Five intriguing college football transfer portal recruitments to monitor this week

Just when it looked like the major pieces of the puzzle were starting to fit into place and the college football transfer cycle was winding down, think of Lee Corso cutting in with his trademark "Not so fast, my friend!"

As of early Monday, 18 of the top 20 players on On3's transfer portal rankings (and an overwhelming majority of the top 100 had already found landing spots within the first week and a half of the transfer portal opening.

Then another major one joined the party late as Colorado offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, a former five-star, entered the transfer portal later Monday.

Just when it seemed like the top two offensive tackles were already claimed with NC State's Jaccurius Peak committing to South Carolina and LSU's Carius Curne landing at Ole Miss, Seaton sparked what will surely be a fresh bidding war.

On3 ranks him the No. 7 overall player in the portal.

The point being, there's still plenty of intrigue left to unfold this transfer cycle. Here are the five most interesting transfer recruitments to monitor this week, starting with that one.

Former Colorado offensive tackle Jordan Seaton is now the most coveted OT in the transfer portal. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

1. OT Jordan Seaton

Seaton was a five-star prospect coming out of IMG Academy in Florida, the No. 1-ranked OT and the No. 17 overall recruit in the 2024 class, per the 247Sports Composite.

He started 22 games at Colorado before an injury cut his sophomore season short by three games, and in that time he emerged as one of the better left tackles in the country.

In 612 pass-blocking snaps (809 overall) as a true freshman for the Buffs, Seaton allowed just 3 sacks and did not allow a sack in 11 of 13 games. As a sophomore, he yielded 1 sack, 0 QB hits and 5 pressures over 541 snaps as a second-team All-Big 12 selection.

On3's Pete Nakos, who specializes in covering the transfer portal, reported that Seaton could command at least $2 million. He noted that Texas and Oregon were early front-runners for Seaton, with LSU, Ole Miss, Miami, Texas Tech and Texas A&M also potentially in play.

But obviously, this recruitment is just starting and shaping up, so there's no telling what direction it will go from here.

Former Missouri defensive end Damon Wilson is the most coveted edge rusher remaining in the transfer portal. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

2. EDGE Damon Wilson II

Wilson is once again one of the more intriguing transfer stories for the second year in a row.

Last year, Wilson left Georgia for Missouri, and it later came out that Georgia is pursuing legal action, claiming Wilson owes $390,000 for breaking an NIL agreement, with Wilson then countersuing in December.

Meanwhile, he's back in the transfer portal after a big season at Missouri in which he tallied 9 sacks, 13 quarterback hurries and 23 total tackles.

He is the No. 6 overall player in On3s transfer portal rankings.

There are reports Wilson will visit LSU this week. Miami, Ohio State and Texas Tech have also been floated as logical landing spots, and Alabama could be another one to watch as it was very involved in his initial recruitment out of high school, albeit with the former coaching staff.

Former Michigan running back Justice Haynes is one of the top remaining talents in the transfer portal. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

3. RB Justice Haynes

Haynes was one of the top running backs in college football for the first two months of the season before a foot injury sidelined him the rest of the way.

He is also one of the biggest transfer portal success stories to that point, leaving Alabama after two seasons for Michigan and breaking out in a big way with 857 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on an elite 7.1 yards per carry.

Haynes topped 100 yards and scored a touchdown in six of the seven games he played, including 149 yards and a TD on 8.8 YPC vs. Nebraska and 152 yards and 2 TDs in his final game vs. Michigan State.

But he's looking to move on after just one season with the Wolverines, entering the transfer portal Friday. He slots in at No. 22 on On3's transfer portal rankings.

Georgia Tech was the first school publicly linked to Haynes, but his recruitment has been quiet otherwise so far.

Former five-star QB prospect Husan Longstreet is in the transfer portal after one season at USC. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

4. QB Husan Longstreet

Just a year ago, USC scored a major recruiting win by flipping five-star QB prospect Husan Longstreet from his Texas A&M commitment and keeping him home in Southern California.

It was short-lived, however, as Longstreet is in the transfer portal after just one season with the Trojans. With incumbent starting QB Jayden Maiava returning for another year, Longstreet is looking for a better path to playing time, after completing 13 of 15 passes for 103 yards and a TD and rushing for 76 yards and 2 scores in limited opportunities.

But does that opportunity exist? A number of quarterback dominoes have tumbled in recent days, with most schools looking for a plug-and-play starter, having already found their QB, or seeming to prefer an established veteran starter.

It will be interesting to see what market unfolds for Longstreet, who could have been positioned to start for USC in 2027 after another year of development behind Maiava.

Florida State defensive lineman Mandrell Desir (93) is reportedly expected to enter the transfer portal, along with his brother Darryll Desir. | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

5. DL Mandrell Desir and EDGE Darryll Desir*

On3 reported last week that the Desir brothers were planning to enter the transfer portal, but as of Monday, that hadn't happened yet, as they also weigh the possibility of staying at Florida State, per 247Sports.

But for our purposes here, the uncertainty is the intrigue, and it puts the talented young defensive linemen on the list.

The 6-foot-4, 262-pound Mandrell Desir had 6.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss as a true freshman, while the 6-foot-5, 262-pound Darryll Desir had 23 tackles, 1.5 TFL and 1 sack.

As a package deal, they would be a highly coveted addition if they go through with their transfer intentions. It's an ongoing story worth monitoring.