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College football‘s new transfer portal window officially opened Monday, and while some players announced their plans to leave their schools prior to that, things are really off and running now.

Last year, more than 3,000 FBS players entered the portal, which was open year-round. Quarterbacks Caleb Williams (USC), Bo Nix (Oregon) and Spencer Rattler (South Carolina) were among the prominent transfers who made an immediate impact at their new schools.

This time around, the NCAA adopted dates for when players can enter the portal and not lose a year of eligibility, though they can sign with their new school at any time. The first window is open for 45 days from Dec. 5 until Jan. 18, and the second runs in the spring from May 1-15. There are exceptions for graduate transfers and for players going through head-coaching changes.

After an extremely busy college football transfer cycle a year ago, what will the next two months bring? We’re tracking notable players entering (and exiting) the portal, with the latest news and updates on how the 2023 season could be transformed. The most recent moves are at the top.

More coverage:
Ranking the best players in portal ()
What the transfer windows mean for CFB

MONDAY, DEC. 5

USC linebacker is in the portal

Ralen Goforth had 43 total tackles and 35 solo tackles for the Trojans this season.

Former Cal LB chooses UCLA

Linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo, who played two seasons at Cal, announced his transfer to UCLA. After announcing his intention to enter the portal earlier on Monday, Oladejo made the move to the Bruins quickly. He had 36 tackles and one interception in his two seasons with Cal.

Oklahoma State quarterback adds name to portal

Spencer Sanders, who was the No. 121 prospect in the 2018 ESPN 300, has entered the transfer portal. He was a multi-year starter for the Cowboys and has one year of eligibility remaining.

He threw for 2,642 yards and 17 touchdowns this season.

Oregon linebacker enters portal

Justin Flowe, who was the No. 10 overall recruit in the 2020 ESPN 300, appeared in 10 games this season. He had 35 total tackles and 14 solo tackles for the Ducks.

Updating a busy first day of the transfer portal being open

Uiagalelei to move on from Clemson

Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei is officially in the transfer portal as a grad transfer. Uiagalelei was benched after leading two series, both three-and-outs, in the ACC championship game.

He finished the season completing 62.1% of his passes for 2,521 yards, 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also ran for 545 yards and seven TDs.

Second Texas A&M QB enters portal

Eli Stowers, who was an ESPN 300 prospect in the 2021 class, played in only two games this season. He’s the second Aggies QB to enter the portal, joining Haynes King.

QB Jurkovec moving from BC to Pitt

Transfer quarterback Phil Jurkovec told ESPN’s Pete Thamel that he’s committed to transfer to Pitt. Jurkovec both returns home and reunites with his former offensive coordinator at Boston College, Frank Cignetti Jr. Jurkovec has one year of eligibility remaining.

Michigan tight end enters mix

Erick All, who missed most of this season with injury, was second on the Wolverines with 437 receiving yards in 2021 and had two touchdowns.

Arizona receiver Singer adds name to portal

Dorian Singer, who led the Pac-12 with 1,105 receiving yards on 66 catches, has entered the portal. The 6-foot-1 sophomore scored six times and averaged 16.7 yards per reception.

Kent State receiver looks to catch on elsewhere

Dante Cephas was second on the Golden Flashes with 744 receiving yards and had three touchdowns this season. In 2021, Cephas had 1,240 yards on 82 catches.

Cam’Ron Kelly had 49 tackles, one interception and one pass breakup for the Tar Heels.

UCF starting corner puts name in

Davonte Brown, a 6-foot-2 corner, started every game the past two seasons for UCF. The junior had 30 tackles, two interceptions and four pass breakups in 2022 and has two years of eligibility remaining.

Seminoles linebacker enters as grad transfer

Amari Gainer entered the season as Florida State’s active leader with 193 tackles, but was limited this season (17 tackles, 1 sack).

Tight end Austin Stogner, who had 20 catches for the Gamecocks this season, entered the portal as a grad transfer. He came to South Carolina after transferring from Oklahoma.

UCF‘s No. 2 receiver enters portal

Ryan O’Keefe was second on the Knights in receiving yards this season with 725 and had five touchdown catches.

Quarterback Austin Reed ranked No. 2 in the FBS with 4,247 passing yards this season. He completed 64.4% of his attempts with 36 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The grad transfer has one season of eligibility left.

Cincinnati kicker enters portal

The Bearcats’ Ryan Coe made 19 of 23 field goals, including a 52-yarder, in his only season with Cincy. He had transferred from Delaware.

Three-year starting OL at Arizona State enters

Offensive lineman LaDarius Henderson, a three-year starter, has one year of eligibility remaining. He made 29 starts for the Sun Devils.

Huge UTEP offensive lineman is in

Multiyear starter Jeremiah Byers, a 6-foot-4, 331-pound sophomore, should draw a lot of interest.

Starting quarterback Mike Wright passed for 974 yards with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions and ran for 517 yards with five scores.

Leading rusher Ray Davis also entered the portal. Davis, who was fourth in the SEC with 1,042 rushing yards, transferred to Vandy from Temple. The Commodores were 5-7 this season, 2-6 in the SEC.

Kaleb Smith had 37 catches for 674 yards with three touchdowns and ranked fourth in the ACC with an 18.2-yard average. He is a graduate transfer.

Sources: Pitt QB Slovis on move again

Kedon Slovis, who played one season at Pittsburgh after transferring from USC, intends to enter the portal, sources tell ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Slovis struggled to find consistency with the Panthers (8-4), completing 58.4% of his passes for 2,397 yards, with 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

Three-year starting guard at Purdue is in

Spencer Holstege, a 6-foot-5, 310-pound junior, started three seasons for the Boilermakers. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

One of UCF‘s top tacklers in portal

Linebacker Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste was second on the Knights with 52 total tackles this season. Also had five tackles for loss, one sack and four pass breakups.

