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It was an extremely busy first day of the faculty soccer switch interval. Greater than 1,000 gamers have entered the switch portal.
Some high-profile groups noticed vital departures. The Oklahoma Sooners and Ohio State Buckeyes noticed their beginning quarterbacks elect to depart. 4 Energy 5 groups (Purdue, Vanderbilt, NC State and Cincinnati) noticed double-digit gamers select to switch.
And that is solely because the portal opened at midnight on Monday.
What was probably the most stunning transfer? The place might the quarterbacks finest match? Our school soccer specialists weigh in:
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Convention takeaways
What transfer on Monday shocked you probably the most?
Tom VanHaaren: Quarterback Dillon Gabriel coming into the portal was an fascinating transfer. He adopted offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby from UCF to Oklahoma, and Lebby simply obtained the pinnacle teaching job at Mississippi State, however I believed there can be an opportunity that Gabriel would end issues out at Oklahoma. He’s a extremely productive quarterback who will probably have fairly a couple of choices that may embrace following Lebby once more to Mississippi State, or probably Florida State. It wasn’t fully stunning, however with restricted eligibility remaining, it could have made sense to remain put.
David Hale: No, there are not any surprises within the portal period, and it is arduous to fault anybody for testing their market worth. But when the 2022 switch class set the bar for achievement in a brand new residence with Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr., Caleb Williams and others, the 2023 cycle did not even have too many winners. DJ Uiagalelei had the very best Complete QBR of any participant who transferred after final season, and he is now within the portal once more.
Most of the largest names the final time round — Devin Leary, Jeff Sims, Phil Jurkovec, Sam Hartman, Brennan Armstrong, Payton Thorne, Tanner Mordecai — completed the 12 months as one thing between mediocre and outright bust. So, whereas I am not shocked by anybody leaping into the portal, I am a bit shocked there weren’t extra massive names who noticed the outcomes of 2023 and determined the grass is not all the time greener.
What’s a QB match that might make sense?
VanHaaren: Cameron Ward might be a terrific match at Florida State. With Jordan Travis transferring on, the Seminoles are going to wish a brand new quarterback. Ward was fifth in passing yards this season amongst all FBS quarterbacks with 3,735 yards, No. 18 in passing touchdowns with 25, and he additionally had eight dashing touchdowns for Washington State. He is already had a ton of success and would assist preserve Florida State on the observe it is on proper now on the championship stage. FSU backups Tate Rodemaker and Brock Glenn performed within the last two video games of the season attributable to Travis’ leg damage. Ideally, coach Mike Norvell wish to proceed growing quarterbacks inside the system, but when Ward is , this might be a terrific match.
Paolo Uggetti: As USC searches for a possible alternative for Caleb Williams, it is notable {that a} former Lincoln Riley commit simply entered the portal. Georgia’s Brock Vandagriff was as soon as dedicated to play for Riley at Oklahoma. A lot has modified since then, however perhaps a reunion of types might be within the playing cards for Riley and Vandagriff. In three years at Georgia, Vandagriff threw solely 21 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns, however as a former four-star recruit with loads of potential, Riley and USC might be the right match to revitalize his school profession.
Who’s an under-the-radar switch that might make a huge impact?
VanHaaren: Now we have seen fairly a couple of Ivy League transfers this offseason, and one title that has stood out is Harvard defensive deal with Thor Griffith. He is a 6-foot-2, 320-pound lineman who had 55 complete tackles, 11 tackles for loss and three.5 sacks this season. He is a senior, has a ton of manufacturing and expertise and has already began to choose up provides from Michigan State, Oregon State, Cal, Minnesota, UCLA and a handful of others. Disruptive inside defensive lineman are beneficial, and Griffith has so much in his favor going into his switch course of.
Chris Low: Tight finish Justin Joly led UConn with 56 catches and 578 receiving yards and was one of many brilliant spots for the Huskies in a 3-9 season. The 6-3, 232-pound junior nonetheless has two years of eligibility remaining and posted on social media Monday morning that he’d been supplied by Tennessee quickly after formally coming into the portal. The Vols had a close-up view of Joly this season. He caught eight passes for 89 yards in UConn’s 59-3 loss to Tennessee in November.
Dave Wilson: If we’re simply going off analysis observe information, Indiana’s Brendan Sorsby might be price watching. Why? As a result of two years in the past at the moment, two of Tom Allen’s quarterback prospects, Michael Penix Jr. and Josh Hoover, each ventured elsewhere — Penix to turn out to be a celebrity at Washington, the place he is led the Huskies to a No. 2 seed within the Faculty Soccer Playoff and Hoover, who flipped from his Indiana dedication to TCU and was thrust into beginning obligation this 12 months as a redshirt freshman and had 5 300-yard video games after Chandler Morris was injured.
A few years in the past, one other former Allen starter, Peyton Ramsey, who misplaced his beginning job to Penix, went to Northwestern the place he was the 2021 Citrus Bowl MVP and a third-team all-Huge Ten choice.
