Mountain West preview: Burning questions in Mountain division
Wyoming finished with its worst SP+ ranking since 2015, San Diego State had its worst since 2013. At 59th, Boise State had its worst ranking since 1998. At 126th and 128th, Colorado State and Hawaii had their worst since 1981 and 1976, respectively. Nevada hadn’t ranked worse than 125th since 1933. New Mexico had never ranked as low as 130th. Only two Mountain West teams saw their rankings improve in 2022 (San Jose State and UNLV … which fired its coach?), and five teams fell by at least 30 spots. (Nevada fell by 74.)
It wasn’t a great year for the Group of Five conference out west, in other words. In its 18-year existence, the MWC had never finished with an average SP+ ranking worse than 87.7, and it was 97.7 in 2022. The conference had four new head coaches (all of whom oversaw regression) and the worst returning production averages in the country by far, and while its two division champions (Fresno State and Boise State) both flashed upside, they also both battled quarterback injuries and overall inconsistency.
A rebound isn’t guaranteed in 2023, but there are reasons for hope. In the Mountain Division, Boise State has its QB situation figured out and boasts one of the conference’s higher returning production averages. Wyoming went from near the bottom of the returning production list to near the top. Air Force returns the bones of an outstanding defense, the injury bug has almost no choice but to be kinder to Utah State, and both Colorado State and New Mexico have enough potential at quarterback to make them candidates for overachieving projections.
Last year was a nadir. Let’s talk about what we might see this fall.
The MWC ditched divisions and will send its top two finishers to the conference championship game this fall, but for the sake of this two-part preview we’ll break them into division-shaped batches. Let’s preview the MWC Mountain!
Every week through the offseason, Bill Connelly will preview another division from the Group of 5 and Power 5 exclusively for ESPN+, ultimately including all 133 FBS teams. The previews will include 2022 breakdowns, 2023 previews and burning questions for each team.
Earlier previews: Conference USA, part 1 | Conference USA, part 2 | MAC East | MAC West
2022 recap
Boise State had the good sense to time its funk for before conference play. That made the difference in an uneventful Mountain race. After a dire 27-10 loss to UTEP in Week 4, second-year head coach Andy Avalos fired offensive coordinator Tim Plough and replaced him with former BSU head coach and NFL offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter. Quarterback Hank Bachmeier entered the transfer portal, so Koetter called plays for freshman Taylen Green instead.
It worked. BSU went 8-0 in MWC play, winning the division by three games over Air Force (which had suffered its own funk at the beginning of conference play), Wyoming (whose offense faltered terribly late in the year) and Utah State (who went 4-0 in one-score games to eke out bowl eligibility). Colorado State and New Mexico, meanwhile, went a combined 5-19 overall, 3-13 in conference.
2023 projections
Former BSU quarterback and Missouri assistant Bush Hamdan takes over as offensive coordinator in Boise, but Green returns, as do eight other offensive starters. The Broncos’ defense is dealing with turnover, but with Air Force starting over offensively and everyone else playing catch-up, the Broncos start out as a clear favorite. That makes sense considering, well, they’ve won five of the last six Mountain crowns. If there’s a monkey wrench in their plan to make it six of seven, however, it might be the Air Force defense.
Burning questions
Which of last year’s three Boise States takes the field in 2023? For some teams, SP+ draws a pretty good bead on you from the start. For others, it’s chasing a moving target all year. Boise State fit into the latter category.
Boise State vs. SP+ projections in 2022
First four games: underachieved by 14.4 PPG (-8.3 on offense, -6.1 on defense)
Next four games: overachieved by 13.5 PPG (+9.0 on offense, +4.5 on defense)
Last six games: underachieved by 3.7 PPG (-0.1 on offense, -3.6 on defense)
The Broncos were projected 35th to start the season, but they got trounced at both Oregon State and UTEP and fell as low as 81st. The post-UTEP offensive changes took hold nicely, however, and they beat four MWC opponents, including Fresno State and San Diego State, by an average of 36-14 to climb back toward the top 50. But down the stretch, the offense played to projections while the defense slipped.
I figure we can assume good things from the offense. The experience levels are massive, and for a freshman who wasn’t even supposed to play, Green really was outstanding. He rushed for more than 100 yards three times and threw for more than 200 yards six times, and BSU averaged 32.5 points per game when he started and 22 when he didn’t. The combination of Green and 1,100-yard rusher George Holani gives the Broncos the best backfield in the MWC, and Green will have sure-handed slot man Latrell Caples and a seasoned receiving corps at his disposal too. The line must replace three regulars, including John Ojukwu, the latest of many awesome BSU left tackles, but it returns four players with solid starting experience. Right tackle Cade Beresford is particularly strong.
It’s hard to know what to make of the defense, though. The Broncos finished a lofty 28th in defensive SP+ because of early-season prowess and dominance of bad offenses, but they suffered increasing glitches late, then lost nine of the 18 players who saw 250-plus snaps, including four of the top five in an aggressive secondary.
Avalos is an outstanding defensive coach — it’s been a while since he was associated with a bad defense — and seems to work well with coordinator Spencer Danielson. They still have play-makers in linebacker DJ Schramm and edge rusher Demitri Washington, and sophomore linebacker Andrew Simpson could become a star soon. But depth could be an issue in both the front and back unless some transfers (three on the line, one four-year plus two JUCOs in the secondary) click. If BSU still fields a top-40 defense, the Broncos will be far and away the division favorite. But attrition can catch up to you at times.
Can Air Force keep this run of incredible defense going? At a school that can’t redshirt players (and, in recent times, hasn’t been able to take advantage of the NCAA giving everyone an extra year of eligibility), Air Force coach Troy Calhoun has been a bit limited by experience — sometimes his team has it, and sometimes it doesn’t. From 2012 to 2019, Calhoun’s Falcons suffered four losing seasons and won double-digit games three times, depending in part on the level of turnover they had suffered the year before. But starting in 2019, the program began taking on a different, almost reliable look.
Air Force’s average SP+ rankings
Calhoun’s first 12 years (2007-18): 67.9 overall, 60.7 offense, 68.8 defense
Calhoun’s last four years (2019-22): 47.8 overall, 90.3 offense, 16.8 defense
The Falcons have won at least 10 games in each of their last three full seasons, and their defense has been just about the best in the Group of Five. They benefit from the way their offense slows games down — it doesn’t score as many points as it used to, but it exposed the defense to the fewest number of plays and drives per game last season. But when the defense is on the field, it dominates. The Falcons were ninth in rushing success rate allowed in 2022 despite size disadvantages up front, they rushed the passer well when opponents were behind schedule, and they played brilliant red zone defense, allowing just a 43% red zone touchdown rate (fourth in FBS).
After years of winning games by frustrating the opposing defense with its option attack, Air Force now wins games by frustrating foes’ offense even more. And its defensive dominance continued after losing coordinator John Rudzinski to Virginia last season. Veteran Brian Knorr, a former Air Force quarterback, took the reins and kept the momentum going — and with a pretty young unit, to boot. Of the 13 defenders with 250-plus snaps, nine return, including 260-pound play-making tackles Peyton Zdroik and Jayden Thiergood up front and most of the secondary.
The Falcons should have another outstanding defense in 2023, but the offense has indeed slid backward a bit in recent years and now faces an overhaul. Quarterback Haaziq Daniels and 1,700-yard rusher Brad Roberts carried the ball a combined 471 times (not including sacks) last season, and both are gone. So are three of the next four leading rushers and both of the players who caught more than three passes in this run-heavy attack. The line could be a saving grace — it returns all but one regular, including three all-conference contenders in tackles Everett Smalley and Kaleb Holcomb and guard Wesley Ndago. But fullback John Lee Eldridge III will be the only familiar face touching the ball in 2023, and this was already an offense that has seen diminishing returns in recent years. The defense can carry a ton of the burden, but it has to get at least some help.
