Tag: transfer portal

LSU adds more beef to the offensive line with transfer Tre’Mond Shorts

LSU adds another offensive tackle to the mix.

The coaching staff is continuing to restock the offensive line for Brad Davis as they head into 2022. After missing out on ULL’s O’Cyrus Torrence who committed to the Florida Gators, they landed one of the top FCS offensive tackles with Tre’Mond Shorts of East Tennessee State on Tuesday.

Shorts made the decision on Tuesday and shared the commitment on his Twitter account. Shorts played left tackle for East Tennessee State, including 40-consecutive starts for the team. He along with Miles Frazier gives the team depth and options on the outside at offensive tackle. Both Frazier and Shorts played left tackle but could be the starting tackles as the team prepares for the spring.

The team also added five-star signee Will Campbell to the team and return the initial starter Cam Wire in 2022.

Shorts ranked among the top 12 transfers according to The Athletic (subscription required).

The 6-foot-4, 326-pound left tackle is looking to move up a level for his super senior season after a decorated career at the FCS level. He was an All-American once again this fall with more than 70 knockdown blocks, according to his O-line coach Matt McCutchan, and the team captain finished with 40 consecutive starts for the Bucs. He’s claimed offers from LSU, Nebraska, North Carolina, Virginia, Purdue and Rutgers, among others.

The team has added 13 high school signees and 10 transfers so far for the 2022 recruiting class. That leaves nine spots for the team that could include two potential signees (Jacoby Mathews, TreVonte’ Citizen) and more incoming transfers. Missouri defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo is expected to make his announcement on Tuesday as well.

Auburn football transfer tracker

Here’s everything that’s happened so far.

The transfer portal has continued to become a bigger part of college football as more and more players enter the portal.

While the biggest exodus came the day after Bryan Harsin fired offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, the biggest name to enter was Bo Nix. As players continue to enter the portal, check back here for all the players leaving Auburn, and those who are joining Auburn.

Transferring out

Quarterback Bo Nix: A three-year starter, Nix was having his best injury before being sidelined with an injury. He leaves as ranking third in school history with 7,251 passing yards. Transferred to Oregon.

Running back Shaun Shivers: A veteran in the running back room, Shivers endeared himself to fans with his physical style, despite his size. He will forever be a hero for his game-winning touchdown in the 2019 Iron Bowl. Transferred to Indiana.

Offensive lineman Tashawn Manning: Manning was a starter in 2020 at left guard but saw his opportunities drop this season. Transferred to Kentucky.

Receiver Elijah Canion: Canion had a big game in last season’s bowl game but managed just four receptions for 46 yards this season. Transferred to Purdue.

Receiver Kobe Hudson: Auburn’s best receiver from this season will be moving on, in a since-deleted Instagram post, Hudson announced he had been “kicked off the team.” He finished with 44 receptions for 580 yards and four touchdowns, all were team-highs. Transferred to UCF.

Receiver Caylin Newton: A special teams star the past two seasons, Newton blocked two kicks this season and caught one pass for 31 yards. 

Defensive back Ladarius Tennison: A physical safety, Tennison spent most of the season in a backup role but played well against Texas A&M and Mississippi State. Transferred to Ole Miss.

Defensive back Ahmari Harvey: Harvey was Auburn’s third highest signee in 2021 but will be moving on without ever playing for Auburn. Transferred to Georgia Tech.

Cornerback Dreshun Miller: After an All-Big 12 season in 2020 for West Virgina, Miller was unable to crack Auburn’s corner rotation and appeared in just one game. 

Edge Caleb Johnson: A reserve who was away from the team for three games for undisclosed reasons. Johnson made 18 tackles, 1.0 sack and 4.0 tackles for loss across four seasons.

Edge Romello Height: Auburn’s depth at edge took a hit with Height deciding to transfer. A reserve last season, Height finished with 18 tackles and 3.0 tackles for a loss in nine games. He was likely going to be a reserve next season as well. 

Defensive line Dre Butler: Butler made 20 tackles, 1.0 sack and 2.0 tackles for loss in his two seasons at Auburn.

Defensive Line Daniel Foster-Allen: After not seeing the field in his two seasons at Auburn, Foster-Allen entered the portal. The former three-star recruit would have had a tough time earning playing time due to Auburn’s depth along the defensive line. 

