The inaugural NCAA transfer portal spring window opened for college football players on April 15 last year. On that date, only 90 FBS scholarship players put their names in the portal. Those were simpler times.
On Tuesday, the spring transfer window opened and 90 scholarship players were already in the portal by 10:30 a.m. ET. By the end of the day, more than 200 had entered the portal to kick off this 14-day period for underclassman transfers. Here’s what we learned from Day 1.
By the numbers
Compared to the first day of the December portal window, when 538 FBS scholarship players and more than 1,100 college football players transferred in one day, Tuesday was rather tame.
This time, a grand total of 221 FBS scholarship players entered the portal, with 105 coming from Power 5 schools and 116 coming from the Group of 5 ranks. That’s a significant uptick from last year but a predictable one now that the NCAA’s one-time transfer rule is out of the picture.
Players no longer need to wait and graduate before transferring again, which led to 47 FBS scholarship players going back in the portal on Tuesday as repeat transfers. That’s a little over 20 percent of the Day 1 entries. With the exception of Alabama offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor and a couple of others, those players are generally still trying to find a school where they can be a starter.
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Georgia State led all FBS schools with 13 scholarship players entering the portal. New head coach Dell McGee was hired in late February and is just getting to work on reconstructing his roster. Arkansas State (eight transfers), Colorado (eight), Bowling Green (six), Illinois (six) and Old Dominion (six) had more departures than most, but keep in mind there will be plenty more movement over these next few days.
We’ve now surpassed 2,100 FBS scholarship transfers in this current portal cycle that began Aug. 1. That represents a 25 percent increase from last year’s total of 1,685 on April 16. It’s going to be another record-setting year for transfer transactions in college football.
Colorado spring cleaning, Part II
Colorado sophomore cornerback Cormani McClain’s announcement that he is entering the portal was one of the more fascinating developments of the day.
You can’t call it a totally unexpected one, since McClain has been missing in action for much of spring ball and struggled early on in his freshman campaign. Head coach Deion Sanders wasn’t shy about expressing his frustration back in September.
Still, it’s a shame to see this didn’t work out, given the magnitude of McClain’s commitment for this program and its future when Sanders flipped the five-star away from Miami in January 2023. For the record, McClain had yet to officially pop up in the portal as of late Tuesday night.
Six Colorado players who entered the portal on Tuesday had transferred in for Year 1: wide receiver Tar’Varish Dawson, tackle Savion Washington, tackle David Conner, tackle Isaiah Jatta, defensive tackle Chazz Wallace and safety Myles Slusher. Two freshmen from Sanders’ first signing class — receiver Jacob Page and safety Jaden Milliner-Jones — joined those players in moving on.
Washington’s exit means the Buffs aren’t returning any of the five offensive linemen who started in their 2023 season opener. That position was quickly overhauled at the end of the season, with Sanders bringing in a new position coach and six newcomers for the spring.
Where else does Colorado still need help? Don’t worry, Shedeur Sanders and Shilo Sanders are working on it.
“Defense Transfers DM Me”
“Offense Transfers DM Shedeur Sanders”
(This Not Last Chance U) – Shilo Sanders #SkoBuffs 🦬 pic.twitter.com/P8wrFuBSMQ
— We Coming 🦬 (@SkoBuffsGoBuffs) April 16, 2024
GO DEEPER
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This article was originally published by a theathletic.com . Read the Original article here. .