Raneiria Dillworth, who ranked 87th in the 2021 recruiting class, appeared in seven games for the Heels this season, recording 14 tackles.

Virginia cornerback in portal

Fentrell Cypress II has started 14 games over the past two seasons, and he broke up 11 passes in 2022. He had 46 tackles over the past two seasons.

Wake Forest running back in portal

Christian Turner rushed for 516 yards this season and 506 yards last season, with 12 total touchdowns. He originally transferred from Michigan in 2020.

Washington State has two of its top three receivers in the portal. De’Zhaun Stribling caught 95 passes for 1,073 yards and 10 touchdowns over the past two seasons, averaging 11.3 yards per catch. Donovan Ollie, a 6-foot-3, 212-pound sophomore, had 43 catches for 491 yards with three scores this season.

Kent State offensive tackle in portal

Savion Washington is a 6-foot-8 tackle who started 11 games for the Golden Flashes this season. He allowed just four pressures in 774 snaps at right tackle.

Source: NC State quarterback Devin Leary intends to enter portal

Leary will have one year of eligibility remaining at his new school, as he’s spent five years at NC State. His production over the past four years — 6,807 and 62 touchdowns — will make him one of the most productive portal quarterbacks available. Leary’s 2022 season got cut short when he tore his right (throwing) pec against Florida State on Oct. 8.

A source told ESPN’s Pete Thamel that Leary is expected to be able to cleared to throw by early March, if not sooner. He could be ready for spring football at his new destination.

Ball State running back entering portal

Running back Carson Steele put up 1,556 rushing yards with 15 total touchdowns this season. He had 891 rushing yards and seven total scores as a true freshman in 2021.

Ball State went 5-7 and isn’t eligible for a bowl game.

Five Miami players enter portal

Running back Thaddius Franklin Jr., wide receiver Josh Murillo, safety Keshawn Washington and defensive linemen Elijah Roberts and Allan Haye Jr. are all in the transfer portal.

The most notable is Franklin, who had five rushing touchdowns this season. Roberts had nine total tackles.

SUNDAY, DEC. 4

Wisconsin’s three-year starting QB to enter portal

Graham Mertz has started 32 games over the past three seasons for the Badgers, throwing for 5,405 yards, 38 touchdowns and 26 interceptions in his four-year career.

Mertz, who will have two years of eligibility remaining, went 19-13 as Wisconsin’s starter, however the Badgers went from 9-4 in 2021 to 6-6 in 2022, firing coach Paul Chryst in October. They hired Luke Fickell on Nov. 27.

While Mertz’s 52.5 Total QBR ranked ninth among 12 qualified Big Ten quarterbacks in 2022, his 9.82 air yards per attempt ranked third in the conference and 21st among 124 qualified passers.

Indiana freshman LB to enter portal

Dasan McCullough, the highest-ranked prospect in Indiana’s 2022 recruiting class (No. 43 overall), recorded 49 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and four sacks as a freshman in 2022.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound McCullough started four of the Hoosiers’ 12 games, and his 15 defensive pressures ranked seventh among all Big Ten linebackers. He is the son of Notre Dame running backs coach Deland McCullough.

Alabama starting OL to enter portal

Javion Cohen started 25 games over the past two years at left guard, surrendering just one sack on 922 pass-blocking snaps.

The 6-foot-4, 305-pound Cohen, a junior who will have two more years of eligibility, opened up about mental health awareness in July, saying, “[I] don’t want to focus on the bad though, [I] want to shed light on the good that has come of this.”

Vanderbilt’s leading rusher to enter portal

Fourth-year senior Ray Davis ran for 1,042 yards, which ranked fourth in the SEC in 2022, and his five rushing touchdowns were tied for the team lead.

The 5-foot-9, 205-pound Davis spent his first two seasons at Temple before transferring to Vanderbilt prior to the 2021 season. In his career, he has 2,497 rushing yards, 439 receiving yards and 20 total touchdowns (15 rushing, five receiving).

Arizona’s leading tackler to enter portal

Safety Jaxen Turner recorded 79 total tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and one sack for the Wildcats in 2022.

Turner, a fourth-year junior, has recorded 159 total tackles and defended seven passes in his career.

Former Clemson starting DB to enter portal

Cornerback Fred Davis II started the first four games of the 2022 season and appeared in seven games, totaling 15 tackles and defending two passes before injuring his ankle.

Davis, who is being sued over a 2021 car accident, has recorded 34 total tackles and four passes defensed in 28 games in three seasons at Clemson.

UCF QB to enter portal

Mikey Keene has thrown for 2,377 yards, 23 touchdown passes and seven interceptions in 15 career games (11 starts) with the Knights. He went 7-3 as a starter last year in place of Dillon Gabriel, but he played behind John Rhys Plumlee for most of the 2022 season.

Keene, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound quarterback with three years of eligibility remaining, completed 72.3% of his passes this season, throwing for 647 yards, six touchdowns and one interception in four games.

Charlotte’s leading WR to enter portal

Charlotte wideout Elijah Spencer, who led the 49ers with 943 receiving yards and nine touchdowns this season, will enter the transfer portal, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

His 381-yard, six-touchdown season in 2021 led him to being named Conference USA freshman of the year.

SATURDAY, DEC. 3

Oklahoma backup QB to enter portal

Oklahoma freshman QB Nick Evers was the No. 166 overall recruit in the 2022 class. He flipped from Florida to Oklahoma late in the recruiting process.

A 6-foot-3, 186-pound freshman, Evers backed up Dillon Gabriel this season. Oklahoma has five-star QB Jackson Arnold committed for the 2023 class.

BYU OL to enter portal

Campbell Barrington, the younger brother of fellow offensive lineman Clark Barrington, announced he will enter the portal when it opens.

