Transfer portal tracker: The biggest names to watch

Judkins was the SEC freshman of the year in 2022 after rushing for a league-high 1,567 yards and 16 touchdowns. He then led the SEC again with 15 rushing touchdowns as a sophomore in 2023 before announcing his intention to transfer after Mississippi’s bowl win over Penn State. Judkins committed to Ohio State late Monday night.

Tagovailoa, the Big Ten’s all-time leading passer and brother of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, reportedly entered the transfer portal on Friday, though he will need a waiver from the NCAA to earn a sixth year of eligibility. He opted out of Maryland’s bowl win over Auburn.

Nelson entered the transfer portal after spending his first college season backing up Caleb Williams at USC. He pledged his services to Boise State on Jan. 6, becoming the highest-profile commitment in that school’s history.

Nelson, one of the top recruits in the high school Class of 2023 and the Gatorade national player of the year as a senior, appeared in only one game this season and completed just one pass. He will be able to use his redshirt and will have four years of eligibility remaining. Nelson’s development was slowed by shoulder surgery just before he arrived at USC.

With former Buckeyes starter Kyle McCord heading to Syracuse (see below), Howard gets a dream landing spot following his decision to move on from the Wildcats. A Pennsylvania native who spent the past four years at Kansas State, Howard made several starts there as a freshman and took over the job midway through 2022. He led the Wildcats to a Big 12 title game win that season and is coming off a campaign in which he threw for 2,643 yards, with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while helping KSU to an 8-4 record (before the program won the Pop-Tarts Bowl last week without him). Howard can also threaten defenses with his legs, as evidenced by 81 carries for 351 yards and nine touchdowns this past season.

Having played in a pro-style offense in Manhattan, he told ESPN on Jan. 4, Howard won’t have to adjust to a whole new scheme in Columbus. He said he was excited that playing for OSU Coach Ryan Day, whose former pupil C.J. Stroud is enjoying a tremendous rookie season in the NFL, would put him in “the system that would get me the most prepared for that level.”

While Howard arrives at OSU as the favorite to be the starter next season, he could face some competition from touted recruit Air Noland. Sophomore Devin Brown, who started the Buckeyes’ Cotton Bowl loss last week to Missouri, and freshman Lincoln Kienholz, who also played in the game after Brown was injured, could also figure into the team’s positional battle this year.

Uiagalelei announced his decision to leave Corvallis, Ore., almost a year after declaring his decision to transfer there following three seasons at Clemson. Uiagalelei committed to Florida State on Jan. 1.

The California native this year led the Beavers to an 8-4 record before their Sun Bowl loss to Notre Dame on Dec. 29. The junior’s 2023 stats mirrored those in his final season at Clemson. He threw for 2,638 yards, 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2023.

Nolen, the No. 2 overall prospect in 247Sports’ Class of 2022 rankings, played two years at Texas A&M before transferring to Mississippi.

Nolen headlined what was the highest-rated recruiting class in the country last year, before he became one of its latest members to defect after Fisher was fired in November. (It’s also worth noting that Nolen announced his decision shortly after the departure of former Texas A&M defensive line coach Elijah Robinson, who recruited Nolen to College Station but took the defensive coordinator job at Syracuse in early December).

Nolen is a sophomore with two years of eligibility remaining. He evolved from a rotational player as a freshman to a starter on the top defense in the SEC this year, registering 37 tackles, including 8.5 tackles for a loss and four sacks.

He bolsters Mississippi Coach Lane Kiffin’s already sizable transfer class, which includes edge rushers Tyler Baron (formerly Tennessee) and Princely Umanmielen (Florida), as well as defensive backs Decamerion Richardson (Mississippi State), Tamarion McDonald (Tennessee) and Key Lawrence (Oklahoma).

Moore, one of the top recruits in the high school Class of 2023 who threw for 1,610 yards and 11 touchdowns in nine games as a freshman for UCLA this season, announced Dec. 18 that he will transfer to Oregon.

Moore seems likely to back up Dillon Gabriel in 2024, perhaps as a redshirt with eyes on starting in 2025. (Moore has three years of eligibility remaining.) Gabriel, who spent the past two seasons at Oklahoma, announced earlier that he will spend his final season of college eligibility with the Ducks in 2024. Oregon is looking to replace Bo Nix, who was third in the Heisman Trophy voting and finished his college career with a stellar performance in the Fiesta Bowl against Liberty on New Year’s Day.

Moore originally committed to Oregon out of high school before flipping to UCLA late in the recruiting process. He started five games for the Bruins this season before being benched after a run of poor play, in part because of UCLA’s leaky offensive line.

The Buckeyes’ starter for all 12 games during the regular season, McCord is joining the Orange for his final year of eligibility after he reportedly learned that OSU was opening up its quarterback competition in 2024. In comments to ESPN on Dec. 17, McCord hailed the work of new Syracuse Coach Fran Brown and added, “I think the pieces are all coming together at the right time.”

McCord’s decision to transfer may have come as a shock given his credentials on paper: A former top-10 quarterback recruit who led the Buckeyes to an 11-1 record and a shot at the College Football Playoff before a close loss to Michigan in late November.

Following the recent lineage of elite Ohio State quarterbacks, McCord wasn’t spectacular in his junior campaign, but he completed 65.8 percent of his passes for 3,170 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions.

He edged Brown for the starting job during the offseason, but Ohio State Coach Ryan Day waited until mid-September to appoint McCord the full-time starter. Speaking to media in early December, Day was noncommittal in naming a starter moving forward. McCord’s announcement came the following day.

Leonard, a two-year starter at Duke, saw his stock rise in 2022 as he threw for 2,967 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also ran for 699 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Duke won nine games under then-coach Mike Elko, who was tapped last month to replace Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M. But neither Leonard nor Duke found that same success this season after a toe injury limited the junior to seven games — the same number of wins Duke has this season.

Leonard has thrown for 1,102 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions, while rushing for 352 yards and four touchdowns this season. The junior committed to Notre Dame on Dec. 12.

Gabriel, one of the top signal callers in the portal, left Oklahoma two seasons after transferring from Central Florida, where he played for three years. In five seasons of college football, Gabriel has completed 63 percent of his passes for 14,865 yards and 125 touchdowns to 26 interceptions.

Gabriel announced Dec. 9 he would transfer to Oregon, where he looks to replace departing starter and Heisman Trophy candidate Bo Nix — a 2022 transfer from Auburn.

The Hawaii native missed much of the 2021 season at UCF with a broken left clavicle, then transferred to Oklahoma in 2022, earning Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year honors that year. This past season, he threw for 3,660 yards, 30 touchdowns and six interceptions while leading the Sooners to a 10-2 record.

Other touted quarterbacks to enter the portal include Will Rogers (Mississippi State to Washington), Maalik Murphy (Texas to Duke), Aidan Chiles (Oregon State to Michigan State), and Grayson McCall (Coastal Carolina to North Carolina State).

Also in the portal: running back Trevor Etienne (Florida to Georgia), running back “Rocket” Sanders (Arkansas to South Carolina), receiver Evan Stewart (Texas A&M), offensive tackle Cayden Green (Oklahoma to Missouri), defensive tackle Joey Slackman (Pennsylvania to Florida), inside linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson (Georgia to Kentucky), outside linebacker Trey Moore (UTSA to Texas) and defensive back Andrew Mukuba (Clemson to Texas).