Can Wyoming field a merely decent offense at some point? Aside from geography and elevation, Wyoming and Air Force don’t have a lot in common — different recruiting aims, different budgets, different just about everything. But they have been similarly lopsided in recent years. Since 2017, Craig Bohl’s Wyoming program has gone .500 or better in every (full) season because of a brilliant defense that has averaged a 33.3 ranking in defensive SP+. Bohl has beautifully rebuilt the defensive culture he established at North Dakota State, and the Cowboys have benefited from it.
They have yet to win more than eight games in a season, however, because in that same span the offense has averaged a grotesque SP+ ranking of 115.7. As with Air Force, they chew up clock with a slow tempo, and they run the ball effectively at times: The trio of Titus Swen, Dawaiian McNeely and D.Q. James averaged 24 carries per game and 5.6 yards per carry last year. But when the Cowboys fell behind schedule, the drive ended. They were 118th in passing downs success rate. Quarterback Andrew Peasley completed just 52% of his passes with a 10-to-9 TD-to-INT ratio and a No. 112 Total QBR ranking.
The defense slid a bit in 2022, in part because of inexperience. That could go from liability to asset this fall: Of the 16 players who saw at least 250 snaps, 13 return, and 10 were either freshmen or sophomores last fall. Nine players made at least four tackles for loss, and eight are back. The Cowboys still ranked a solid 66th in defensive SP+ and defended the pass beautifully. The line was particularly young, however, and the run defense struggled; they ranked 94th in rushing success rate allowed and, shockingly for a Bohl defense, 125th in tackle success rate.
If inexperience was the main issue (and it probably was), the front seven should rebound, and this could easily be another high-level defense. The question, then, is whether anything will ever change on offense. Peasley returns, as do McNeely and James, and Northern Illinois transfer Harrison Waylee should take Swen’s place pretty well. The offensive line is huge: Five returning regulars average 6-foot-5, 312 pounds. Bohl clearly desires conservatism and physicality over everything else on offense, and that’s fine. But you still have to be able to throw the ball occasionally, and Wyoming wasn’t even good at that when Josh Allen was behind center.
This is a 10-win defense paired with a three-win offense. Annual bowl eligibility is a pretty incredible thing in this job, but Bohl’s success has also revealed his program’s limitations. It’s not too late for Wyoming to evolve — or for Bohl to maybe climb aboard the fourth downs bandwagon (Wyoming went for it on only 6% of fourth downs last season, lowest in FBS) — but it’s hard to believe that might happen.
What does a stable Utah State look like? The only predictable thing about a recent Utah State football season has been that it’s probably going to be completely different than the one the year before.
2017: 6-7 record, 81st in SP+
2018: 11-2 record, 16th in SP+
2019: 7-6 record, 73rd in SP+
2020: 1-5 record, 121st in SP+
2021: 11-3 record, 62nd in SP+
2022: 6-7 record, 114th in SP+
That’s five straight years with at least a five-game change in the win total and at least a 48-spot shift in the SP+ rankings. The Aggies have averaged seven wins per year in this span, with a ranking in the 70s, but they’ve only won seven games or finished in the 70s once.
The good news, as it were, is that USU can’t sink another 48 spots in SP+ this year — I guess that means the Aggies will rise again despite poor SP+ projections.
In 2021, Blake Anderson led the Aggies to a Mountain West title in his first season in charge. They were one of the most fortunate teams in the country — they were only 62nd in SP+, and the combination of close wins (4-0 in one-score games) and blowout losses made them a major 2022 regression candidate even though they looked really good late that season.
Sure enough, they got worse. And then injuries took a major toll. Only three defenders started all 13 games, and the offense, stable by comparison, still lost quarterback Logan Bonner early in the season and had to start redshirting freshman Bishop Davenport for one game as well. That the Aggies only fell from 55th to 78th in offensive SP+ was encouraging, though they’ll be attempting a rebound with four new offensive line starters and without 1,100-yard rusher Calvin Tyler Jr. or 900-yard receiver Brian Cobbs. Leading passer Cooper Legas and Davenport both return, but the rest of the offense is fighting massive turnover.
The defense should benefit from a kinder injury bug and boasts some solid veteran play-makers in linebackers AJ Vongphachanh and MJ Tafisi, tackle Hale Motu’apuaka and corner Michael Anyanwu. But three of last year’s top four linemen are gone, as are three of the top five defensive backs. That Anderson signed five JUCO DLs and four JUCO DBs tells you he was pretty concerned about those units. And he probably should have been: Even with injuries, the fact that they fell from 55th to 123rd in defensive SP+ was alarming. Anderson brought in veteran coordinator Joe Cauthen to help stem the tide. If he wants another huge surge forward, these changes need to take root quickly.
Who digs out of this rut first, Colorado State or New Mexico? It just feels like Colorado State should be good at football. The Rams took a massive step forward during the Sonny Lubick era in the 1990s and 2000s (they were ranked for part of every season from 1997 to 2003 and bowled 15 times between 1994 and 2017), their new stadium (Canvas Stadium) is gorgeous, they’ve been vaguely associated with Big 12 and Pac-12 expansion rumors through the years, and we’ve watched them beat power-conference rival Colorado early in the season plenty of times — seven times from 1999 to 2014, in fact.
Anything positive you can say about the Rams program, however, has an expiration date attached. CSU has been downright bad for half a decade now. Since 2018, it has gone 14-36 with an average SP+ ranking of 110.8. That’s better than border rival New Mexico (12-43 with an average ranking of 118.2), but not by much. That beautiful new stadium in Fort Collins? The Rams are 12-21 in it. That includes a 2-3 record against FCS teams, the last two of which have beaten them by a combined 83-33. At least New Mexico has the excuse of a lower budget and a state with far fewer FBS recruits!
Last year, Colorado State replaced Steve Addazio (4-12 in two seasons) with Nevada’s Jay Norvell. He loaded up on transfers — including many from Nevada — in an attempt to hit the ground running. Instead, CSU’s offense disintegrated, and the Rams began the season with four losses by an average of 41-11. The defense was mostly solid in conference play, and CSU somehow managed to go 3-5 in the MWC despite never scoring more than 17 points.
With the defense returning eight starters, the Rams could be set up to solidify last year’s gains. Sophomore quarterback Clay Millen returns as well after completing 72% of his passes last season. Unfortunately, if he wasn’t completing a deep ball to Tory Horton, the offense was accomplishing absolutely nothing.
Horton needs more skill corps support, and Millen has to hope that a completely turned-over offensive line — seven of last year’s top nine are gone, replaced by three small-school transfers and three JUCOs — somehow solidifies. It doesn’t usually work that way, but at least last year’s line was really bad, so the bar isn’t very high.
The only FBS offense that graded out worse than CSU’s? New Mexico’s. The Lobos have ranked dead last in offensive SP+ for two straight years; fourth-year head coach Danny Gonzales inherited a pretty dire situation from Bob Davie in 2020, but his only upgrades have come on defense where his former mentor, Rocky Long, coordinated a solid unit for each of the last two seasons. Long is off to Syracuse, however, and of the 15 defenders who saw at least 250 snaps in 2022, only five return. New coordinator Troy Reffett has his work cut out for him.
If Gonzales is to create fourth-year improvement, a completely remodeled offense will have to improve significantly. The offensive coaching staff, now led by coordinator Bryant Vincent (formerly of UAB), is almost completely new, and if there’s hope it comes from the fact that Vincent brought former UAB quarterback Dylan Hopkins with him. Hopkins isn’t amazing, but he has ranked 55th and 70th in Total QBR over the last two seasons; UNM hasn’t had a quarterback rank higher than 118th in the Gonzales era. The offensive line is loaded with experience, if nothing else, and the skill corps could get a boost from an influx of transfers.
