Countless FBS players have decided to go to another school in 2024 and thus have entered the transfer portal.
At the Group of Five level, several stars have announced their intentions to move on to Power Five programs.
Here’s a look at college football players who are either transferring to G5 schools or are leaving Group of Five programs, according to 247 Sports.
QBs Transfer Portal News
Former Texas State QB T.J. Finley Commits To Western Kentucky
T.J. Finley is going to another Group of Five school. The former Texas State signal caller is heading to Western Kentucky.
With Jayden de Laura committing to Texas State, Finley entered the transfer portal less than a week after Finley announced he would be coming back to play for the Bobcats in 2024.
Finley made the All-Sun Belt honorable mention list as a redshirt sophomore in 2023. The former LSU and Auburn quarterback threw for 3,439 yards, 24 touchdowns, and eight interceptions while completing 67% of his throws and rushing for 81 yards and five touchdowns this past season.
USC QB Malachi Nelson Going To Boise State
Malachi Nelson, who was ranked the No. 1 recruit in the nation by ESPN when he was going to high school in California, committed to Boise State.
He was a true freshman in 2023 and sat behind Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. Nelson played in just one game and completed 1 of 3 passes for no yards against San Jose State. Going to Los Alamitos High School, he was California’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2022 and an Under Armour All-American.
Diego Pavia of New Mexico State Committing To Vanderbilt
Diego Pavia, New Mexico State’s former quarterback who led the Aggies to a Conference USA Championship appearance in 2023, is transferring to Vanderbilt, where former NMSU head coach Jerry Kill is now an assistant.
Pavia threw for 2,973 yards, 26 touchdowns, and nine interceptions on a 60% completion rate this past season. He also ran for 925 yards and seven touchdowns. The year before, he threw for 1,450 yards, 13 touchdowns, and nine picks on a 53% completion percentage while rushing for 508 yards and six scores.
Holy Cross’ Matthew Sluka Transferring To UNLV
With former Holy Cross head coach Bob Chesney going to JMU, many wondered if Crusaders quarterback Matthew Sluka would also go to the Dukes. Instead, he’s going to another Group of Five school, UNLV.
Sluka is a two-time Walter Payton Award finalist and first-team All-Patriot League selection. He was also the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year in 2023 after passing for 1,728 yards, 20 touchdowns, and five interceptions on a 62% completion rate to go with 1,247 yards and nine touchdowns rushing. In the past four seasons at Holy Cross, Sluka has accounted for 5,916 yards, 59 touchdowns, and 15 picks on a 58% completion percentage as well as 3,583 yards and 38 touchdowns on the ground.
Chandler Morris of TCU Commits To North Texas
Chandler Morris, a former three-star prospect from the state of Texas, committed to North Texas.
The former TCU and Oklahoma quarterback was listed as a sophomore last season. Over the past three years, he’s completed 201 of 306 passes for 2,394 yards, 16 touchdowns, and five interceptions while rushing for 356 yards and four scores. In 2023, he completed 66% of his throws for 1,532 yards, 12 touchdowns, and five picks with 249 yards and three touchdowns rushing.
UNLV Quarterback Jayden Maiava Flips Commitment To USC
Jayden Maiava, who played for UNLV in 2023, has changed his commitment. A day after committing to Georgia, the Mountain West Freshman of the Year this past season and all-conference second-team selection is going to USC.
Though he wasn’t the Rebels’ Day 1 starter, he finished the year with 3,085 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions on a 63.5% completion rate. He also ran for 277 yards and three touchdowns.
Buffalo’s Cole Snyder Transferring to Eastern Michigan
Cole Snyder, a former Rutgers transfer who went to Buffalo, is going to finish his collegiate career with another MAC program. The quarterback announced he is going to Eastern Michigan.
In 2023 while at Buffalo, Snyder threw for 2,109 yards, 13 touchdowns, and nine interceptions while completing 55% of his throws and also ran for 88 yards and a touchdown. The year before, he became the third quarterback at Buffalo to pass for over 3,000 yards in a single season as he recorded 3,030 yards, 18 touchdowns, and eight picks on a 59% completion rate while also rushing for 145 yards and four touchdowns.
Liberty’s Kaidon Salter Exits Transfer Portal
Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter announced he was entering the transfer portal after leading the Flames to a Fiesta Bowl appearance. However, he has since announced he was returning to the Flames.
