College football’s version of free agency — better known as the NCAA Transfer Portal — has significantly altered the makeup of just about every American Athletic Conference football program during the offseason.
AAC teams have been among the most active in the 2022 portal for transfer additions as well as losses. As of February 20thth, the 11 AAC programs had signed or received verbal commitments from 65 transfer portal players, while 117 from their 2021 rosters have sought new teams by entering the portal.
And the comings and goings aren’t expected to end there. There are literally hundreds of uncommitted players still in the portal, and more are expected to enter their names after spring practice.
But while we wait for those decisions to be made, here’s a team-by-team look at how the 2022 AAC season may be impacted by transfer portal additions and subtractions.
CENTRAL FLORIDA
UCF coach Gus Malzahn has become like the Pied Piper. Players seem to follow him wherever he goes. That’s been the case with Malzahn and the transfer portal, where he’s managed to secure some vital assistance in his first two recruiting classes from players recruited at previous coaching stops. The Knights have added two more former prominent Malzahn recruits this time around, one on each side of the ball.
MAJOR ADDITIONS
Defensive tackle Lee Hunter (6-4, 321) was a four-star prospect and second-highest ranked recruit in Malzahn’s final recruiting class at Auburn. In addition to Auburn, his offer list out of high school included Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Tennessee, LSU, Iowa and Oregon among others. Hunter redshirted last season at Auburn, but his size and talent will be an immediate asset for the Knights.
Wide receiver Kobe Hudson (6-1, 199) was a Class of 2020 signee at Auburn by Malzahn. Hudson played limited snaps as a true freshman with the Tigers before emerging as their leading receiver last season with 44 catches for 580 yards and four touchdowns. His desire to continue playing for Malzahn led Hudson to the transfer portal and ultimately to UCF.
Two big additions on the offensive line for the Knights — figuratively and literally — are tackles Ryan Swoboda (6-10, 325) and Tylan Grable (6-7, 290). Swoboda comes from Virginia where he played in 43 games over four seasons and made 25 starts. Twenty-one of those starts came the last two years at right tackle. Grable was a second-team All-American and All-Ohio Valley Conference pick last season at FCS Jacksonville State. A tight end at the start of his college career, Grable has two years of eligibility left.
Another former Malzahn recruit, quarterback Joey Gatewood (6-5, 220), comes to UCF from Kentucky. But before he played for the Wildcats, Gatewood battled Bo Nix for the starting job at Auburn. Malzahn ultimately chose Nix as the starter, leading Gatewood to transfer to Kentucky. He completed 17 of 35 passes for 109 yards in limited action with the Wildcats in 2020 before entering the transfer portal last August.
MAJOR SUBTRACTIONS
Tatum Bethune was UCF’s top tackler in 2021 from his linebacker position. Bethune registered 108 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and two sacks during his third season in Orlando. He entered the transfer portal on New Year’s eve and committed to Florida State four days later.
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel was once the Knights’ starter, taking the opening snaps in 22 games between 2019 and 2020. But a broken clavicle led him to miss nine games last season. Gabriel decided to rejoin his old UCF offensive coordinator, Jeff Lebby, at Oklahoma.
MORE NAMES AND NOTABLE NUMBERS
UCF has lost 21 players overall to the transfer portal since February 20th. … So far the Knights have secured 10 new players from the transfer portal. … Seven of the 21 departing players have committed to FBS programs. … In addition to the portal transfers listed above, joining the Knights will also be Florida tight end Kemore Gamble (6-4, 243), Ole Miss quarterback John Rhys Plumlee (6-0, 200), Kentucky outside linebacker K.D. McDaniel (6-2, 250), Austin Peay strong safety Koby Perry (6-0, 174) and Maryland linebacker Terrence Lewis (6-3, 190). … Rhys Plumlee started eight games at quarterback for Ole Miss as a freshman, but shifted to wide receiver for the next two years. … He’ll return to quarterback at UCF where he should challenge for a starting role.
CINCINNATI
The two-time defending AAC champs can officially be crowned a national power after becoming the first team outside the five traditional leagues to reach the College Football Playoff last season. But the Bearcats faced some serious offseason challenges in finding replacements for record-setting quarterback Desmond Ridder, three secondary stalwarts and an upgrading their kicking game.
