There’s per week to go earlier than the 2023 winter switch portal window closes till the spring. There’s certain to be a flurry of motion earlier than then. But, for now, let’s run by means of some key storylines from over the previous week or so of portal news.
And you finest imagine we’ve received a bit scoop, too.
Wisconsin’s New QB Room
Once upon a time, it’d take years to show over a quarterback room. Bad takes on the place may sink a program for years. That’s now not the case, as evidenced by what Wisconsin’s executed in a few month beneath Luke Fickell.
When the Badgers employed Phil Longo as offensive coordinator away from North Carolina, it signaled a shift in offensive philosophy. No longer would they be a plodding, pro-style offensive assault. The Air Raid is headed to Madison, and that required a special kind of passer.
So, what did Wisconsin do? It signed THREE switch quarterbacks. Out went Graham Mertz (Florida) and Deacon Hill (Iowa) and in got here Tanner Mordecai (SMU), Nick Evers (Oklahoma) and Braedyn Locke (Mississippi State).
All three of the additions got here from Air Raid or veer-and-shoot programs, changing gamers who had been higher suited to the earlier scheme. They’re additionally expertise upgrades. Mordecai is among the many best passers within the FBS, throwing for a mixed 7,152 yards and 72 touchdowns the final two seasons. Evers and Locke, in the meantime, had been four-star QBs within the 2022 class. They’re younger and future cornerstones of this system.
Throw in 2024 QB commit Mabrey Mettauer, and the Badgers have landed a quartet of four-star recruits in a bit over a month. Wisconsin had solely signed 4 such QBs in its whole historical past.
Florida State’s Elite Portal-Based Line
Florida State will deservedly be an offseason darling – they had been within the prime 5 of my too-early Top 25 poll – with a lot of that hype because of the program’s portal exercise on this and up to date cycles. Those beneficial properties are most evident alongside the line of defense, the place the Seminoles have crafted an elite unit largely to the portal.
The Seminoles had been a significant winner of the NFL Draft declaration course of, protecting all-ACC defensive finish Jared Verse and defensive deal with Fabien Lovett round for an additional season. Verse was projected as a first-round decide whereas Lovett doubtless would’ve been drafted as properly. Those two former transfers are the 2023 cornerstones of FSU’s d-line.
Then the Seminoles started aggressively including expertise:
- Florida State landed the No. 3 EDGE within the portal, Gilber Edmond, from South Carolina on Tuesday.
- Florida State added the No. 1 inside lineman, Braden Fiske, from Western Michigan
- Florida State added the No. 7 inside lineman, Darrell Jackson, from Miami.
Those are 5 championship-caliber items alongside the line of defense and all of them got here to Tallahassee from the switch portal.
Throw in program developmental wins like Patrick Payton, Derrick McLendon and Dennis Briggs, and the Seminoles out of the blue have gifted depth throughout their defensive entrance.
As we’ve seen and time once more within the CFB Playoff period, line of defense high quality tends to be an enormous think about any championship push. The Seminoles now have that kind of depth. They simply created it in a a lot completely different method than groups like Clemson and Georgia earlier than them.
LSU’s CB Class Is Elite
There won’t be a greater positional portal haul than LSU’s cornerback class. The Tigers aggressively replenished their defensive again depth over the past month.
Just take a look at the place their cornerback commits rank within the 247Sports Portal rankings:
Denver Harris – No. 3 total prospect, No. 2 cornerback
Zy Alexander – No. 16 total prospect, No. 4 cornerback
Duce Chestnut – No. 63 total prospect, No. 8 cornerback
JK Johnson – Ranking pending however was the No. 50 total prospect within the 2021 class
LSU needed to be aggressive within the portal final 12 months fixing its cornerback room after a number of notable departures. This class did a lot the identical, solely it added future depth as properly. There are plug-and-play skilled gamers, like Chestnut and Alexander, with younger, gifted items like Harris and Johnson additionally coming over with a number of remaining years of eligibility.