Salter was the 2023 HERO Sports G5 College Football Player of the Year. He threw for 2,876 yards, 32 touchdowns, and six interceptions while rushing for 1,089 yards and 12 scores in 2023.
Jordan McCloud of JMU Is In The Transfer Portal
Jordan McCloud, a HERO Sports G5 All-American, entered the transfer portal after one year with JMU. He led the Dukes to their first FBS bowl appearance and an 11-2 overall record.
In 2023, McCloud threw for 3,657 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions on a 68.2% completion rate.
Former Oregon QB Ty Thompson Transferring To Tulane
Tulane is losing AAC Player of the Year Michael Pratt as he has turned his attention to the NFL Draft. So the Green Wave picked up a major commitment from another talented passer.
Ty Thompson, a former four-star recruit, is transferring from Oregon to Tulane. As a sophomore while mostly sitting behind Bo Nix in 2023, he completed 24 of 31 passes for 297 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception on a 77% completion rate and rushed for 48 yards.
Toledo’s Dequan Finn Transferring To Baylor
Dequan Finn, the player of the year in the MAC, entered the transfer portal and announced his commitment to Baylor.
In 2023, Finn threw for 2,657 yards, 22 touchdowns, and nine picks as he completed 64% of his throws. He also rushed for 563 yards and seven scores. For his career, he’s thrown for 7,079 yards, 63 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions on a 60.3% completion rate to go with 1,837 yards and 25 touchdowns on the ground.
Ohio’s Kurtis Rourke Transferring to Indiana
Kurtis Rourke, a former MAC Offensive Player of the Year, will be joining up with former JMU head coach Curt Cignetti. Rourke announced he is going to Indiana.
Rourke missed some time due to injury in 2023 but finished the year with 2,207 yards, 11 touchdowns, and five picks with a 63.5% completion percentage. The year before, he totaled 3,257 yards, 25 touchdowns, and four picks through the air as he completed 69.1% of his throws.
Coastal Carolina’s Grayson McCall Transferring to NC State
Grayson McCall is the only person to win Sun Belt Player of the Year honors three times. And while he’s transferring, he isn’t moving far.
McCall is going to North Carolina State. In five seasons at Coastal Carolina, he totaled 10,005 yards, 88 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions while completing 69.6% of his throws.
Taylen Green of Boise State Transferring to Arkansas
After not being Boise State’s full-time quarterback in 2023, Taylen Green decided to transfer and is landing at Arkansas.
Green was the Mountain West Freshman of the Year in 2022. He threw for 2,042 yards, 14 touchdowns, and six picks with a 61.3% completion percentage while rushing for 588 yards and 10 touchdowns that year. This past season, he recorded 1,752 yards, 11 touchdowns, and nine picks while completing 57.1% of his throws and also ran for 436 yards and nine scores.
Transfer Portal News
Denver Harris of LSU Heading To UTSA
Denver Harris, a former five-star prospect, had reportedly committed to UTSA.
Harris, a cornerback who’s from Texas, played at LSU last season and at Texas A&M the year before. In 2022, he totaled 14 tackles and three pass breakups in five games. Last season, he also appeared in five games and recorded seven tackles and two passes defended.
Bryun Parham of San Jose State Commits To Washington
Bryun Parham, an All-Mountain West honorable mention linebacker for San Jose State in 2023, has committed to Washington.
Parham led SJSU with 106 tackles to go with five tackles for loss, three pass breakups, 2.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, an interception, and a forced fumble this past season. The year before, he recorded 74 tackles, five for loss, with three sacks, two forced fumbles, and two passes defended.
Vanderbilt’s Logan Kyle Commits To JMU
Former Vanderbilt tight end Logan Kyle announced he is transferring to JMU.
Kyle, a former three-star prospect from Texas, played in 12 games and caught 11 passes for 103 yards to go with 25 rushing yards in 2023. He also played in 12 games the year before, primarily on special teams.
Former Power Five WR Chris Marshall Heading To Boise State
Chris Marshall, a former five-star prospect from Texas, committed to Boise State. He joins former USC quarterback Malachi Nelson, another former five-star player, with the Broncos.
