 247Sports era. Unfortunately he required ACL and shoulder surgery prior to the 2021 season and hasn’t played a down for the Terrapins all year.
Whilst we haven’t seen Lewis on a college football field, his high school tape is incredibly promising. He is a top tier athlete, with the sideline to sideline speed you need in the modern game. He also shows some ability as a blitzer and looks comfortable in coverage. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Lewis landed in Athens or Tuscaloosa to take the place of their NFL-bound linebackers.
Dillon Gabriel – QB, UCF (6-0, 186, Junior)
Gabriel became the starter for UCF in his freshman season and never looked back. He put up some excellent numbers in his two years as a starter, including throwing 32 touchdowns to just four interceptions in 2020. This saw him voted as a Second Team All AAC member. Many were keen to see him develop in 2021, but injuries cut his season short. Gabriel suffered a fractured collarbone against Louisville in Week 3, missing the rest of the campaign.
As a prospect there is a lot to like about Gabriel. He has the high end arm strength that NFL evaluators will covet. He also knows how to use it and displays some of the best downfield accuracy in the country. In addition to his arm talent, Gabriel possesses the mobility to extend plays and make things happen outside of structure. This is all deserving of offers from Power Five schools.
Tiyon Evans – RB, Tennessee (5-11, 220, Junior)
Evans made the move to Tennessee ahead of the 2021 season as the top ranked JUCO running back in his class. He had been an outstanding player at Hutchinson Community College, averaging 8.8 yards per carry and scoring nine touchdowns in his 12 games. Some may have been concerned about his ability to adjust to the level of competition in the SEC, but he impressed immediately.
Evans played in seven games for the Volunteers this year. He had over 100 scrimmage yards in four of them and led the team in rushing yards with 534 at an average of 6.6 per carry. He forced 22 missed tackles on his 81 carries and logged a very respectable 19.7% explosive run rate. These numbers all rank amongst the best in the SEC. He certainly won’t be short of suitors.
Jadon Haselwood – WR, Oklahoma (6-3, 202, rs-Sophomore)
Haselwood was a coveted recruit out of high school. A consensus five-star prospect, he was the top receiver in the 2019 class, ahead of the likes of Garrett Wilson and George Pickens. He was also the top ranked player from Georgia and the No. 4 overall prospect in the entire class. Haselwood initially committed to the Bulldogs, before switching to the Sooners, becoming their highest rated recruit since Adrian Peterson.
He has been a solid receiver during his time in Norman and he has bounced back from a torn ACL that saw him miss most of the 2020 season. This year he leads the Sooners in receptions and receiving touchdowns and sits second with his 399 receiving yards. These are good numbers, but it feels like Haselwood is still to hit his ceiling. Maybe transferring will help him to find his form.
Joseph Charleston – S, Clemson (6-0, 200, Junior)
Expectations were high for Charleston ahead of his junior season. The former four-star recruit had become a starter for the Tigers in 2020 and looked set for another big season. In the end he was limited to just 68 snaps this year. He hasn’t even seen the field since Week 4. A big part of this has been the excellent form of true freshman Andrew Mukuba, who has effectively kept Charleston sidelined in recent weeks.
He still has plenty to offer though and should be a good starter wherever he ends up. Charleston excels as a box safety, with the explosiveness to make plays downhill. He was a strong run defender in his time at Clemson and proved to be an incredibly reliable open field tackler. Charleston logged a missed tackle rate of just 4%, which was the eighth best amongst all FBS safeties.
Myles Brennan – QB, LSU (6-4, 210, Senior)
Whilst Brennan’s talent has never been in doubt, his impact has been severely limited by injuries. A four-star recruit in 2017, he served as Joe Burrow’s backup in 2019 before taking on the starting role in 2020. Injuries limited him to just three games, but there was a lot to like from his tape. He finished up with 1,112 yards for 11 touchdowns and three interceptions. His adjusted completion rate of 78% was amongst the best in the SEC. He also did a great job of taking care of the football, with just one turnover worthy play on his 145 dropbacks.
An abdominal injury saw him miss the rest of that season. He was then ruled out for 2021 after suffering an arm injury over the summer. This handed the starting role to Max Johnson, who looks set to keep it in 2022. There will be concerns about Brennan’s injury history and his lack of experience – just 224 dropbacks in five years – but he could be a real impact player on the right team next season.