Several of the nation’s best college football programs entered the offseason looking for quality over quantity in the transfer portal. A handful of consensus top-25 teams like Ohio State, Tennessee and LSU were selective in the portal and added fewer than 10 transfers. Preseason top-five squads like Georgia and Alabama also had the luxury of picking and choosing in the portal and filled needs with lean transfer hauls.
The Tigers and Volunteers’ portal classes don’t pop off the page, checking in at No. 43 and No. 32 in the transfer class rankings, respectively. However, they skyrocket into the top 10 classes when sorted by average rating per commit. The Buckeyes and Bulldogs also jump in the pound-for-pound method, usurping teams like Colorado (42 commits) and Texas A&M (28), whose rankings are skewed by large commitment numbers.
Some schools managed to add both quantity and quality this offseason. Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss landed at No. 1 in the overall portal class ranking and cracked the top 15 in average rating per commit.
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Here are the top 10 pound-for-pound college football transfer portal classes, ranked:
15. OKLAHOMA SOONERS
Commits: 16 | Average Player Rating: 88.46
Overall Class Ranking: No. 20
Edge Caiden Woullard (No. 28) and wide receiver Deion Burks (No. 48) headline an Oklahoma portal class that features four top-150 transfers.
14. OLE MISS REBELS
Commits: 24 | Average Player Rating: 88.63
Overall Class Ranking: No. 1
There’s quantity and quality in Ole Miss’ portal class, which tops the overall rankings. The Rebels have the second-largest class in the SEC at 24 players and landed the top-ranked defensive lineman Walter Nolen and second-ranked edge Princely Umanmielen.
13. TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Commits: 28 | Average Player Rating: 88.72
Overall Class Ranking: No. 4
Texas A&M sits No. 4 in the overall transfer rankings thanks to a whopping 28 commits, the most in the SEC. Six of those players rank inside the top 150.
12. NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH
Commits: 9 | Average Player Rating: 88.88
Overall Class Ranking: No. 42
Notre Dame makes the second-biggest jump of any team on this list, going from No. 42 in the overall ranking to No. 12 in the pound-for-pound metric. Duke stars quarterback Riley Leonard (No. 44) and edge RJ Oben (No. 42) headline the Irish’s class.
11. MISSOURI TIGERS
Commits: 15 | Average Player Rating: 88.93
Overall Class Ranking: No. 14
Missouri entered the offseason looking to bolster its offensive line and secondary. It came out of the portal with Cayden Green, the No. 2 offensive tackle and Toriano Pride, the No. 9 cornerback.
Commits: 15 | Average Player Rating: 88.94
Overall Class Ranking: No. 10
Miami’s portal class landed at No. 10 in both our overall and pound-for-pound rankings. Cam Ward, the No. 4 quarterback, is a Heisman Trophy candidate and one of the most important figures in college football this season. The Hurricanes added plenty of talent around him in the portal, too. Mario Cristobal and Co. signed four-star running back Damien Martinez from Oregon State and four-star wide receiver Sam Brown from Houston. Louisville edge Tyler Baron headlines three four-star defenders to pledge to the Hurricanes.
Commits: 9 | Average Player Rating: 89.0
Overall Class Ranking: No. 43
It was a lean transfer portal haul for an LSU, but a good one. The Tigers make the biggest jump of any team in these rankings, going from No. 43 in the overall ranking to No. 9 in the pound-for-pound metric. Texas A&M safety Jardin Gilbert is the highest-rated of the bunch at No. 27 overall. Liberty wide receiver CJ Daniels gives the Tigers a second transfer in the top 50 at No. 45 overall.
Commits: 16 | Average Player Rating: 89.27
Overall Class Ranking: No. 5
Florida needs a big year in 2024, and Billy Napier went to work this offseason. The Gators signed the No. 13 high school recruiting class in 2024 and added on top of it with the No. 5 portal group. Though Florida dips to No. 8 in our pound-for-pound rankings, this is class isn’t short on top-end talent. Top-rated interior offensive lineman Jason Zandamela was a huge addition to the front lines, while fellow top-50 recruit Joey Blackman should instantly bolster the Gators’ defensive front. The Gators took a gamble on former five-star corner Cormani McClain, and it could pay off big time if he gets back on track.