Convention takeaways
ACC
The ACC’s QB pecking order goes to look so much totally different in 2024. Not solely is the league shedding Jordan Travis and, nearly actually, Drake Maye — the highest two QBs in 2023 — however with the departure of Riley Leonard and Tyler Van Dyke, the most important title returning for subsequent 12 months could be Georgia Tech’s Haynes King. UNC already made its transfer to interchange Maye, including former Texas A&M and LSU starter Max Johnson.
Florida State and Louisville can be inviting touchdown spots for a QB, although each applications even have youthful gamers they’d wish to see develop. NC State, too, confirmed flashes of its offensive potential within the latter levels of the season, and after the departure of MJ Morris, the Wolfpack will probably be out there, too. Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Boston Faculty and Clemson determine to be the one colleges who aren’t in quest of a brand new starter, and so they would possibly even be out there for one more veteran to offer insurance coverage for his or her youthful QBs. — Hale
Huge 12
Oklahoma, which was the mannequin of stability for 20 years, simply misplaced its third beginning quarterback in three years to the switch portal. Given, two of them break up when Lincoln Riley did — Spencer Rattler, who had been benched in favor of Caleb Williams, to South Carolina, and Williams with Riley to USC. Gabriel offered an on the spot jump-start for Lebby’s offense, however with Lebby gone, it appears to be like more and more prefer it’s the beginning of the Jackson Arnold period in Norman, beneath new co-OCs Seth Littrell and Joe Jon Finley.
However the league as a complete noticed a QB shakeup. Will Howard, who led Kansas State to convention championship final 12 months, is heading out as Avery Johnson seems to be the long run starter, Texas Tech’s Tyler Shough, who began 13 video games in Lubbock after transferring from Oregon, is on the transfer, and league newcomer Utah misplaced each of its backup QBs, Nate Johnson and Bryson Barnes, with Cam Rising returning subsequent 12 months. –– Wilson
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Herbstreit and McAfee shocked by Kyle McCord going into switch portal
Kirk Herbstreit and Pat McAfee focus on their confusion about Kyle McCord coming into the switch portal and leaving Ohio State.
Huge Ten
Ohio State was the Huge Ten staff with probably the most motion on Monday, as quarterback Kyle McCord, receiver Julian Fleming, working again Evan Pryor, linebacker Reid Carrico and defensive backs Ryan Turner, Kye Stokes and Cameron Martinez all entered the switch portal.
McCord made the most important waves of the day, contemplating he was the beginning quarterback and went 11-1 this season. The quarterback play wasn’t as much as what Ohio State expects, nevertheless, and it now appears probably that the coaches will look to the switch portal for assist for subsequent season. Ward is one title that the Buckeyes might go after with Ward transferring from Washington State. Regardless of a profitable season, Ohio State misplaced for a 3rd time to Michigan, and the employees is now retooling to attempt to construct the most effective roster it could for the 2024 season. — VanHaaren
Pac-12
Quarterbacks, quarterbacks and extra quarterbacks. The convention of quarterbacks this previous season could be going away, however its former groups will probably be again on the quarterback carousel now that portal season has formally arrived. Oregon State’s Aidan Chiles, Washington State’s Cam Ward and Utah’s Bryson Barnes joined their Pac-12 counterparts Dante Moore and DJ Uiagalelei, who already introduced they might be coming into the portal, as quarterbacks leaving their respective groups.
In the meantime, USC head coach Lincoln Riley mentioned Monday the Trojans will probably be wanting into the portal so as to add at the very least one quarterback within the wake of Caleb Williams’ anticipated NFL departure and each aforementioned staff, however Utah (Cam Rising introduced he’ll return subsequent 12 months), may even probably be wanting so as to add a quarterback within the coming weeks. With a number of excessive profile quarterbacks like Dillon Gabriel, Kyle McCord and Will Howard additionally within the portal, search for a number of of the soon-to-be-former Pac-12 groups to be within the combine. — Uggetti
SEC
Extra motion is bound to happen within the SEC, as some big-name gamers are biding their time earlier than in search of new houses and larger offers. It wasn’t a shock to South Carolina that receiver Antwane “Juice” Wells formally entered his title within the portal on Monday after waffling over the previous few weeks. The preseason All-SEC choice advised the teaching employees final week he was probably heading that method after an injury-plagued season that noticed him play in three video games and catch three passes. After all, he introduced the week earlier than the Clemson sport that whereas he wasn’t going to play in that sport, he can be again with the Gamecocks for the 2024 season. However within the new world of NIL/portal, he modified his thoughts once more and is on the transfer.
He is not the one SEC receiver that may draw some consideration within the portal. Vanderbilt’s Will Sheppard, after 4 strong seasons with the Commodores, is headed elsewhere. He leaves as the college’s seventh-leading receiver all-time with 2,067 profession receiving yards. He caught 17 landing catches over the past two seasons. It wasn’t a superb day (or season) for Clark Lea and the Commodores, as 13 gamers are within the portal, together with one in all their most promising younger gamers. Freshman receiver London Humphreys is leaving after catching 4 touchdowns and rating second to Sheppard as Vanderbilt’s main receiver. The Commodores, who completed 2-10, will probably be beginning over of their passing sport. All three of their quarterbacks who took a snap in 2023 will not be again. — Low
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