-According to the 247Sports Composite as of Wednesday morning (12/18/24), the top transfer-specific groups that schools have added to their 2025 recruiting classes are ranked like this:
1-Ole Miss (9 commits, 5 four-star players)
2-LSU (9 commits, 5 four-star players)
3-Texas Tech (11 commits, 4 four-star players)
4-Auburn (8 commits, 4 four-star players)
5-Texas A&M (5 commits, 3 four-star players)
6-Mississippi St. (8 commits, 1 four-star player)
7-Houston (11 commits, 1 four-star player)
8-Minnesota (10 commits)
9-Wisconsin (9 commits, 1 four-star player)
10-Louisville (7 commits, 1 four-star player)
-Lane Kiffin’s fresh haul of portal acquisitions for Ole Miss includes WR De’Zhaun Stribling (Oklahoma St.), TE Luke Hasz (Arkansas), IOL Patrick Kutas (Arkansas), DE Princewill Umanmielen (Nebraska) and DE Da’Shawn Womack (LSU).
In 12 games for the Cowboys this season, Stribling had 52 catches for 882 yards and six touchdowns. Hasz, who was in a first-place tie with Max Kare (formerly at Purdue) as the top TE in the portal, played in all 12 games for the Razorbacks, hauling in 26 receptions for 324 yards and four TDs.
Like Hasz, Kutas and Hunter Zambrano (ex-Illinois St. IOL) were ranked as the top offensive linemen in the portal per the 247Sports Composite. Umanmielen was ranked as the top defensive lineman in the portal.
Finally, it appears as if the Rebels are on the verge of adding another elite transfer, as 247Sports has a 100 percent crystal ball prediction for former Ga. Tech WR Eric Singleton to pledge to Ole Miss soon. In two seasons with the Yellow Jackets, Singleton has 104 catches for 1,468 yards and nine TDs. He also has 140 rushing yards, one TD and a 6.4 YPC average.
-Nebraska has suffered some major defections to the portal. In addition to Umanmielen, DE James Williams has transferred to FSU. Williams was ranked as the fourth-best DL in the portal.
Then on Tuesday, the Cornhuskers lost their leading rusher when Dante Dowdell entered the portal. As a true sophomore at Nebraska after transferring in from Oregon, Dowdell had 614 rushing yards, 12 TDs and a 4.3 yards-per-carry average.
Matt Rhule’s team has seen 23 players jump into the portal in recent weeks. However, Nebraska has added a quality defensive lineman in ex-Missouri DE Williams Nwaneri, who was a five-star prospect coming out of high school in the 2024 class.
-The four-star transfers for Brian Kelly at LSU are DE Jack Pyburn (Florida), CB Mansoor Delane (Va. Tech), WR Nic Anderson (Oklahoma), RB Ja’Keem Jackson (Florida) and WR Barion Brown (Kentucky). Brown is also one of the nation’s premier special-teams players with five career kick returns for TDs. The Tigers also added three-star transfer QB Michael Van Buren, who started eight games as a true freshman at Mississippi St. this year.
-To replace Van Buren, Mississippi St. landed ex-FSU signal caller Luke Kromenhoek, a four-star transfer who was ranked as the #2 QB in the portal and the #4 QB in the 2024 class when he signed with Mike Norvell’s floundering program.
-There’s lots of oil in the state of Texas. Likewise, there are a lot of greenbacks to spread around, and that’s why we shouldn’t be shocked to see Texas Tech killing it with portal acquisitions. The four-star gets include WR Reggie Virgil (Miami (OH.)), DL Lee Hunter (UCF), IOL Hunter Zambrano (Illinois St.) and CB Brice Pollock (Mississippi St.).
In 13 games for the RedHawks this year, Virgil snagged 41 receptions for 816 yards and nine TDs. His 19.9 yards per catch average led the MAC. In 12 games for the Bulldogs this season, Pollock contributed 48 tackles, nine passes broken up, one interception, one forced fumble and one tackle for loss. Hunter played in 38 games over three seasons for UCF, recording 131 tackles, 22 TFL’s and five sacks.
-Arkansas has signed six players from the portal to date, but the Hogs have lost 28 players. The top portal import is former Michigan St. DE Ken Talley, who is the only transfer that’s been given a four-star label.
However, three-star transfer WR Kam Shanks (UAB) would probably be a five-star if judged on special-teams contributions alone. Shanks led the nation in punt return yards (329) and punt returns for TDs (two) this season, and he paced the AAC in average yards per punt return (20.6). He also had 62 receptions for 656 yards and six TDs.
-Zachariah Branch spent his first two seasons in college playing for Lincoln Riley at USC, but he entered the portal on Dec. 17. In 12 games for the Trojans in 2024, Branch had 47 receptions for 503 yards and one TD.
As a true freshman in 2023, he won the Johnny Rodgers Award that’s annually given to the most outstanding return specialist. Branch led the nation in average yards per punt return (20.8) in 2023 when he had one punt return for a TD and one kick return for a TD.
According to On3’s Pete Nakos, the early teams to watch for Branch include Miami, Michigan, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma and Louisville. He’s a product of Bishop Gorman High School’s powerhouse program in Las Vegas. Branch was a five-star prospect in the 2023 class who was ranked as the nation’s #1 WR and #7 overall player.
-Another major defection for Riley and the Trojans is WR Duce Robinson, who had 23 catches for 396 yards and five TDs as a true sophomore this year. Many consider the Seminoles as the favorites to land Robinson.
-Ex-Alabama QB Dylan Lonergan has committed to Boston College. BC head coach and former Alabama OC Bill O’Brien recruited Lonergan to ‘Bama in 2023.
-Missouri landed a commitment from former West Va. LB Josiah Trotter earlier this week. Trotter, the son of Philadelphia Eagles legend Jeremiah Trotter, had 92 tackles, four TFL’s and one interception for the Mountaineers this year.
-Readers can always contact me via e-mail at briane.edwards11@gmail.com or on my Twitter account @vegasbedwards.