On Monday, we began a two-part series highlighting the ins and outs via the transfer portal for Big Ten football programs. Today, we conclude with the final eight programs.
Penn State Nittany Lions
Transfers in: CB Jalen Kimber (Florida), CB A.J. Harris (Georgia), OT Nolan Rucci (Wisconsin), WR Julian Fleming (Ohio State), edge Jordan Mayer (Wisconsin)
Transfers out: WR Cristian Driver (Minnesota), WR Dante Cephas (Kansas State), DT Jordan van den Berg (Georgia Tech), WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith (Auburn), S King Mack (Alabama), WR Malik McClain (Arizona State)
What stands out
- Lambert-Smith was Penn State’s leading receiver last season with 53 receptions for 673 yards, and the Nittany Lions also lost Theo Johnson (their third-leading receiver) to the NFL Draft
- Bringing in Fleming should help, despite a not-so-great career in Columbus
- Rucci was a five-star and the No. 17 player in the 2021 class, but never started in Madison before entering the portal
- Harris made On3’s 2024 Transfer Portal Team and was a nearly a five-star prospect out of high school
Washington Huskies
Transfers in: QB Will Rogers (Mississippi State), LB Hayden Moore (Michigan), IOL Enokk Vimahi (Ohio State), WR Kevin Green (Arizona), RB Jordan Washington (Arizona), EDGE Jayden Wayne (Miami), CB Justin Harrington (Oklahoma), IOL Logan Sagapolu (Miami), IOL Michael Watkins (Arizona), DL Isaiah Ward (Arizona), LB Anthony Ward (Arizona), WR Audric Harris (Arizona), DL Russell Davis II (Arizona), LB Bryun Parham (San Jose State), CB Ephesians Prysock (Arizona), RB Adam Mohammed (Arizona), QB Desmond Williams Jr. (Arizona), RB Jonah Coleman (Arizona), WR Jeremiah Hunter (Cal)
Transfers out: CB Jabbar Muhammad (Oregon), RB Will Nixon (Syracuse), QB Demaricus Davis (UCLA), TE Josh Cuevas (Alabama), OT Jalen Klemm (Arizona State), IOL Geirean Hatchett (Oklahoma), S Asa Turner (Florida), OT Julius Beulow (Ole Miss), Nate Kalepo (Ole Miss), IOL Parker Brailsford (Alabama), QB Austin Mack (Alabama), LB Ethan Barr (UCF), S Mishael Powell (Miami), CB Jaivion Green (Stanford), TE Tre Watson (Texas A&M), WR Taeshaun Lyons (Utah), QB Dylan Morris (James Madison)
What stands out
- Rogers had an interesting transition to Washington, originally committing to coach Kalen DeBoer before he took the job at Alabama. With former Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch taking the role, Rogers opted to stay and compete. In four seasons, he has more than 12,000 passing yards entering his final year of eligibility.
- Washington welcomes 11 former Arizona Wildcats to Seattle, joining Fisch from their former Pac-12 battlegrounds
- Hunter will be one to watch on the offensive side with more than 2,000 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns under his belt over his three seasons at Cal
- Losing Muhammed, Davis, Rutner, Mack, Morris and others on offense leaves a lot of leadership to be desired on that end
- Parham led San Jose State with 106 tackles last season and was an All-Mountain West honorable mention. He’s a great addition to a defense that will need some help in 2024 entering the Big Ten.
USC Trojans
Transfers in: QB Jayden Maiava (UNLV), WR Kyle Ford (UCLA), RB Jo’Quavious Marks (Mississippi State), S Kamari Ramsey (UCLA), CD DeCarlos Nicholson (Mississippi State), CB John Humphrey (UCLA), WR Jay Fair (Auburn), CB Greedy Vance (Florida State), LB Easton Mascarenas-Arnold (Oregon State), S Akili Arnold (Oregon State), Nate Clifton (Vanderbilt),
Transfers out: QB Malachi Nelson (Boise State), EDGE Korey Foreman (Fresno State), CB Domani Jackson (Alabama), WR Raleek Brown (Arizona State), IOL Jason Zandemela (Florida), LB Tackett Curtis (Wisconsin), CB Tre’quon Fegans (UCF), OT Michael Tarquin (Oklahoma), EDGE Romello Height (Georgia Tech), WR Michael Jackson (Georgia), RB Darwin Barlow (UNC), WR Dorian Singer (Utah), IOL Cooper Lovelace (Northwestern)
What stands out
- Nelson, Jackson and Foreman were former five-star recruits who all left Los Angeles this offseason for other programs
- USC took advantage of the Pac-12 deterioration by adding Arnold, who played in 37 games for Oregon State before transferring in
- Maiva had originally committed to Georgia this offseason but changed his mind to attend USC. He’ll compete with Miller Moss to be the starter.
