College football post-spring transfer portal report: Who will make a big splash?
As the transfer portal begins to cool, what stands out about the highest-ranked classes in the 2024 cycle?
RJ Young: Colorado being ranked No. 7 stands out to me because it is the best example of how the rankings might not be indicative of what a good roster is going into the 2024 season. Given that they’ve added the third-string running back at Ohio State last year and an offensive lineman who did not play at all at Texas, I don’t think we should value the transfer portal rankings as highly as we once did.
Texas ranks No. 6 in the portal and Ohio State ranks No. 8, and both might beat Colorado by four touchdowns if they played today.
Colorado was the top-ranked team in the 247Sports Transfer Portal Rankings last year. In the same metric in 2023, Ole Miss came in second and USC third. The Buffs finished 4-8 and are in the midst of a six-game losing streak. Last season, the Miami Hurricanes ranked No. 7 in the transfer rankings, yet Mario Cristobal’s squad finished 7-6 with an appearance in the Pinstripe Bowl.
This year, Ole Miss ranks No. 1, Oregon No. 2 and Texas A&M at No. 3. Only one of those teams — Oregon — feels like a national title contender. Ole Miss is coming off its best season in school history, and A&M is where Colorado was last year — new coach, new optimism, tough conference.
In 2024, my eyes will focus most on continuity, both on the roster and on the coaching staff.
Michael Cohen: Nearly 40 players from an Alabama team that lost in overtime to Michigan in the College Football Playoff semifinals entered the transfer portal during the winter and spring cycles.
Naturally, a lot of those choices had to do with the departure of legendary head coach Nick Saban, who declared his retirement on January 1.
10, and some of them involved very high-profile players: safety Caleb Downs (No. 1 S, No. 1 overall); wide receiver Isaiah Bond (No. 1 WR, No. 4 overall); and quarterback Julian Sayin (No. 1 QB, No. 6 overall) to name a few. In total, six of the top 50 players in the 247Sports Transfer Portal Rankings and 10 of the top 100 came from the Crimson Tide’s roster.
Although he said the 2020 tournament would be his last, former Ohio State point guard Aaron Craft announced on Monday afternoon that he will once again suit up for Carmen’s Crew in this year’s rendition of The Basketball Tournament.
A former four-star prospect from Findlay (Ohio) Liberty Benton, Craft averaged 8.9 points, 4.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds in four seasons with the Buckeyes from 2010-14. He led the program to two Big Ten regular season championships, two Big Ten tournament titles and four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the 2012 Final Four.
Craft spent six years playing in the NBA D-League or overseas but notably announced his retirement from professional basketball after last year’s tournament in order to attend medical school. He did leave the door open for a potential return to Carmen’s Crew, though.
Other former Ohio State players who have committed to play for Carmen’s Crew this summer include William Buford, Jon Diebler, David Lighty, Evan Ravenel, Shannon Scott, Lenzelle Smith Jr., Kaleb Wesson and Keyshawn Woods. Jared Sullinger and Evan Turner, meanwhile, will once again serve as the team’s general manager/head coach and assistant coach, respectively.
Carmen’s Crew, which played under the name Scarlet & Grey for the first two years of its existence before changing it to comply with the university’s trademark and licencing department, is making its fifth appearance in a tournament. The team won the championship at the $2 million prize in 2019, but lost in the first round of last year’s event despite the tournament being played in a bubble at Nationwide Arena in Columbus due to the pandemic.
The competition will take place at four regional locations this year, with the Columbus Regional taking place from July 23–27 at Ohio State’s Covelli Centre. The top two teams from each regional site will advance to tournament play at the University of Dayton Arena on July 31-Aug. 3.