MAJOR ADDITIONS
The Bearcats may have acquired Ridder’s replacement at quarterback in Ben Bryant, a transfer from Eastern Michigan who actually began his college career at Cincinnati. Bryant (6-3, 218) spent three seasons with the Bearcats (2018-20), appearing in 16 games with one start. But after being reduced to Ridder’s backup in 2020, he opted to transfer to Eastern Michigan. In one season with the Eagles, Bryant completed 279 of 408 passes for 3,121 yards and 14 touchdowns. With one year of eligibility remaining, he’ll either compete with sophomore Evan Prater for the starting job next fall or become valuable insurance on the depth chart.
Two other big portal additions are first-team All-Mid-American Conference linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. and wide receiver Nick Mardner from Hawaii. The 6-foot, 239-pound Pace, who hails from Cincinnati, played at nearby Miami of Ohio the last three years. He ranked second among MAC tacklers with 125 last season and will join his younger brother Deshawn at linebacker with the Bearcats.
Mardner, a 6-6, 190-pounder, led Hawaii in receiving yards last season. He made 46 catches for 913 yards and scored five touchdowns. Mardner is a potential replacement for All-AAC second-teamer Alec Pierce and is a valuable contested-catch weapon because of his height. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
MAJOR SUBTRACTIONS
Baseball pitcher and football quarterback Cam’Ron McCoy joined the Bearcats as a preferred walk-on last fall, but didn’t make the roster. So McCoy is taking his cannon arm to Eastern Michigan, which is looking for a new starter with Bryant returning to Cincinnati.
Zeiqui Lawton was rated the No. 2 prospect in West Virginia and among the nation’s top 40 defensive tackles in the Class of 2021 when he signed with the Bearcats. But the 6-3, 240-pounder failed to play a snap last season, which led him to the transfer portal and a ticket back home to play for West Virginia.
MORE NAMES AND NOTABLE NUMBERS
Cincinnati had signed five from the transfer portal as of Feb. 20th. … Four members of the 2021 team have entered their name into the transfer portal. … All four of the departing players have landed at other FBS programs. … In addition to Bryant, Pace and Mardner, the Bearcats also landed one of the best placekickers in the FCS in Delaware’s Ryan Coe. … Coe converted 82.4 percent of his field-goal tries last season, which would be a major improvement over the 47.4 percent made by Cincinnati in 2021. … The fifth transfer portal find is 6-5, 315-pound offensive lineman Dartanyan Tinsley, who arrives from NAIA Kentucky Christian. … Tinsley was a first-team all-conference choice last season and will have three years of eligibility left at Cincinnati.
EAST CAROLINA
Coming off their first winning season since 2014, the Pirates knew to keep the momentum going some immediate help was needed on the offensive line. Graduation losses and a couple of transfers left them thin and in need of experience there, so they wound up courting at least a half dozen blockers from the portal. ECU significantly bolstered its talent on the offensive and defensive lines through the portal. And like many teams, the Pirates probably aren’t done yet poaching from the portal.
MAJOR ADDITIONS
Three potential offensive line starters are headed to Greenville. Charlotte product Parker Moorer (6-4, 313) is the most prominent of that trio after spending three seasons at West Virginia. Moorer played in 20 career games and started the first five games last season for the Mountaineers at right tackle. He should become a mainstay on ECU’s offensive line with three years of eligibility left.
Former FCS standouts Ben Johnson (6-5, 300) from Marist College and Justin Redd (6-5, 300) from Norfolk State are projected to help out at the guard positions, where ECU lost Sean Bailey and Fernando Frye to graduation. Johnson, who’ll have two years of edibility with the Pirates, was a two-year tackle starter for the Red Foxes and a second-team All-Pioneer League pick in 2021. Redd was a four-year starter at Norfolk State, where he was MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Year as a senior. He’ll have a single year of eligibility left in Greenville.
