Handing out letter grades for a few of college football's marquee programs
By Clint Brewster
• 5 min read
The spring college football transfer portal window has closed, and now it's time to evaluate how the game's most notable programs fared. We've already taken a look at things like winners and losers, top-10 classes and best fits. This piece is more of a grab-bag of how a selection of 12 household programs -- 12 being the operative number this year with the expanded College Football Playoff -- graded out.
There is a mathematic calculation of the 2024 Transfer Rankings at 247Sports (where Ole Miss and Texas A&M are Nos. 1 and 2). We are taking into account whether the team filled its needs, got a good bang for its NIL buck, and how it managed its roster when constructing these grades.
Spring transfer portal grades
| 1 | Alabama |
| The Crimson Tide are not used to signing a big portal class, but with the new regime, Alabama will bring in more than a dozen transfers. Former five-star defensive tackle LT Overton (No. 30 overall in the 247Sports transfer rankings) brings immediate value, as does Germie Bernard (No. 154) at receiver. There's also cornerback Domani Jackson (No. 43), a former five-star speedster who signed with USC a few years back. Jackson needs to get coached up but has worlds of potential. Grade: A- | |
| 2 | Auburn |
| The Tigers addressed the defensive line in the transfer portal with Philip Blidi (No. 291) and Isaiah Raikes (No. 679). Their rankings won't "wow" you but they're high three-star guys who project as solid contributors. Auburn also added a deep threat on the offensive side with receiver Keandre Lambert-Smith (No. 68), who had 12 plays of 15 yards or more last season at Penn State. At offensive tackle, Percy Lewis (No. 194) could be a starter after a strong spring. Grade: B- | |
| 3 | Florida |
| The Gators focused on defense in the transfer portal, and two players on the backend stand out with great experience from elite programs in Asa Turner (No. 284) from Washington and Trikweze Bridges (No. 205) from Oregon. Both have multi-year starting experience with nice production. Jameer Grimsley (No. 98) was a Top247 cornerback prospect in the 2024 class who originally signed with Alabama and was released from his NLI after Nick Saban retired. Linebacker Grayson Howard (No. 96) and defensive tackle Joey Slackman (No. 49) have draft potential. Grade: B- | |
| 4 | Florida State |
| Florida State and Mike Norvell have gotten the most out of their transfers over the past couple of years and built the nucleus of his program in the portal. DJ Uiagalelei (No. 78) headlines the group as the starting quarterback coming in from Oregon State by way of Clemson. Marvin Jones Jr. (No. 38) is an imposing edge player from Georgia and wideout Malik Benson (No. 77) from Alabama has NFL potential. Wide receiver Jalen Brown (No. 66) was also a highly regarded prospect who started his career at LSU. This was a grand slam for the Seminoles. Grade: A+ | |
| 5 | LSU |
| LSU needed to address the defense and wide receiver in the portal. One of the highest-touted receivers in the portal, CJ Daniels (No. 45) of Liberty, chose the Tigers over schools like Texas and Oregon. Coach Brian Kelly also brought in three defensive backs originally from the state of Louisiana in JyAire Brown (No. 398), Austin Ausberry (No. 755) and Jardin Gilbert (No. 27). Can any of them become stars? Gilbert could be, but I am not sure about the other two, and that's what's keeping this grade from being in the Bs. On the defensive line, LSU could still use help but added veteran Gio Paez (No. 653), who was a solid contributor for Wisconsin over the past couple of seasons. Grade: C+ | |
| 6 | Michigan |
| Despite much speculation, Michigan did not add a quarterback to the roster from the transfer portal. I don't think competition would have been the worst thing to either push, supplant or back up the exciting, albeit unproven, Alex Orji. The Wolverines did need receiver depth and added two guys, but I'm not sure either makes a huge difference. But they added a three-year captain and starting offensive lineman from Northwestern in Josh Priebe (No. 248), as well as an impact linebacker in Jaishawn Barham (No. 95). Grade: B | |
| 7 | Notre Dame |
| The most important part of the transfer class for Notre Dame was securing a starting quarterback, and the Irish did just that with Riley Leonard (No. 44) from Duke. Leonard can be a high draft pick if he continues to polish his passing skills. RJ Oben (No. 42), also from Duke, is one of the highest-rated edge players, and wide receiver Kris Mitchell (No. 73) from FIU also has an NFL grade in my book. Grade: B+ | |
| 8 | Ohio State |
| The Buckeyes' approach to the portal this cycle was to go "all in." They did just that in the signing of high-dollar transfers like Quinshon Judkins (9), the top-ranked running back in the portal, Caleb Downs (1), the top-ranked defensive player, and one of the highest-ranked quarterbacks with Will Howard (No. 41). There is also Julian Sayin (No. 6), who opted for Ohio State after Saban retired from Alabama. Downs and Judkins will be high draft picks, and the Buckeyes will go as far as Howard takes them in 2024. Grade: A | |
| 9 | Oklahoma |
| The Sooners obviously need to continue shoring up the defensive side of the ball, and Caiden Woullard (28) from Miami (OH) is a transfer we think could explode in the Brent Venables front seven. Woullard is one of the top edge players in the portal. The Sooners on Thursday night added coveted defensive tackle Damonic Williams (103), by way of TCU. Offensively, Deion Burks (48) also looks like a future star at receiver in the pass-happy Sooners offensive attack. Many people are excited about what Branson Hickman (290) brings to the table at center coming from SMU.Grade: B+ | |
| 10 | Oregon |
| The Ducks have put an emphasis on the transfer portal ever since the arrival of coach Dan Lanning in Eugene. Oregon added starting talent in Dillon Gabriel (No. 76) at quarterback, Evan Stewart (No. 5) at receiver, Jamaree Caldwell (No. 25) on the defensive line, and Jabbar Muhammad (16) in the secondary to name a few. Kobe Savage (No. 216) and Kam Alexander (No. 153) also have redeeming traits at defensive back. They addressed positions of need better than any other program this cycle. Grade: A+ | |
| 11 | Texas |
| The Longhorns have been excellent in the transfer portal over Steve Sarkisian's tenure. This cycle, they got at least four immediate starters with great NFL potential in Andrew Mukuba (29), Trey Moore (23), Matthew Golden (50), and Isaiah Bond (4). Bond could be one of the fastest players in the country at receiver and will make a huge impact right away. Tight end Amari Niblack (31) from Alabama also stands out with exciting playmaking ability at the position. Grade: A+ | |
| 12 | USC |
| Defense should be a high priority for USC in the portal, and the Trojans bring in six players on that side of the ball. A sneaky player to keep an eye on is Oregon State safety transfer Akili Arnold (No. 206). He's got the toughness and tackling ability to lead the defense as an experienced player with 151 tackles through his career. In that same mold is Easton Mascarenas-Arnold (89), also from Oregon State. Four-star safety Kamari Ramsey (62) and defensive lineman Nate Clifton (No. 121) each have some NFL upside. Grade: B | |
See Also
Navarro: Keon Coleman is latest star in FSU's road back from sideshow to contentionMandel's Mailbag: Most improved team from the portal? First P4 coach fired in 2024?Deondre Francois’ dismissal leaves Florida State with one eligible scholarship quarterbackNavarro: The difference between Miami and Florida State? The quarterback positionOur Latest College Football Stories
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