Marshall caught 21 passes for 449 yards and five touchdowns in six games at Kilgore Junior College in 2023. He was also at Texas A&M and Ole Miss previously but was reportedly removed from each of those two programs for disciplinary reasons.
Nevada Lands Two Former Power Five Players
New Nevada head coach Jeff Choate bolstered his roster by adding Kitan Crawford, a former defensive back at Texas which is where Choate was previously an assistant coach, and Chubba Purdy, a former Nebraska and Florida State quarterback who was initially committed to San Jose State before its coaching change.
Crawford saw a good amount of playing time the past few years. He was a Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year honorable mention in 2023 and played in 13 games while starting three. He tallied 24 tackles, one for loss, with an interception, a pass breakup, and a blocked kick. The year before, he played in 13 games and started one, recording 25 tackles to go with two pass breakups and a blocked field goal. He also played in 10 games both in 2021 and 2020.
Purdy, brother of 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, spent the past two seasons at Nebraska, playing in 12 games and starting four. He also played in four games at Florida State the two years before that with one start. For his collegiate career, he’s thrown for 846 yards, six touchdowns, and seven interceptions while completing 85 of 163 passes (52%) to go with 315 yards and three touchdowns on 73 carries.
Ian Jackson of Alabama Commits To UTSA
Ian Jackson, a former Alabama linebacker, is going to UTSA.
Jackson didn’t see any playing time in 2023 or 2021, the season he redshirted. He played in three games on special teams in 2022. He was a consensus four-star prospect coming out of Prattville High School in Alabama.
Liberty Defensive Lineman Kendy Charles Transferring To Duke
Kendy Charles, a former standout defensive lineman for Liberty, announced he has committed to Duke.
He totaled 26 tackles, 4.5 for loss, with three sacks, two quarterback hurries, and a fumble recovery in 2023. Over the last four years, he has 77 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, and nine sacks.
Yam Banks of South Alabama Commits To Ole Miss
Yam Banks, a two-time All-Sun Belt defensive back, is going to his home state and is transferring to Ole Miss.
Banks was a first-team all-conference pick in 2022 and made the all-conference third team this past season. He had six interceptions and 17 passes defended in 2022 and one pick and four passes defended in 2023. Over the last four seasons, he has 147 tackles, 16 for loss, with 2.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
Liberty’s C.J. Daniels Commits To LSU
C.J. Daniels, one of the top wide receivers in Conference USA in 2023, has committed to LSU. He made the all-conference second team in 2023.
Daniels caught 55 passes for 1,067 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023. That includes his eight-catch, 79-yard performance against Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl.
Multiple Power Five Players Commit To East Carolina
After going 2-10 in 2023, East Carolina bolstered its roster through the transfer portal. Jake Garcia, a quarterback who played for Miami and then Missouri, as well as Casey Kelly, a former tight end for Oregon and Ole Miss, committed to the Pirates.
Garcia didn’t appear in a game for Missouri last season. In the previous two years at Miami, he was 79-of-129 passing for 950 yards, seven touchdowns, and four picks.
Kelly caught five passes for 43 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games for the Ducks last year. He has 325 yards and five scores on 33 catches for his collegiate career.
LaJohntay Wester Commits To Colorado
LaJohntay Wester, a HERO Sports Group of Five All-American, is transferring to Colorado.
The former FAU wide receiver caught 108 passes for 1,168 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023. He also ran for 44 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. In four seasons with the Owls, he totaled 2,703 yards and 21 touchdowns on 252 receptions.
Wester is also a standout returner. On 14 punt returns in 2023, he totaled 278 yards and a touchdown.
Jaden Navarrette of Oregon Announces Transfer To UNLV
Jaden Navarrette, a former four-star prospect out of Norco, California, announced he intends to transfer from Oregon to UNLV.
Navarrette didn’t log any tackles at Oregon, as he played sparingly while dealing with injuries. He’s expecting to have three years of eligibility remaining.
Temple RB Darvon Hubbard Enters The Transfer Portal
Darvon Hubbard, who was Temple’s starting running back by the end of the 2023 season, has entered the transfer portal.
He led the Owls with 412 rushing yards last season. The former Texas A&M transfer rushed for 618 yards and five touchdowns on 135 carries over the course of the last two years at Temple. He also caught 36 passes for 286 yards during that time.
