Charlotte 49ers football transfer roundup: Power Five tailbacks, quarterback among new faces

It never stops.

Long before Charlotte’s first season under Biff Poggi came to a close, which saw three victories, nine losses, and a smorgasbord of new faces, the 49ers were scouring the transfer portal to fill roster needs and bolster their front lines.

With more than 3,000 college football players in the portal, adding to the annually broken record of athletes searching for new homes, Poggi and the 49ers have had their fair share of luck, consistently nabbing highly touted Power Five transfers. But on the two-way street that is the new wild west of college athletics, Charlotte has also seen high-level staples exit stage left — some for more playing time opportunities, some for proximity to home, but most for the monetization of their name, image, and likeness (NIL).

Charlotte, like most in the Group of Five, has served as a proving ground. Meaning that if a player has an all-conference-caliber year in a conference like the American, his phone could be ringing with lucrative NIL deals. The 49ers are no strangers to the portal combat and the NIL game, and three of Charlotte’s best defensive players from a season ago are a prime example — with only one remaining on the roster this season.

“There are plenty of guys at Power Fives around the country who aren’t playing,” defensive coordinator Ryan Osborn said in November. “704, man. We’re here. We’ll take you and we’ll play you. We will get the best out of you. Dontae (Balfour) is a big-time player. Obviously, we got him from UNC. I’m not really sure why they let him leave, but we’re happy they did.

“You look at Dontae, Nikhai Hill-Green and Demetrius Knight. Demetrius played (special teams) at Georgia Tech, and he comes here and he’s such an impactful player for us,” Osborn continued. “We get more guys like that in this building, this place has a really good chance to be something.”

With Knight on to South Carolina and Hill-Green landing at Colorado, Charlotte is tasked with replacing their top two tacklers and defensive captains from Poggi’s first season.

Lucky for Charlotte fans, Poggi has hired two of the best recruiters in the collegiate landscape with associate head coach Tim Brewster and defensive analyst Dre Bly joining the 2024 staff. Coined as a “secret weapon” by Poggi, Brewster’s career spans more than 30 years and includes stops at seven Power Five programs.

“I spent 11 years at the University of North Carolina and have been in every high school in the state. I’ve spent a lot of time in Charlotte, and from Day One, I felt that it was a sleeping giant,” Brewster said.

Most recently, Brewster followed Sanders from Jackson State to Colorado as tight ends coach, before reuniting with Bly on Poggi’s staff.

“Dre is awesome. He was a college Hall of Famer. He’s such an asset to have for these young kids here at Charlotte. Last season, he was coaching for the Detroit Lions. I’m thrilled to death that Dre’s here,” Brewster continued. “Coach Poggi has done a tremendous job putting this staff together. I think good times are coming for the 49ers. ... We’re going to be out now attacking the portal, and we’re going to get a few more players in here to help us.”

As Charlotte’s roster continues to reshape with every passing day and social media post, let’s take a look at the holes left from continuous departures, as well as the plugs and new playmakers for Poggi’s second season.

Offense

Key exits: RB Durell Robinson (40 carries, 166 yards, one touchdown), RB Shadrick Byrd (60 carries, 211 yards), WR Jack Hestera (28 catches, 349 yards, three touchdowns), WR Jaden Bradley.

Key additions: QB Max Brown (Florida), WR Isaiah Myers (Independence C.C.), WR Justin Olson (Middle Tennessee), RB Cartevious Norton (Iowa State), OL Mo Clipper Jr. (Tennessee), OL Jordan Moko (Texas A&M), OL Mitchell Mayes (Clemson), OL Jordan Herman (Florida), RB CJ Stokes (Michigan).

Although Poggi stated that Charlotte didn’t lose “anyone they didn’t want to lose” on early signing day in December, Durell Robinson’s exit seemed glaring after being the first player to commit to Charlotte on national television followed by a promising true freshman season — although injury-shortened.

The 49ers responded by adding tailbacks Cartavious Norton and CJ Stokes, from Iowa State and Michigan, respectively, to mix in with returnees Terron Kellman, Hahsaun Wilson, and true freshman Rod Gainey Jr.

Norton was the lead back through the spring session, rushing for 655 yards and five touchdowns over two years with the Cyclones.

“The running back room has greatly improved. Norton is really special,” Poggi said on signing day. “He has a low enter of gravity, and let me tell you, he doesn’t go down easy.”