Neither Colorado State nor New Mexico have ranked higher than 84th in offensive SP+ since 2017. Both teams have intriguing quarterbacks, but both also have depth charts that took huge hits in key areas. The potential for defensive collapse is high enough at UNM that I guess I trust CSU to perform better this season. But “better” is relative.
My 10 favorite players
QB Taylen Green, Boise State. With the right play-calling and decent injuries luck, Green has 3,000/1,000 (passing and rushing yards) potential. He’ll have a wonderfully experienced skill corps around him this fall too.
RB Nathaniel Jones, New Mexico. Considering the degree of difficulty (that’s a polite way of saying he got little help), the fact that Jones gained 10-plus yards on 14% of his carries and averaged 2.7 yards per carry after contact suggests he could do big things with a better supporting cast.
WR Tory Horton, Colorado State. Like Jones, Horton produced intriguing numbers with minimal help. He posted five games with more than 125 receiving yards and averaged 15.9 yards per catch even though opponents knew he was the only guy they needed to stop.
RT Everett Smalley, Air Force. Even in college, you can find plenty of mammoth offensive tackles, 6-foot-6 or taller and 315 pounds or heavier. The best tackle in the MWC, however, might be Smalley. At 6-foot-3, 260. He’s the best run-blocking tackle, anyway.
C Nofoafia Tulafono, Wyoming. The 325-pound junior from Victorville, California, earned second-team all-conference honors from PFF last season after producing a blown block rate of just 0.7%. He allowed zero pass pressures.
DE Mohamed Kamara, Colorado State. The CSU defense had to be perfect for the Rams to win games last year, and while Kamara was good all season (17 TFLs, 8.5 sacks, 12 run stops), he was even better in their victories. As valuable a defender as you’ll find.
DE Braden Siders, Wyoming. As a redshirt freshman on a line desperate for new playmakers, Siders stepped up, compiling 13 TFLs, 7 sacks and 11 run stops. He even looked good dropping into coverage. Just imagine what he might do with experience!
DT Hale Motu’apuaka, Utah State. In two years as a major player in Logan, Motu’apuaka has improved as the season has progressed – 9.5 of his 16 TFLs have come after Nov. 1. Is this the year he hits the ground running?
LB Bo Richter, Air Force. With last year’s top two OLBs gone, more will be asked of the senior from Naperville, Illinois. Considering he had 7.5 TFLs in just 326 snaps last year, a starter’s load might result in massive production.
S Rodney Robinson, Boise State. One of the smallest safeties you’ll see (5-foot-8, 185 pounds) is also one of the best. He picked off three passes, made a pair of run stops and lined up everywhere from cornerback to inside linebacker.
Anniversaries
In 1958, 65 years ago, Air Force finished sixth in the polls … in its second season. In 1955, the Air Force fielded its first official football team, one that lost to the Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma freshman teams by a combined 113-12. Three years later, the Falcons beat the Colorado varsity team, 20-14. In just their second year at the major college level, they went an incredible 9-0-2, beating a pair of Big 8 teams (CU and Oklahoma State), tying both No. 8 Iowa early in the season and No. 10 TCU in the Cotton Bowl and finishing sixth in the AP poll. It was Ben Martin‘s first season in charge, and he would lead the team to another major bowl appearance and ranked finish in 1970.
In 1993, 30 years ago, Colorado State hired Sonny Lubick. I can say whatever I want about Colorado State’s potential, but the Rams had shown very little of it before Lubick’s arrival.
Lubick’s career had already been ridiculously unique — he spent most of the 1960s at the high school level in Montana and, in the 1980s, had served as both an offensive coordinator (at Colorado State) and national title-winning defensive coordinator (at Miami) — and he completely transformed the CSU program. The Rams had bowled just twice ever, but he had them in the Holiday Bowl by his second season, and his tenure finished with nine bowl appearances, six conference titles, three ranked finishes and, eventually, his name on Colorado State’s Sonny Lubick Field.
In 1998, 25 years ago, New Mexico replaced Dennis Franchione with Rocky Long. Franchione had been the school’s best hire in decades, eventually lifting the Lobos to a nine-win season and their first bowl appearance in 36 years in 1997. He left for TCU, but Long, UCLA’s irascible and innovative defensive coordinator, took the program even further. After a short adjustment period, Long’s Lobos went to five bowls in six years (2002-07) as he perfected his 3-3-5 defense, beating Texas Tech, Missouri, Baylor and Arizona (and shutting out Colin Kaepernick and Nevada) in the process. He left after a 4-8 stumble in 2008, and UNM has bowled only twice in the 14 years since.
In 2008, 15 years ago, Kellen Moore took over behind center for Boise State. The Boise State story was already one for the history books before Moore arrived from the small town of Prosser, Washington. After rising from the FCS ranks in the 1990s, the Broncos had already enjoyed three straight ranked seasons from 2002 to ’04, and they had already pulled off the great unbeaten season of 2006, complete with a win in one of the best bowls of all time.
The Moore era was the golden era, however. From 2008 to ’11, he threw for 14,667 yards with a 70% completion rate and 142 touchdowns, and the Broncos beat Oregon (twice), Georgia, TCU, Virginia Tech, Oregon State and Arizona State on their way to a combined 50-3 record with poll finishes of 11th, fourth, ninth and eighth. If a 12-team CFP would have been in existence in these years, the Broncos would have been a genuine title threat. They were incredible. So was Moore.
In 2013, 10 years ago, Utah State began Mountain West life in fine form. It’s important to play good football. It’s even more important to play well at the right time. After a lengthy run of poor form — the Aggies averaged just 3.2 wins per season from 1998 to 2008 while bouncing among the Big West, Sun Belt and WAC – Utah State began to improve rapidly under Gary Andersen. In 2011, they enjoyed their best season in 18 years (a 7-6 campaign) … just in time to jump to the MWC with San Jose State as the WAC fell apart. Other WAC programs weren’t so lucky: New Mexico State and Idaho, which had just gone a combined 6-19 in 2011 (and would go 2-22 in 2012), ended up without a conference, and Idaho ended up dropping to FCS.
Utah State kept playing well too. The Aggies went 11-2 and finished 16th in the AP poll in 2012, then went a combined 19-9 with a MWC championship game appearance under Matt Wells (Andersen had left for Wisconsin) in their first two seasons in their new conference. Despite 2022’s stumble, they’ve enjoyed three ranked finishes and 10 bowls in their last 12 seasons after recording just one of the former and four of the latter in their entire pre-2011 history.
In 2018, five years ago, Wyoming gave Josh Allen to the NFL. It’s worked out pretty well for everyone involved.
What’s your favorite @JoshAllenQB play from 2021? ? pic.twitter.com/vPKPUbAJYU
— NFL (@NFL) February 23, 2022
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Craig Haubert
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Craig Haubert
ESPN Staff Writer
- National recruiting analyst and analyst for ESPNU
- More than a decade of college and pro coaching experience.
- Graduated from Indiana and Nebraska-Omaha
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Billy Tucker
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Billy Tucker
Scouts, Football Recruiting
- • Recruiting coordinator for ESPN RecruitingNation.
• Nearly a decade of college coaching experience.
• Has been evaluating prospects at ESPN since 2006.
While annual College Football Playoff contenders like Georgia, Alabama and Ohio State are ace recruiters, elite recruiting isn’t the only path to becoming a top program.
The transfer portal has changed how programs build rosters. Some schools go all-in every offseason to overhaul their rosters through the portal, while others use the portal to add depth to a position or target major transfers who could take a team from great to national champion.
And now that spring football and the spring transfer portal period are over, we can look at the best groups of newcomers. When looking at modern roster development, it’s important to consider the combination of recruiting class and success in the portal.
This ranking is the top 25 groups of newcomers — recruits and transfers combined — based on who could see the most impactful immediate returns for 2025.