Defensive line Lee Hunter: A top 100-recruit in the 2021 class, Hunter is already the second player from the class to enter the portal. He did not appear in any games as a freshman. 

Defensive line JJ Pegues: The extremely athletic Pegues reportedly entered the portal on Monday. In his first year playing defensive line, Pegues finished with 17 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and forced one fumble.

Transferring in

Defensive line Jayson Jones: A former four-star recruit from Calera, Alabama, Jones spent just two seasons as an Oregon Duck. He played in all 13 games for Oregon, making 19 total tackles and 1.5 sacks.

Quarterback Zach Calzada: After losing Nix, Auburn needed to add an experienced quarterback and Calzada fits the bill. He played in 12 games for Texas A&M last season and threw for 2,185 yards, 17 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

Quarterback Robby Ashford: Who says there are no trades in college sports? Ashford entered the portal after Nix committed to Auburn and could replace him as Auburn’s starter. A four-star recruit in the 2020 class out of Hoover, Alabama, he did not appear in a game for Oregon.

Cornerback DJ James: Another former Oregon player, James started for the Ducks last season and was a three-year contributor. He will bring experience and playmaking ability to the cornerback room which is full of new faces.

Former Michigan State football DE chooses Virginia

A former MSU DE is transferring to Virginia

Michigan State football defensive end Jack Camper made a decision at the conclusion of the 2021 season to enter his name into the transfer portal. Camper was a member of MSU’s 2017 recruiting class, coming to East Lansing from the IMG Academy. Camper spent the last five seasons as a member of the Spartan football program.

After being given a sixth year of eligibility due to COVID-19, Camper will be using that year at another power five school, making a decision to head back to his home state and finish his career off at Virginia.

In his time at MSU, Camper totaled 29 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 1 sack.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]

Sooners land their third transfer defensive back commit in two days; Trey Morrison is coming from UNC to Oklahoma

After spending multiple years in Chapel Hill, Trey Morrison will spend the rest of his college career donning Crimson and Cream.

The Sooners have gone 3-for-3 when it comes to landing transfer portal defensive backs who visited the Sooners this winter.

Since Sunday, the Sooners have shored up their defensive backfield depth with veterans who have a great deal of collegiate playing experience. C.J. Coldon of Wyoming started the sequence with a commitment Sunday evening. Freshman Kani Walker of Louisville kept it rolling Monday afternoon. Trey Morrison of UNC completed the transfer trifecta with his commitment Monday evening.

Morrison was on our list of three transfer defensive backs we thought the Sooners should pursue in the portal:

“Trey Morrison is probably the opposite of (Eric) Reed in the sense that Morrison has played a lot of snaps at the college level. Morrison appeared in 11 games as a true freshman for the North Carolina Tar Heels, starting 10, at nickel back in 2019. That season, he totaled 46 tackles, two sacks, 5.5 TFL and four pass breakups.

In 2020, he started all 12 games at defensive back and was All-ACC honorable mention. He produced 39 total tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, three pass breakups and one interception. While physically he’s not the biggest player, he’s productive and he’s very experienced.

Over four seasons, Morrison has played in 44 games in college. He gives the Sooners a veteran presence and more position versatility as they look to retool and rest their secondary going into the 2022 season.”

His valuable game experience mixed with his productivity was likely the easiest sell for Jay Valai and the rest of this defensive staff. The Sooners needed experience but why get experience if it doesn’t come with proven results? Morrison has both. Though not the biggest guy, he’s scrappy and willing to mix it up.

Morrison also has been coached by former NFL cornerback turned UNC cornerbacks coach in Dre Bly, so he’s had some very solid coaching over his time. He brings a wealth of knowledge he could pass on to his new OU teammates as well.

If one had to take a guess, Morrison is immediately thrust into a battle with Justin Broiles and Billy Bowman (should he remain at nickel) for the nickel position in Brent Venables and Ted Roof’s defense. He could very well be a starter come fall due to his versatility.

With Morrison on campus, the Sooners look noticeably less thin in their defensive backfield while adding seasoned collegiate players Morrison and Coldon to replace Delarrin Turner-Yell and Pat Fields. Walker, in essence, replaces Latrell McCutchin, considering both were freshmen last year.