ECU’s defensive line also received a boost with edge rusher Jack Powers (6-2, 235) and tackle Shaundre Mims (6-0, 276) coming aboard. Powers is a former walk-on at Nevada, who worked himself into a prominent role over the last two seasons. A strong pass rusher and special teams player, Powers will have two years left to play for the Pirates. Mims was a three-time All-Big South Conference pick at FCS Charleston Southern where he ranked fourth in career tackles for loss (36). He has one year of eligibility remaining.
MAJOR SUBTRACTIONS
Cornerback Nolan Johnson was a part-time starter and prominent special teams player the last two seasons for ECU. Johnson made three starts last season and 11 during a four-year career at ECU. But after receiving his degree in December, he decided to transfer to Miami of Ohio, where he’ll have two years to play.
Traveon Freshwater was the highest rated prospect in ECU’s recruiting Class of 2019. He was rated the nation’s No. 32 linebacker, but never really found his footing with the Pirates after shuffling from defensive line to tight end and back to defensive end. Freshwater will get a better opportunity to develop his talents now at NCAA Division II Elizabeth City State.
Trent Holler, who was expected to be a contender to start at center, was dismissed from the team after violating team rule in October. Holler has since found a new home at Marshall.
MORE NAMES AND NOTABLE NUMBERS
East Carolina had signed eight from the transfer portal as of Feb. 20th. … Fifteen members of the 2021 team have entered their name into the transfer portal. … Three of the departing players have landed at other FBS programs. … In addition to the players mentioned above, the Pirates also landed wide receiver Jaylen Johnson from national champion Georgia (2 years eligibility left), who could be a key addition with the early departure to the NFL of Tyler Snead. … Long snapper Alex Harper, from N.C. Central, and punter David Chapeau, from Air Force, round out the portal signees. … ECU actually lost its two top long snappers to the portal, including Slade Roy, who is now at LSU.
HOUSTON
At least nine players acquired through the transfer portal played major roles for Houston en route to its 12-2 finish in 2021 that included a bowl win against Auburn. The Cougars didn’t need that much help from the portal this time around, but graduation and transfers did leave some holes at linebacker and wide receiver to be addressed.
MAJOR ADDITIONS
Houston snared three wide receivers from other big-time FBS programs, although the trio experienced limited action at their previous schools. Still, Joseph Manjack (6-3, 205) from USC, Brice Johnson (6-0, 190) from Ole Miss and Sam Brown (6-2, 197) from West Virginia should become immediate contributors next fall for the Cougars. Brown had 10 catches for 108 yards in nine games over two years for the Mountaineers, while Manjack had seven receptions for 67 yards during his only season with the Trojans. Johnson, a former prep quarterback, made the Ole Miss squad as a walk-on but never played a down.
The Cougars lost two important pieces of its linebacking corps to graduation in Donovan Mutin and Deontay Anderson. But they found potential replacements via the portal in Oklahoma transfer Jamal Morris (6-2, 215) and Trimarcus Cheeks (6-2, 222) from Samford. Morris is a former four-star prospect who began his college career at safety before transitioning to linebacker. He appeared in 20 games with the Sooners over three seasons. Cheeks played two years at FCS Samford, making 48 tackles, five tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks last season.
MAJOR SUBTRACTIONS
Jeremy Singleton has been a consistent contributor in Houston’s receiver corps for the last four seasons. Singleton played in 43 games during that period, making 27 starts, including 13 of 14 games last season. Before hitting the transfer portal in January, he amassed 83 career catches for 1,252 yards and 10 touchdowns. Singleton will take his talents to the Sun Belt Conference next season to play for Georgia Southern.
The Cougars also lost a former starter at right guard in Max Banes. After making eight starts between the 2019-20 seasons, Banes spent last year as the backup at right guard behind sophomore Tank Jenkins. The situation probably contributed to Banes hitting the portal and landing at Akron.
MORE NAMES AND NOTABLE NUMBERS
Houston had signed five from the transfer portal as of Feb. 20th. … Seventeen members of the 2021 team have entered their names into the transfer portal. … Five of the departing players have landed at other FBS programs. … Four of the players leaving Houston via the portal are offensive linemen and four are wide receivers. … Quarterback Maddox Kopp, a former three-star prospect from Houston, is moving on to Colorado after a redshirt freshman year in 2021. … Kopp threw for 6,334 yards and 59 touchdowns during his prep career. … Both Kopp’s brothers are guards for Division I basketball teams.