Suddenly, LSU seems prefer it’s constructing a room able to holding as much as the “DBU” title the varsity typically claims.
Teams Are Searching Everywhere For WRs
In years previous, the vast receiver switch market felt a bit oversaturated. There had been lots of our bodies to type by means of and never a ton of spots. The reverse has been true this portal cycle, as a result of everybody appears to want a large receiver (or three).
That’s created some fascinating avenues for expertise acquisition. Look no additional in that regard than Oklahoma State and Arkansas.
The Cowboys on Tuesday landed a dedication from All-American switch vast receiver Leon Johnson. Haven’t heard of him? That’s as a result of he caught 55 passes for 1,156 yards and 14 touchdowns at Division III George Fox. Where is that you simply may surprise? It’s a small faculty close to Portland, Oregon.
Tuesday additionally noticed Arkansas decide up a dedication from Hillsdale College vast receiver Isaac TeSlaa, who caught 68 passes for 1,325 yards and 13 touchdowns on the Division II degree this season. He’d drawn provides from Iowa, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Nebraska and plenty of others since coming into the portal.
Impact receivers are thought-about a premium expertise on this period of faculty soccer and faculties are turning over each stone doable to search out them.
A Scattering Of Transfer Notes, Updates
J.Michael Sturdivant, WR: Cal switch J’Michael Sturdivant is among the many most extremely sought-after receivers within the switch portal. He visited UCLA over the weekend. TCU is the group most within the combine for him outdoors of the Bruins. Also be careful for Tennessee and USC.
Xavier Weaver, WR: South Florida vast receiver switch Xavier Weaver, who caught 53 passes for 718 yards and 6 TDs this 12 months, has had an fascinating recruitment. He regarded very near committing to Arkansas, however issues have appeared to chill on each side. Moving ahead I’d watch South Carolina, Colorado and West Virginia for Weaver.
C.J. Williams, WR: After weekend journeys to Wisconsin and West Virginia, C.J. Williams appears primed to think about different choices. Williams, a prime 100 recruit within the 2022 class, told 247Sports’ Greg Biggins he’s contemplating a Notre Dame go to over the weekend (Williams was dedicated to Notre Dame for some a part of the 2022 cycle). Wisconsin and West Virginia each felt they made robust impressions on their visits, per sources.
Bryson Green, WR: Speaking of Wisconsin switch targets, I’d watch Green with the Badgers. He took an official go to to Madison over the weekend. The Badgers are prioritizing him.
Jordan Burch, EDGE: There was a ton of buzz about Jordan Burch to Oregon when he entered the switch portal from South Carolina, per a number of sources. While Oregon remains to be closely within the combine, it seems like groups corresponding to Miami and Oklahoma have additionally entered the image for the No. 9 total participant within the portal.
Will Crowder, QB: Crowder was introduced as an Arkansas State addition again in December. But I’d watch Troy right here for the Gardendale, Alabama native. Transfers aren’t locked into their new faculties till they attend class, and the Trojans have pushed exhausting for the previous West Virginia QB.
Trajan Jeffcoat, EDGE: Watch out for South Carolina with former Missouri edge rusher Trajan Jeffcoat. I believe South Carolina is in wonderful form in that course of.
Arland Bruce, WR: Bruce is recent off an official go to to Fresno State. He additionally took visits earlier within the cycle to Arkansas and Mississippi State. He was additionally lately provided by Oklahoma State. The former Iowa signee was a four-star within the 2021 class.
Clemson Tigers: It seems like Clemson is standing pat through the winter window outdoors of including backup QB Paul Tyson, according to 247Sports’ Anna Adams. Clemson has solely taken two transfers in Dabo Swinney’s time with this system, each of whom had been backup QBs.
The Quarterback Market: The switch quarterback market is starting to decelerate a bit, however listed here are some groups nonetheless in search of beginning choices or at the least an improve: Auburn, Missouri, Indiana, Louisiana Tech, Colorado State and Arkansas State, amongst others.
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