Ranking the best available players in college football's spring portal window (2024)

The 2023-24 transfer portal cycle is on pace to be another record-setting one, with 2,200 scholarship college football players already in the portal at the FBS level. So far, nearly 1,400 have announced commitments as we enter the 14-day spring transfer window from April 16-30.

Which big names do you need to know ahead of the portal deadline? In an effort to help you keep track of who’s going where and which top transfers are still on the market, The Athletic ranks the best available players in the portal.

Transfers are ranked based on their experience, production, potential, interest they’re generating and feedback from coaches throughout the country. This is a fluid list that we’ll constantly update as players make decisions, so be sure to keep this one bookmarked.

1. RB Damien Martinez, Oregon State: Martinez emerged as one of college football’s best young backs in 2022, earning Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-America honors after rushing for 982 yards and seven touchdowns. The 6-foot, 232-pound rusher from Texas was even better as a sophom*ore, ranking second in the Pac-12 in rushing with 1,185 yards and nine scores and once again earning first-team all-conference honors.

Martinez is now looking for a new home where he can prove he’s one of the top running backs in the 2025 NFL Draft. He’s planning to take visits to Miami, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Arizona over the next two weeks and would make an instant impact for any of them.

2. DT Damonic Williams, TCU: The former three-star from California emerged as one of the Big 12’s best young defensive tackles in his two seasons in Fort Worth. He started all 15 games up front at nose as a true freshman for a Horned Frogs team that played for a national title in 2022 and earned Freshman All-America honors, then started every game in his sophom*ore year to pick up honorable mention All-Big 12 recognition. He has two more seasons of eligibility and will have lots of Power 5 contenders competing for him. Oklahoma is expected to get his first visit followed by Texas, Colorado and LSU.

3. CB Tacario Davis, Arizona: Here’s a situation we haven’t really seen in the portal era. Davis entered his name in the transfer portal in late January after Arizona’s coaching change but stayed and is going through spring practice with the team. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound corner led the Pac-12 with 15 pass breakups in his first season as a starter and earned all-conference recognition from the AP.

Davis says he stuck around to see how it goes with his new coaches, but he has yet to officially withdraw from the portal. Until he takes that step, other schools can continue to recruit him. This is a day-to-day deal, and it’ll be interesting to see whether the Wildcats can hang onto him.

4. DBJacoby Mathews, Texas A&M: The former top-50 recruit from Louisiana was the No. 2 safety prospect in the Class of 2022 and one of the many gems of the Aggies’ loaded No. 1 class. Mathews moved into the starting lineup as a sophom*ore and recorded 42 tackles, four pass breakups and an interception. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound defender decided to transfer in February and is now officially on the market for his final two seasons of eligibility. Oregon is one school to watch in this race.

5. WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Penn State: The Big Ten’s most experienced returning wideout is hitting the market. Lambert-Smith started 38 games over his four years with the Nittany Lions and emerged as the clear No. 1 target for quarterback Drew Allar in 2023, finishing with 53 catches for 673 yards and four touchdowns. The 6-foot-1, 184-pound senior has one more season of eligibility and is looking to boost his NFL Draft position elsewhere, with many Power 5 schools battling for his services. He’s set to visit Auburn and Texas A&M.

6. OL Jason Zandamela, USC: The 6-foot-3, 306-pound center was one of the highest-ranked members of the Trojans’ 2024 recruiting class, with multiple services rating him as the No. 1 interior line prospect in the country. Zandamela, who was born in Mozambique and played at Clearwater Academy International in Florida, enrolled early at USC but is now looking to move closer to home. Miami, Florida and Georgia are reportedly in the mix.

7. DT Jay Toia, UCLA: Toia began his career at USC in 2021 but left before his freshman season began and joined UCLA, where he developed into one of the Pac-12’s best run stuffers. The massive 6-foot-3, 325-pound defensive tackle was a two-year starter who logged 66 stops, seven TFLs and two sacks. He’s back in the portal ahead of his final season of eligibility.

8. RB Peny Boone, Louisville: The 6-foot-1, 230-pound redshirt junior spent two seasons as a reserve at Maryland before joining Toledo in 2022. Boone took his game to another level and earned MAC Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2023 after producing a league-high 1,400 rushing yards on 7.2 yards per carry plus 219 receiving yards and 16 total TDs for a Rockets squad that won 11 games. Boone transferred to Louisville this spring but is already back in the portal with Washington and Ole Miss emerging as early contenders.

9. OL Marcus Bryant, SMU: The 6-foot-8, 318-pound left tackle developed into a 30-game starter for the Mustangs during his four years in the program and was a first-team All-AAC selection for the league champs in 2023. Bryant has one more season of eligibility and intriguing upside for those seeking a plug-and-play starter with more than 2,300 career snaps. Washington, Mississippi State and TCU are among the teams in contention.