The younger Barrington, who was part of ESPN’s true freshman All-America team in 2021, primarily played at right tackle. He went from playing 468 total snaps in eight games (six starts) in 2021 to 111 snaps in nine games without a start in 2022.

Oklahoma State‘s leading tackler to enter portal

Mason Cobb, who led the Cowboys with 96 total tackles, will have two years of eligibility remaining. Cobb, a 6-foot, 230-pound junior, also forced 1 fumble, intercepted 1 pass and recorded 2 sacks in 2022.

Leading MAC rusher to enter portal

Ball State sophomore running back Carson Steele ranked sixth in FBS with 1,556 yards entering conference championship weekend. He had nine 100-yard games and 14 touchdowns for the 5-7 Cardinals.

In two seasons, he racked up 2,447 yards and 20 touchdowns.

FRIDAY, DEC. 2

Texas A&M QB, cornerback entering the portal

Haynes King is in the portal after throwing for 1,220 yards and seven touchdowns for the Aggies in the 2022 season. Signing in 2020, King entered the Texas A&M program as the No. 46 recruit in the nation.

The Aggies (5-7) were 1-5 in games King played in this season.

In addition to King, cornerback Denver Harris is now in the portal. The former 5-star recruit (No. 25 class of 2022) played in five games this season for the Aggies before an indefinite suspension ended his season. He has three years of eligibility left.

Three Stanford players entering portal

Starting Stanford right tackle Myles Hinton joins teammates Drake Nugent and Levani Damuni in putting their names in the transfer portal. Hinton was one of Stanford’s top recruits in recent years. He was ESPN’s No. 14 overall recruit in 2020.

Nugent, a center, was on the Rimington Trophy and Outland Trophy watch lists coming into this season and was named All-Pac-12 honorable mention by the coaches in 2021. He started 22 games over the past two seasons. Damuni, a linebacker, was a team captain in 2022.

Coach David Shaw resigned earlier this week.

Oklahoma receiver enters the portal

Theo Wease Jr. has entered the transfer portal after recording 378 yards and four touchdowns for the Sooners this season. The former 4-star recruit (No. 33 in the 2019 class) had 10 total touchdown receptions over three seasons at Oklahoma. The Sooners went 6-6 in Brent Venables’ first year as head coach.

Washington State linebacker Travion Brown, a graduate student, is in the transfer portal. Brown had 49 tackles, five for loss, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery for the 7-5 Cougars this season.

Braden Fiske is in the portal as a grad transfer. Fiske had 30 tackles and 4.5 sacks this season for the Broncos (5-7, 4-4 MAC). Coach Tim Lester was fired Nov. 28.

Several high major schools are expected to show interest in Fiske, who has 12 career sacks.

Rara Thomas announced Friday that he plans to enter the transfer portal with two years of eligibility remaining. A 6-foot-2 former three-star recruit from Eufaula, Alabama, Thomas saw his production skyrocket after catching 18 passes and five touchdowns as a freshman in 2021.

As a sophomore this season, he led Mississippi State with 626 receiving yards. He ranked second on the team in receiving touchdowns (7) and fourth in receptions (44).

Pyne is a third-year player who will have three years of eligibility at his next destination. He started 10 games for Notre Dame this season, leading it to an 8-2 record and finishing No. 20 nationally in individual quarterback efficiency. Pyne threw 22 touchdowns, six interceptions and rushed for 108 yards and two more touchdowns. He completed 64.6% of his passes.

He had a 4-1 record against top-25 teams, which was the most wins against top-25 competition at Notre Dame in the last decade.

Jurkovec will enter as a graduate transfer and will have one season remaining of eligibility. He has been Boston College’s starting quarterback the past three seasons after transferring from Notre Dame. He’s been productive when healthy, as he’ll be one of the more seasoned quarterbacks to enter the transfer portal this offseason. Jurkovec started 24 games during his three seasons at Boston College and flashed with promise when healthy.

Jurkovec hasn’t played since getting knocked out of BC’s 13-3 loss at UConn on Oct. 29. He suffered minor knee and rib injuries that are expected to be healed soon. He’d be available at full health for spring practice wherever he transfers, according to sources.

THURSDAY, DEC. 1

McNamara, who helped the Wolverines to a Big Ten title and College Football Playoff berth in 2021, is set to transfer to Iowa, sources told ESPN on Thursday.

McNamara, who has two seasons of eligibility left, entered the transfer portal as a graduate on Monday. He has not played for Michigan since suffering a leg injury in Week 3 that required surgery.

In 2021, McNamara threw for 2,576 yards and 15 touchdowns and six interceptions in 14 games as Michigan won its first outright Big Ten title since 2004 and made its first CFP appearance. He emerged as the Wolverines’ starter in 2020, passing for 425 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions in a season that was interrupted by COVID-19 restrictions.

Chance Nolan threw for 939 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions while starting the Beavers’ five games this season.

He suffered a neck strain during a lopsided loss at Utah on Oct. 1 and remained sidelined for the rest of the regular season. Nolan has started 17 games in his career over three seasons in Corvallis, Ore., throwing for 4,153 yards with 32 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.

Nebraska wide receiver entering portal

Decoldest Crawford, who made offseason headlines after his NIL deal with a local HVAC company went viral, is entering the portal after one season with the Cornhuskers.

Crawford did not play during his freshman season, as he suffered a season-ending injury during a team scrimmage in August. His decision to transfer comes days after former Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule was hired as Nebraska’s next head coach.

Virginia quarterback enters the portal as grad transfer

Brennan Armstrong is in the portal.