Poggi knew he had to add some bodyguards to protect the 49ers’ investment at quarterback, as well as open holes to get the rushing attack going in his second season.

Much like Poggi’s former Michigan colleague and new Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, the 49ers’ coach sees offensive linemen as weapons. Charlotte made it a point to prioritize the trenches early in the offseason, landing four Power Five transfers to surround returning center Jonny King, three of whom are joining from the SEC. Jordan Herman, a 6-foot-8, 375-pound left tackle, followed Brown from Florida, and Charlotte’s new signal-caller couldn’t be more pleased.

“That’s my guy, man. When he hit the portal, I knew he was one of the guys I wanted to bring with me,” Brown said of Herman. “Him having my blindside, I don’t think I want anybody else out there.”

The improvements to the front lines have given Brown time to test out some of his new weapons on the perimeter, including Isaiah Myers and Justin Olson, as well as returnees Jairus Mack, Duane Thomas Jr., Sean Brown and true freshman Miles Burris, who was impressive against some of Charlotte’s top defensive backs through the spring session.

Defense

Key exits: LB Demetrius Knight (96 tackles, three interceptions), LB Nikhai Hill-Green (73 tackles, two sacks), DB Kameron Howard (38 tackles, two interceptions), DB Dontez Fagan (21 tackles, one interception), DE Miguel Jackson (16 tackles, two sacks).

Key additions: DT Dre Martin (South Carolina), DT Dre Butler (Michigan State), LB Aidan Kaler (Stony Brook), DB Elijah Culp (Troy), DB Derrick Edwards (Louisville), EDGE Donovan Spellman (Appalachian State), DB Eltayeb Bushra (Fairmont State), DB CJ Clinkscales (Boston College), DB Anthony Romphf (Western Michigan), DB Treyveon McGee (Iowa State), DL Chantz Williams (Miami), LB Stephen Sings V (Auburn).

After drastically improving Charlotte’s defense in 2023, Osborn’s work is cut out for him with nearly an entire group of contributors at each level as just three of Charlotte’s top 10 tacklers from a season ago are set to return.

“From all the progress that we made as a defense from the 12 games we played last season, I would expect the same thing going forward. I feel like we’ve got the right pieces right now, and we’re adding a couple more in May,” Osborn said on the Highway 49 Podcast. “I feel really good about the group. I think when we play James Madison here (in the season opener), I think the fans will be really pleased with the second-year Charlotte 49ers defense.”

The losses at linebacker are glaring, but Prince Bemah returning for his redshirt senior season and Reid Williford taking the next step in his junior season provide Osborn flexibility with the position group.

Plus, the addition of Stony Brook transfer Aidan Kaler, who has made an immediate impact as the only player on the roster wearing a neck roll.

Charlotte has retooled the defensive backfield and interior defensive line through the portal, providing optimism for Charlotte’s defense, which kept the 49ers competitive in nearly every game last season.

“We have so much depth right now in the secondary, and it’s my job to figure out what the best combination is given the situation,” Osborn said. “On top of that, it’s not announced yet, but we have two more coming. I just feel like we’re in such a better spot. The things that we lacked last year are what we focused on, and it wasn’t just one piece.”

With Balfour returning at cornerback for another season, Charlotte has its security blanket that can take away one side of the field. But the other spots in the defensive backfield are up for grabs, and Osborn has been impressed with a certain newcomer through spring practice.

“We’ve got a really good star I think in CJ Clinkscales, who was the starting nickel the last five games for Boston College,” Osborn said. “He’s been nothing but impactful for us here. He just goes.”

Charlotte’s biggest defensive need in Poggi’s first season was interior defensive line, due to the amount of injuries Charlotte sustained. The 49ers were having offensive linemen swap sides to defense in the final game of the season — that’s how bad it was. But with a mix of returnees with starting experience and multiple new portal additions, Osborn expects Charlotte’s depth to be among the best in the conference.

“Our biggest need was interior defensive linemen, because of what happened in the South Florida game — the fact that we lost guys due to injury,” Osborn said. “The last four practices have been awesome, led by the two inside guys, Dre Martin, who is a freak, and then Dre Butler, who is going to be very impactful in this conference. You can just feel the impact that they’re going to have in this league, let alone our own team. I think we’re going to have six really good defensive tackles, and that’s great depth.”