Top impact recruits: WR Dakorien Moore, CB Na’eem Offord, S Trey McNutt
In 2024, freshman receivers Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State) and Ryan Williams (Alabama) made immediate impacts. Moore, a five-star prospect, looks like the next breakout star at the position. Moore has elite big-play speed, runs excellent routes and has a high football IQ and fierce competitive demeanor. All of those tools can make him a featured target right away for a playoff contender that lost three of its top four pass-catchers from 2024.
Defensively, Offord and McNutt are players to watch. They were both versatile two-way players in high school and bring strong playmaking skills to Oregon’s secondary. With the Ducks needing to reload on the back end, both have a strong chance to contribute in Year 1.
Top transfers: RB Makhi Hughes, OL Isaiah World, OL Emmanuel Pregnon, S Dillon Thieneman, CB Theran Johnson, DT Bear Alexander, OL Alex Harkey, TE Jamari Johnson.
Fresh off a Big Ten title, Oregon signed a top-five recruiting class and an elite group of transfers as it prepares for another national title run. Signing Offord was helpful for the Ducks when his half-brother, running back Makhi Hughes, entered the portal. Hughes was one of the top transfers available after running for nearly 3,000 yards at Tulane. He should help replace 1,000-yard rusher Jordan James in Oregon’s backfield.
To help open running lanes, the Ducks pulled several offensive line starters out of the portal. Both World and Pregnon are poised to anchor the left side of the offensive line. Thieneman was a top-25 portal prospect who brings Big Ten experience from Purdue and looks like a plug-and-play addition. Oregon also pulled out several other transfers who, at a minimum, should provide quality depth and play contributing roles.
Top impact recruits: CB DJ Pickett, OL Carius Curne, OL Solomon Thomas, RB Harlem Berry
While much of LSU’s immediate help will come from transfers, the Tigers signed a top-10 recruiting class that should produce some early contributors. Pickett, a five-star player, is most likely to make an immediate impact. A long, fluid corner, he enrolled early and showed promising flashes this spring. He has the tools to start as a true freshman and help reestablish the Tigers’ reputation for producing elite defensive backs.
At running back, LSU returns Caden Durham, a key freshman contributor in 2024. But four-star Berry brings big-play speed and could complement Durham nicely if Berry can develop physically. The Tigers’ 2022 class produced two immediate freshman starters on the offensive line in Will Campbell and Emery Jones. Don’t expect this group to replicate that impact right away, but there are opportunities up front, and Thomas, another five-star, and Curne, an ESPN 300 player, are names to watch on the two-deep — or even as eventual starters.
Top transfers: WR Barion Brown, WR Nic Anderson, TE Bauer Sharp, OL Braelin Moore, OL Josh Thompson, QB Michael Van Buren, DE Jack Pyburn, DE Patrick Payton, CB Mansoor Delane, S Tamarcus Cooley, CB Ja’Keem Jackson, S A.J. Haulcy
Brian Kelly and his staff aggressively assembled one of the nation’s top-rated transfer classes, which should provide immediate help as the Tigers work to return to the SEC title game for the first time since 2022.
After losing three of their top four pass-catchers from last season, the Tigers reloaded with experienced SEC targets, including Brown (Kentucky), Anderson (Oklahoma) and tight end Sharp, who could fill the void left by Mason Taylor after a 42-catch season at Oklahoma.
Garrett Nussmeier returns as one of college football’s best quarterbacks, but LSU set itself up nicely if it needs to turn to No. 2 bringing in Van Buren, who appeared in 10 games as a freshman for Mississippi State. In the secondary, one cornerback spot could go to Pickett, but transfers like Delane and Jackson are talented options at the other spot. Cooley is another plug-and-play option in the secondary along with ultra-productive Haulcy (Houston). He earned All-Big 12 honors in 2024 after producing 74 tackles, 8 pass breakups and 5 interceptions, which tied for most in the conference. Edge rushers Pyburn and Payton — the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2022 at Florida State — should give LSU a disruptive presence.
Top impact recruits: CB Blake Woodby, DT Jourdin Crawford, DT Malik Autry, S Anquon Fegans, WR Sam Turner
Auburn hasn’t posted a winning season since 2020, but Hugh Freeze is building a roster that could change that. The Tigers’ sixth-ranked recruiting class could produce several immediate contributors.
Although secondary wasn’t an urgent need, it might be tough to keep both Woodby, a five-star prospect, and Fegans, a top-5 safety prospect, off the field — especially after some post-spring departures. Woodby is a supremely confident corner with excellent speed, while Fegans brings versatility and is already battling for a starting spot. Teams can never have enough defensive linemen, and Auburn signed several impactful big men, including Crawford and Autry. Both are 300-pounders with the tools to contribute on the interior this season.
After freshmen receivers Malcolm Simmons and Cam Coleman made contributions in 2024, Turner, a three-star recruit, is poised to follow suit. He has good length at 6-foot-1 and runs sharp routes.
Top transfers: QB Jackson Arnold, WR Eric Singleton Jr., CB Raion Strader, OT Xavier Chaplin, OT Mason Murphy, LB Caleb Wheatland, DT Dallas Walker IV, DE Chris Murray
Both Auburn and Arnold needed a fresh start in 2025. A five-star in 2023, the dual-threat Oklahoma transfer has the physical tools to become one of the most impactful transfers of the 2025 cycle.
Singleton, a Georgia Tech transfer, will provide experience and leadership after logging 100 catches over the past two seasons. His speed and production can help solidify a wide receiver group that was a liability not too long ago. On the offensive line, Chaplin and Murphy are in the mix for starting jobs at tackle.
Top impact recruits: S Jonah Williams, DT Justus Terry, WR Jaime Ffrench, WR Kaliq Lockett, WR Daylan McCutcheon
With the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, Texas can enter 2025 expecting contributions from a deep group of blue-chippers as it eyes a third straight College Football Playoff appearance.
While the Longhorns addressed most of their defensive line needs via the portal, Terry, a five-star, could become a factor, even if he’s not a full-time starter, much like 2024 five-star Collin Simmons. Terry brings explosion and versatility to the interior defensive line.
Texas also signed three ESPN 300 wide receivers — Ffrench, Lockett and McCutcheon — to restock its depth after leaning more on transfers last year. Williams, a five-star DB, is a two-sport athlete who has spent his initial time in Austin with Texas’ nationally ranked baseball program. He has an excellent combination of size and speed. He can contribute this fall as a versatile weapon in the secondary.
Top transfers: TE Jack Endries, DT Maraad Watson, DT Travis Shaw, DT Cole Brevard, DT Hero Kanu.
Texas largely leaned on excellent high school recruiting this year, but after losing three starters and key depth, it used the portal to address immediate needs on the defensive line in 2025. Watson, a Syracuse transfer, was very productive as a freshman starter and can build on that strong start to his career in Austin this season. On offense, Endries was a key spring addition and brings proven production to a position that needed more experience heading into the fall.
Top impact recruits: WR Leyton Stone, WR Michael Dever, WR Bryson Jones
The Red Raiders signed a solid class, but transfers are expected to make the majority of the immediate impact. They also bring back good production at wide receiver, but in a high-powered passing attack with an experienced quarterback in Behren Morton, there’s always opportunity for young players to jump in and contribute. Although he didn’t enroll early, Jones, a four-star, is the highest-ranked receiver in the recruiting class and could work his way into the rotation.
Top transfers: DE David Bailey, DE Romello Height, DL Lee Hunter, DL Skyler Gill-Howard, WR Reggie Virgil, TE Terrance Carter, OT Will Jados, OL Howard Sampson
Few teams were more active and successful in the portal this offseason than Texas Tech, which finished with ESPN’s top-ranked transfer portal class. Much of that activity focused on improving a defense that ranked near the bottom nationally in several categories.
