The transfer portal hasn’t been around long, but it’s already shown an ability to change lives. A slew of players in the 2023 NFL Draft class (Christian Gonzalez, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jordan Addison and O’Cyrus Torrence) improved their college situations and secured brighter futures in the process. Gonzalez garnered top-10 buzz after a Colorado-to-Oregon move, before ultimately landing at pick No. 17 (New England).
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The list of high-impact transfers will be just as long — if not longer — in 2024, as the portal continues to be the ultimate sand-shifter in college football. Whether you’re a good player struggling in a bad situation or a solid player looking to upgrade your surroundings, you can have it all and get paid via NIL money to do it.
Here’s a list of transfers who could have a significant impact on the 2024 NFL Draft:
Mitchell might be the guy in this year’s portal crop. Boasting an insanely QB-friendly frame at 6-foot-4 with long arms, body control and a terrific catch radius, Mitchell was limited to just six games last year at Georgia after a breakout performance as a true freshman (29 receptions for 426 yards and four TDs).
He could’ve stayed at Georgia and made plays as a deep-ball X-receiver who got the occasional look underneath — and that probably would’ve been fine for his NFL hopes. But on top of the NIL money he likely banked via transfer, Mitchell’s decision to move to Steve Sarkisian’s Texas offense could open up so many doors. He’ll be playing with better quarterbacks, for one, but he’ll also be in an offense that lets him show more of his skill set as a route runner.
Mitchell has to keep getting stronger. If he does, he’s a complete prospect.
THIS ONE-HANDED CATCH 😯#NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/u3X8wlEqjw
— ESPN (@espn) January 10, 2023
Quarterbacks can change a lot about how they’re perceived in one year. During five extremely productive years for Wake Forest, Hartman gained a reputation as something of a football survivor. He got better every year and threw nearly 80 TDs combined over the last two seasons in Dave Clawson’s unique offense. In 12 games last season, Hartman put up 25 “big-time throws,” as graded by Pro Football Focus; Bryce Young had 23 (in the same number of games).
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If Hartman can replicate some of that production this year with Marcus Freeman while becoming a more accurate passer series to series, he will force scouts to pay attention to his unique package of toughness and timing. That said, his arm talent is never going to be prototypical, and we’ll have to see if he can throw in a normal pocket — Clawson’s slow-mesh offense really doesn’t help with dropback footwork. And, more than anything, the turnover numbers have to come down. From 2021-22, Hartman had 11 fumbles and threw 26 picks.
Still, he’s an undersized, tough-as-nails QB who can will a team to victory if you need him to. Hopefully, he won’t feel that pressure as much this season at Notre Dame.
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Cypress left one ACC school (Virginia) for another and joined a very talented Florida State squad that — at least on paper — has a chance to make noise this season. Cypress started six games at Virginia in 2021, then took off with a terrific 2022 campaign.
A very long, physical corner Cypress (6 feet and 184 pounds) worked primarily as an outside corner and allowed just 9.9 yards per catch. That was about half a yard behind current Seattle Seahawk (and CB1 in the 2023 draft) Devon Witherspoon’s number last season. Cypress is not afraid to compete physically at any stage, be it in space against a back or in the air versus a receiver.
He’s a confident player who left Virginia looking for a chance to win big with what could be a rising Seminoles squad.
This could be a lot of fun. Lovett is a 5-10, 190-pound lightning bolt who had 56 catches for 828 yards at Missouri last season. Of those yards, 48.7 percent came after the catch. Lovett plays with tremendous burst and explosion, despite not having great size. He’s gotten stronger throughout the early stages of his college career and was an instant contributor in the SEC.
Cook to Lovett for 57, Tigers knocking on the door.
🎥 @SECNetwork#MIZ 🐯🏈 pic.twitter.com/zWDMTF4tYN
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) October 29, 2022
Lovett could be more involved with Georgia’s run game than he was at Missouri, too, either via the jet/fly sweep game or just lining up in the backfield and forcing defenses to make decisions on personnel and alignment.
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The Bulldogs don’t have Todd Monken any longer, but they can still run plenty of what he installed. New OC Mike Bobo, who ran the Georgia offense from 2007-14, was one of Monken’s analysts last year.
An up-transfer from Rhode Island, Cornelius — a guard in high school — got into one game during the pandemic-impacted 2020 season before becoming a starting right tackle (as a redshirt freshman) the following fall. He didn’t allow a sack until his 10th start. Cornelius was dominant again as a third-year sophomore last season and wound up as PFF’s top-graded FCS run blocker.
He plays with good length, feet and a physical edge that serves him well. So, why did no one in the Power 5 find him out of high school? He played prep ball in White Plains, N.Y., and, quite frankly, the outer suburbs of Manhattan just aren’t known as a recruiting hotbed (although, that probably should change).
