The college football transfer portal as a roster-building mechanism serves its greatest purpose as a means to bolster depth and fill gaps on a given team. But for the most premier programs, it is also an avenue by which teams can acquire some of the sport’s brightest stars. Ohio State, for example, picked up one of college football’s very best defensive players in former Alabama safety Caleb Downs to headline the 2024 transfer cycle.
Both of the last two Heisman Trophy winners played at their latest schools by way of the transfer portal, and that trend could continue this season with some of the best quarterbacks in the land initially signing with other programs. Similarly, stars like running back Quinshon Judkins and wide receiver Isaiah Bond could headline their respective positions this fall after completing offseason moves.
High-level starters reside at every position in the transfer portal, and in a hypothetical world where they all committed to the same team, that squad would undoubtedly have the firepower to compete at the top of the sport.
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Here is the all-transfer team for the upcoming 2024 college football season:
Julian Sayin, Ohio State
Sayin is a rare example of a college football player who entered the transfer portal before his freshman season. The five-star recruit and No. 3 quarterback in the 2024 class enrolled early at Alabama but elected to leave the program when Nick Saban retired, committing shortly thereafter to Ohio State. Sayin was among the earliest Ohio State newcomers to have his black stripe removed, and despite his up-and-down spring practice, he will continue in the coming months to battle for the Buckeyes’ No. 2 quarterback role and projects as the program’s potential signal-caller of the future.
Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State
Damien Martinez, Miami
Judkins could aid Ohio State in thriving more as a power-rushing team in 2024, as the transfer portal’s top-ranked ballcarrier already has a track record of dominance as a volume rusher. The former Ole Miss star is one of six cover athletes for the EA Sports College Football 25 video game. Martinez was a gem of the spring transfer window and brings All-American upside with him to Miami by way of Oregon State, where he excelled in each of his first two college seasons as one of the best players in the Pac-12.
Isaiah Bond, Texas
Evan Stewart, Oregon
Bond was the first Alabama player to hit the transfer portal when Nick Saban announced his retirement. He now settles into a Texas offense that could lead the nation in scoring if it reaches its highest potential, and he figures to be the primary focal point of the Longhorns’ passing attack. Stewart dealt with inconsistent quarterback play and injuries during two seasons at Texas A&M, but in an Oregon offensive system that produced a Heisman Trophy finalist under center last season, the former five-star recruit could be in for a breakthrough.
Amari Niblack, Texas
Amari Niblack would have been a premier target at Alabama last season but marks another Texas-bound departure from the Crimson Tide’s receiving corps. He is a plug-and-play option to replace standout Ja’Tavion Sanders and adds to the Longhorns’ bevy of options in what should be an explosive attack. Niblack caught 20 passes for 327 yards and four touchdowns last season and brings ample experience to the table with his 24 career appearances and five starts.
(T) Cayden Green, Missouri
(G) Jason Zandamela, Florida
(C) Parker Brailsford, Alabama
(G) Andrew Dennis, Michigan State
(T) Lance Heard, Tennessee
Had he stuck with his initial decision to transfer to Iowa, Kadyn Proctor would have been the headliner of the offensive line position, but he instead re-enrolled at Alabama after a whirlwind spring. Instead, Zandamela is the top-ranked transfer at the position and could man a guard spot right out of the gate for Florida. He was the top-ranked interior offensive lineman in the 2024 recruiting class and spent just half an offseason at USC as an early enrollee before returning to his home state to play his freshman season with the Gators.
(EDGE) Nic Scourton, Texas A&M
(DL) Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
(EDGE) Princely Umanmielen, Ole Miss
Two of the top three transfer defensive linemen are pass rushers by nature. Scourton was the star of spring practices for Texas A&M and is a seamless fit into the Mike Elko defense as the reigning Big Ten sacks leader, while Umanmielen represents a significant step forward on the defensive side of the ball for an Ole Miss team on the verge of College Football Playoff contention. Nolen is the highest-rated of the three as more of an interior lineman, and he headlines the Rebels’ top-ranked transfer class.
Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Kentucky
Chris Paul Jr., Ole Miss
Tackett Curtis, Wisconsin
Kentucky benefited greatly from the talent that departed this offseason from Georgia as it not only secured a veteran presence in the middle of its defense in Dumas-Johnson but also locked in its starting quarterback in former Bulldogs backup Brock Vandagriff. Meanwhile, Ole Miss landed a tackling machine and former SEC All-Freshman team honoree in Paul — who registered 137 stops across his first three seasons — and Wisconsin picked up one of USC’s most exciting young defenders in Curtis.
(CB) Nyland Green, Purdue
(CB) A.J. Harris, Penn State
(S) Caleb Downs, Ohio State
(S) Jardin Gilbert, LSU
(CB) Jabbar Muhammad, Oregon
Downs is the crown jewel of the 2024 transfer portal class as a reigning young star on one of the nation’s most potent defenses. He became the first Alabama freshman in program history to lead the Crimson Tide in tackles with his 107 stops, and the National Freshman of the Year has elite upside on an Ohio State defense that perennially churns through top-tier NFL talent. Downs is far from the only blue-chip transfer bolstering defensive backfields across the country, though. Green, for example, is a groundbreaking addition to a Purdue roster in need of a talent influx ahead of the Big Ten’s addition of four new teams.
(K) Graham Nicholson, Alabama
(P) Jack Burgess, Texas Tech
Nicholson was an ultra-reliable special teams star at Miami (Ohio) and converted an incredible 26-of-27 field goal attempts last year, setting the FBS record for most field goals without a miss over a 12-game stretch with 23. He gives the Crimson Tide another elite weapon in the kicking game a year after Will Reichard became the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader. Burgess arrives at Texas Tech as one of the top punters at the FCS level during his two years at Weber State. There, he averaged a tremendous 47.2 yards per punt last year to rank second nationally.
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