Barring something crazy, it is unlikely more defensive backs will be added via the portal unless it happens after spring ball. Instead, the Sooners will look to add one final piece to their 2022 defensive back unit as they look to full-court press the number one player in the state of Oklahoma in cornerback commit Gentry Williams and ultimately land his signature sometime in February.

Jay Valai and Brandon Hall deserve their flowers for landing all three commits this weekend. Oklahoma needed all three and the new staff members in charge of the Sooners’ secondary got every single one. The grind never stops as they now turn full attention to Gentry Williams with a full defensive staff visit soon and then winter/spring ball and recruiting for 2023 and 2024 to worry about next. The fun’s only just beginning.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

Transfer portal: TaQuan Roberson officially joins UConn Huskies

Former Penn State QB Ta’Quan Roberson is officially welcomed by his new school out of the transfer portal

A few weeks after announcing his commitment to his new school, former Penn State quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson has officially been welcomed into his new home. Roberson announced his commitment to the Connecticut Huskies in late December, a couple of weeks after confirming he has entered the NCAA transfer portal. On Monday, UConn made the news official by announcing they had signed Roberson to be a part of the Huskies program.

Roberson will be eligible immediately for the Huskies, and he should have a good chance to land a key role in the offense under new UConn head coach Jim Mora.

Roberson is a former four-star recruit of Penn State’s in the Class of 2019, but he was never more than a backup option for established starter Sean Clifford, who announced he will return to Penn State for another season in 2022. Roberson was used as a backup for an injured Clifford in a road game at Iowa, and it did not go particularly well for the in-experienced backup. Roberson struggled to guide the Penn State offense against a feisty Iowa defense that had been racking up interceptions at an astonishing rate early in the season.

In a sense, it was a really tough spot to expect too much out of Roberson. When Clifford went down with an injury in a game later in the season against Rutgers, Penn State opted to go with Christian Veilleux as the first relief option, not Roberson.

Roberson entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal on December 13, which was to be expected given the situation with the quarterback situation in 2022 and beyond with Class of 2022 quarterback Drew Allar on board. UConn was among the first schools to show interest in Roberson, and he may have a chance to become a starter fairly quickly under Mora with the Huskies.

[vertical-gallery id=3642]

[listicle id=10557]

[lawrence-related id=12813,12806,12803]

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion.

Report: JJ Pegues has entered the transfer portal

Auburn loses another defensive lineman.

Auburn may be losing another defensive lineman to the transfer portal.

According to On3.com’s Matt Zenitz, JJ Pegues entered the transfer portal Monday.

Pegues came to Auburn as a tight end but moved to the defensive line during Bryan Harsin’s first season with Auburn. The 6-foot-3, 308-pound Pegues played every game this season and finished the year with 17 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, and forced one fumble.

As a tight end in 2020, he rushed for 14 yards on five carries and caught seven passes for 57 yards.

Pegues will have up to three seasons of eligibility at his next school.

Gators make good impression on Alabama WR transfer receiver during visit

After losing two of the team’s top pass-catchers to the portal, Florida is in a prime position to land this SEC transfer.

Florida hosted several recruits over the weekend, and one of the surprise names in the Swamp was Alabama transfer receiver Javon Baker.

Baker left Gainesville impressed with Florida and said that the Gators’ chances of landing him were “pretty high,” according to 247Sports. He spent time with Billy Napier and receivers coach Keary Colbert during his visit, who seems to have made an impact on him.

“He was at USC, and he played receiver in the league, too,” Baker said. “I like that. I like that about a coach, he can show me how to do stuff, not just play another position, or play football at all, just coaching me; I like all that. So that played a role.”

Before he made his visit, Baker spoke to former Alabama players who were familiar with Napier from his time in Tuscaloosa. The scouting report came back positive on Coach Nape, giving Florida a leg up before even getting him on campus. Another helpful note in Baker’s recruitment is that he played high school ball with Gators quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson.

Florida just lost its No. 1 receiver, Jacob Copeland, to Maryland and starting tight end Kemore Gamble to UCF. Justin Shorter is set to step up as next year’s main receiver with Trent Whittemore taking over the slot following Rick Wells‘ graduation. Xzavier Henderson has played significant snaps, but Baker could insert himself into the rotation rather easily with the Gators’ limited depth.

