Power Five transfer commits: Oklahoma and Notre Dame are two of the top programs to add significant players.
Not many than a week has passed since the NCAA transfer portal opened, but several Power Five programs have already secured significant commits. There will soon be a deluge of commitments, though it may take some time for most players to decide because many will need to make visits first, which take time.
With few spots available, it appears that some players made the decision to move quickly, especially in the quarterback market. However, some players found their perfect fit very quickly, either because they signed up to play for a coaching staff with whom they have experience or because they relocated closer to home.
Therefore, even though there haven’t been many commits recently, the quality hasn’t been poor. Starting quarterbacks are among the many teams that have already added players who could make a big difference for the 2024 campaign. Due to their respective commit ratings of 92, SEC rivals Kentucky and Mizzou are currently tied for first place in the 2024 Transfer Portal Team Rankings.
2023 stats: 3 touchdowns, 484 yards, and 26 catches
Tyree, a former Virginia four-star recruit in the 2020 class, was an all-around player for Notre Dame. In 2020, Tyree’s primary position was running back, and he performed admirably, averaging 6.8 yards per carry. Tyree has played wide receiver far more frequently over the last three seasons.
Tyree will immediately provide Virginia with a weapon. Tyree comes from Notre Dame, so the academic obligations at Virginia shouldn’t be a problem—and that’s a plus as well.
67-111 passing (60.4%), 746 yards, 7 touchdowns, 4 interceptions in 2023
Over the years, injuries have limited Shough. Prior to the 2021 season, the former Oregon quarterback transferred to Texas Tech, but despite displaying impressive moments when on the field, he has never fully been able to get his career back on track.
Coach Jeff Brohm at Louisville will provide Shough with guidance from a renowned quarterback guru. The 10-win season and that partnership had to be a big selling point in Brohm’s favor in this situation.
2023 stats: 165 yards, 2 touchdowns, 12–18 passing
After leaving for another SEC team, Vandagriff joined Carson Beck, the starting quarterback for Georgia, who is expected to return in 2024. Kentucky will place a wager on the former top-50 prospect, who hasn’t had many opportunities to shine behind Stetson Bennett and Beck.
When the Wildcats recruited Will Levis from Penn State a few years ago, it proved to be a successful move for Kentucky. With Devin Leary’s eligibility ending after two seasons, Vandagriff will have two more seasons to establish himself in Lexington. He is a strong candidate to take over as starting quarterback.
2023 stats: 1,587 yards, 15 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 125-237 passing (57%).
As a redshirt freshman starter, Sorsby was a genuine bright spot for Indiana during a season so bad that coach Tom Allen was fired. Cincinnati needs to turn things around after a terrible Big 12 season, so this seems like a good pick for coach Scott Satterfield and team.
Sorsby is a somewhat mobile pocket passer. Cincinnati was without an eligible quarterback, so they needed to find a new starting quarterback.
2023 statistics: 9 pass break-ups, 1 1/2 tackles for loss, and 50 total tackles
This season, Arizona State’s defense had difficulties, but Clark wasn’t the main cause of them. At 5 feet 10 inches and 185 pounds, Clark is undersized, but he made a lot of good plays in coverage this season.
Tim O’Malley of Irish Illustrated notes that after playing safety at Arizona State in 2023, Clark could move down closer to the line of scrimmage as a nickel. Notre Dame finished as one of the nation’s top pass defenses this season and hopes to maintain that position next year.
2023 stats: 2 sacks, 3 interceptions, 5 tackles for loss, and 71 total tackles.
Don’t discount the FCS ranks as a respectable channel for acquiring players capable of joining the Power Five. Buchanan performed well this season for UC Davis, a strong Big Sky team, and Pro Football Focus grades him as a top-tier player.
Although Cal’s defense regressed slightly from 2022 to this season, Buchanan is a significant addition. Remember that the ACC will welcome the Golden Bears prior to the 2020–21 season.
2023 stats: 29 TD, 5 INT, 294–459 passing (64%).
Brosmer, who will advance from the FCS level, quickly took Athan Kaliakmanis’ place as the departing quarterback for Minnesota. At UNH, where he averaged 37.5 points per game, Brosmer was named to the First Team All-Colonial Athletic Association.
The Golden Gophers struggled to establish a passing attack during the season, finishing near the bottom of the Big Ten in terms of passer rating, yards per attempt, and passing yards per game. They’ll be hoping that Brosmer’s arrival will make a difference.
2023 stats: 4 pass break-ups and 14 total tackles
This native of the St. Louis region is returning home to join a sour Mizzou defense renowned for its potent cornerback play. Pride was a top-50 recruit in the 2022 class and played more snaps for Clemson as a true freshman in 2022 than he did this past season. Despite this, Pride has shown enough flashes to maintain a 4-star transfer rating.
With the possibility of star cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine joining the NFL, Mizzou searched for additional assistance at the position. Pride offers a pleasant balance of benefits and at least some experience.
Brown does bring a wealth of experience to Oklahoma, even though 247Sports’ evaluators aren’t as high on him as they are on these other transfers. Over the course of the previous two seasons, Brown was Michigan State’s starting right tackle for over 1,300 snaps.
PFF claims that Brown didn’t really perform all that well. Is it possible for the 315-pound, 6-foot-6 athlete to fit inside? Even if he does not start, he should still be a nice depth piece for the Sooners.
Running back Ray Davis set a school record for touchdowns scored in a single season in Kentucky with 20, during what will be his final season with the Wildcats.
Furthermore, he’s not done yet.
Davis, who announced his intention to enter the 2024 NFL Draft on November 27, will take the field against Clemson in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
“First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to God for putting me in this situation. I would like to express my gratitude to the Big Blue Nation for demonstrating to me the finest aspects of college football. I want to express my gratitude to the faculty, staff, and coaches at Kentucky for helping me develop into the best young man I can be. My teammates, the boys, you have my eternal gratitude. I adore you all so much and am grateful that you are traveling this journey with me.”
The hilarious message “See y’all December 29th,” which refers to the Gator Bowl matchup between Clemson and Everbank Stadium, home of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, concluded the video.
This season, Davis, a fifth-year senior, scored 20 touchdowns, shattering the record set by UK for the most in a single season. In addition to adding 29 receptions for 317 yards and seven touchdowns, he finished with 1,066 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns, making him the 11th player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards. The Associated Press named him to their First Team All-SEC.
Davis ran 26 times for a career-high 280 yards and four touchdowns in Kentucky’s 33-14 victory over Florida. His 200-yard rushing performance made him the ninth player in UK history, and his 280 yards were the third-highest single-game total in school history.
With 1:02 left in Saturday’s exciting 38-31 victory over No. 10 Louisville, Davis added two 20-yard touchdown receptions in addition to the game-winning 37-yard scoring run. Davis finished the day with three touchdowns and 127 yards overall.
Davis became the first player in SEC history to rush for 1,000 yards at two different league schools after he gained 1,042 yards at Vanderbilt last season. He is thought to be the only player in college football history to have at least 1,000 rushing yards in his career while playing for Temple and three other Division I schools.
During his five years in college at Temple, Vanderbilt, and UK, Davis ran for 3,563 yards and 28 touchdowns while catching 90 passes for 756 yards and 12 more points.
Davis is ranked as one of the top 10 running backs in the 2024 NFL Draft and has already accepted an invitation to the Reese’s Senior Bowl.
Benny Snell was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, while Chris Rodriguez was chosen by the Washington Commanders in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
