Transfer Portal Talent: Top 5 College Football Players Entering the Portal
By Ella Embry
As the regular season of college football slowly comes to an end, one of the most important and highly anticipated events of the year ramps up. Transfer Portal Season. A time where players can enter their name in hopes of transferring to a new college football team. Whether a favorite player of yours enters the portal or not, there is always something happening that leaves the football community shocked. From a player switching to a rival team or entering the portal as a walk-on, there’s never a dull moment. As I take you along on brief descriptions and portal information on each player, I hope you create your own opinions and gain new knowledge/perspectives on what all comes out of the transfer portal process.
The Transfer Portal…in simple terms. The NCAA created two opportunities to enter the transfer portal windows. You can enter the 30-day period that begins in the Winter or you can enter the Spring period that begins on April 15th and closes April 30th. Players can officially enter their names into the portal until midnight and declare intentions after that. This year it officially opened on December 4th and in the first week, over 1,000 players had entered. The 2024 portal will close on January 2nd, 2024 (ESPN.com).
So without further ado, let's get into the Top 5 Players that have entered the transfer portal as of December 7th, 2023.
Walter Nolen, Texas A&M DL, Photo Creds: Sports Illustrated.
#1. Walter Nolen:
Position: Defensive Lineman
Former Team: Texas A&M
Walter Nolen takes the first spot in the 2024 transfer portal (On3.com). From Powell, Tennessee, Nolen played football throughout his high school career. Achievements include winning a class 5A state championship title, completing 93 tackles, and 17 sacks. Upon completing high school, Nolen paid an official visit to the University of Tennessee before ultimately committing to Texas A&M which shocked many fans as he was the overall #1 recruit for the Class of 2022 when signing to the Aggies. Although he is still just a sophomore, he continues to wow his audiences with attention to detail, aggressiveness and advanced technicality, Nolen completed 66 tackles and 5 sacks in just two seasons (ESPN.com). With all this praise, we wonder where a player like Walter Nolen will end up? Tennessee and Michigan are two teams under heavy consideration and have both previously tried recruiting Nolen. Other SEC teams such as Georgia, LSU, and Texas have also shown their interests in this star-recruit. It would definitely be an upgrade from Texas A&M’s defensive line. If Nolen were to make the decision to transfer to Texas, it would instill drama in the football community as they are known as “neighbors” in the Texas football realm. I personally believe Michigan would be the best fit for Nolen as they are the #1 team in the country and could use someone that dominates the field. No matter where Nolen ends up, the team that receives him will have bagged a very large asset to their 2024 team.
Cameron Ward, Washington State QB, Photo Creds: OrangeCountyRegister.
#2. Cameron Ward:
Position: Quarterback
Former Team: Washington State
Cameron Ward is the #2 rank in the 2024 transfer portal (On3.com). Born in Columbia, Texas, Ward found himself in the great state of Washington to continue his football career. He finished his 2023 season with the Cougars totaling up to 3,732 yards and 25 touchdowns (ESPN.com).
Ward ended up receiving the All-PAC-12 honorable mention award which isn’t shocking due to his ability to completely dominate but not turn the ball over a lot. Although he has good skill position and a lethal throwing arm, he lacks under pressure and struggles to avoid sacks which can cause issues with large lineman. He took most of the criticism over social media for costing the team a bowl game due to these flaws, which ended up in a loss against Washington, 21-24.
Teams such as Washington, Oregon and USC are searching for transfer QB’s like Ward to replace their draft-bound players (TheAthletic.com). Good news for Ward, bad news for Washington State as they are losing their top receiver, Josh Kelly to the portal as well. I’d say it would be both an extreme upset and double-crossing move if Ward ended up at Washington but honestly I am here for it and think it would shake things up.
Dante Moore, UCLA QB, Photo Creds: Los Angeles Daily News.