Adding Bailey from Stanford was a big addition. He already has 14.5 career sacks. Along with Height, Hunter and Gill-Howard, they can revitalize Texas Tech’s defensive front.
Virgil and Carter, who caught 48 passes last season for Louisiana, should pair nicely with returning targets Coy Eakin and Caleb Douglas, who combined for more than 100 catches. To help better protect Morton, Texas Tech landed several potential offensive line starters, with Jados and Sampson poised to man tackle spots.
Top impact recruits: OL Devin Harper, WR Caleb Cunningham
There doesn’t appear to be an impact freshman like Quinshon Judkins (2022) or Suntarine Perkins (2023), but Ole Miss still brought in intriguing talent that could play a role, much like William Echoles did last season. Cunningham, one of the top prospects in the state, is a player to watch, and Harper could crack their Rebels’ offensive line two-deep.
Top transfers: DL Da’Shawn Womack, DE Princewill Umanmielen, S Sage Ryan, CB Ricky Fletcher, WR De’Zhaun Stribling, WR Caleb Odom, TE Luke Hasz, OL Delano Townsend, OL Patrick Kutas, CB Tavoy Feagin
Ole Miss has become synonymous with the portal. It has yielded exceptional players, including Jaxson Dart and Walter Nolen, and Lane Kiffin’s staff was once again aggressive in 2025.
They pulled several likely offensive line starters, such as Kutas, who arrived from Arkansas. Hasz also transferred in from Arkansas and could become a focal point in the passing game. A 2023 ESPN 300 prospect, Hasz flashed as a freshman before injuries cut his season short, but he turned in a solid 2024 campaign.
Defensively, Princely Umanmielen transferred in and notched 10.5 sacks as a senior before moving on to the NFL. Now, his younger brother Princewill Umanmielen arrives in Oxford from Nebraska hoping to deliver a similar impact.
Top impact recruits: CB Devin Sanchez, LB Riley Pettijohn, WR Quincy Porter, S Faheem Delane, DE Zion Grady
The defending national champions return a deep, talented roster after recruiting at a high level for several years. So it’s unlikely any freshman replicates the instant impact Jeremiah Smith made last season. That said, this class is very talented and will find a way to carve out roles.
In the secondary, Sanchez is a lengthy, smooth corner. Delane has the physicality to play right away at safety in the Big Ten. Both are on campus and made good first impressions — including a spring game interception from Delane — and might be just a play away from a starting role this season. It’ll be tough to crack Ohio State’s loaded wide receiver mix, but depth is essential to any national title run, and Porter emerged from the spring as another potential weapon.
Top transfers: TE Max Klare, DE Beau Atkinson, OL Phillip Daniels, OL Ethan Onianwa, DE Logan George, RB CJ Donaldson
Ohio State doesn’t need to overhaul its roster via the portal given it consistently signs top-rated recruits. But the Buckeyes are still smart and selective, and last year’s additions, including Quinshon Judkins, Will Howard and Caleb Downs, paid dividends. This year’s group looks poised to do the same.
Klare caught 51 passes at Purdue last season. Targets may be harder to come by this year given the elite stable of wide receivers around him, but he’s a matchup problem who will stress defenses and gain favorable matchups in the middle of the field.
Atkinson, who came from North Carolina in the spring portal, will add more pass-rushing juice, and George looks like an unheralded steal from FCS Idaho State. At least one of their offensive line additions should assume a starting role. Donaldson is a big running back at 6-foot-2, 238 pounds who ran for more than 2,000 yards at West Virginia and will aid a ground game that lost a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson.
Top impact recruits: WR Malachi Toney, OL SJ Alofaituli
Miami has yet to return to college football’s elite class, but after logging their first 10-win season since 2017, the Hurricanes are hoping this new group can help them take the next big step.
The Hurricanes lost their top three pass-catchers at receiver. Transfers should pick up most of the slack, but Toney made a strong first impression this spring, including making eight catches for more than 100 yards and a touchdown in their spring game. He should be squarely in the receiver mix.
Up front, transfer James Brockermeyer will likely slot in at center, but Alofaituli was the top-ranked interior offensive lineman in the 2025 class and is one to watch. Though he’s physically unassuming for a nationally ranked lineman, he’s powerful, flexible and quick. Those traits could help him play a role from day one.
Top transfers: QB Carson Beck, WR CJ Daniels, DT David Blay, CB Xavier Lucas, CB Zechariah Poyser, WR Keelan Marion
Following Cam Ward’s lone season, Miami went back to the portal to replace the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft in the hopes of finding a new signal-caller to help get the team to the next step. Enter Beck, who won 24 games at Georgia and brings both experience and poise. He steps into an offense that lost receivers Xavier Restrepo, Isaiah Horton and Jacolby George, who each accounted for over 50 receptions last year.
To offset that need, Miami added Daniels. He brings experience and proven production between his time at LSU and Liberty and offers Beck a target with good body control who runs sharp routes. The Hurricanes have a rich history of developing excellent defensive tackles, and Blay could become a disruptive presence after notching six sacks last year for Louisiana Tech.
Top impact recruits: QB Bryce Underwood, OT Ty Haywood, OT Andrew Babalola, WR Jamar Browder, WR Andrew Marsh, CB Shamari Earls
Sherrone Moore pulled off the biggest recruiting win of the cycle by flipping Underwood, the No. 1 player in the class, from LSU. The in-state signal-caller addresses a key need and has every physical attribute desired in a passer. He threw for more than 11,000 yards in high school and set a state record with 152 career touchdown passes. Between a need at the position and Underwood’s physical tools, the true freshman could be under center to start the season in Ann Arbor. Marsh, an ESPN 300 player, won’t just be his top target of the future, but also a dynamic playmaker in the rotation this fall.
Moore is a former offensive lineman and offensive line coach, so it’s not surprising he emphasized signing Haywood, a five-star lineman. He’s a powerful big man with excellent length and mobility and could push his way into the rotation. Babalola, who was on campus this spring and performed well, could be the first between these two to see the field and might even contend for a starting tackle spot. Earls, a one-time Georgia commit, has a supreme blend of height, length and speed to contribute in sub packages.
Top transfers: WR Donaven McCulley, RB Justice Haynes, DB TJ Metcalf, OL Brady Norton, DT Damon Payne, DT Tre Williams
Haynes will team up with Jordan Marshall at running back to give Michigan one of the best 1-2 punches in college football. He was successful carrying a big load in high school and certainly can produce in a featured role. Haynes is a strong downhill runner with productive yards after contact. McCulley is a strong, big-bodied receiver at a position of need. He will be a nice target for Underwood on the outside who will win the contested jump balls. Defensively, look for Metcalf to fill a nickel role given his good coverage skills, size and physicality. He’s a ballhawk.
Top impact recruits: DE Javion Hilson, RB Marquise Davis, WR Donovan Olugbode
Eli Drinkwitz has led the Tigers to back-to-back double-digit win seasons, but a hat trick might be tough following some key roster losses. Still, with a top-10 portal class and top-25 recruiting class, they’ve reloaded with talent to remain competitive in the SEC.
Davis, a four-star player, could step into a meaningful role right away in an immediate area of need. He’s a thickly built back with a nice combination of burst and vision who proved this spring he’s ready to make a contribution to their rushing attack.
Keep an eye on Olugbode in Missouri’s receiver rotation. The IMG playmaker has shown he can quickly adapt and be a versatile prospect. The Tigers shouldn’t need to count on Hilson immediately, but the defensive end was a key recruiting win. He has tools to be a disruptive pass rusher and could work his way into a situational role.
Top transfers: DE Damon Wilson, QB Beau Pribula, OT Keagen Trost, DE Nate Johnson, LB Josiah Trotter, S Jalen Catalon, RB Ahmad Hardy, WR Kevin Coleman
Despite several departures, the Tigers replenished well in the portal. Wilson, who came from Georgia, is a big addition. His blend of length and burst rushing off the edge will offset the losses of Johnny Walker Jr. (9.5 sacks) and Jahkai Lang (3 sacks).