MEMPHIS
The Tigers beat Tulane in their regular-season finale to become bowl eligible, but had a postseason date with Hawaii canceled due to COVID-19. The good side of the latter is that it allowed the Memphis coaching staff to spend more time on the recruiting trail and it paid off with some important additions from the transfer portal. Help was especially needed at linebacker where the Tigers lost three fifth-year seniors from their rotation.
MAJOR ADDITIONS
Memphis filled those holes at linebacker with veterans from FBS programs. Geoff Cantin-Arku (6-4, 227) arrives from Syracuse where he was the starting middle linebacker and special teams standout. Cantin-Arku left Syracuse in week 11 of the 2021 season after accumulating 107 career tackles, 10 tackles for loss and five sacks. The Tigers also secured Tyler Murray (6-2, 215), who started his college career at Troy but spent the last two seasons at Charlotte. Murray was team captain and an honorable mention All-Conference USA pick last season when he made 79 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss.
The Tigers also received help for their run game by bringing in Jevyon Ducker (5-10, 185) from Northern Illinois. Ducker led the Huskies in rushing last season with 1,232 yards on 218 carries after sitting out the 2020 due to a preseason injury. The performance earned him Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year honors.
From Florida State, Ira Henry III (6-4, 317) will be a welcome addition to an offensive line that lost starting right guard Dylan Parham to graduation and part-time starter at left guard, Isaac Ellis, to the transfer portal.
MAJOR SUBTRACTIONS
As mentioned above, Ellis was a major player on the offensive line during his three seasons with Memphis. He started 18 of 35 games in which he appeared at left guard, including seven in 2021. Ellis is taking his talents to Louisiana Tech.
Defensive end Jalil Clemons, who played in 26 games at Memphis and made four starts in 2020, saw his playing time dwindle last season. Clemons decided to return to his home state and play for Southern Miss next fall.
MORE NAMES AND NOTABLE NUMBERS
Memphis had signed six from the transfer portal as of Feb. 20th. … Thirteen members of the 2021 team have entered their names into the transfer portal. … Four of the departing players have landed at other FBS programs. … The Tigers have also added, via the portal, former Iowa State receiver Joe Scates (6-2, 191) and ex-Arkansas State defensive lineman Corbet Mims (6-4, 232). … Scates caught 16 pases for 384 yards and four touchdowns in 29 games with the Cyclones. … Mims played in just one game in two years at Arkansas State, but is returning to his hometown of Memphis to continue his football career.
NAVY
The Middies are the only program that can’t take advantage of the transfer portal. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t affected by it. The 2022 cycle saw Navy lose at least two prominent players who opted out of the military academy lifestyle.
MAJOR ADDITIONS
Because of the military training aspect of life at the U.S. Naval Academy, you can’t just jump in anytime. So that essentially leaves the Middies out of the game when it comes to adding players from the transfer portal.
MAJOR SUBTRACTIONS
Midshipmen are eligible to leave the academy without penalty anytime before signing the “two-for-seven” papers at the start of their junior year. Inside linebacker Johnny Hodges took advantage of that option after starting seven of nine games and ranking fourth among Navy tacklers with 50 last season. Hodges was originally recruited to play lacrosse at Navy, but wound up starting eight of 16 games for the football team before leaving the program last November for “internal reasons.” He has now landed at TCU where he’s expected to compete for a starting job.
MORE NAMES AND NOTABLE NUMBERS
Navy has lost four players overall to the transfer portal since February 20th. … In addition to Hodges, linebacker Jared Behrens, running back Malcolm Terry and defensive lineman Alefosio Saipaia have also departed. … Saipaia is the only one of the trio to have seen game action with the Middies. … He played in three games during the 2021 season as part of the rotation at nose guard. … Terry has since enrolled at Columbia University, while Behrens and Saipaia remain in the portal as of Feb. 20th.