He threw for 2,210 yards, seven touchdowns and 12 interceptions for the Cavaliers (3-7, 1-6 ACC) in 2022. Armstrong has 9,034 passing yards, 58 touchdown passes and 20 rushing TDs in his career. He ranked 4th in all of FBS with 4,449 passing yards in 2021.

Rhode Island offensive lineman to enter portal

Right tackle Ajani Cornelius has decided to enter the portal.

He started 22 games during his first two years with the Rams, and he’s reportedly already received offers from Nebraska, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Louisville, Syracuse, Penn State, Minnesota, Oregon, Auburn and South Carolina, among others.

Rhode Island went 7-4 overall (5-3 CAA) this season.

Texas A&M defensive end to portal

Edge rusher Tunmise Adeleye will enter the portal when it opens on Dec. 5.

He played sparingly this season for the Aggies and recorded tackles in only two games.

Adeleye was No. 42 overall in the 2021 ESPN 300 and had offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Michigan and Ohio State, among others.

Cincinnati center entering portal

Center Jake Renfro, a first-team All-AAC selection in 2021, entered the transfer portal on Thursday.

He sustained a knee injury in preseason camp that prevented him from playing this fall. The 6-foot-3, 308-pound Renfro has started 19 games in the past two seasons. A third-year player, Renfro was allowed to enter the portal before Dec. 5 because Cincinnati’s coach Luke Fickell left for the Wisconsin job earlier this week.

Iowa wide receiver to enter portal

Keagan Johnson, who missed most of the 2022 season due to injury, has announced that he will enter the transfer portal.

In 2021, Johnson led all Iowa receivers with 352 yards as a freshman. He also contributed with two touchdowns and 18 receptions. This season, he appeared in two games and had two receptions for 11 yards against Nevada.

Maryland linebacker in portal as grad transfer

Ahmad McCullough had 45 tackles and two fumble recoveries in two starts for the Terrapins this season. In total, he started six games over four seasons, with 92 total tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

Lineman Austin Fontaine also is in the portal. He played both defense and offense, starting six games at guard in 2019.

Kentucky running back enters portal

Kavosiey Smoke had 291 carries for 1,583 yards and 13 touchdowns over five seasons at Kentucky. He had 58 rushes for 277 yards this season. His best year was 2019, when he had 616 rushing yards and six touchdowns.

Wide receiver Rahsaan Lewis also will transfer. He had eight catches for 69 yards over the past two seasons. He is the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis. He previously attended UCF and FAU.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 30

Stanford loses two more to portal

Defensive end Stephen Herron, who had led the Cardinal with 5.5 sacks in 2022, and guard Jake Hornibrook, who started 16 games over the past two seasons, are in the transfer portal. Herron had nine total sacks in three seasons.

They follow safety Jonathan McGill, who announced earlier this week he was transferring, following the resignation of coach David Shaw.

Alabama wide receivers decide to enter portal

Alabama wide receivers Traeshon Holden and Christian Leary are going to enter the portal when it opens next week. Holden was second on the team in touchdowns receptions (6) and fourth in receiving yards (331) this season as the Crimson Tide went 10-2.

Leary, who was No. 77 in the 2021 ESPN 300, was used on special teams for the most part during his two years in Tuscaloosa.

Second Tulsa quarterback to enter the portal

Braylon Braxton became the second Tulsa quarterback in three days to enter the portal, joining Davis Brin.

Braxton, a second-year player, started three of Tulsa’s final four games this season, throwing for 1,133 yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions.

The news comes in light of the Golden Hurricane dismissing coach Phillip Montgomery after a 5-7 season.

Oklahoma wide receiver entering portal

Theo Wease has entered the portal as a grad transfer and will have two years of eligibility remaining. He caught 19 passes for 378 yards and four touchdowns in seven games for the Sooners (6-6) this season. He established a new career high in receiving yards (123) during the final game of the season, a 51-48 overtime loss at Texas Tech.

Wease had 64 receptions for 1,044 yards and 10 touchdowns in his career. He was ranked as the No. 33 overall recruit in the 2019 ESPN 300.

Florida State freshman defensive back enters portal

Sam McCall announced his plans to enter the transfer portal. In his first season with the Seminoles, he recorded five total tackles, three solo tackles and one forced fumble.

McCall was ranked No. 55 overall in the 2022 ESPN 300.

Sean Tyler, who rushed for 1,027 yards this season and 1,150 yards in 2021, is in the portal. Tyler had 2,830 rushing yards, 338 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns in four seasons for the Broncos.

Western Michigan went 5-7 this season and fired coach Tim Lester earlier this week.

Colorado safety enters portal

Isaiah Lewis is a two-time Pac-12 honorable mention who played in only four games this season because of injury. In 42 career games since 2018, he has broken up five passes and recorded 128 total tackles and three interceptions.

Lewis, a 6-foot, 205-pound defensive back from Granite Bay, California, was originally a three-star prospect in the 2017 recruiting cycle.

TUESDAY, NOV. 29

Northwestern wide receiver to go into portal

Malik Washington will enter the portal as a graduate transfer. Washington led Northwestern, which went 1-11 in 2022, with 65 catches for 694 receiving yards. He hit his career high in receiving yards (97) twice this season — against Nebraska in Dublin on Aug. 27 and against Minnesota on Nov. 12.

He had 120 receptions for 1,348 yards and three touchdowns during his four seasons in Evanston.

Texas backup quarterback to enter portal

Hudson Card, who lost the Longhorns’ quarterback competition to Quinn Ewers but filled in when Ewers was hurt, is going to enter the portal. Card threw for 928 yards with six touchdowns this season for Texas, which went 8-4.

Card, who was ranked No. 40 overall and was the second-best dual-threat quarterback in the 2020 ESPN 300, has 1,523 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and two interceptions during his career.