Pribula, who was a backup at Penn State in 2024, hasn’t locked up the starting job in Columbia, but he’s a strong option to take over for Brady Cook. Missouri also lost both its leading rushers, though Hardy arrives from UL Monroe off a 1,351-yard season as a freshman. Hardy and Davis could form one of the SEC’s better young running back tandems.
The well-traveled Coleman adds an experienced option to a wide receiver room that lost multiple players to the portal. He’s coming off his best season yet at Mississippi State last fall. Catalon and Trotter are plug-and-play caliber additions on defense.
Top impact recruits: WR Malik Clark, WR Donovan Murph, WR Brian Rowe, OL Shedrick Sarratt Jr.
The Gamecocks knew they needed to elevate their passing game for LaNorris Sellers after losing three of their top-five pass-catchers from 2024. They did it the traditional way, signing five four-star receivers from the high school ranks.
Clark and Murph are a pair of 6-foot-2 receivers who are prime candidates to emerge. Clark brings size, speed and the tools to step in right away. Murph didn’t enroll early, but the Under Armour All-American is a big target with excellent hands, body control and a knack for the big play. At 5-foot-11, Rowe is slightly built, but he’s explosive. On the offensive line, Sarratt, a high three-star prospect, impressed during spring practice and could work his way into the mix at guard.
Top transfers: TE Jordan Dingle, RB Rahsul Faison, DL Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, OL Boaz Stanley, CB Brandon Cisse, LB Shawn Murphy, LB Justin Okoronkwo
The Gamecocks also made targeted moves in the portal to fill holes with experience and upside. Dingle, coming from Kentucky, had a strong spring at tight end. His well-rounded skill set should make him a reliable option in both the run and pass game.
Up front, Stanley is providing quick returns and has seemingly already won the starting job at center. Both Brownlow-Dindy and Murphy were touted ESPN 300 prospects, with the former a five-star in the 2022 class, so each comes with talent to break out. Cisse is also coming off a strong spring.
Top impact recruits: QB Julian Lewis, DE London Merritt, WR Quentin Gibson, WR Quanell X. Farrakhan Jr.
Lewis, a five-star recruit, is one of the most heralded quarterbacks in the ESPN recruiting era. He headlines Colorado’s recruiting class and arrives with all the tools to set records in Boulder. Lewis could work his way into the mix as the season progresses.
Farrakhan might see the field before any other freshman, as either a returner or rotating outside receiver. He brings big-play speed, great hands and good football instincts to the Buffs. Gibson is small in stature but is coming off a monster senior season when he had more than 2,000 receiving yards with 36 touchdowns. At 5-foot-9, 155 pounds, his lack of physical stature could limit his initial role, but he’s another electric option in the return game and an offensive weapon if coordinator Pat Shurmur can create ways to get him the ball in space.
Top transfers: QB Kaidon Salter, OT Xavier Hill, WR Joseph Williams, WR Sincere Brown, OL Zylon Crisler, OL Akinola Ogunbiyi
Salter arrives from Liberty as a more dynamic runner than his predecessor, Shedeur Sanders, especially when making plays outside the pocket. He’s not that far behind Sanders’ accuracy, either. Salter’s presence allows the five-star Lewis to develop patiently in his first year without immediate pressure.
The offensive line has undergone a near-complete overhaul, though it’s too early to say whether it will be better than last year’s group. At 6-foot-4, 318 pounds, Hill, a Memphis transfer, has impressive mobility for his massive size and can play either guard or tackle. Brown was a key spring addition who caught 61 passes for 1,028 yards and 12 scores at Campbell last year. His production will translate to the Big 12 and, at the very least, in the red zone, where the 6-foot-5 receiver has great ball skills.
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Mel Kiper Jr.’s top players to watch for the 2026 NFL draft
Mel Kiper Jr. breaks down his top prospects to watch for the 2026 NFL draft, including Penn State quarterback Drew Allar,
Top impact recruits: DT Kevin Wynn, QB Kevin Sperry, WR Jayvan Boggs
It’s all hands on deck as the Seminoles dig out of the wreckage stemming from last year’s 2-10 season. Transfers will carry much of the load, but there are young, talented players coming in who could play a role, even after the poor 2024 season led to some defections from the class.
Wynn’s decision to stick with Florida State should pay off early. He’s a powerful player with the size to contribute right away. Boggs posted eye-popping numbers as a high school senior with more than 2,000 yards receiving and 21 touchdowns. If he can replicate even just a quarter of that, he’ll be a productive freshman. Sperry isn’t a plug-and-play option at quarterback, but he has impressed enough this spring that the Seminoles could turn to him sooner rather than later if they falter again this season.
Top transfers: WR Duce Robinson, QB Tommy Castellanos, WR Squirrel White, CB Jeremiah Wilson, DE Deante McCray, DE James Williams, LB Stefon Thompson, OL Luke Petitbon
Though Florida State has experienced the benefits and pitfalls of the transfer portal, it once again leveraged the portal to turn things around. Castellanos is undersized at 5-foot-9 but can be a dynamic and improvisational playmaker. He’s an upgrade at the position if he can limit his turnovers.
At 6-foot-6, 220 pounds, Robinson is a massive target who moves like a wide receiver in a tight end’s body, and he has an interesting multi-sport background as a one-time baseball prospect. Petitbon brings toughness to the trenches, and he’ll move right into the starting center job. Wilson, McCray and Williams are among the portal additions who are expected to step in and help elevate the defense.
Top impact recruits: DT Elijah Griffin, CB Dominick Kelly, WR C.J. Wiley
Seven Georgia defensive linemen have become first-round draft picks since 2022. Adding Griffin could help keep that pipeline flowing. The nation’s top-ranked defensive tackle impressed during Under Armour All-America week in January, then followed it up with a strong spring in Athens. His dynamic combination of size, explosion and agility draws early comparisons to Jalen Carter. Kelly highlights the depth of Georgia’s class. He also had a good spring and should immediately bolster the Bulldogs’ secondary.
Top transfers: WR Zachariah Branch, RB Josh McCray, WR Noah Thomas, LB Elo Modozie
After signing nine consecutive top-three recruiting classes, Georgia doesn’t need to live in the portal. However, the Bulldogs used it to supplement their roster, especially at wide receiver. Branch, a five-star coming from USC, has blazing speed and could be one of the most electrifying players in college football. He’ll factor into the return game but could elevate his presence by becoming a weapon in the passing game. Thomas led Texas A&M in receiving in 2024. At running back, McCray is a big, physical back at 6-foot-1, 235 pounds to complement Nate Frazier.
Top impact recruits: CB Dijon Lee Jr, OT Jackson Lloyd, S Ivan Taylor, QB Keelon Russell, WR Lotzeir Brooks
Nick Saban set an incredibly high bar in recruiting. So far, Kalen DeBoer has met that high standard. He signed two five-stars who could contribute in 2025. At 6-foot-4, Lee has elite length and very smooth movements for his size at corner. He’ll be tough to keep out of the mix, even if Alabama returns two starters.
Alabama returns multiple offensive line starters, but Lloyd and Michael Carroll are competing for open spots at left guard and right tackle. At a minimum, they should factor into the offensive line two-deep.
Quarterback Ty Simpson enters as the likely starter on a similar timeline to Bryce Young, who was a reserve in his first season in Tuscaloosa. Russell could follow a similar path, but he was one of the most talented prospects in the 2025 class regardless of position.