SOUTH FLORIDA
Maybe it was an effort to keep up with the Jones, or in this case the Malzahns. But USF has been as active as Florida neighbor and rival UCF in the transfer portal this year. Head coach Jeff Scott even managed to lure three of his former players at Clemson and four other ex-ACC athletes to Tampa in hopes of staging a turnaround from last year’s 2-10 finish.
MAJOR ADDITIONS
Wow! Where do we start? The Bulls have landed players from the portal at just about every position on the field. But its the defensive line where USF have made the biggest splash, securing five at those spots from FBS programs. They include edge rusher Jatorian Hansford (6-4, 255) from Missouri, tackle James Ash (6-3, 285) from Wake Forest, tackle Rashad Cheney (6-2, 290) from Minnesota, tackle Nick Bags (6-3, 300) from Temple, and tackle Clyde Pinder (6-0, 300) from North Carolina. Hansford brings the most experience to the table, having played in 20 games over four seasons at Missouri. But Bags was a starter at Temple last season before a toe injury limited his playing time, and Pinder is a former four-star prospect.
A potential major addition on offense is wide receiver Khafre Brown (6-0, 190) from North Carolina. Brown showed great potential as a true freshman when he caught 15 passes for 337 yards and two touchdowns. But inconsistency plagued him last season during which he caught just one pass for 75 yards in the first six games before entering the portal. Brown has great lateral speed and could become a true deep threat for the Bulls.
MAJOR SUBTRACTIONS
Quarterback Jarren Williams received a four-star rating and Top 100 prospect as a prep senior. Williams signed with Miami and was the Hurricanes’ top passer in 2019 when he set an ACC record with six touchdown throws in a single game against Louisville. But he left Miami for a JUCO year in which he didn’t play due to the pandemic before signing on with USF where he was expected to compete for the starting job. But that never happened and his next stop is FCS Alabama A&M.
Isaiah Cromarty was a special teams standout and reserve cornerback-safety the last two seasons. Cromarty played in 21 games during that span with 25 tackles. He has yet to announce a school for 2022.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
USF had added 14 players to its roster from the transfer portal as of February 20th. … The Knights have lost 17 players to the portal so far. … Other additions along with the ones mentioned above include wide receiver Ajou Ajou (6-4, 224) from Clemson, safety Ray Thornton III (6-1, 207) from Clemson, offensive tackle Zach Perkins (6-4, 321) from Maryland, offensive guard Mike Lofton (6-2, 300) from Central Florida, linebacker James Gordon IV (6-1, 230) from Minnesota, safety Aamaris Brown (5-10, 184) from Kansas State and running back Michael Dukes (5-10, 198) from Clemson. … Only two of the departing players have landed spots on FBS rosters to date.
SOUTHERN METHODIST
A head coaching change left the new man in charge, Rhett Lashlee, with little time to put together a true recruiting class. Lashlee spent his early days on the job simply trying to hold onto the players who had made verbal commitments to previous coach Sonny Dykes, who jetted off to TCU in late November. But like Dykes, Lashlee made good use of the transfer portal to fill some major needs at wide receiver.
MAJOR ADDITIONS
The Mustangs lost 36 percent of their catches, 41.9 percent of their receiving yards and 33 percent of their touchdown receptions from last season with the graduations of Reggie Roberson Jr., Danny Gray and Austin Upshaw. But Lashlee offset some of that loss in production by securing two high-profile receivers in Joshua Moore (6-1, 169) from Texas and Beau Corrales (6-3, 210) from North Carolina.
Moore led the Longhorns with 30 catches for 472 yards and nine touchdowns in 2020, then added 24 for 265 yards and three scores last season before leaving the team in early November. A four-star prospect according to 247Sports.com as a prep senior, Moore originally committed to Texas Tech, but flipped to SMU after Lashlee’s arrival. He should immediately become the Mustangs’ big-playmaker at receiver.
Corrales is a perfect complement to Moore. He’s a tall, rangy receiver who had a promising start to his college career at UNC before injuries limited him as a senior. Still, Corrales caught 80 passes for 1,176 yards and 12 touchdowns in 35 games for the Tar Heels. He’ll only have one year of eligibility left, but should be highly motivated to make up for lost time at SMU.
