Anthony Wilson
The era of the transfer portal has changed forever college football as the task of assembling a squad is increasingly difficult for coaching teams who are unsure which players will remain or move on next season. The recent 2023-24 transfer portal cycle witnessed a record number of entries, with almost 3,900 players choosing to explore other opportunities. For comparison, this exceeded the previous record by more than 300.
Not all college football programs were impacted as much as others during the two transfer windows that occurred this winter and spring, butvery powerful conference team except Nebraska, suffered double-digit departures. Most of the teams that had the most signups were those that underwent coaching changes after the 2023 season. This is true in the Big Ten, where the two teams with the most departures are hiring new coaches.
t-1. Indiana: 39 transfer portal matches
Coach Curt Cignetti is tasked with transforming Indiana into a respectable college football program as the level of competition in the Big Ten increases with expansion in 2024. The Hoosiers’ new coach seemed to clean house upon arriving in Bloomington after five successful seasons at James Madison. Indiana witnessed another wave of transfer portal departures during the spring windowbringing the total number of losses to 39. Starting quarterback Brendan Sorsby, top running back Trent Howland, as well as starting safeties Phillip Dunman and Louis Moore are among the portal cycle’s notable departures. Indiana has 29 incoming transfers for the 2024 roster.
More: Indiana is set to welcome a visit from 5-star USC QB Julian Lewis
t-1. Michigan State: 39 transfer portal matches
There is immense potential for Michigan State under new head coach Jonathan Smith, but the rebuilding process could take some time after the Spartans lost 39 transfers to the portal, with most of them leaving during the spring window. The group of recent departures included a trio of defensive starters from last season — offensive linemen Derrick Harmon and Simeon Barrow Jr., plus safety Jaden Mangham. This is in addition to Michigan State’s six starters who entered during the winter window. The Spartans still have work to do and they only have 17 transfers received. The Spartans were listed as one of the biggest losers of the portal’s spring cycle.
t-3. USC: 29 transfer portal matches
After a disappointing 2023 season in which USC failed to capitalize on a potential conference championship window with Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams at quarterback, the Trojans made a point of upgrading at several positions and completely revamping the defense. This has resulted in a large number of exits from transfer portals, including double-digit exits during the recent spring window. Most of the portal’s notable losses came on the defensive side, with linebacker Tackett Curtis and cornerback Domani Jackson among the starters to leave Los Angeles. USC also lost former five-star freshman quarterback Malachi Nelson to transfer. USC Incoming Transfer Class involves 15 players.
t-3. Washington: 29 transfer portal matches
Washington was already dealing with a high attrition rate, with most of its top contributors from a national runner-up roster heading to the NFL. So coach Kalen DeBoer left for Alabama and the flood of transfer portal departures has begun. The Huskies had seven additional starters leave the program through the transfer portal. This eliminated the remaining starters on offense and left only a few returning on defense. Defensive lineman Parker Brailsford and standout cornerback Jabbar Muhammad were the two highest-rated losses. New coach Jedd Fisch managed to restore some of the talent level with more than 20 transfers received and counting until 2024.