Top transfers: WR Isaiah Horton, CB Cameron Calhoun, LB Nikhai Hill-Green, OL Kam Dewberry, DL Kelby Collins
In the portal, Alabama added some experience at multiple spots. Calhoun’s arrival from Utah only strengthens the cornerback unit. Horton caught 56 passes for Miami last season and should be productive in a starting role. While the Tide have a freshman option, 2022 ESPN 300 offensive lineman Dewberry (Texas A&M) will likely take over Tyler Booker’s left guard spot. Hill-Green, a Colorado transfer, is also plenty experienced and could step into multiple roles on Alabama’s defense, even if he doesn’t win the starting job outright.
Top impact recruits: OT Lamont Rogers, DT Landon Rink, DT D.J. Sanders
Mike Elko has an eye for identifying and developing talent. The Aggies didn’t need to use the portal to replenish their offensive line given their considerable returning depth. Instead, they added Rogers, a five-star, with an eye on the future. He has good feet, flexibility and already gained some experience this spring. He has a chance to work his way into the mix up front.
Texas A&M lost a lot of production along the defensive line. Rink executes with good technique and a relentless motor. He can fill a rotational role immediately. At 300 pounds, Sanders brings what Rink lacks — size — and could contribute right away as well.
Top transfers: WR Kevin Concepcion, WR Mario Craver, WR Jonah Wilson, DL T.J. Searcy, CB Julian Humphrey, DL Tyler Onyedim, DE Dayon Hayes
To jump-start a passing attack that ranked near the bottom of the SEC last year, the Aggies aggressively retooled their receiving corps in the portal. Concepcion was one of the top receivers available and won ACC Rookie of the Year in 2023 at NC State. He hauled in more than 120 receptions over two seasons. Craver is quick and elusive and jumps from SEC foe Mississippi State. The Aggies hope he can build upon his productive freshman season. Wilson, coming from Houston, is another target with nice size.
On defense, Humphrey, coming from Georgia, provides SEC starting experience. The Aggies needed to replace nearly 100 tackles and 8.5 sacks along their defensive front, and Searcy headlines several portal additions who can pack some pass-rushing punch.
Top impact recruits: CB Bryson Webber, WR Cortez Mills
Unlike a year ago, when freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola played a vital role, the Cornhuskers’ 2025 class doesn’t appear poised to inject much immediate impact. Mills and Isaiah Mozee, both ESPN 300 receivers, add quality depth, and one could emerge as the season progresses. Carving out a role in a crowded secondary could be tough, but Webber flashed enough this spring that he is a player to watch among the incoming freshmen.
Top transfers: WR Dane Key, DE Williams Nwaneri, WR Nyziah Hunter, LB Marques Watson-Trent, LB Dasan McCullough, OL Rocco Spindler, OL Elijah Pritchett
Key was Nebraska’s top portal addition. He provides Raiola a sorely needed steady, polished target who runs great routes with good size and hands. Key, who comes from Kentucky, will replace Nebraska’s lost production at receiver after it sent a pair of pass catchers to the NFL.
Hunter spent two seasons at California and gives Raiola a young target with nice size at 6-foot-2 whom he can grow with. Watson-Trent was not a highly touted name in the portal out of Georgia Southern but brings a wealth of experience. His leadership qualities appear to already be making a significant impact.
Top impact recruits: WR LeBron Bond, S Byron Baldwin
Bond is a dangerous, elusive weapon with the ball in his hands who has big-play speed out of the slot. Baldwin, an ESPN 300 player, is an aggressive defender who can quickly close on the ball. At minimum, he should be a strong special teams contributor as a freshman.
Top transfers: QB Fernando Mendoza, C Pat Coogan, G Kahlil Benson, OT Zen Michalski, TE Holden Staes, DT Hosea Wheeler, S Devan Boykin, S Louis Moore
Mendoza should thrive in this offense and keep Indiana in the playoff picture. He’s a better overall passer than his predecessor, Kurtis Rourke, and will benefit from a much better offensive line and supporting cast around him. Expect him to put up big numbers.
His line will be new, but it’s not inexperienced. Coogan (Notre Dame) will be the catalyst at center, Benson (Colorado) is a driving interior force and Michalski (Ohio State) will protect the edge. Up front on defense, Wheeler has strong hands and leverage to eat blocks and still get a push. Moore and Boykin (NC State) are really solid instinctual and rangy pickups in the secondary. Moore returns to Bloomington after a spotty season at Ole Miss, but when healthy he’s a productive ball hawk.
Top impact recruits: OL Michael Fasusi, DT Trent Wilson
The Sooners’ first season in the SEC was disappointing, but their first official recruiting class was solid, especially up front. Look for Fasusi, an ESPN 300 player, to provide quality depth at the important left tackle position. He’s the No. 1-rated tackle with a ton of upside given his length and great footwork, but he won’t have the benefit of waiting to develop in Norman. Wilson has size and mature physical attributes to provide depth on the interior defensive front.
Top transfers: QB John Mateer, RB Jaydn Ott, WR JaVonnie Gibson, TE Will Huggins, DE Marvin Jones Jr.
The Sooners emphasized impact portal additions on offense, landing two backfield game changers in Mateer (Washington State) and Ott (Cal). Mateer has quickness and accuracy and will keep defenses honest with his legs. His offensive coordinator should count as the most significant transfer, as Mateer followed his offensive coordinator at Washington State, Ben Arbuckle, to Norman. When healthy, Ott is one of the best backs in college football. He’s explosive, fast and can break tackles in the second level.
Gibson is coming off a broken leg suffered in the spring, but he should be ready for fall. What does that mean for the offense? The Arkansas Pine-Bluff transfer was one of the top FCS receivers last year with 70 catches for 1,215 yards. His size and speed will transfer to the SEC.
The defense received a boost with Jones, a former ESPN 300 outside linebacker who developed into a productive end at Florida State (four sacks) after two lackluster seasons at Georgia. He has the ideal physical makeup, but Sooners fans need him to put it all together this fall.
Top impact recruits: OT Jaylen Gilchrist, QB Malik Washington, DT Bryce Jenkins
Maryland kept its best talent home, signing one of its strongest recent classes by winning key DMV-area recruiting battles. Gilchrest and Washington lead the way. An in-state ESPN 300 quarterback, Washington has a big arm and dynamic mobility. He fits well in offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton’s scheme, and he arrives with swagger and confidence, although Maryland won’t need to rush him given his upside. Gilchrist is powerful enough to provide depth inside along the offensive line, particularly as a run blocker, but he could help at tackle as well if he continues to develop his feet.
On defense, Jenkins is a massive interior lineman out of Washington, D.C., who eats up blocks and holds his ground at the point of attack but also plays with deceptive quickness to disrupt. He should provide quality snaps at nose guard.
Top transfers: WR Jalil Farooq, TE Dorian Fleming, QB Justyn Martin, DB Jamare Glasker, DB Dontay Joyner
Martin didn’t win the job this spring, but his experience as a starter at UCLA and his strong physical skill set will be valuable until Washington is ready to take the reins. Farooq (Oklahoma) returns home after an up-and-down career in Norman. He racked up 694 receiving yards and 15.4 yards per catch two years ago. When healthy, he’s a versatile playmaker who can move the chains after the catch and produce in the return game. Fleming (Georgia State) had a breakout season in 2024 and should upgrade tight end for the Terps in 2025 with his size and strength. On defense, Glasker (Wake Forest) and Joyner (Arkansas State) are improvements on the perimeter.
Top impact recruits: S Martels Carter Jr., WR DJ Miller, WR Montavin Quisenberry
Kentucky finished under .500 for the first time since 2020 and with its fewest wins (four) since Mark Stoops’ first season at the helm in 2013. The Wildcats hope their offseason roster overhaul helps reverse course in 2025. Stoops landed a top-30 recruiting class and Carter, a dynamic in-state talent, is one to watch. He’s a great athlete who was a two-way threat in high school and has the combination of speed, coverage skills and size to factor into Kentucky’s two-deep at safety.