Wayne Matthews of Old Dominion Transferring To Michigan State
Wayne Matthews, a third-team All-Sun Belt linebacker at Old Dominion this past season, announced he has committed to Michigan State.
Matthews, who’s from Largo, Maryland, was a sophomore in 2023. He totaled 135 tackles, 38 solo, with 9.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, three pass breakups, and a fumble recovery last season.
UTEP’s Tyrin Smith Transferring To Cincinnati
Tyrin Smith, who tallied over 1,000 receiving yards in 2022 for UTEP, announced he has committed to Cincinnati, which now plays in the Big 12.
Smith played in just four games in 2023, catching 19 passes for 191 yards and one touchdown. However, the year before, he chalked up 1,039 yards and seven touchdowns on 71 receptions en route to All-Conference USA honorable mention honors. He tallied 570 yards and four touchdowns on 33 catches in 2021.
Running Backs Ayo Adeyi of North Texas And George Pettaway of North Carolina Transferring To JMU
JMU bolstered its running back position group by adding two standout players through the transfer portal, George Pettaway and Ayo Adeyi.
Pettaway is going to JMU after starting his collegiate career at North Carolina. The former four-star prospect from Suffolk, Virginia, was a sophomore last season but only played in four games in 2023. He didn’t have any carries last season but ran for 93 yards and two touchdowns on 20 attempts in 11 games in 2022. He’s also caught six passes for 21 yards the past two years.
Adeyi was one of the top remaining players in the transfer portal before he made his commitment. He decided to go to another Group of Five program in JMU.
Adeyi was a second-team All-AAC running back in 2023. He ran for 1,017 yards and six touchdowns this past season.
Troy’s T.J. Jackson Transferring To West Virginia
T.J. Jackson, one of the premier defensive linemen in the Sun Belt last season, is heading to West Virginia. He was a second-team all-conference selection and a HERO Sports G5 All-American.
In 2023, Jackson recorded 27 tackles, seven for loss, with 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, two quarterback hurries, and two pass breakups.
App State’s Nate Noel Transferring To Missouri
Former App State star running back Nate Noel announced he intends on transferring to Missouri.
Noel is eighth all-time in App State history with 3,074 career rushing yards to go with 18 touchdowns over the course of four years. In 2023, he ran for 834 yards and five touchdowns on 173 attempts while missing multiple games due to injury.
Toledo’s Peny Boone Transferring To Louisville
Peny Boone, who was the MAC’s Offensive Player of the Year while playing for Toledo in 2023, has committed to Louisville.
Boone, a HERO Sports G5 All-American, led the MAC in rushing yards as he ran for 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns on 194 carries this past season. He also caught 15 passes for 219 yards and a score.
South Alabama’s Jaden Voisin Exits Transfer Portal
South Alabama safety Jaden Voisin is one of the several HERO Sports G5 All-Americans who entered the transfer portal. However, he later announced he would be returning to South Alabama.
Voisin was on the first team for the G5 All-American list and was an All-Sun Belt first-teamer in 2023. He tallied 71 tackles, 2.5 for loss, as well as four interceptions, seven pass breakups, and a forced fumble this past season.
JMU Stars Heading To Indiana
JMU head coach Curt Cignetti brought several of his assistant coaches with him to Indiana. He’s also welcoming several standout players.
Wide receiver Elijah Sarratt, defensive lineman James Carpenter, defensive lineman Mikail Kamara, and tight end Zach Horton were all HERO Sports G5 All-Americans for the Dukes last season and are going to Indiana. Aiden Fisher, Jailin Walker, Kaelon Black, Nick Kidwell, Ty Son Lawton, and Tyler Stephens are also former Dukes who will be playing for the Hoosiers in 2024.
Ja’Mori Maclin of North Texas Transferring To Kentucky
Ja’Mori Maclin was one of the few G5 wide receivers who eclipsed 1,000 yards in 2023. But now he has decided to go to a Power Five program.
Maclin, a former North Texas wide receiver, has chosen to go to Kentucky. He caught 57 passes for 1,004 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.
What Is The Transfer Portal?
The transfer portal in college football is an online database that players will enter their names into if they intend to transfer.
College coaches who have access to the transfer portal can search it to see what players are available. The transfer portal is password-protected, meaning access to it is limited.