Three Syracuse WRs to enter portal

Courtney Jackson, who led the Orange in receiving yards in 2021 and has totaled 662 yards and four touchdowns in four seasons, entered the portal as a grad transfer with two years of eligibility remaining.

Anthony Queeley, who had 52 catches for 600 yards and four touchdowns over his first two seasons but totaled just one catch for 12 yards in 2022, announced his intentions to enter the portal, as did Dom Foster, a freshman who was recruited as an athlete but converted to receiver.

FIU‘s top TE to enter portal

FIU tight end Rivaldo Fairweather has 54 catches for 838 yards and five touchdown in his three-year career with the Panthers thus far.

A 6-foot-5, 245-pound target, Fairweather ranked 18th among all FBS tight ends in receiving yards (426) and third in yards per reception (15.21) in 2022.

Three Duke players enter portal

Linebacker Rocky Shelton II, defensive back Tony Davis and wide receiver Darrell Harding Jr. all entered the portal as grad transfers. Shelton started eight games in 2020 and totaled 1.5 sacks and 35 total tackles, however he didn’t play in 2021 and recorded 10 total tackles in 12 games in 2022.

Harding caught 35 passes for 452 yards in 24 games over the past four years. Davis, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound cornerback, recorded 13 total tackles and one pass breakup in four seasons.

Indiana loses second quarterback to portal

Indiana starting quarterback Connor Bazelak announced he plans to enter the portal as a grad transfer. Bazelak transferred to Indiana from Missouri before the 2022 season. He threw for 2,312 yards and 13 touchdowns this season as Indiana went 4-8.

Bazelak, who has thrown for 7,370 yards, 36 touchdowns and 27 interceptions in his career, is the second Hoosiers quarterback to enter the portal. Fourth-year signal-caller Jack Tuttle announced in October he planned to enter the portal when it opened, but ultimately started Indiana’s 45-14 loss to Penn State in November amid injury woes.

Iowa backup quarterback to enter portal

Alex Padilla served as a backup to Spencer Petras, a three-year starter. He saw action in two games this season for the Hawkeyes — losses to Ohio State and Nebraska — and played in eight games in 2021, starting two.

Padilla threw for 821 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions during his three seasons at Iowa.

MONDAY, NOV. 28

McNamara led Michigan to the Big Ten title and a College Football Playoff appearance in 2021, throwing for 2,576 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions in 14 games.

He started the 2022 season with a 136-yard, one-touchdown performance against Colorado State in the opener but ultimately lost the Wolverines’ quarterback competition to second-year QB J.J. McCarthy.

McNamara suffered a leg injury in the second half against UConn on Sept. 17 that required surgery, and he didn’t appear in a game the rest of the season.

As a sophomore, Thornton caught 17 passes for 366 yards and a touchdown. He had a career-high 151 receiving yards in a 20-17 victory over Utah on Nov. 19.

He was the fourth-leading receiver for the Ducks, who went 9-3 in the regular season. Thornton has 26 catches for 541 yards and three touchdowns in his career.

Stanford safety to portal after coach David Shaw’s resignation

In response to Shaw’s resignation at Stanford, safety Jonathan McGill will enter the portal as a grad transfer.

McGill was second on the team in total tackles (51), had 5.5 tackles-for-loss, seven PBUs and an interception for the Cardinal this season. Stanford went 3-9 for a second consecutive year.

Tulsa quarterback to enter the portal

Tulsa quarterback Davis Brin, who started nine games this year, decided to transfer in light of coach Philip Montgomery’s firing.

Brin had 2,138 passing yards with 17 touchdowns with eight interceptions, but he didn’t start three of the Golden Hurricane’s last four games of the season.

In his career, he has 5,660 passing yards with 37 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.

LJ Johnson Jr. was the No. 86 overall recruit (No. 5 running back) in the 2021 ESPN 300 and chose Texas A&M over Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Texas and Oklahoma, among others.

In six games for the Aggies this season, he had 10 carries for 39 yards and two touchdowns but didn’t receive any carries after Oct. 22.

Texas A&M defensive linemen Elijah Jeudy and Donell Harris Jr. also plan to enter the portal.

SUNDAY, NOV. 27

Sophomore wide receiver Dominic Lovett ranked sixth in the SEC in receptions (56) and third in the conference in receiving yards (846).

Of the 12 passing touchdowns quarterback Brady Cook threw this year, three went to Lovett.

Jeff Sims was a three-year starter for the Yellow Jackets, who fired coach Geoff Collins in September.

Sims, a former ESPN 300 recruit ranked No. 88 in the 2020 class, started the first seven games of the 2022 season before hurting his foot during a loss to Virginia on Oct. 20.

In his career, Sims has 4,464 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.

PREVIOUSLY

Alabama DB and former top juco prospect enters portal

Khyree Jackson, who was the top recruit in ESPN’s 2021 junior college rankings, entered the portal Nov. 23.

Jackson saw action in nine games, starting one, for the Crimson Tide in 2022 and recorded seven tackles. He chose Alabama over offers from Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Oklahoma and Oregon, among others.

Several FCS prospects enter portal

With the conclusion of some FCS seasons across the country, several players hit the portal the week of Nov. 21. Notables include:

Wisconsin‘s former top-15 recruit enters after dismissal

Wisconsin offensive tackle Logan Brown was dismissed from the team because of an “internal incident” on Oct. 13, interim coach Jim Leonhard said.

Upon his dismissal, Brown, the No. 15 recruit and No. 7 offensive tackle in the 2019 recruiting class, tweeted he would enter the portal.

Boise State starting QB enters portal

Boise State quarterback Hank Bachmeier entered the portal on Sept. 27. Bachmeier, a four-year starter, had totaled 6,605 passing yards, 41 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.

