Oregon Football's Impressive 14 Transfer Portal Commits: Comprehensive List

Oregon football has compiled a group of 14 transfer portal players. Most recently, snagging former Alabama safety Peyton Woodyard and former Michigan State defensive tackle Derrick Harmon.
Derrick Harmon, Evan Stewart, Dillon Gabriel
Derrick Harmon, Evan Stewart, Dillon Gabriel /

Oregon football is embracing the transfer portal. Oregon coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks have landed some of the top talent from the best programs in the country via transfer, to solidify the roster as they head to the Big Ten Conference.

In total, the Ducks have added 14 players and have the No. 2 ranked transfer portal class, according to 247Sports, trailing Ole Miss.

This weekend, Lanning bolstered the defense with two highly-sought after players in former Alabama safety Peyton Woodyard and former Michigan State defensive tackle Derrick Harmon.

“We always recruit,” said coach Dan Lanning during Oregon's spring football practices.  It doesn’t ever feel like we’re not recruiting."

Derrick Harmon, Evan Stewart, Dillon Gabriel
Derrick Harmon, Evan Stewart, Dillon Gabriel /

A look at each of these 14 players:

Safety Peyton Woodyard: Transferred from Alabama. A highly touted safety from the 2024 class, he entered the transfer portal last week after the departure of legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban.

Defensive lineman Derrick Harmon: Transferred from Michigan State. Standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 320 pounds, the redshirt junior emerged as a formidable force on Michigan State's defensive line last season with 40 tackles.

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel: Transferred from Oklahoma. Gabriel has one year of eligibility remaining and a proven track record of success. As a senior at Oklahoma last year, Gabriel completed a remarkable 69 percent of his passes for 3,660 yards and 30 touchdowns alongside just six interceptions in 12 regular season games.

Receiver Evan Stewart: Transferred from Texas A&M. The acrobatic Stewart totaled 1,163 receiving yards and six touchdowns in two seasons, despite an early season ankle injury in 2013 that resulted in diminished production. He calls himself a "jack-of-all-trades."

Cornerback Jabbar Muhammad: Transferred from Washington. Muhammad made his mark against Pac-12 competition. Muhammad started in all 15 games played for the Huskies. Post season honors include a second-team All-Pac-12. He was second in the Pac-12 in passes defended with 20. His stat sheet reflected 46 total tackles, three interceptions, one fumble recovery and two sacks.

Quarterback Dante Moore: Transferred from UCLA. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound signal-caller has moved quickly to build a relationship with Oregon offensive coordinator, Will Stein. As a freshman at  UCLA, he threw for 11 touchdowns against nine interceptions, going 114-for-213, with a 53.5 completion percentage.

Offensive lineman Matthew Bedford: Transferred from Indiana. The 6-foot-6, 305-pound lineman started 38 of 41 games for the Hoosiers over the last five seasons. Bedford flipped his committment to Oregon from Colorado.

Running back Jay Harris: Transferred from Northwest Missouri State. In two seasons with Bearcats, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound back played in 15 games and ran for 1,645 total yards and 19 touchdowns on 292 carries. 

Safety Kobe Savage: Transferred from Kansas State. Savage played 22 games at Kansas State, finishing with 124 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, six interceptions, three pass breakups, and a pair of forced fumbles. Savage is known for sleeping in the film room because of his dedication.

Kicker Atticus Sappington: Transferred from Oregon State. Sappington led the Pac-12 Conference and ranked fifth nationally with a field-goal percentage at 92.86 percent last season, converting on 13-of-14 attempts.

Cornerback Kam Alexander: Transferred from UTSA. Most recently, Alexander was named the Defensive MVP of the Frisco Bowl in a 35-17 UTSA win over Marshall. In that game, Alexander allowed zero catches, with one interception and two pass breakups.

Defensive lineman Ja'Maree Caldwell: Transferred from Houston. While at Houston, the 6-foot-1, 325-pounder mostly played the two interior tackle positions, but also was effective when shifted to the left side of the defensive line. During his two years and 20 games at Houston, he recorded 39 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 8.5 sacks. The redshirt junior has one season left of eligibility.

Defensive back Brandon Johnson: Transferred from Duke. Johnson is a 5-foot-10 junior and started the last two seasons, earning honorable mention All-ACC selection in both 2022 and 2023.

Safety Cruz Rushing: Transferred from Arizona, where he utilized a redshirt last season.


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Bri Amaranthus
BRI AMARANTHUS

Bri Amaranthus is an Emmy-winning sports reporter with over 12 years of experience in television, radio, podcasting, and digital sports journalism. She has been with Sports Illustrated for four years, providing breaking news, exclusive interviews, and analysis on the NFL, college sports, and the NBA. Prior to joining SI, Bri hosted NBC Sports Northwest's prime-time television show, where she also served as the Oregon beat reporter and created content covering both the NBA and college sports. Throughout her career, Bri has achieved significant milestones, including covering major events like the NBA Finals, NFL playoffs, College Football Playoff, NCAA Basketball Tournament, NFL Draft, and the NFL Combine. She earned a D1 scholarship to play softball at the University of San Diego and won two state softball titles in high school in Oregon. In addition to her Emmy win for NBC's All-Star Coach special, she has received multiple Emmy nominations, highlighting her dedication and talent in sports journalism.