College football transfer portal tracker: Where the top players are headed
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Like it or not, the transfer portal has changed college football.
Whether players want a new opportunity because of a coaching change, or a chance to play sooner, the portal is a major part of roster building in the modern age.
And with that freedom comes a lot of interest in elite players looking to capitalize on their eligibility before turning pro.
The 2022 offseason is no exception, with many prominent players taking a flier on a new coach, new surroundings, and a new life.
Where are the top players in the transfer portal heading for the 2022 football season?
College football transfer portal tracker: Where the top players are headed
JT Daniels, QB
Where he was: USC, then Georgia
Where he's going: West Virginia
Need to know: Undefeated as starter and a national champion at Georgia, Daniels still didn't get all that much playing time. Injuries, recovery, and Stetson Bennett's hometown hero story fixed that. But this is still a very promising player with a ton of unearthed potential looking to get in more playing time before turning pro. Daniels was a 72 percent passer in limited action this last fall and has 17 TDs to his name in that time.
Jordan Addison, WR
Where he was: Pittsburgh
Where he's going: USC
Need to know: The consensus No. 1 wide receiver in the transfer portal is headed to Southern Cal, which also comes in at No. 1 in the College Football HQ transfer team rankings. Addison is the nation's reigning Biletnikoff Award winner after leading the nation with 17 touchdown catches last fall on Pittsburgh's ACC championship team. Now he steps into one of the most improved offenses in the sport, spearheaded by 5-star transfer quarterback Caleb Williams and a bevy of other weapons.
Eli Ricks, CB
Where he was: LSU
Where he's going: Alabama
Need to know: The standout defensive back decided against playing a part in Brian Kelly's rebuild at LSU and will instead try his luck with the Tigers' SEC West rival.
The former 5-star prospect from California had 11 tackles and a pick in six games last season, one that ended following a loss to Kentucky when he decided to have surgery on a shoulder injury.
But he can still build on a brilliant freshman season. Ricks picked off four passes, scoring two TDs off them, and broke up nine passes in 2020.
Caleb Williams, QB
Where he was: Oklahoma
Where he's going: USC
Need to know: Another huge blow for Brent Venables as he takes the Oklahoma job, and a major coup for the Trojans. Williams burst onto the college football scene in 2021, stepping in for Spencer Rattler during OU's game against Texas.
Williams completed 64.6% of his passes for 1,916 yards with 21 TDs and four interceptions last season. He finished No. 6 nationally in pass efficiency, one spot behind Bryce Young, despite starting just seven games. Now he's reunited with Lincoln Riley as the key piece in what should be a vastly improved USC offense.
Travis Dye, RB
Where he was: Oregon
Where he's going: USC
Need to know: Another bombshell in the transfer portal, as Oregon's former starting running back and the Pac-12 leader in all-purpose yards last season is out of Eugene.
Dye ran 211 times a year ago, averaging 6.0 ypc for 1,271 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground. He added 402 yards off 46 catches for two more scores. Not an ideal development for first-year coach Dan Lanning, especially with him heading to Oregon's main competition for a Pac-12 title — the suddenly re-loaded Trojans.
Ochaun Mathis, DE
Where he was: TCU
Where he's going: Nebraska
Need to know: Mathis started at TCU for three seasons, but set out on his own after Gary Patterson's departure. The lineman earned second-team All Big 12 honors last fall for the Horned Frogs, adding four sacks and seven tackles for loss with three pass breakups. Mathis was second-team All Big 12 in 2020, when he led the conference with nine sacks and placed third with 14 tackles for loss. Now he lands with the Cornhuskers, whose pass rush gets a lot better with him in the rotation.
Dillon Gabriel, QB
Where he was: UCF, then UCLA
Where he's going: Oklahoma
Need to know: A reunion with offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby is just what the doctor ordered for Gabriel, who is looking to get back on track after missing most of 2021 with injury. He briefly transferred to UCLA, but swapped out for OU and Lebby's quarterback-friendly offensive scheme. Gabriel has 78 all-purpose career TDs despite playing roughly two full seasons and should succeed quickly at his new school. Lebby and Gabriel engineered a top 10 offense together at UCF during the 2019 season.
Quinn Ewers, QB
Where he was: Ohio State
Where he's going: Texas
Need to know: Once the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2022 class, Ewers re-classified in order to join Ohio State in 2021. That was after he had originally committed to Texas the year before. But the new NIL changes inspired the quarterback to start his college football career a year early.
But sitting in the No. 4 slot at OSU didn't suit Ewers, who transferred back to the Longhorns this offseason. And in the process infuses that program with a ton of optimism going into next season. The Southlake Carroll prospect scored 73 touchdowns as a high school player the last two seasons.
Jaylon Robinson, WR
Where he was: UCF
Where he's going: Ole Miss
Need to know: The wideout landed at UCF after starting his college football career at Oklahoma and turned into one of the AAC's best skill players.
He placed third in the league two seasons ago with 979 yards off 55 catches with six touchdowns. A knee injury slowed his 2021 season, but Robinson still had two TDs off 18 catches for 322 yards. Now, he's fully healthy with two years of eligibility to burn.
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB
Where he was: Georgia Tech
Where he's going: Alabama
Need to know: A huge get for the Crimson Tide, which needs an upgrade at the position, and should get one from a ball carrier who rushed for 1,206 yards and eight touchdowns in two seasons at Tech. Gibbs, a highly-versatile skill player, was the Yellow Jackets' top-rated recruit in 2020. He supplied 768 more yards as a receiver to go with five TDs and amassed 794 yards and another score as a kick return specialist.