In two years at Alabama, Baker has totaled nine receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown. He worked on special teams in the Crimson Tide’s game against the Gators this season.

[lawrence-related id=67504,67491,67489,67487,67456]

[listicle id=67186]

[listicle id=63340]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Florida lands this coveted Louisiana offensive line transfer

The Gators landed the commitment of right guard O’Cyrus Torrence, who started 38 games over the last three years with the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Coach Billy Napier has now brought four transfers with him from Louisiana, as the Gators landed the services of one of the top transfers in the country on Monday with the commitment of O’Cyrus Torrence. The rising senior right guard, who was a three-year starter for the Ragin’ Cajuns and is the No. 19 transfer prospect, joins running back Montrell Johnson and offensive tackle Kamryn Waits as the players that have followed Napier to Florida.

Torrence, a Greensburg, Louisiana, native who is rated as a four-star transfer prospect, entered the portal on Jan. 2. He announced his commitment to the Gators on Monday morning via his Twitter account.

Torrence was on campus a couple of days ago as part of a star-studded recruiting weekend for Napier and Florida. Torrence had offers from a number of top schools, and he took visits to LSU and Auburn. After his visit to UF this weekend, he cut his list of finalists down to the Gators and LSU.

In addition to his relationship with Napier, his familiarity with both offensive line coaches likely impacted his decision to come to Gainesville. Both Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton coached Torrence in Lafayette.

He started 38 games at right guard at Louisiana, becoming a First Team All-Sun Belt selection in 2021 after earning second-team honors last season. He will likely replace outgoing starter Stewart Reese, who held down the right guard spot for the last two seasons.

[lawrence-related id=67466,67456,67451,67412,67308]

[listicle id=67186]

[listicle id=63340]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Louisville transfer cornerback Kani Walker chooses the Oklahoma Sooners

Kani Walker, a former cornerback at the University of Louisville commits to Oklahoma.

The good news from the portal continues to roll in as the Sooners land themselves yet another defensive back from the transfer portal. Kani Walker, a defensive back who played his freshman season at Louisville, has committed to Oklahoma.

Out of high school, Walker was viewed as a three-star cornerback from Georgia, according to 247Sports. He played in five games for the Cardinals and only recorded one tackle. He only played 15 snaps, and just four coverage snaps on defense for the Cardinals.

For Oklahoma, this decision, coupled with the decision of Wyoming transfer C.J. Coldon brings some excellent news to the defensive side of the ball, considering all of the defensive players that have either declared for the NFL draft or transferred elsewhere.

It’s significant that Jay Valai and Brandon Hall, the two men tasked with coaching the cornerbacks and safeties, could sell Walker and Coldon on Oklahoma. They’ve only been in Norman a few weeks.

Walker joins a cornerback room featuring D.J. Graham, Woodi Washington, Joshua Eaton, Jaden Davis, C.J. Coldon, and Kendall Dennis.

Walker will be enrolling for the spring semester and figures to be part of a cornerback competition. With a new defensive staff and scheme, the slate’s wiped clean and everyone will have a shot at playing time.

Valai and Hall will continue their defensive back search as they look to go 3-for-3 in defensive back transfer targets by landing UNC transfer Trey Morrison next.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

[listicle id=52729]

LSU adds former Notre Dame punter to the team

LSU adds a punter through the transfer portal.

The LSU Tigers special teams got a boost on Monday when former Notre Dame punter Jay Bramblett committed to the team. He likely will replace Avery Atkins after he announced he would leave following the season.

Bramblett punted for a total of 6,792 yards in three seasons, which breaks down to an average of 41.4 yards per punt. This past season he posted an average of 43.8 yards per punt this past season. He follows special teams coordinator Brian Polian to the Bayou.

Atkins averaged 42.6 yards per punt this past season for LSU. The big question is can Bramblett also throw? We saw Atkins throw on a couple of fake punts this past season. The Tuscaloosa native was the No. 1 punter coming out of the 2019 class. Bramblett entered the transfer portal on Jan. 2, 2022, and just two weeks later announced he would come to LSU.

He becomes the ninth transfer to commit to the Tigers in the 2022 class. Brian Kelly continues to stockpile transfers for his team for the upcoming season.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PatrickConnCFB