Commits: 17 | Average Player Rating: 89.35
Overall Class Ranking: No. 7
Florida State said goodbye to quarterback Jordan Travis, running back Trey Benson and wide receivers Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson this offseason but added replacements at each position with DJ Uiagalelei, Roydell Williams, Jalen Brown and Malik Benson. The Seminoles also minimized the loss of first-round pick Jared Verse with former Georgia star Marvin Jones Jr., the No. 5 edge in the transfer portal.
Commits: 9 | Average Player Rating: 89.63
Overall Class Ranking: No. 32
Tennessee’s 2024 season is riding on the shoulders of redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava. So, it makes sense that the Volunteers sought to find the right pieces to add around him in the transfer portal. Lance Heard instantly shores up the left tackle spot after allowing just three pressures across 195 total snaps at LSU last season. Former Tulane wide receiver Chris Brazzell II gives Iamaleava another target down the field, while ex-Notre Dame tight end Holden Staes looked like a Day 1 starter during spring ball.
Commits: 15 | Average Player Rating: 90.07
Overall Class Ranking: No. 3
A lot of Alabama’s transfer class followed Kalen DeBoer from Washington, which isn’t a bad thing after the Huskies went undefeated up until the national championship game last season. Getting former five-star offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor back after he briefly left for Iowa was huge and added to the Crimson Tide’s transfer ranking. Alabama likely fixed its snapping woes after adding former Washington Husky Parker Brailsford, one of the nations’ top centers last season. Four-star safeties King Mack and Keon Sabb were much-needed additions to a secondary with a couple of question marks entering 2024.
Commits: 14 | Average Player Rating: 90.46
Overall Class Ranking: No. 2
Dan Lanning is acquiring talent as well as anyone in the country right now. Oregon stabilized the quarterback room for years to come with Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel and UCLA’s Dante Moore and injected game-breaking ability out wide with former Texas A&M wideout Evan Stewart. The Ducks fielded a top-10 defense last season and got better on paper this offseason with the additions of ex-Michigan State edge Derrick Harmon, former Alabama safety Peyton Woodyard and ex-Houston defensive lineman Jamaree Caldwell.
Commits: 11 | Average Player Rating: 90.56
Overall Class Ranking: No. 15
Georgia didn’t fool around with the portal last offseason, adding just four transfers. Kirby Smart and Co. altered their philosophy this offseason and signed a top-15 overall class that looks even better in our pound-for-pound metric. Former Miami wideout Colbie Young is a big-play threat while London Humphreys looks like the perfect Ladd McConkey replacement. Ex-Florida running back Trevor Etienne is a threat to spread his wings in the Bulldogs’ offense. Smart also added big-time talent to the quarterback room after spring camp with former Arizona State QB Jaden Rashada.
Commits: 11 | Average Player Rating: 90.73
Overall Class Ranking: No. 6
Replacing Xavier Worthy, AD Mitchell and Ja’Tavion Sanders was a tall task entering the portal, but Steve Sarkisian and Co. managed well. The Longhorns landed top-rated receiver Isaiah Bond and another top-50 prospect outside, ex-Houston WR Matthew Golden. Alabama transfer Amari Niblack fills the void at tight end. Texas added a pair of Day 1 starters in former Clemson safety Andrew Mukuba and ex-UTSA edge rusher Trey Moore, who ranked third in the nation with 14.0 sacks last season.
Commits: 7 | Average Player Rating: 92.86
Overall Class Ranking: No. 9
Quality over quantity. Ohio State could afford to be picky this offseason but still landed a top-10 overall class with just seven transfers. Only six transfers earned a five-star rating in the portal this offseason, and the Buckeyes signed two of them: Safety Caleb Downs and quarterback Julian Sayin. The former Alabama players are the top-rated at their position, but Ohio State’s class doesn’t stop there. Running back Quinshon Judkins is a rolling ball of razorblades and shot north to Columbus from Ole Miss in January. Quarterback Will Howard is poised to be one of college football’s most important players next season after a prolific career at Kansas State.
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