The 20 most notable college football transfers after early signing day

The holiday season brings joy, cheer and… early national signing day?! That means players are on the move across college football, especially with the transfer portal in full swing.

Here are some of the most notable transfers after early national signing day.

Some experienced players who made their mark in college football, like Grayson McCall and Will Rogers, transferred this offseason. Likewise, Riley Leonard and Dillon Gabriel followed the paths of Sam Hartman and Bo Nix as transfer quarterbacks for Duke and Oregon, respectively.

Meanwhile, intriguing freshmen Dante Moore and Aidan Chiles will also have new homes this year. Kyle McCord and Tyler Van Dyke will also get fresh starts next year after shouldering a lot of criticism — whether fair or unfair — at their previous institutions.

Much was made of Colorado’s lack of success on the offensive and defensive lines during Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders’ first year at the helm. The Buffaloes addressed some needs with All-Big 12 offensive lineman Tyler Johnson and two former top prospects Samuel Okunlola and Quency Wiggins.

All eyes first jump to Ole Miss in the trenches after Lane Kiffin and the Rebels reloaded with two of the best edge-rushers in the portal, Princely Umanmielen and Tyler Baron. Elsewhere upfront, Marvin Jones Jr. chose to follow in the footsteps of his father, a Seminole legend, and transfer to Florida State.

While LT Overton may not have received the hype of his former teammate Walter Nolen as both entered the transfer portal, Overton was the first to find a home and will move across the SEC to Alabama.

Jamon Dumas-Johnson helped lead Georgia’s defense to the 2022 College Football Playoff title as a finalist for the Butkus Award. He’ll now join Kentucky after an injury-riddled 2023. Meanwhile, Andrew Mukuba could’ve been a Day 1 or Day 2 NFL draft pick, but he’ll instead join Texas when the Longhorns play their first year of SEC football.

Stan Becton joined NCAA.com in 2021 and has since served as an FCS, track and field, cross country and HBCU beat reporter. He has covered numerous NCAA championship events, including the FCS Championship, DI Track & Field Championships and Men’s Frozen Four. Additionally, he has covered the 2022 College Football Playoff’s Peach Bowl and HBCU sporting events like the Celebration Bowl and Legacy Classic. Stan graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, earning a degree in Professional Writing and playing football as a five-year letterman. You can follow him on Twitter @stan_becton.