Tag: grad transfer

By the Numbers: A look at the Oklahoma Sooners’ addition of Michigan transfer P Alex Storako

Not slowing down after a national title, the Oklahoma Sooners added grad transfer Alex Storako, let’s by the numbers look at her career.

Fresh off the heels of their 2022 national championship, the Oklahoma Sooners made a splash in the transfer portal with the addition of Michigan transfer Alex Storako. Storako joins arguably the best pitching rotation in the country from 2022 to replace Hope Trautwein, the big-time transfer addition from a year ago.

Storako, like Trautwein, comes in having had a lot of success in her time with the Michigan Wolverines. She’s won 69 career games and thrown over 900 strikeouts against the Big 10.

It’s a step-up in competition for Storako, coming to a Big 12 conference that sent all three NCAA tournament qualifiers to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma, Texas, and Oklahoma State. At the same time, she’s joining the back-to-back national champions, so the talent around her has improved from a Wolverines squad that was 38-18 and finished fourth in the Big 10.

The Wolverines were eliminated in the Orlando regional, dropping both games to Regional champ UCF, who the Sooners eliminated in the Super Regionals. Storako pitched 11 innings in three games, including a complete game 4-1 win over South Dakota State. The 25-game-winner pitched in relief in both appearances against UCF, allowing three runs in 4.2 innings, all three coming in the 9-4 loss that knocked them out of the tournament.

Storako is an electric pitcher, recording 300 strikeouts, which was sixth in the nation in 2022. She averaged 10.5 strikeouts per seven innings. However, if there’s an area where she can improve, it’s in home runs allowed and walks allowed. Her strikeout to walk ratio of 4.69 was 49th in the country in 2022.

In 2022, she allowed 22 home runs. By comparison, the Oklahoma Sooners allowed just 15 as a staff last season.

As the Oklahoma Sooners transition into the post-Jocelyn Alo era, it’ll be important not to allow free base runners or many home runs. The Sooners’ offense will still be dynamic, but one can’t deny that the loss of the NCAA all-time home run leader will impact the Oklahoma Sooners’ run production.

However, with Jordy Bahl leading the way, Oklahoma won’t need Storako to be the ace in the rotation. And like Tratuwein experienced, perhaps a lighter workload will allow her to be an even more efficient and dynamic pitcher for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2023.

Let’s take a by-the-numbers look at Alex Storako’s career thus far with the  Michigan Wolverines.

Notre Dame makes roster addition through transfer portal

Notre Dame adds Harvard grad-transfer

Notre Dame won’t be just handing over their punter duties to freshman Bryce McPherson after Jay Bramblett‘s departure for LSU.  McPherson will have competition for the role in 2022 by graduate-transfer Jon Sot of Harvard.

Sot will graduate from Harvard this spring and then transfer to Notre Dame for the 2022 season.  He was voted first-team all Ivy League in 2018 and 2019.

Sot averaged 39.7 yards per punt this past season with a long of 67 yards.  He shared the following statement on Twitter upon announcing his decision to attend Notre Dame:

“I would like to thank my teammates, coaches, and the Harvard community for a great 4 years and 3 seasons in Crimson.

I am so fortunate to have been pushed to my full potential day in and day out, and to have developed relationships with some of the most gifted people in the world.

After graduating Harvard University this May, I will be attending the University of Notre Dame as a graduate student transfer for my last season of college football, I can’t wait to get to South Bend and chase a National Championship. All glory is and always will be to God. Go Irish!”

Related:

Notre Dame transfer portal tracker (2022)

Michigan football secures grad transfer WR over Ohio State

Michigan football secured a big grad transfer target who had been targeted by rival Ohio State.

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Michigan football just won a crucial recruiting battle over rival Ohio State as the two schools battled to get an enigmatic wide receiver as a grad transfer.

Both the Wolverines and Buckeyes offered former Jackson State wideout Daylen Baldwin over the past week, and the Southfield native who attended Farmington High School and Waterford Mott had a decision to make: return home or head to ‘the school down south?’