Also from the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Mustangs landed offensive guard Joseph Bissinger from Virginia. A 6-4, 330-pounder from Houston, Bissinger played in 33 games over three seasons with the Cavaliers and started four of 12 games in 2021. He’ll have two more years to play at SMU.
MAJOR SUBTRACTIONS
Alan Ali was a four-year starter on the offensive line for SMU, a second-team All-AAC pick in 2021 and a potential candidate for the 2022 NFL Draft. But with a year of college eligibility left and a degree in hand, Ali decided to follow Dykes to TCU.
MORE NAMES AND NOTABLE NUMBERS
SMU has lost six players overall to the transfer portal since February 20th. … The Mustangs have also added six players from the portal. … One SMU player who initially entered the portal, redshirt freshman defensive end Stone Eby, withdrew his name in January and is expected to return to the Mustangs. … Other players headed to SMU from the portal are linebacker Jaqwondis Burns (6-2, 220) from Minnesota, linebacker Shannon Reid (6-0, 230) from Illinois State, and tight end Kameron Allen (6-4, 240) from Michigan State. … This will be Reid’s third program. … He began his college career at Tennessee, spending one season with the Volunteers. … Exiting via the portal is quarterback Derek Green, the son of former NFL quarterback Trent Green.
TEMPLE
Similar to Lashlee at SMU, Temple’s Stan Drayton was hired a day after the early signing period in December and had limited time to land traditional recruits. And, as with many coaching changes, Drayton had to deal with a flurry of players who opted to transfer. But despite the time constraints, Drayton added some significant talent on offense and defense from the portal.
MAJOR ADDITIONS
Dominick Hill (6-0, 195), a wide receiver turned cornerback, played in 12 games and made six tackles for South Carolina last season as a sophomore. A three-star prospect out of Jones High School in Florida, Hill chose the Gamecocks over schools like UCF, Miami, Nebraska and Missouri. He should be an immediate asset to the Owls’ secondary.
The Owls needed a boost for their running attack after averaging only 110 yards a game last season. They may have gotten that in 6-foot, 210-pound Darvon Hubbard from Texas A&M. Hubbard played in only three games over two seasons with the Aggies. But he was rated the No. 39 running back in the nation as a prep senior by 247Sports.com and originally committed to Ohio State before he signed with A&M. So his talent level should move him to the top of the Temple running back corps very quickly.
MAJOR SUBTRACTIONS
Temple lost three major players to the portal in quarterback Justin Lynch, safety M.J. Griffin and wide receiver Jadan Blue.
Lynch had taken over as the Owls’ starting quarterback by the end of the 2021 season and finished with 830 yards passing and 295 yards rushing in 12 games. But when Rod Carey was fired as head coach after the season Lynch entered the portal and will suit up next season for Northern Illinois, where his brother Jordan was a record-setting quarterback.
Griffin was one of Temple’s best defenders last season, ranking second on the team with 65 tackles and four pass breakups. He’ll join the ACC’s Louisville Cardinals for 2022.
Blue was rated one of top transfer portal prospects, despite having just one year of eligibility left. A former All-AAC pick, he recorded 169 catches for 1,662 yards and 10 touchdowns during a four-year run at Temple. He was one of the nation’s top receivers in 2019 when he made 95 catches for 1,067 yards and four scores. Blue is taking his talents to Virginia Tech.
MORE NAMES AND NOTABLE NUMBERS
Temple has lost eight players overall to the transfer portal since February 20th. … The Owls have added four players from the portal. … Other portal players heading to Temple are James Faminu (6-6, 320), an offensive tackle from AAC member Houston, and Joseph Appiah Darkwa (6-5, 295), a defensive tackle from Penn State. … Neither played a down at their previous schools. … Five of the players Temple is losing to the transfer portal have committed to other FBS programs. … Quarterback Re-al Mitchell was featured in the second season of the Netflix series “QB1: Beyond The Lights” as a senior at St. John Bosco High in California. … Mitchell is returning home to play at San Diego next fall.
TULANE
The Green Wave fielded one of the youngest teams in the AAC last season and subsequently took their lumps on the way to a 2-10 overall finish. But that means a solid core of players are expected to return for 2022 to stage a turnaround. Adding some fresh talent to a defense that was greatly improved over the second half of 2021 was a major offseason goal, and through the portal Tulane gained some important contributors in that area.