10. OL Branson Hickman, SMU: Hickman was a three-year starter at center for SMU who earned second-team All-AAC honors last year and finished as the fourth-best starting center in the country by PFF’s grading. The 6-foot-3, 294-pound senior has two more seasons of eligibility and has taken official visits to TCU and Arkansas with Oklahoma up next.

11. DT Simeon Barrow Jr., Michigan State: Barrow, a three-year starter for the Spartans, briefly put his name in the portal after Mel Tucker’s firing but opted to stay through the spring. Now he’s officially on the market and commanding a lot of interest. The 6-foot-3, 296-pound senior has been disruptive throughout his career with 110 tackles, 18.5 TFLs, 10.5 sacks and two blocked field goals and has twice picked up honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. LSU is expected to get his first visit.

12. DT CJ West, Kent State: The 6-foot-2, 315-pound senior developed into a three-year starter for the Flashes, with 110 tackles, 59 pressures, 19.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks in his career. West graded out as the top defensive tackle in the MAC last season according to Pro Football Focus and picked up third-team All-MAC honors from the league’s coaches. He became one of the most popular players in the portal as soon as he entered, with LSU, Miami and Texas A&M among a long list of Power 5 offers.

13. WR Samuel Brown, Houston: The 6-foot-2, 195-pound wideout spent two years at West Virginia but took his game to another level at Houston, where he caught 103 passes for 1,286 yards and seven TDs in two seasons. Brown ranked sixth in the Big 12 in receptions (62) in his first season back in the conference and helped fill the void of Tank Dell going pro by breaking out as the Cougars’ leading receiver in 2023. He’ll be high on the board for teams with a need at receiver.

14. CB Dyoni Hill, Marshall: Here’s a sleeper whom personnel staffers at several Power 5 schools have circled based on his tape. The 6-foot, 172-pound corner from Gainesville, Fla., moved into the starting lineup as a sophom*ore for the Herd and recorded 55 tackles, 10 pass breakups and an interception. He took his first visit to Indiana and has several more Power 5 schools pushing to get him on campus.

15. DE Dayon Hayes, Pitt: After leading the Panthers with 10.5 tackles for loss in his first season as a starter, Hayes is looking to move on for his final season of eligibility. The 6-foot-3, 265-pound edge defender logged 45 tackles, 44 pressures, four sacks and four pass breakups in 2023 but told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette he’s transferring because he didn’t believe Pitt can “win now.” Can he find a contender who’ll give him an opportunity to start and shine? USC and Colorado are expected to get his first visits.

16. QB Jaden Rashada, Arizona State: By now, you’ve probably read all about Rashada’s wild high school recruitment and his $13 million contract with Florida that fell through. He became one of the most high-profile cautionary tales of the NIL era before he ever played a college snap. Arizona State took a chance on Rashada and let the former top-100 recruit start two games as a true freshman. He threw for 485 yards with four TDs and three interceptions on 184 snaps and ended up redshirting. Now he’s moving on and expected to land at Georgia, where he’d get to spend a year learning behind Carson Beck before competing for the job in 2025.

17. CB Cormani McClain, Colorado: Deion Sanders’ flip of McClain, a five-star cornerback from Florida, away from Miami in his first months on the job made a serious statement, and the opportunity to play for Coach Prime and with Travis Hunter was hard to beat. McClain struggled early on in his freshman season and was called out by his head coach for his lack of preparation, but he eventually stepped up and showed progress while earning four starts and logging 13 tackles and two pass breakups. McClain still has a bright future if he’s willing to put in the work at his next stop. USF and USC are reportedly two schools to watch.

18. DE Nyjalik Kelly, Miami: The 6-foot-5, 250-pound edge defender has dealt with hip and shoulder injuries early in his career and was sidelined for eight games last season as well as this spring, but he has flashed exciting potential as a pass rusher. Kelly produced 15 pressures and four sacks on 183 snaps as a true freshman and became a starter for the Hurricanes in 2023 before his season-ending shoulder injury. UCF, Missouri and Auburn are currently battling for him.

19. DT Philip Blidi, Indiana: There’s always demand for starting D-linemen in the portal, and Blidi’s recruitment has really taken off, with LSU, Washington and Auburn and Oklahoma among the many schools battling for his services ahead of his final season of eligibility. The 6-foot-3, 295-pound defensive tackle played a rotational role at Texas Tech for three seasons before he joined the Hoosiers and recorded 30 tackles, four TFLs and 15 pressures over 11 starts.

20. OL Andrew Chamblee, Arkansas: Chamblee won the starting left tackle job for the Razorbacks as a redshirt freshman and earned SEC All-Freshman honors for his performance over eight starts. When the 6-foot-6, 304-pound lineman left the program in March, coach Sam Pittman claimed he’d “lost the love for the game” and decided to give up football. A month later, he’s in the transfer portal and plenty of schools are trying to sign him, including Colorado, Kansas State, Virginia Tech, UCLA and SMU.

(Photo of Damonic Williams: Jerome Miron / USA Today)