Bachmeier had thrown for 497 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions in four games this season. By leaving prior to playing in his fifth game of the season, he will have two years of eligibility remaining, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

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What are torpedo bats? Are they legal? What to know about MLB’s hottest trend

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April 5, 2025

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What are torpedo bats? Are they legal? What to know about MLB's hottest trend

The opening weekend of the 2025 MLB season was taken over by a surprise star — torpedo bats.

The bowling pin-shaped bats became the talk of the sport after the Yankees’ home run onslaught on the first Saturday of the season put it in the spotlight and the buzz hasn’t slowed since.

What exactly is a torpedo bat? How does it help hitters? And how is it legal? Let’s dig in.

Read: An MIT-educated professor, the Yankees and the bat that could be changing baseball

What is a torpedo bat and why is it different from a traditional MLB bat?

The idea of the torpedo bat is to take a size format — say, 34 inches and 32 ounces — and distribute the wood in a different geometric shape than the traditional form to ensure the fattest part of the bat is located where the player makes the most contact. Standard bats taper toward an end cap that is as thick diametrically as the sweet spot of the barrel. The torpedo bat moves some of the mass on the end of the bat about 6 to 7 inches lower, giving it a bowling-pin shape, with a much thinner end.

How does it help hitters?

The benefits for those who like swinging with it — and not everyone who has swung it likes it — are two-fold. Both are rooted in logic and physics. The first is that distributing more mass to the area of most frequent contact aligns with players’ swing patterns and provides greater impact when bat strikes ball. Players are perpetually seeking ways to barrel more balls, and while swings that connect on the end of the bat and toward the handle probably will have worse performance than with a traditional bat, that’s a tradeoff they’re willing to make for the additional slug. And as hitters know, slug is what pays.

The second benefit, in theory, is increased bat speed. Imagine a sledgehammer and a broomstick that both weigh 32 ounces. The sledgehammer’s weight is almost all at the end, whereas the broomstick’s is distributed evenly. Which is easier to swing fast? The broomstick, of course, because shape of the sledgehammer takes more strength and effort to move. By shedding some of the weight off the end of the torpedo bat and moving it toward the middle, hitters have found it swings very similarly to a traditional model but with slightly faster bat velocity.

Why did it become such a big story so early in the 2025 MLB season?

Because the New York Yankees hit nine home runs in a game Saturday and Michael Kay, their play-by-play announcer, pointed out that some of them came from hitters using a new bat shape. The fascination was immediate. While baseball, as an industry, has implemented forward-thinking rules in recent seasons, the modification to something so fundamental and known as the shape of a bat registered as bizarre. The initial response from many who saw it: How is this legal?

OK. How is this legal?

Major League Baseball’s bat regulations are relatively permissive. Currently, the rules allow for a maximum barrel diameter of 2.61 inches, a maximum length of 42 inches and a smooth and round shape. The lack of restrictions allows MLB’s authorized bat manufacturers to toy with bat geometry and for the results to still fall within the regulations.

Who came up with the idea of using them?

The notion of a bowling-pin-style bat has kicked around baseball for years. Some bat manufacturers made smaller versions as training tools. But the version that’s now infiltrating baseball goes back two years when a then-Yankees coach named Aaron Leanhardt started asking hitters how they should counteract the giant leaps in recent years made by pitchers.

When Yankees players responded that bigger barrels would help, Leanhardt — an MIT-educated former Michigan physics professor who left academia to work in the sports industry — recognized that as long as bats stayed within MLB parameters, he could change their geometry to make them a reality. Leanhardt, who left the Yankees to serve as major league field coordinator for the Miami Marlins over the winter, worked with bat manufacturers throughout the 2023 and 2024 seasons to make that a reality.

When did it first appear in MLB games?

It’s unclear specifically when. But Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton used a torpedo bat last year and went on a home run-hitting rampage in October that helped send the Yankees to the World Series. New York Mets star Francisco Lindor also used a torpedo-style bat last year and went on to finish second in National League MVP voting.

Who are some of the other notable early users of torpedo bats?

In addition to Stanton and Lindor, Yankees hitters Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt have used torpedoes to great success. Others who have used them in games include Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero, Minnesota’s Ryan Jeffers and Toronto’s Davis Schneider. And that’s just the beginning. Hundreds more players are expected to test out torpedoes — and perhaps use them in games — in the coming weeks.

How is this different from a corked bat?

Corking bats involves drilling a hole at the end of the bat, filling it in and capping it. The use of altered bats allows players to swing faster because the material with which they replace the wood — whether it’s cork, superballs or another material — is lighter. Any sort of bat adulteration is illegal and, if found, results in suspension.

Could a rule be changed to ban them?

Could it happen? Sure. Leagues and governing bodies have put restrictions on equipment they believe fundamentally altered fairness. Stick curvature is limited in hockey. Full-body swimsuits made of polyurethane and neoprene are banned by World Aquatics. But officials at MLB have acknowledged that the game’s pendulum has swung significantly toward pitching in recent years, and if an offensive revolution comes about because of torpedo bats — and that is far from a guarantee — it could bring about more balance to the game. If that pendulum swings too far, MLB could alter its bat regulations, something it has done multiple times already this century.

So the torpedo bat is here to stay?

Absolutely. Bat manufacturers are cranking them out and shipping them to interested players with great urgency. Just how widely the torpedo bat is adopted is the question that will play out over the rest of the season. But it has piqued the curiosity of nearly every hitter in the big leagues, and just as pitchers toy with new pitches to see if they can marginally improve themselves, hitters will do the same with bats.

Comfort is paramount with a bat, so hitters will test them during batting practice and in cage sessions before unleashing them during the game. As time goes on, players will find specific shapes that are most comfortable to them and best suit their swing during bat-fitting sessions — similar to how golfers seek custom clubs. But make no mistake: This is an almost-overnight alteration of the game, and “traditional or torpedo” is a question every big leaguer going forward will ask himself.