Miller and Quisenberry fill different roles as pass catchers. The 6-foot-3 Miller has desirable length and tallied over 1,700 receiving yards as a high schooler in the St. Louis area. Quisenberry is only 5-foot-10 and slightly built, but the 2024 Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year is a shifty, slippery threat who should push for time in the slot.
Top transfers: QB Zach Calzada, OL Joshua Braun, OL Shiyazh Pete, OL Alex Wollschlaeger, RB Dante Dowdell, WR Kendrick Law, Edge Sam Green, DT David Gusta
The Wildcats brought in two dozen transfers, including plenty on offense, as they rebuild a unit that finished last in the SEC last year. Calzada, 24, is on his third stint at an SEC school sandwiched around two years at Incarnate Word, where he took a big step forward last year in throwing for 3,744 yards and 35 touchdowns to just nine interceptions.
Dowdell is well-traveled as well after stints at Nebraska and Oregon, and at 6-foot-2, 227 pounds, his physical run style should suit the SEC. Law should contribute right away in the slot for Calzada. He didn’t turn his four-star pedigree into consistent production at Alabama, but he has a much clearer path to a consistent role in Lexington. Shiyazh (New Mexico State, 6-foot-8) and Wollschlaeger (Bowling Green, 6-foot-7) are massive bookend tackles with considerable starting experience that now must translate against much tougher competition, and expect Braun, a 340-pounder who has 50 career games and 32 starts at Florida and Arkansas, to plug in right away at guard.
Top impact recruits: OLB Madden Faraimo, S Dallas Golden, WR Elijah Burress
The Irish signed a top-15 recruiting class as they continue to emphasize player development and long-term roster building under Marcus Freeman. Faraimo caught on quickly in South Bend, and he should be in the mix for playing time because of his versatile skill set. He has linebacker size and physicality with safety range and athleticism.
Golden won’t arrive until summer, but he should push for time in the secondary and as a key special teams contributor because of his dynamic athleticism. Burress, the son of former NFL receiver Plaxico Burress, turned heads this spring as well with his speed, elusiveness and polished route running. The four-star had 15 touchdowns as a senior for state champ DePaul Catholic in New Jersey.
Top transfers: WR Malachi Fields, WR Will Pauling, DL Jared Dawson, S DeVonta Smith, S Jalen Stroman
Freeman has been selective in the transfer portal and hit on Fields, who has size and speed to produce big plays vertically. The 6-foot-4 220-pounder is an upgrade from the Irish’s wide receiver unit last season and a legit go-to playmaker with his impressive size and explosiveness. Pauling (Wisconsin) is smaller but plenty quick and productive as an underneath target.
Defensively, Smith (Alabama) and Stroman (Virginia Tech) will bolster the secondary. Smith sets the tone with his physicality versus the run and solid coverage skills. He should lock down the nickel position. The powerful Dawson arrives from Louisville and should see plenty of snaps, providing disruption as an interior defensive lineman.
Top impact recruits: WR Dallas Wilson, S Lagonza Hayward, S Hylton Stubbs
While the 2024 season presented challenges, the Gators finished strong under Billy Napier, which led to a boost on the recruiting trail, particularly in their backyard. Florida kept Wilson and fellow ESPN 300 pass catcher Vernell Brown III home. Wilson has turned heads the most this spring. At 6-foot-4, 190 pounds with a 4.5 40-yard dash, he has a rare combination of size, speed and understanding of the position for a freshman.
Hayward and Stubbs should be in the backend rotation this fall. Both ESPN 300 safeties have been as advertised this spring. Stubbs is very instinctive with range and physicality to make plays in all three levels of the defense.
Top transfers: WR J. Michael Sturdivant, QB Harrison Bailey, CB Micheal Caraway
The Gators brought in weapons for their talented young quarterback DJ Lagway after their two top wideouts graduated. Sturdivant is a proven pass catcher with 1,667 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns over three seasons at UCLA and Cal. He has big-play potential and NFL talent, but perhaps most valuable will be his veteran leadership for freshmen Wilson and Brown. Caraway (Southern Miss) might not project as an impact defender, but he’s scheme versatile with experience.
Top impact recruits: WR Corey Simms, OT Alex Payne, QB Husan Longstreet, DE Jahkeem Stewart, RB Waymond Jordan
Lincoln Riley is known for his explosive offenses, but the Trojans need to strengthen their defense if they want to become a true national title contender and erase last year’s disappointing 7-5 finish. At roughly 6-foot-6, 270 pounds, Stewart is long, explosive off the ball and moves like an edge player with interior size. He’s still a bit green without a lot of high school experience but checks all the physical boxes and should be impactful as the season progresses after making a strong impression this spring.
On offense, the receiver room is inexperienced, but Simms has the size and catch radius on the outside to work into the rotation. Longstreet is well-groomed and has the physical makeup to play at quarterback if needed. He has a quick release and strong arm, but his intangibles will get him on the field early. Payne has impressive agility and might be called into action given the lack of depth at offensive tackle. The Trojans’ X factor, though, could be Jordan, a juco prospect with the size, speed and vision to become a true every-down back.
Top transfers: WR Prince Strachan, OG DJ Wingfield, OC J’Onre Reed, RB Waymond Jordan, DT Keeshawn Silver, CB DJ Harvey, S Bishop Fitzgerald
The Trojans were decimated by losses in the portal but did a good job finding transfers to fill some holes. At 6-foot-4, 336 pounds, Silver (Kentucky) fills a need as an early-down two-gap nose tackle who wins with leverage and deceptive burst.
On the opposite side, the Trojans are replacing three offensive line starters from 2024, so finding a quality center like Reed, who comes over from Syracuse, and strong interior play from Wingfield (Purdue) is instrumental. Strachan, a Boise State transfer, has been impressive as a true X receiver. Defensively, Harvey (San Jose State) and Fitzgerald (NC State) are productive secondary additions. Fitzgerald is a real ball hawk with great range.
Top impact recruits: OG Byron Nelson, QB Bryce Baker
Most of North Carolina’s impact additions came via the portal, and the new regime under Bill Belichick kept things close to the vest this spring in Chapel Hill. Nelson and Baker stand out as two freshmen who could push for time early. Nelson, a 300-pound interior lineman out of Texas, remained committed to the Tar Heels even after the coaching change and enrolled early, giving him a leg up as he pushes for a role amid several new faces on the interior. The dual-threat Baker also stuck with Belichick. The in-state four-star throws a great deep ball and has the physical tools to at least push incoming transfer Gio Lopez in the Tar Heels’ quarterback competition.
Top transfers: WR Aziah Johnson, OG Daniel King, OT William Boone, QB Gio Lopez, DE Smith Vilbert, DT CJ Mims, DE Pryce Yates, OLB Khmori House, S Gavin Gibson, CB Thaddeus Dixon
The portal was quite active for the Tar Heels in both directions and yielded North Carolina a slew of potential starters. Lopez might be the most high-profile of them all. He was the sixth-best player in the spring portal after throwing for 2,559 yards and 18 touchdowns to just five picks as a starter in the Sun Belt at South Alabama last year. The lefty is like a point guard who distributes quickly and efficiently with enough athleticism to keep defenses honest.
King, a three-year starter in the Sun Belt at Troy, should team with Boone (Prairie View A&M) to protect Lopez and rebuild the right side of North Carolina’s line. Johnson was a North Carolina target out of high school and now arrives via Michigan State as a potential slot receiver.
Belichick prioritized experience in the portal to restock his defense. Yates played in 32 games over three seasons at UConn, and the defensive lineman arrives with 12.5 career sacks. Vilbert is in his seventh year of eligibility and comes over from Penn State. Gibson (Maryland/East Carolina) and Dixon (Washington) combined for 60 career collegiate games in the secondary, and Dixon arrives with a leg up already knowing the scheme after playing for defensive coordinator Steve Belichick last year at Washington. He’s one of four former Huskies to transfer to North Carolina.
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