Having originally played for Morgan State — with a one-year overlap with Tyrone Wheatley coaching him — Baldwin decided that returning home was in his best interests. He announced on Twitter that he is committing to Michigan football to finish out his college career.

From Sunday’s writeup on Baldwin:

Baldwin’s first year compiling stats at the receiver position in 2018 wasn’t exactly prolific, as he reeled in 14 catches for 152 yards and a touchdown. But his 2020 season showed significantly more improvement as he got 25 catches for 520 yards and 7 touchdowns, an average of 20.8 yards-per-catch.

At 6-foot-3, 210-pounds, Baldwin could help fill the absence left by Nico Collins, who was drafted by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft. Paired with Cornelius Johnson on the outside, adding Baldwin could help add some versatility to a receiving corps that has been getting speedier, but smaller in stature.

The addition of Baldwin marks the third incoming transfer this offseason, with Alan Bowman and Jordan Whittley being the other two.

Highlights

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Michigan football trending for grad transfer WR

Michigan football is gaining some traction with Jackson State grad transfer wide receiver Daylen Baldwin, despite an Ohio State offer.

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Michigan football already has two grad transfers come into the program this offseason, could it be adding another? And one coveted by the Wolverines’ chief rival, no less?

Having hailed originally from Michigan and having played high school ball at Farmington (MI) as well as Waterford (MI) Mott, Daylen Baldwin has split his time between Morgan State (where he played for one year under former Wolverines running back and coach Tyrone Wheatley) before heading to HBCU Jackson State. Though he could stay and play for famed Florida State star Deion Sanders, Baldwin is looking for another opportunity at the FBS level, and he’s getting some big-time offers as he makes the rounds this spring. He recently received offers from both Michigan and Ohio State, but it appears that the former holds some strong appeal.

So much so that Baldwin has received two 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions this week, one coming from national recruiting analyst Allen Trieu and the other from The Michigan Insider’s Sam Webb.

Baldwin’s first year compiling stats at the receiver position in 2018 wasn’t exactly prolific, as he reeled in 14 catches for 152 yards and a touchdown. But his 2020 season showed significantly more improvement as he got 25 catches for 520 yards and 7 touchdowns, an average of 20.8 yards-per-catch.

At 6-foot-3, 210-pounds, Baldwin could help fill the absence left by Nico Collins, who was drafted by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft. Paired with Cornelius Johnson on the outside, adding Baldwin could help add some versatility to a receiving corps that has been getting speedier, but smaller in stature.

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Former UGA football WR finds new home

Former Georgia football wide receiver Trey Blount finds new home at Old Dominion

Former Georgia football wide receiver Trey Blount appears to have found a new home as a graduate transfer.

Blount, the 6’2″, 200-pound former four-star out of Pace Academy, will be playing at Old Dominion University next season, per his recently updated Twitter account.

The senior thanked the Bulldog Nation on Sunday for a successful four years in the Classic City and will look to contribute more on the field with the Monarchs in Norfolk.

We wish Trey the best next season and look forward to seeing him back in Athens again soon.

Former Notre Dame Receiver Transfers to Cincinnati

Michael Young will have two years of eligibility remaining when he starts play with the Cincinnati Bearcats football team this fall.

Graduate transfer Michael Young has officially left the Notre Dame football program and found a new home at Brian Kelly’s previous stop, Cincinnati.

Young announced the decision on Easter Sunday and will have two years of eligibility remaining for Luke Fickell and the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Part of the selling point to Young was that the man that recruited him to Notre Dame is now the Bearcats offensive coordinator, Mike Denbrock.  Young said of Denbrock to 247Sports:

Also, can’t forget to mention the connection that I had with coach Mike Denbrock. From recruiting me to Notre Dame, to now being my offensive coordinator at Cincinnati, it means everything. The relationship we’ve built from high school up until now played a significant factor in my decision.”

In three seasons at Notre Dame, the former top-50 receiver nationally as a recruit played in 27 games and pulled down 17 receptions for 177 yards and two touchdowns.