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‘It’s taken on a life of its own’: Inside the 48 hours torpedo bats launched into baseball lore

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April 5, 2025

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'It's taken on a life of its own': Inside the 48 hours torpedo bats launched into baseball lore

At 1:54 ET on Saturday afternoon, New York Yankees play-by-play man Michael Kay lit the fuse on what will be remembered as either one of the most metamorphic conversations in baseball history or one of its strangest.

During spring training, someone in the organization had mentioned to Kay that the team’s analytics department had counseled players on where pitches tended to strike their bats, and with subsequent buy-in from some of the players, bats had been designed around that information. In the hours before the Yankees’ home game against the Brewers that day, Kay told the YES Network production staff about this, alerting them so they could look for an opportunity to highlight the equipment.

After the Yankees clubbed four homers in the first inning, a camera zoomed in on Jazz Chisholm Jr.‘s bat in the second inning. “You see the shape of Chisholm’s bat…” Kay said on air. “It’s got a big barrel on it,” Paul O’Neill responded, before Kay went on to describe the analysis behind the bat shaped like a torpedo.

Chisholm singled to left field, and after Anthony Volpe worked the count against former teammate Nestor Cortes to a full count, Volpe belted a home run to right field using the same kind of bat. A reporter watching the game texted Kay: Didn’t he hit the meat part of the bat you were talking about — just inside where the label normally is?

Yep, Kay responded. Within an hour of Kay’s commentary, the video of Chisholm’s bat and Kay’s exchange with O’Neill was posted on multiple platforms of social media, amplified over and over. What happened over the next 48 hours was what you get when you mix the power of social media and the desperation of a generation of beleaguered hitters. Batting averages are at a historic low, strikeout rates at a historic high, and on a sunny spring day in the Bronx, here were the Yankees blasting baseballs into the seats with what seemed to be a strangely shaped magic bat.

An oasis of offense had formed on the horizon, and hitters — from big leaguers to Little Leaguers, including at least one member of Congress — paddled toward it furiously. Acres of trees will be felled and shaped to feed the thirst for this new style of bats. Last weekend, one bat salesman asked his boss, “What the heck have we done?”

Jared Smith, CEO of bat-maker Victus, said, “I’ve been making bats for 15, 16 years. … This is the most talked-about thing in the industry since I started. And I hope we can make better-performing bats that work for players.”

According to Bobby Hillerich, the vice president of production at Hillerich & Bradsby, his company — which is based in Louisville, Kentucky, and makes Louisville Slugger bats — had produced 20 versions of the torpedo bat as of this past Saturday, and in less than a week, that number has tripled as players and teams continually call in their orders.

Even though Saturday marked its launch into the mainstream, this shape of bat has actually been around for a while. Hillerich & Bradsby had its first contact with a team about the style in 2021 and had nondisclosure agreements with four teams as the bat evolved; back then, it was referred to as the “bowling pin” bat. The Cubs’ Nico Hoerner was the first major leaguer to try it — and apparently wasn’t comfortable with it. Cody Bellinger tried it when he was with the Cubs before joining the Yankees during the offseason.

Before Atlanta took the field Sunday night, Braves catcher Drake Baldwin recalled trying one in the Arizona Fall League last year (noting that his first impression was that it “looked weird”). Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor used it in 2024, in a year in which he would finish second in the NL MVP voting; Lindor’s was a little different from Volpe’s version, with a cup hollowed out at the end of the bat. Giancarlo Stanton swung one throughout his playoff surge last fall, but no one in the media noticed, perhaps because of how the pitch-black color of Stanton’s bat camouflaged the shape.

Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli saw one in the Twins’ dugout during spring training and picked it up, his attention drawn to the unusual shape. “What the hell is this thing?” he asked, wondering aloud whether the design was legal. When he was assured it was, he put it back down.

Baldelli’s experience reflected the way hitters have used and assessed bats since the advent of baseball: They’ll pick up bats and see how they feel, their interest fueled by the specter of success. Tony Gwynn won eight batting titles, and many teammates and opposing hitters — Barry Bonds among them — asked whether they could inspect his bats. The torpedo bat’s arrival was simply the latest version of that long-held search for the optimal tool.

On Opening Day, eight teams had some version of the torpedo bat within their stock, according to one major league source. But with video of the Yankees’ home runs being hit off unusual bats saturating social media Saturday afternoon, the phone of Kevin Uhrhan, pro bat sales rep for Louisville Slugger, blew up with requests for torpedo bats. James Rowson, the hitting coach of the Yankees, began to get text inquiries — about 100, he later estimated. Everyone wanted to know about the bat; everyone wanted to get their own.

In San Diego, Braves players asked about the bats, and by Sunday morning, equipment manager Calvin Minasian called in the team’s order. By the middle of the week, all 30 teams had asked for the bats. “Every team started trying to get orders in,” Hillerich said. “We’re trying to scramble to get wood. And then it was: How fast can we get this to retail?”

Victus produces the bats Chisholm and Volpe are using and has made them available for retail. Three senior players, all in their 70s, stopped by the Victus store to ask about the torpedoes. A member of Congress who plays baseball reached out to Louisville Slugger.

The Cincinnati Reds contacted Hillerich & Bradsby, saying, “We need you in Cincinnati on Monday ASAP,” and soon after, Uhrhan and pro bat production manager Brian Hillerich, Bobby’s brother, made the 90-minute drive from the company’s factory in Louisville with test bats.

Reds star Elly De La Cruz tried a few, decided on a favorite and used it for a career performance that night.

“You can think in New York, maybe there was wind,” Bobby Hillerich said. “Elly hits two home runs and gets seven RBIs. That just took it to a whole new level.”