Either way, Cornelius landed more than a dozen offers the day he entered the transfer portal. His bend is outstanding, and if his finish ability translates to the Pac-12, he’ll be a name you hear a lot more this fall.
Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton can throw the football a long, long way, so Vols coach Josh Heupel spent time in the transfer portal this offseason looking for receivers Milton won’t be able to out-throw. Thornton, a 6-5 speedster with length and a great catch radius, fits the bill.
54 yards to the house💨@ty_thompson7 and Dont'e Thornton connect on this fourth-quarter touchdown.
📺 https://t.co/Ty21EJdU8g#GoDucks pic.twitter.com/XgQIsVKfmQ
— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) September 19, 2021
Thornton got a bit lost in a deep Oregon offense last season, finishing seventh on the team in receptions. Now, he’s in Heupel’s deep-choice offense, a system that feels like a perfect fit for everything Thornton can be about.
The key word there, of course, is “can.” Thornton has a ton of ability at his size, but can he be consistent? A great example of what I mean: Thornton had a huge four-catch, 148-yard day last year against Utah but also fumbled twice in that game.
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A 6-5, 310-pound package of athletic bend, recovery and foot speed, Henderson also has a reported 85 and 5/8-inch wingspan — that would’ve been second longest among OTs at the 2023 combine, behind only Dawand Jones. Henderson started at left tackle (at 17 years old) for Arizona State as a freshman in 2019 before moving inside to left guard for each of his last two seasons. He also was a captain in 2022.
2024 T/G LaDarius Henderson — transferred from Arizona State to Michigan.
Could be a big-time player in the Big Ten this year and def a draft prospect to monitor. pic.twitter.com/4KO3JsYq5K
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) June 5, 2023
A true diamond in the rough for the Sun Devils, Henderson was set to play in the East-West Shrine Game and declare for the draft last year after an injury-shortened season. Instead, he decided to enter the transfer portal and signed with Michigan, which has an outstanding recent OL development track record with OC Sherrone Moore. The Wolverines’ line has won the Joe Moore Award in back-to-back years.
Henderson will have a chance to test his power and athleticism in the Big Ten. If all goes well, he’ll be a rising 2024 draft prospect.
A 6-5, 315-pounder who plays a lot like Henderson, Byers has a very intriguing combination of bend, speed in space and arm length. He allowed just four sacks in nearly 2,000 snaps during his UTEP career as a right tackle, which is the only position he’s played so far in college.
Coming out of high school, Byers had length but weighed south of 300 pounds. His body is up to speed now, and he’ll get to prove his growth this year. He’s another highly recruited transfer who had multiple Power 5 offers during his portal process. It’s another great get for Florida State.
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There’s quite a bit going on here, both for Leary and the Kentucky program.
Mark Stoops’ sideline didn’t have its best year in 2022 (and Will Levis’ foot wasn’t right), but the Wildcats’ offense wasn’t the same under OC Rich Scangarello as it was in 2021 with OC Liam Coen. Coen’s one-year stint with the Los Angeles Rams didn’t exactly go well either, so he’s back in Lexington. Leary, meantime, had a broken fibula in 2020 and was limited to six games in 2022 after pec surgery on his throwing side. Sandwiched between those two years, however, was a stellar 2021 campaign that saw Leary throw for 3,435 yards, 35 touchdowns and just five picks.
This is ridiculous from Devin Leary 🤯 @PackFootball. pic.twitter.com/WhY9KxteyT
— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) September 10, 2022
Stylistically, this is a fit. Everything Coen did to help Levis unlock some of his superpowers can be translated to Leary’s game. The biggest difference is Leary has nowhere near the level of Levis’ physical talent.
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Leary is a very accurate passer who makes quick decisions and should have little trouble adjusting to a new scheme. His physical tools, much like Hartman’s, are ordinary. But this offense could really help some of those tools sparkle.
One final Seminole on the list. Coleman (6-4, 215) didn’t get a lot of national attention last year because he played on a bad football team at Michigan State, but he is as dynamic as it gets. He has work to do, of course — he can get stronger and be more consistent with his route technique and work at the line of scrimmage. But Coleman has the agility and bounce to be a Power 5 basketball player, and probably a pretty good one.
This feels like one of the best fits of the transfer portal. Coleman will get to play in Mike Norvell’s Florida State offense with QB Jordan Travis and Coleman will add another huge target alongside Johnny Wilson (6-7, 235).
Others to watch
Devontez Walker, WR, North Carolina (transfer from Kent State); Javion Cohen, OL, Miami (transfer from Alabama); Jordan Burch, edge, Oregon (transfer from South Carolina); Dorian Singer, WR, USC (transfer from Arizona); Dante Cephas, WR, Penn State (transfer from Kent State)
(Illustration: Sean Reilly / The Athletic; Photos: Robin Alam / Icon Sportswire
via Getty Images; Scott Taetsch / Getty Images;
Erick W. Rasco / Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
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