#3. Dante Moore:
Position: Quarterback
Former Team: UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles)
Dante Moore is the #3 rank in the 2024 transfer portal (On3.com). From Detroit, Michigan, Dante Moore finds himself in the sunny state of California. At the age of 18, Moore has career stats of 1,610 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. HE’S JUST A FRESHMAN. I’d say due to his young age and effort to power throw the ball is why he is currently the third pick in the portal. In his 2023 season, he successfully led the Bruin offense in a win over Washington State, 25-17 (CollegeSportsWire.com). This left people talking about Dante all season long. The praise didn’t stop when he threw seven touchdown passes in the first three games of the season, one of which was a season-opening win against Coastal Carolina, 27-13. Possible teams worth considering for Moore include Oregon, Florida State, Michigan, and Miami. All this to say that he has made progress since last season. His footwork is swift and he’s completed almost 70% of passes but he lost his starting spot due to poor protection of the ball and numerous turnovers. I’d say he relied too much on UCLA’s defense and got lost. I couldn’t see Moore playing for Oregon as Dillion Gabriel just transferred and will most likely be their new starting QB. I’d say it would be interesting if he landed with Florida State as they are known for housing strong quarterbacks. It will be interesting to see where Moore ends up officially and continues his career as well as the progression he makes along the way.
Trey Moore, UTSA Linebacker, Photo Creds: UTSA Athletics.
#4. Trey Moore:
Position: Linebacker
Former Team: UTSA (University of Texas, San Antonio)
Trey Moore is the #4 rank in the 2024 transfer portal (On3.com). Born and raised in San Antonio, Trey Moore stuck to his roots and continued his education and football career with the UTSA Roadrunners. As a sophomore, he has completed 58 tackles and 22 sacks throughout his career (ESPN.com). Moore has been a fan favorite since this year as he is a redshirt sophomore. He broke the UTSA school record with 14 sacks in a single season which is currently tied as the most in college football this year. Moore was even named American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Talk about on a roll. With such raw talent at a young age and a strong, built body, there's no doubt he will end up somewhere worthy of his uses. The Texas Longhorns have been reportedly keeping their eyes on him especially since he has been deemed, “one of the country’s most promising pass-rushers,” (Sports Illustrated). With Moore’s physique and ability to tackle well, I think there should be no doubt that he ends up with Texas. Whether or not Moore decides to stay in his home state and continues his career with the Longhorns, he has the potential to play for a great team no matter what.
Will Howard, Kansas State QB, Photo Creds: BurntOrangeNation.com.
#5. Will Howard:
Position: Quarterback
Former Team: Kansas State
Will Howard is the #5 rank in the 2024 transfer portal (On3.com). As one of the top QBs entering the transfer portal, all eyes are on Howard. With 5,786 yards and 48 touchdown passes throughout his entire career, he definitely has the numbers to show up and show out (ESPN.com). Born in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, he made quite the journey to end up in Kansas. With his arm strength and 3+ years of starting experience, it’s not shocking of his past season accomplishments. Leading the Wildcats to a Big 12 Championship and being ranked 20th QBR by ESPN helps Howard’s case of landing somewhere promising even more. Possible teams that could use someone like Howard and his abilities include Notre Dame, Michigan, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and even OU. Will Howard is a great play-action passer but lacks completion percentage. Once he figures out how to reach above a 60% completion rate, he will be golden. The NFL looks for QB’s with higher percentages, which is the end goal for most college athletes. With the experience that Howard has, I’d say playing for Notre Dame or Michigan is his best chance at excelling well and potentially being drafted to the NFL. No matter what team picks up Howard, he should be in good hands with the amazing past seasons he has endured.
In the end, all five players are talented and worthy of any team they happen to be chosen by. I hope that by reading this review you were able to brush up on your transfer portal knowledge and gain information for the upcoming 2024 transfer season. For more information on top players or the transfer process, check out ESPN.com or CBSSports.com for live transfer portal updates.