A few days after the Yankees’ explosion, Aaron Leanhardt, who had led New York’s effort to customize its bats as a minor league hitting coordinator before being hired by the Marlins as their field coordinator, was in the middle of a horseshoe of reporters, explaining the background. “There are a lot more cameras here today than I’m used to,” he said, laughing.

Stanton spoke with reporters about the simple concept behind the bat: build a design for where a hitter is most likely to make contact. “You wonder why no one has thought of it before, for sure,” Stanton said. “I didn’t know if it was, like, a rule-based thing of why they were shaped like that.”

Over and over, MLB officials assured those asking: Yes, the bats are legal and meet the sport’s equipment specifications. Trevor Megill, the Brewers’ closer, complained about the bats, calling them like “something used in slow-pitch softball,” but privately, baseball officials were thrilled by the possibility of seeing offense goosed, something they had been attempting through rule change in recent years.

“It’s all the rage right now, given what transpired over the weekend,” said Jeremy Zoll, assistant general manager of the Twins. “I’m sure more and more guys are going to experiment with it as a result, just to see if it’s something they like.”

That personal preference is a factor for which some front office types believe the mass orders of the bats don’t account: The Yankees’ recommendations to each hitter were based on months of past data of how that player tended to strike the ball. This was not about a one-size-fits all bat; it was about precise bat measurements that reflected an individual player’s swing.

“I had never heard of it. I’ve used the same bat for nine years, so I think I’ll stick with that,” White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi said. “It’s pretty interesting. It makes sense. If it works for a guy, good for him. If it doesn’t, stick with what you got.”

As longtime player Eric Hosmer explained on the “Baseball Tonight” podcast, the process is a lot like what players can do in golf: look for clubs customized for a player’s particular swing. And, he added, hitting coaches might begin to think more about which bat might be most effective against particular pitchers. If a pitcher tends to throw inside, a torpedo bat could be more effective; if a pitcher is more effective outside, maybe a larger barrel would be more appropriate.

That’s the key, according to an agent representing a player who ordered a bat: “You need years of hitting data in the big leagues to dial it in and hopefully get a better result. He’s still tinkering with it; he may not even use it in a game. … I think of it like switching your irons in golf to blades: It will feel a little different and take some adjusting, and it may even change your swing subtly.”

Two days after the home run explosion, Boone said, “You’re just trying to just get what you can on the margins, move the needle a little bit. And that’s really all you’re going to do. I don’t think this is some revelation to where we’re going to be — it’s not related to the weekend that we had, for example. I don’t think it’s that. Maybe in some cases, for some players it may help them incrementally. That’s how I view it.”

“I’m kind of starting to smile at it a little more … a lot of things that aren’t real.”

Said the player agent: “It’s not an aluminum bat with plutonium in it like everyone is making it out to be.”

Reliever Adam Ottavino watched this all play out, with his 15 years of experience. “It’s the Yankees and they scored a million runs in the first few games, and it’s cool to hate the Yankees and it’s cool to look for the bogeyman,” Ottavino said, “and that’s what some people are going to do, and [you] can’t really stop that. But there’s also a lot of misinformation and noneducation on it too.”

Major league baseball mostly evolves at a glacial pace. For example, the sport is well into the second century of complaints about the surface of the ball and the debate over financial disparity among teams. From time to time, however, baseball has its eclipses, moments that command full attention and inspire change. On a “Sunday Night Baseball” game on May 18, 2008, an umpire’s botched home run call at Yankee Stadium compelled MLB to implement the first instant replay. Buster Posey’s ankle was shattered in a home plate collision in May 2011, imperiling the career of the young star, and new rules about that type of play were rewritten.

The torpedo bat eruption could turn out to be transformative, a time when the industry became aware how a core piece of equipment has been taken for granted and aware that bats could be more precisely designed to augment the ability of each hitter. Or this could all turn out to be a wild overreaction to an outlier day of home runs against a pitching staff having a really bad day.

On Thursday, Cortes — who had been hammered for five homers over two innings in Yankee Stadium — shut out the Reds for six innings.

In Baltimore, Bregman, who had tried the torpedo bat earlier this week, reverted to his usual stock and had three hits against the Orioles, including a home run. Afterward, Bregman said, “It’s the hitter. Not the bat.”

This story was also reported by Jeff Passan, Jorge Castillo, Jesse Rogers and Kiley McDaniel.

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D-backs’ Marte strains hamstring, placed on IL

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April 5, 2025

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D-backs' Marte strains hamstring, placed on IL

  • Associated Press

Apr 4, 2025, 08:23 PM ET

WASHINGTON — Arizona second basemen Ketel Marte was put on the 10-day injured list Saturday, a day after leaving the Diamondbacks’ 6-4 victory over the Nationals in the first inning with a strained left hamstring sustained while running the bases.

Marte hit a long ball to the wall in center field, and as he rounded first base and headed to second, he started to stutter-step. He pulled in slowly for a standup double while holding his left hamstring.

“To see him pull up like that in the first inning was not, no one in the dugout was feeling good,” said right fielder Corbin Carroll, who hit two home runs and drove in three runs for Arizona.

Marte limped off the field under the supervision of the team’s training staff and was replaced by Garrett Hampson.

Infielder Tim Tawa was recalled Saturday from Triple-A Reno.

“We budget for these hard times,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “The timing of it isn’t ideal, but we have players that are ready to step in and hold down the fort until he gets back.”

Marte also had hamstring injuries in 2019, 2021 and 2022.

He agreed to a contract Wednesday that guarantees the All-Star $116.5 million through 2031, a six-year deal that includes a player option and $46 million in deferred money payable through 2040.

Marte is hitting .346 this season in eight games and has reached base in every game.

He finished third in National League MVP voting last season, hitting .292 while setting career highs with 36 homers and 95 RBIs.

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