Category: Transfer Portal

Kentucky basketball lands San Diego St transfer Lamont Butler

San Diego State transfer Lamont Butler commits to Kentucky basketball.

Mark Pope and his new staff didn’t take long to add another talented transfer to the Kentucky basketball team. Former San Diego State point guard Lamont Butler will play in Lexington in 2024.

Butler is most famous for making the buzzer beating shot to send the Aztecs to the championship game. His experience in March Madness is a huge plus. He is also an excellent defender, which Kentucky sorely missed last season.

He wasn’t a highly recruited player originally, ranking as the 38th best point guard in his class. Butler chose San Diego St over several more high-profile colleges.

Last season, Butler averaged just over nine points per game to go along with three assists. His real impact has been on defense. He averaged 1.5 steals per game in 2023-24 and was named Defensive Player of the Year in the Mountain West Conference.

Butler is a nice addition to the 2024 roster for Pope, who continues to build his roster from scratch. Getting an experienced guard who can defend is a something Big Blue Nation should be happy about.

Michigan State football WR Antonio Gates Jr. withdraws from NCAA transfer portal

Antonio Gates Jr. withdraws from NCAA transfer portal

Michigan State football lost a former 4-star wide receiver a few days ago, or so they thought. Antonio Gates Jr. entered the NCAA transfer portal on April 22, but withdrew his name from the portal on April 26.

Gates is entering his redshirt sophomore season with the Spartans.

LOOK: MSU FOOTBALL SPRING TRANSFER TRACKER

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Former Auburn DL Brenton Williams reveals transfer destination

Williams, who signed with Auburn as part of the 2023 class, has found a new home within the Group of Five.

Last year, Auburn hired former Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze to take over the football program. Now, Auburn is completing the metaphorical trade by sending a former player to Lynchburg.

[autotag]Brenton Williams[/autotag], who signed with Auburn as part of the 2023 recruiting cycle, announced Friday that he will be transferring to Liberty after spending just one season on the Plains. Williams entered the transfer portal once the spring window opened on April 15, becoming the first player to enter following the conclusion of spring practice.

Williams signed with Auburn as a three-star EDGE from nearby Opelika and was the No. 27 recruit from Alabama for the 2023 recruiting cycle. He chose Auburn over Georgia Tech, Penn State, and Michigan State after originally committing to Coastal Carolina.

Since Williams’ transfer portal entry, linebacker Wesley Steiner, cornerback JD Rhym, offensive tackle [autotag]Garner Langlo[/autotag], wide receiver Jay Fair and cornerback Colton Hood have joined this spring. Cornerback [autotag]Tyler Scott[/autotag] entered the transfer portal but changed plans on Thursday.

Auburn has landed several important pieces since the spring transfer portal window opened such as former Indiana defensive lineman Philip Blidi and former Penn State wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith.

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Michigan State basketball PG A.J. Hoggard officially enters NCAA transfer portal

A.J. Hoggard has officially entered the transfer portal

Tom Izzo made it clear last week that if A.J. Hoggard decided to return to play more college basketball, it wouldn’t be with Michigan State basketball, so it wasn’t a major surprise on Friday when Hoggard officially entered the NCAA transfer portal.

It will be interesting to see what Hoggard does this offseason. After a stellar 2022-23 campaign, Hoggard seemingly took a stepback last year, with his numbers going down in many categories. Some thought Hoggard might try to pursue some level of pro basketball, but it looks like he is content to go after some of the NIL money that is out there for experienced players like himself.

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Washington QB Dermaricus Davis enters transfer portal for second time

One of Washington’s two four-star quarterbacks in the 2024 class has entered the transfer portal.

The Washington Huskies are down to just two scholarship quarterbacks after former four-star recruit Dermaricus Davis decided to enter the transfer portal for the second time this offseason on Friday morning.

After originally entering in January following Kalen DeBoer’s departure, the true freshman withdrew his name and gave coach Jedd Fisch’s staff a shot during spring practice.

However, through Washington’s 11 spring practices, Davis appears to have fallen behind his classmate Demond Williams, who has taken a fair amount of snaps with the first team and looks to be the successor to 2024’s probable starter, Mississippi State transfer Will Rogers.

That’s not to say that Davis doesn’t have the same upside as Williams, he appears to need some more time to develop and has chosen to look elsewhere to do so. The true freshman was not present for Washington’s latest workout on Wednesday, seemingly putting the writing on the wall for his future.

Now, as Fisch and the rest of Washington’s coaching staff continues to scour the transfer portal for some assistance along the offensive line, it might need to bring in a third quarterback as well.

Guard Koby Brea will no longer visit Kentucky basketball

Former Dayton guard Koby Brea will not be taking a visit with Kentucky basketball.

Kentucky basketball, and new coach Mark Pope have a busy weekend ahead, with several visits lined up with top players in the transfer portal. Guard Koby Brea will no longer be one of them, however.

The Wildcats have been in contact with Brea since he entered the portal, and were one of his final five teams, along with Connecticut, North Carolina, Kansas, and the Duke Blue Devils. Now, he will only be visiting Duke and Connecticut.