MAJOR ADDITIONS
Defensive tackle Patrick Jenkins (6-2, 293) from TCU, safety Lummie Young IV (6-1, 205) from Duke and safety Jarius Monroe (6-1, 195) from FCS Nicholls State are all game-tested veterans who should challenge for starting jobs. Monroe, an All-Southland Conference pick last season, is the younger brother of former Green Wave defensive back Darion Monroe, a four-year starter between 2012-15.
Tulane scored a coup on offense by bringing running back Ashaad Clayton home to New Orleans. Clayton (6-0, 200), who played locally at Warren Easton High, was the highest ranked recruit signed by Colorado in a decade with the Class of 2020. He was rated the 17th-best rushing prospect and No. 200 overall by 247Sports.com. But in two seasons with the Buffaloes, he managed just 27 carries for 115 yards and rose to no higher than third on the depth chart. Once Clayton entered the transfer portal, many thought he’d wind up at Texas or Texas A&M. But he surprised everyone by committing to Tulane after taking an official visit there.
MAJOR SUBTRACTIONS
Defensive tackle Jeffery Johnson played in 42 career games at Tulane, amassing 135 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. Johnson had entered the transfer portal the previous year, but pulled his name out and returned to Tulane for the 2021 season. He was a major force for the Green Wave in 2021, making 44 tackles, five tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. With a diploma already in hand, Johnson opted to play his final season for national power Oklahoma and new head coach Brent Venables.
Running back Devin Brumfield spent four seasons at Utah as a backup before coming to Tulane through the portal, and received rave reviews for his practice habits. But after failing to win the starting job last fall, he fell to fourth on the depth chart and returned to the portal last October. Brumfield’s next school is yet to be determined.
Rudy Dyson, a valuable secondary reserve, has also exited and is still looking for a new team.
MORE NAMES AND NOTABLE NUMBERS
Tulane has lost six players overall to the transfer portal since February 20th. … The Green Wave has also added six players from the portal. … Only one of the six departing players has found a new team for 2022. … Other additions from the portal along with the four mentioned above are Deajaun McDougle (5-11, 175), a receiver from Maryland, and Lawrence Keys III (5-11, 180), a receiver from Notre Dame. … Keys caught 18 passes for 185 yards in four years with the Fighting Irish, while McDougle had seven receptions for 47 yards in two years with the Terps. … Five of the six leaving Tulane are defensive players.
TULSA
Next to Navy, Tulsa has had the least amount of activity in the transfer portal among AAC schools. But most of that activity amounted to departures, and some very significant ones for the Hurricane.
MAJOR ADDITIONS
Jayden Simon, a 6-3, 315-pound defensive lineman from Colorado, is to date the lone incoming player from the transfer portal for Tulsa. Simon finally saw the field last season with the Buffaloes, playing 75 snaps in nine games and making three tackles.
MAJOR SUBTRACTIONS
Former four-star recruit Jaxon Player enjoyed a stellar career at Tulsa where he was a two-time All-AAC pick on the defensive line. Player started 11 games at defensive tackle and one at nose guard last season while making 14 tackles for loss and four sacks. He’s headed to play for Big 12 Conference champion Baylor next fall after receiving his degree from Tulsa.
Defensive end Deven Lamp, who collected 27 tackles in 38 career games with the Hurricane, is also leaving for San Diego State, while receiver Sam Crawford is headed to Rice. Crawford started the first nine games of the 2021 season, making 27 catches for 472 yards and four touchdowns before an injury sent him to the sidelines.
MORE NAMES AND NOTABLE NUMBERS
Tulsa has lost six players overall to the transfer portal since February 20th. … Two of the players leaving the program have committed to other FBS schools. … Offensive lineman Dante Bivens is another significant transfer portal loss for Tulsa. … Bivens is a graduate transfer who has joined the team at Colorado State. … He played 34 games at Tulsa, starting 16 at right guard or right guard before falling to a backup role last season. … Five of the six players lost to the portal were offensive or defensive linemen.
Leave a Reply