Never a Dull Moment During Transfer Portal Season

When Lincoln Riley made the stunning decision to leave Oklahoma for Southern California, it started a domino effect with quarterbacks changing in one uniform for another.

Caleb Williams chose to follow Riley to USC, former Oklahoma starter Spencer Rattler also moved on as did two quarterbacks at USC. Welcome to the new world when any coach who doesn’t work the transfer portal will likely be the one on the move for all the wrong reasons.

USC finished fourth in the Pac 12’s South Division during the 2021 season but the Trojans currently are tied for the fourth-best odds at +2800 to win the 2022 College Football Championship according to the Las Vegas odds.

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Two of Riley’s biggest wins on the recruiting trail in recent years were quarterback Caleb Williams, the No. 7 overall prospect in the 2021 class and Mario Williams, the No. 4 rated receiving in the class of 2021.

Both have chosen to follow Riley to Southern California.

Williams didn’t even open the 2021 season as the starting quarterback for the Sooners but when Rattler, who began the season as a Heisman Trophy candidate, struggled Riley didn’t hesitate in turning to the freshman from the Washington, D.C. area. He is listed as the top player in the transfer portal in the 247sports.com database.

Williams threw for 14 touchdowns with just one interception in his first four games as a starter and also ran for three TDs during that span to climb up the list of Heisman contenders. Williams struggled in losses to Baylor and Oklahoma State and was not among the top-10 vote-getters. Those who bet online will certainly be keeping tabs on Williams as the race for the 2022 Heisman heats up.

Williams passed for 1,912 yards with 21 touchdowns and four interceptions along with 435 rushing yards and six more TDs for Oklahoma.

Williams had a quiet freshman season finishing with 380 yards on 35 receptions. Williams had two catches for 10 yards in the two Oklahoma losses.

Crimson Tide Reloading

Not only does Alabama have either the first- or second-best recruiting class on an annual basis, but the Crimson Tide is doing pretty well working the transfer portal as well.

According to the 247sports.com site, cornerback Eli Ricks is the highest-rated defensive player on the transfer portal who has committed to his new school and he will be suiting up for Alabama. The Crimson Tide also added former Georgia Tech running back Jahmyr Gibbs.

Gibbs ran for 746 yards in 2021 and also had 36 catches so he provides the versatility at the running back position that previous Alabama backs have displayed.

Ricks, who committed to LSU on Christmas Day, 2018, was the No. 2 rated cornerback in the Class of 2020 and the 14th overall player nationally. He had four interceptions during the 2020 season including two he returned for touchdowns. Ricks played in just six games in 2021.

Gibbs played 19 games at Georgia Tech and ran for more than 100 yards against Virginia and Virginia Tech. His lone game against an SEC team was against Georgia and he just two carries in that contest.

The most eye-opening transfer had to be receiver Jermaine Burton, who was second on the national-championship Georgia team with 497 receiving yards. He had two catches in the national title game against the Alabama program he is joining. Yes, the transfer portal has created a whole new world in college football but leaving to play for the team that your old school just beat to win the national title is quite the bold move. It’s just a hunch that he might hear a word or two from the Georgia fans the next time the SEC rivals square off.

Once ago, the college football odds will have Alabama as one of the teams to beat heading into the 2022 season.

Alabama did lose linebacker Drew Sanders who transferred to Arkansas.

Quarterbacks Are Always in Demand

It shouldn’t be that much of a surprise that the top three players on the 247sports list of top college football transfers heading into the 2022 season are quarterbacks.

Caleb Williams, who tops the list, is discussed earlier in this article. Quinn Ewers was the top-rated player in the 2021 recruiting class.

Ewers was originally supposed to be in the Class of 2022 but he reclassified to join Ohio State in time for the 2021 season. Three freshmen, led by C.J. Stroud, threw passes for Ohio State during the 2021 season but Ewers did not. Now the former Texas high school football star is headed to play at Texas. Ewers could be throwing to former Alabama tight end Jahleel Billingsley who has also transferred to Texas.

The No. 3 quarterback on the list is Jaxson Dart who is leaving USC to play for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss.

Dart played in six games as a freshman and threw for 1,353 yards with 764 coming in the last three games of the season. With Matt Corral headed to the NFL, there is a starting quarterback opening for the Rebels. He could be handing off to one of the top running backs to transfer as Zach Evans also landed at Ole Miss after rushing for a team-best 648 yards as a sophomore at Texas Christian.

Dillon Gabriel threw for 3,570 yards with 32 touchdowns and four interceptions at Central Florida in 2020. He was on pace to put up similar numbers in 2021 before his season ended after three games. Now he could be the quarterback who replaces Williams at Oklahoma as not only did Williams leave but Rattler is now at South Carolina.

Max Johnson (LSU to Texas A&M) and Kedon Slovis (USC to Pittsburgh) are other top quarterbacks on the move and now there are reports that Jayden Daniels who had thrown for 6,024 yards and rushed for 1,288 in three seasons at Arizona State has also entered his name into the transfer portal and even when as far as the say that the Arizona State program “is a mess” under the guidance of former NFL head coach Herm Edwards.

Jayden Daniels transfer reaction: Arizona State football ‘a mess’ under coach Herm Edwards https://t.co/sWSgwl1sIM via @azcentral @Jeremy_Cluff

— Chris Coppola (@chris_coppola) February 17, 2022

Small School Transfers Look To Make It Big

Not all the high-profile transfers come from the major conferences.

Defensive end Jared Verse had 10 tackles for loss and four sacks during the 2021 season at Albany as the global pandemic resulted in the season being played in the spring. He was named the Colonial Athletic Association’s Defensive Rookie of the Year and was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award.

The Berwick, Pennsylvania, native had four tackles in a game against Syracuse. He will be chasing down other Atlantic Coast Conference quarterbacks as he transferred to Florida State.

Washington State has a new quarterback as Cameron Ward, who threw for 3,896 yards and 40 touchdowns in 11 games over two seasons at Incarnate Word is headed to play for the Cougars.

Big Men Make Bigger Moves

Former Oregon offensive lineman Kingsley Suamataia was the No. 6 rated offensive lineman in the Class of 2021 and he was expected to be protecting quarterbacks and opening holes for the Ducks’ running backs for the next couple of years. However, the native of Orem, Utah,  is returning home to play for Brigham Young.