Last season, with Dayton, Brea averaged 11 points and 4 rebounds per game. He also made almost 50% of his three-point attempts on the year.

The 6’6″ shooting guard has just one year of eligibility remaining, but will provide whoever lands him with a terrific shooter either off the bench, or as a starter.

The Wildcats, and Pope, will turn their attention to the other players set to visit Kentucky, including several other guards. The roster carousel will continue for Big Blue Nation.

Auburn continues to add to wide receiver room with Lambert-Smith commitment

Auburn continued their stellar offseason at the wide receiver position Wednesday by landing a commitment from KeAndre Lambert-Smith.

On Wednesday night, the Auburn Tigers picked up a big commitment in the transfer portal, as wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith announced that he would be committing to the SEC program.

Coming from Penn State, Lambert-Smith has seen action each of the last four seasons with the Nittany Lions, amassing a combined 1,721 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns on 126 receptions. Lambert-Smith, who ranks as the No. 13 wide receiver in the transfer portal according to 247Sports, also led Penn State in receiving a year ago by posting 673 yards and four touchdowns on 53 receptions.

Simply put, Auburn’s addition of Lambert-Smith continues what has been an impactful offseason for the Tigers wide receiver room, which has continued to add across the last couple of months.

In Auburn’s 2024 class, the Tigers have four true freshman wide receivers set to take the field this fall in Cam Coleman, Bryce Cain, Perry Thompson, and Malcolm Simmons, the first of which is rated as a five-star.

Auburn has also been active in the transfer portal as well, landing the likes of Georgia State wideout Robert Lewis, as well as California’s Sam Jackson V, alongside the aforementioned Lambert-Smith. This combines with some of their pass catchers from last season such as Rivaldo Fairweather and Caleb Burton III.

So, Auburn has not had a 500-yard receiver since the 2021 season. Will that change in 2024 with this talented group of wide receivers?

Guard Richie Saunders elects to return to BYU rather than transferring

Guard Richie Saunders will return to BYU instead of transferring to Kentucky.

The Kentucky Wildcats basketball team has a lot of potential incoming transfers visiting over the coming days. One player who visited, and was expected to join Mark Pope in Lexington was Richie Saunders.

Saunders visited the Wildcats last weekend, and most people thought he would follow Pope to Kentucky. However, on Thursday, the reserve guard decided to return to BYU.

Last year, as a Sophomore, Saunders averaged over 9 points and 4 rebounds a game off the bench. He was also a solid shooter from deep, hitting 36% of the three-point attempts.

Saunders fits very well in Mark Pope’s offense, and would have been a valuable addition to the Kentucky roster. Instead, he’ll return to the school he started his college career with, and potentially be a starter.

Pope and Kentucky will pivot now to some of the other players on their radar. They are in contact with, and are getting visits from several guards. The search for a 2024 roster continues, and Big Blue Nations waits to see who’s next.

Michigan State football lands commitment from Stephen F. Austin transfer defensive lineman Brandon Lane Jr.

Michigan State football lands commitment from Stephen F. Austin transfer defensive lineman

In a week that saw Michigan State football lose one of their top defensive linemen in Derrick Harmon, the Spartans landed a huge win via the NCAA transfer portal with Stephen F. Austin defensive lineman Brandon Lane Jr. committing to the Spartans.

Lane started his career at South Dakota State before heading to Stephen F. Austin. In eleven games this past year, Lane racked up 44 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery.

He will have two years of eligibility remaining.

LOOK: MSU FOOTBALL SPRING TRANSFER TRACKER

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Jayden Daniels and Kliff Kingsbury could build exciting offense in Washington

Jayden Daniels and Kliff Kingsbury could form one of the most exciting offenses in the NFL.

LSU’s [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] went to the Washington Commanders with the second pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night.

When Dan Quinn took the Commanders head coaching job earlier this year, he tabbed Kliff Kingsbury to run his offense. Kingsbury called plays for Johnny Manziel and Patrick Mahomes at the college level, which earned him the keys to an NFL franchise in Arizona.

It didn’t work out with the Cardinals, but Kingsbury has another chance in the league and the pairing with Daniels could make for one of the most exciting offenses in the NFL.

Projecting quarterbacks is hard, but Daniels’ legs and ability to protect the football offer a high floor.

Kingsbury has his faults and there are questions whether that offense can be consistent at the NFL level, but his Arizona offense in 2021 ranked fourth in yards per attempt. Daniels will be a rookie, but he’s played a lot of football. He’ll be ready to step in and operate this offense right away.

Between Mahomes, Manziel and Kyler Murray, Kingsbury is no stranger to playmaking quarterbacks. Daniels, who was the most explosive player in college football last year, fits that bill.

Holes remain in Washington. This isn’t a team ready to compete right away, but with Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson at wide receiver, Daniels will have a couple of playmakers on the outside.

Washington has been searching for a franchise quarterback since Kirk Cousins left. The offense has ranked outside the top 20 in points for six straight years. The franchise is putting its faith in Kingsbury and Daniels to turn that around.

The NFC East is tough and Daniels will be thrown into the fire right away, but the Commanders will be must-watch TV this fall with Daniels throwing passes and Kingsbury calling plays.

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