Oregon’s early attack of transfer portal has Ducks ranked among best in the nation
A lot of the general experience as a fan of college football has to do with rankings. Whether it be the Associated Press Top 25, the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, the College Football Playoff Rankings, or the ESPN Power Rankings, much of the discord in today’s era of college football is based on numbers that are calculated and updated each week of the season.
Heck, even in the offseason we now have numbers to opinionate on, with the growing importance of recruiting driving the national recruiting class rankings to the forefront of conversations. We are just coming to the end of the early signing period, and it wouldn’t shock me to find out that a large portion of the Oregon fanbase who considers themselves “locked in” to the recruiting world knows exactly where the Ducks stand in the 247Sports Composite Rankings after one of the best recruiting days in Oregon history.
Love it or hate it, rankings are a pillar of the sport. If you love it, I’ve got good news for you.
A new form of rankings is starting to pick up popularity amongst fans in college football.
Transfer portal rankings are starting to become ever more important. With a coach’s ability to remake the roster in a single offseason by hitting the portal and convincing ready-made players to come to their school and make an instant impact, it’s become extremely valuable to see which teams have been able to adapt the best and take advantage of the changing landscape where players are able to pick up and change schools on a whim.
“It’s the name of the game, right?” Lanning said early this offseason. “I mean, it’s that you gotta go out here and adapt. And I think right now in college football, one of the biggest things about college football is who can adapt the best and who can handle the adjustments that are required, and we’ve got a great staff that’s done a good job of that.”
The portal is a relatively sensitive subject depending on your audience, but it’s impossible to deny that Dan Lanning and the Ducks have been able to use it to their advantage. Last offseason, they added players like QB Bo Nix, RB Bucky Iriving, RB Noah Whittington, WR Chase Cota, and CB Christian Gonzalez — among others — to the roster, all of whom were absolutely critical components to the Ducks’ success.
So far this season, Lanning has already picked up commitments from Alabama WR Traeshon Holden, Alabama CB Khyree Jackson, Iowa LB Jestin Jacobs, Rhode Island OT Ajani Cornelius, and Texas OL Junior Angilau.
I’d be willing to bet a lot of money that some if not all of those players will be meaningful contributors for the Ducks in 2023. I would be willing to bet even more that Lanning isn’t done in the portal yet either.
So after those five additions to the roster, where do the Ducks stand compared to the other active portal teams in the nation? Let’s take a look.
Arizona State Sun Devils
Total Transfers: 15
Transfer Score: 24.91
Most Notable Transfer: QB Drew Pyne (Notre Dame)
SMU Mustangs
Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
Total Transfers: 9
Transfer Score: 25.92
Most Notable Transfer: DL Jordan Miller (Miami)
Maryland Terrapins
Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Total Transfers: 6
Transfer Score: 27.08
Most Notable Transfer: S Avante Williams (Miami)
TCU Horned Frogs
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Total Transfers: 4
Transfer Score: 27.25
Most Notable Transfer: WR JoJo Earle (Alabama)
Oklahoma Sooners
(Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
Total Transfers: 4
Transfer Score: 29.03
Most Notable Transfer: EDGE Dasan McCullough (Indiana)
Kentucky Wildcats
Total Transfers: 6
Transfer Score: 31.73
Most Notable Transfer: QB Devin Leary (NC State)
LSU Tigers
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Total Transfers: 5
Transfer Score: 36.35
Most Notable Transfer: CB Denver Harris (Texas A&M)
Miami Hurricanes
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Total Transfers: 4
Transfer Score: 39.53
Most Notable Transfer: IOL Javian Cohen (Alabama)
Colorado Buffaloes
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Total Transfers: 8
Transfer Score: 40.73
Most Notable Transfer: ATH Travis Hunter (Jackson State)
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Total Transfers: 7
Transfer Score: 41.10
Most Notable Transfer: WR De’Zhaun Stribling (Washington State)
Oregon Ducks
(Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images)
Total Transfers: 5
Transfer Score: 43.73
Most Notable Transfer: OT Ajani Cornelius (Rhode Island)
USC Trojans
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Total Transfers: 6
Transfer Score: 44.71
Most Notable Transfer: WR Dorian Singer (Arizona)
UCLA Bruins
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Total Transfers: 6
Transfer Score: 45.25
Most Notable Transfer: QB Collin Schlee
Florida State Seminoles
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Total Transfers: 6
Transfer Score: 51.75
Most Notable Transfer: TE Jaheim Bell (South Carolina)
Michigan Wolverines
Michael Allio-USA TODAY Sports
Total Transfers: 7
Transfer Score: 60.09
Most Notable Transfer: LB Ernest Hausmann (Nebraska)