- Ford left USC for UCLA last offseason but returned to USC this year
Michigan State Spartans
Transfers in: QB Aidan Chiles (Oregon State), OT Andrew Dennis (Illinois), LB Semaj Bridgeman (Michigan), DL Ben Roberts (Oregon), CB Lejond Cavazos (UNC), CB Jeremiah Hughes (LSU), CB Nikai Martinez (UCF), LB Marcellius Pulliam (Miami), LB Jordan Turner (Wisconsin), TE Jack Velling (Oregon State), DL Ru’Quan Buckley (Nebraska), DL Tyler Gillison (Cincinnati), CB Ed Woods (Arizona State), DL D’Quan Douse (Georgia Tech), IOL Tanner Miller (Oregon State)
Transfers out: DL Tunmise Adeleye (Texas State), EDGE Bai Jobe (Kansas), DL Andrew Depaepe (Indiana), TE Maliq Carr (Houston), QB Katin Houser (East Carolina), OT Keyshawn Blackstock (Arkansas), S Jaden Mangham (Michigan), OT Spencer Brown (Oklahoma), IOL Geno VanDeMark (Alabama), WR Tyrell Henry (Wisconsin), DL Simeon Barrow Jr (Miami), EDGE Zion Young (Missouri), OT Braden Miller (Cal), OT Ethan Boyd (Colorado), QB Noah Kim (Coastal Carolina), DL Derrick Harmon (Oregon), IOL Kevin Wigenton (Illinois)
What stands out
- New head coach Jonathan Smith only got three of his Oregon State players to follow him to Michigan State and lost out on his most important player, running back Damien Martinez
- However, adding Chiles was a massive win. 247Sports had Chiles ranked as the No. 58 overall player in the 2023 class and the No. 7 overall quarterback
- Woods will be a plug-and-play starter at cornerback for the Spartans, and Bridgeman brings important young depth on the defensive side for Smith’s regime
- The Spartans lost a ton of talent to the portal including 36 total players, one of the most in college football
Wisconsin Badgers
Transfers in: QB Tyler Van Dyke (Miami), DL Brandon Lane (Stephen F. Austin), WR Joseph Griffin Jr. (Boston College), OT Leyton Nelson (Vanderbilt), LB John Pius (William & Mary), LB Tackett Curtis (USC), CB RJ Delancy III (Toledo), TE Jackson McGohan (LSU), LB Sebastian Cheeks (UNC), WR Tyrell Henry (Michigan State), EDGE Leon Lowery (Syracuse), LB Jaheim Thomas (Arkansas), RB Tawee Walker (Oklahoma)
Transfers out: QB Nick Evers (UConn), OT Nolan Rucci (Penn State), WR Chimere Dike (Florida), LB TJ Bollers (Cal), DL Gio Paez (LSU), Rodas Johnson (Texas A&M), IOL Dylan Barrett (Iowa State), OT Trey Wedig (Indiana), LB Jordan Turner (Michigan State)
What stands out
- Van Dyke comes in from Miami to be the prospective starter for the Badgers this fall
- Rucci was the highest-rated recruit in Wisconsin football history, but will now play for conference rival Penn State
- The Badgers lost Dike to the portal who led the team in receiving yards in 2022
- Lane and Pius are some veteran defensive talents expected to make an impact in 2024
- The Badgers have the Big Ten’s second-best transfer portal class according to On3
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Transfers in: RB Dante Dowdell (Oregon), IOL Mich Mazzcua (Florida), LB Stefon Thompson (Syracuse), WR Jahmal Banks (Wake Forest), WR Isaiah Neyor (Texas)
Transfers out: QB Jeff Sims (Arizona State), EDGE Chief Borders (Pitt), Ru’Quan Buckley (Michigan State), QB Chubba Purdy (Nevada), CB Tamon Lynum (Pitt), CB Javier Morton (Temple)
What stands out
- Sims wasn’t the answer for the Huskers, as he is headed to Arizona State after transferring in last season from Georgia Tech
- Dowdell stays in the Big Ten and goes to Lincoln, where he hopes to find more playing time
- Neyor is an interesting addition after an 878-yard, 12-touchdown season at Wyoming and having just one catch for the Texas Longhorns last year. He has interesting potential for the Huskers in 2024.
Maryland Terrapins
Transfers in: IOL Aliou Bah (Georgia), QB MJ Morris (NC State), S Tamarcus Cooley (NC State), IOL Josh Kaltenberger (Purdue)
Transfers out: LB Jaishawn Barham (Michigan), TE Rico Walker (Auburn), TE Corey Dyches (Cal), CB Corey Coley Jr (NC State)
What stands out
- Mike Locksley started spring by saying he had “no idea” who would be his starting quarterback after the departure of Taulia Tagovailoa. NC State transfer MJ Morris hopes it will be him after joining the squad before December’s Music City Bowl, getting him a head start on practicing with the team.
- The losses of Barham and Dyches are crushing to a program, as they were pivotal starters on each side of the ball
UCLA Bruins
Transfers in: QB Dermaricus Davis (Washington), DL Cherif Seye (Florida A&M), TE Bryce Pierre (Arizona State), OT Reuben Unije (Lousiville), IOL Alani Makihele (UNLV), DL Luke Schuermann (John Hopkins), OT Michael Carmody (Notre Dame), S Ramon Henderson (Notre Dame), CB KJ Wallace (Georgia Tech), LB Joseph Vaughn (Yale), EDGE Jacob Busice (Navy), EDGE Collins Acheampong (Miami), WR Rico Flores (Notre Dame), CB Bryan Addison (Oregon)
Transfers out: QB Dante Moore (Oregon), QB Collin Schlee (Virginia Tech), WR Kyle Ford (USC), S Kamari Ramsey (USC), CB John Humphrey (USC), IOL Jake Wiley (Houston), WR Kam Brown (Purdue), TE Carsen Ryan (Utah)
What stands out
- The biggest loss of the offseason was Dante Moore, a former five-star recruit and starter for most of 2023, heading to Oregon
- Ramsey, Humphrey and Ford also all played roles, and went right across the street to USC
- Acheampong, Carmody, Davis, Wallace and Flores are all former four-star recruits that are coming in to play under new head coach DeShaun Foster
