Ohio State attacked the transfer portal Intention to quit Michigan’s run of Big Ten dominance.
That same night, Michigan won the national title with a 34-13 win Via Washington, running back Quinshon Judkins announced his transfer from Mississippi to Ohio State on social media.
Former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard and former Alabama center Seth McLaughlin had committed to Ohio State days earlier. Former Alabama safety Caleb Downs joined them less than two weeks later.
They made the decision in full understanding of the high demands of a fan base that is dissatisfied with a Buckeyes program that has played 11-2 but lost against Michigan each of the last three years.
“The same expectations I’ve had my whole life,” Downs told reporters. “The same expectations we had at ‘Bama – to win games, to dominate every game and to win a championship.”
Ohio State’s transfer class is as star-studded as any to sign with a single school during the portal era. Other new additions for the second-ranked Buckeyes include quarterback Julian Sayin (formerly of Alabama), center Seth McLaughlin (Alabama), tight end Will Kacmarek (Ohio), safety Keenan Nelson Jr. (South Carolina), punter Anthony Venneri (Buffalo) and linebacker Joey Velazquez (Michigan).
Strong Buckeyes
Judkins comes to Ohio State after rushing for 2,725 yards and 31 touchdowns over the past two seasons at Ole Miss. He will now split the rushing duties with TreVeyon Henderson, who rushed for 2,745 yards for the Buckeyes.
“I think we’re both just players that complement each other in every way,” Judkins told reporters.
Downs was a Associated Press – All Americans He was selected to the second team last year and made 107 tackles for Alabama, becoming the first freshman in school history to lead the Crimson Tide in that category. McLaughlin started 24 games for the Tide over the past three seasons.
Howard started 28 games at Kansas State and set a school record with 48 career touchdown passes. He led the Wildcats to a Big 12 titles in 2022. Now he gets the chance to lead an offense with many future NFL talents.
“Everything is more intense here,” Howard told reporters. “You feel the stares a little bit. I don’t think I necessarily have to play the hero here. I feel like the guys are around me and I just have to help them, pass them the ball and make good decisions. At the end of the day, I don’t have to go out there and do anything superhuman. I just have to be myself and trust the guys around me.”
WR Isaiah Bond, Texas (Alabama)
Bond showed a high level of performance in the decisive moments at his former school, which should make him a top weapon for the fourth-place Longhorns.
Bond caught 48 passes for 668 yards and four touchdowns last season. He caught the touchdown pass on fourth-and-31 in the final minute of a 27:24 win in Auburn and then caught five passes for 79 yards as the Crimson Tide took a 27-24 lead. Southeastern Conference Championship Game win over Georgia. The SEC media selected Bond to the All-SEC second team in the preseason.
QB Dillon Gabriel, Oregon (Oklahoma)
The former quarterback of UCF and Oklahoma will compete in his sixth season for No. 3 Oregon.
Gabriel ranks fourth in NCAA history with 152 touchdowns (125 passing, 26 rushing, 1 receiving). He also ranks seventh in total yards (15,925), eighth in passing yards (14,865) and eighth in touchdowns. If Gabriel stays healthy, he could set the record for most starts by a quarterback in a career. Gabriel has started 49 games. The record of 61 is held by Bo Nix, who was Oregon’s quarterback before Gabriel. Gabriel leads a celebrated transfer class from Oregon that also includes CB Jabbar Muhammad (formerly of Washington) and Evan Stewart (Texas A&M).
QB Riley Leonard, Notre Dame (Duke)
Leonard’s move to No. 7 Notre Dame makes him the third transfer in the last four years to open a season as the Fighting Irish’s starting quarterback, after Jack Coan (Wisconsin) in 2021 and Sam Hartman (Wake Forest) in 2023.
Ankle and foot injuries limited Leonard to seven games last year after a stellar season in 2022. During the 2022 season, Leonard threw for 2,967 yards with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions, and he also ran for 699 yards and 13 scores.
DT Walter Nolen, Ole Miss (Texas A&M)
When he signed with Texas A&M, Nolen was rated as the second best prospect in his high school class by composite rankings of recruitment sites compiled by 247Sports. He totaled 66 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and five sacks in two seasons with the Aggies before transferring to No. 6 Ole Miss. The SEC media selected him to the all-conference first team in the preseason.
DE Nic Scourton, Texas A&M (Purdue)
The Aggies, ranked 20th, picked up the 2023 Big Ten sacks leader when Scourton transferred from Purdue. Scourton collected 10 sacks last season, along with 15 tackles for loss and 50 total tackles. He had two sacks in a loss to Michigan and finished the season with two more in a win over Indiana. The SEC media selected him to the all-conference second team in the preseason.
QB Cam Ward, Miami (Washington State)
Miami has a record of 19-18 in the last three seasons, but is ranked 19th this year, which is mainly due to the many transfers. Miami’s most celebrated transfer signing is Ward, of the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the year in the previous season.
After playing two years with Football Championship Subdivision program Incarnate Word, Ward started 25 games for Washington State over the past two seasons, completing 65.5% of his passes for 6,963 yards with 48 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
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AP College Football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