Spencer Rattler, QB
Where he was: Oklahoma
Where he's going: South Carolina
Need to know: At the start of the college football season, Rattler was at or near the top of every Heisman watch list. At the end of the season, he's in another conference. OU's slow starts on offense led to a change at quarterback, as Lincoln Riley switched from Rattler to Caleb Williams and never looked back.
That's despite Rattler going 5-0 to start for the Sooners. At season's end, with his job and his coach gone, Rattler made the move to the SEC East. While you can argue South Carolina has a ways to go competing next season, having Rattler at QB is a huge step in the right direction. Rattler is a 70 percent passer with almost 4,600 yards and 40 touchdowns.
Tyler Harrell, WR
Where he was: Louisville
Where he's going: Alabama
Need to know: Alabama's offense figures to be great with Harrell on the receiving end. One of the fastest players at any position in college football, Harrell had 18 catches for 523 yards and six touchdowns a year ago at Louisville. A credible deep threat, the Miami native caught touchdown passes of 59 yards, 75 yards, and 92 yards as a collegian.
Jayden Daniels, QB
Where he was: Arizona State
Where he's going: LSU
Need to know: The quarterback battle at LSU just got a lot more interesting for first-year coach Brian Kelly to sort out. Daniels brings mobility and athleticism to the position, but Myles Brennan brings more consistent passing marks.
Daniels first emerged as the Sun Devils' starting quarterback as a freshman in 2019. Last season, Daniels completed 65.4 percent of his pass attempts, throwing 10 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and finishing with the lowest YPA mark of his career.
Jaxson Dart, QB
Where he was: USC
Where he's going: Ole Miss
Need to know: The quarterback passed for 1,353 yards and nine TDs against five picks while completing 62% of his passes a year ago. That, in just six games after Kedon Slovis' injury when Dart stepped into the starting role. Dart entered the transfer portal shortly after Caleb Williams did. That led to rumors Williams would replace Dart, who in turn will take a hand in driving Lane Kiffin's offense this fall.
Jermaine Burton, WR
Where he was: Georgia
Where he's going: Alabama
Need to know: The wideout finishes his UGA career with 53 career receptions, amassing 901 receiving yards and eight touchdowns with four carries for 50 yards. He played in 24 games the last two seasons, and led the Bulldogs in receiving en route to their first national championship in 41 years. Now he joins a re-loaded Crimson Tide squad ready to make another run at the College Football Playoff in '22.
Emory Jones, QB
Where he was: Florida
Where he's going: Arizona State
Need to know: Jones had his ups and downs at UF, but his ups were something to build on. He completed 68 percent of his pass attempts for 2,563 yards, 19 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in the regular season, adding 133 rushing attempts for 697 yards and four touchdowns, but his 13 interceptions were the most among all quarterbacks in the SEC.
Jones finished at No. 10 in the SEC last fall with 213.6 passing yards per game and 58 rushing yards per game. In total, the quarterback accounted for almost 58 percent of the Gators' overall offensive production. Florida ranked No. 15 in total offense in 2021.
Bru McCoy, WR
Where he was: USC
Where he's going: Tennessee
Need to know: McCoy was a consensus 5-star recruit coming out of high school and has the speed and power to emerge as a legitimate outside threat. But he didn't play last season for USC, but caught 21 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns the year before. Some off-field issues inspired a transfer, and he lands with a Vols offense that placed top 10 in college football last fall behind the efficient play of quarterback Hendon Hooker.
Myles Brennan, QB
Where he was: LSU
Where he's going: Back to LSU
Need to know: Not long after LSU hired Brian Kelly as head coach, the Mississippi native entered his name into the college football transfer portal. But after a chat with the new coach, the quarterback decided to stay on after all.
And good news for the Tigers, too. In just three games a year ago, Brennan went 79 of 131 passing for 1,112 yards and 11 touchdowns with three INTs. His return bodes well for LSU after the school lost Max Johnson to the portal.
Kedon Slovis, QB
Where he was: USC
Where he's going: Pittsburgh
Need to know: The former Trojans signal caller came into the season as a Heisman favorite, but now he's looking for a new school. Slovis originally took the job after JT Daniels' injury, throwing for 3,502 yards and 30 TDs, inspiring Daniels to transfer to Georgia.
But the quarterback regressed from those early numbers. Slovis passed for 2,152 yards with 11 TDs and eight picks in nine games this past season. That, plus injury concerns, moved USC to play Jaxson Dart more instead.
Bo Nix, QB
Where he was: Auburn
Where he's going: Oregon
Need to know: The son of Auburn quarterback Patrick Nix, Bo started 34 straight games for the Tigers. He passed for over 2,500 yards with 16 TDs as the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2019. But he struggled through inconsistent play and a changes at head coach and offensive coordinator.
Nix finishes his Auburn career as the school's third-leading all-time passer with 7,251 yards. He scored 57 total touchdowns, passing and rushing combined.
Max Johnson, QB
Where he was: LSU
Where he's going: Texas A&M
Need to know: The other LSU quarterback is now also leaving town as Brian Kelly comes on as head coach. Johnson played 12 games for the Tigers this season, throwing 27 TDs against just six INTs. Johnson passed for 2,814 yards and completed almost 61 percent of his passes, but LSU benched him in favor of Garrett Nussmeier for the Arkansas game.
Texas A&M emerged as a destination when the quarterback's brother, 4-star tight end Jake Johnson, pledged to the Aggies during the college football early signing period.