Week 0 and the official start of the college football season is just a few weeks away. College Gameday, school fight songs, and stadium traditions are just over the horizon—along with significant changes for the 2024 season.
First, Alabama and Michigan usher in a new age without Nick Saban and Jim Harbaugh, respectively. Plus, we’ll be treated to an expanded College Football Playoff this season. Furthermore, thanks to the transfer portal, it feels like there is no offseason, and the college football world keeps turning.
Speaking of the transfer portal, a few programs made seismic additions to their teams and appeared poised for a spot in the College Football Playoff. Here are the winners of the transfer portal ahead of the 2024 college football season.
Oregon Ducks, Preseason Poll rank: 4
The Ducks come into the new season with high spirits. Despite falling short of a CFP bid last year in 2023, narrowly losing two games to PAC-12 champion Washington, Oregon has much to look forward to.
Dan Lanning’s team joins the Big Ten and appears more well-suited to transition into the conference than his former PAC-12 counterparts. The Ducks boast the ideal size and mass in the trenches to defend prolific running games like Michigan.
Derrick Harmon joins Oregon from Michigan State and is mammoth in the middle at 6 feet 5 inches and 320 lbs. He’ll fit nicely with Oregon’s veteran front featuring Jordan Burch and Keyon Ware-Hudson.
In the back half of their defense, All-American cornerback Jabbar Muhammad joins Oregon from Washington. Additionally, Kobe Savage from Kansas State to give Oregon a well-rounded defense.
Offensively, Oregon needed to replace quarterback Bo Nix and wide receiver Troy Franklin. They did pretty good with Dillon Gabriel coming over from Oklahoma and Evan Stewart transferring from Texas A&M. Lastly, Oregon may also have found their future quarterback with Dante Moore coming over from the UCLA Bruins.
Ohio State Buckeyes, Preseason Poll rank: 1
The Ohio State Buckeyes, where expectations are high, but patience is thin.
Head Coach Ryan Day has a stellar program, with the Buckeyes having a record of 56-8 since 2019. The problem is, he hasn’t been able to deliver a National Championship following in the footsteps of Urban Meyer. This includes a 2-4 record in the postseason and bowl games, while never beating Jim Harbaugh while at Michigan.
However, things may change with this year’s additions to the transfer portal. Quarterback Kyle McCord had his moments last season, such as a thrilling win at Notre Dame in the closing seconds.
However, his inexperience left the offense somewhat shackled. Will Howard joining the team from Kansas State at quarterback should maximize Emeka Egbuka and fast-track the development of top recruit Jeremiah Smith at wide receiver. Howard should have extra time in the pocket with the addition of graduate transfer Seth McLaughlin.
Plus, Quinshon Judkins transferring from Ole Miss gives the Buckeyes arguably the best backfield in the country with him and Treyveon Henderson.
Miami Hurricanes, Preseason Poll rank: 16
Everyone expected Miami to be in a developing phase under head coach Mario Cristobal in his second year with the Hurricanes, along with two coordinators in their first season in Miami. While there was some optimism after Miami sprinted to a 4-0 record, the Hurricanes sputtered and lost five of their next seven games to ultimately finish ninth in the ACC standings with a 3-5 record.
The Hurricanes needed more juice, and they found with their crop of commits from the transfer portal. Quarterback Cameron Ward gives Miami more upside as a passer than Tyler Van Dyke.
Ward is also ready for the big stage against the conference elites. With Washington State last year, Ward averaged 386 passing yards against ranked PAC-12 opponents (Oregon State, Washington, Oregon).
Joining Ward on offense is Houston transfer Sam Brown at wide receiver to pair with team captain Xavier Restrepo.
Oregon State transfer and four-star running back Damien Martinez is a load to bring down. Last season for the Beavers, he ran for 1,185 yards and averaged 6.1 yards per attempt. He’s a workhorse type of runner.
Also in the transfer class for Miami are edge rusher Tyler Baron (Tennessee) and cornerback D’Yoni Hill (Marshall). These additions could make Miami a dark horse contender in the ACC.
