2023-24 college football transfer portal tracker: Dante Moore leaving UCLA
Transfer season is upon us in college football.
The next transfer portal window officially opens on Dec. 4. However, players on teams whose coaches have left or been fired can enter the portal before then.
Other players have already reportedly expressed their intentions to enter the portal once they’re able to.
Which players will be on the move this offseason? Let’s take a look at which stars and standouts are testing the waters for a possible transfer.
Just a year after Chip Kelly pulled off the greatest recruiting coup of his Bruins tenure by flipping Moore, a top quarterback in the class of 2023, from Kelly’s former employer Oregon just before signing day, Moore is set to enter the transfer portal, he told 247Sports. The former five-star and consensus top-five overall 2023 prospect cited wanting to go somewhere to get developed as the main reason for his departure from Westwood after just one season.
Moore earned the Bruins’ starting quarterback job after playing in a quarterback rotation in UCLA’s season opener and started five games, but he was benched following an Oct. 14 loss at Oregon State in favor of junior backup Ethan Garbers. Moore then entered in relief of an injured Garbers late in a Nov. 4 loss to Arizona but exited with an injury of his own after one series. Moore again entered in relief after Garbers suffered another injury in the first quarter of the Bruins’ regular-season finale against Cal, but struggled mightily in a 33-7 drubbing at the hands of the Golden Bears.
Moore completed 53.5% of his passes for 1,610 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions in his true freshman season.
It remains to be seen whether Oregon will pursue the one-time Ducks commit again this time around, or whether Michigan could pursue the Detroit native. Both Oregon quarterback Bo Nix and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy are expected to enter the 2024 NFL Draft. Michigan State, which saw three quarterbacks enter the transfer portal after the hiring of new head coach Jonathan Smith, could also be a candidate for Moore’s services, per FOX Sports’ Bruce Feldman.
Oregon State QB DJ Uiagalelei
The Beavers’ signal-caller is departing Corvallis after one season, entering the portal as he either eyes a new college home or will enter the 2024 NFL Draft, ESPN reported. Uiagalelei had a solid junior season at Oregon State, completing 57.1% of his passes for 2,638 yards, 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions, while adding 219 rushing yards and six rushing scores.
Uiagalelei transferred to Oregon State after starting his college career at Clemson. The five-star recruit initially impressed in fill-in starts for Trevor Lawrence during the 2020 season but fizzled out by the end of the 2022 season. Now, Uiagalelei will be on the move again, making his decision to leave just days after Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith accepted the Michigan State head coaching job.
Nov. 29
Duke QB Riley Leonard
The dual-threat quarterback was a big reason for Duke’s 2022 turnaround under now-former head coach Mike Elko, who left for the same role at Texas A&M. The Blue Devils went 9-4 in Leonard’s first year as their starter, then Leonard followed that up by leading Duke to an upset of then-No. 9 ranked Clemson to open the 2023 season. He even went viral for asking a professor for a homework extension after the game.
Leonard continued to excel as Duke surged to a 4-0 start to 2023, but suffered an ankle injury in the waning moments of a last-minute loss to Notre Dame on Sept. 30. He returned on Oct. 21 against FSU, but struggled against the now-No. 4-ranked Seminoles. Then he suffered what would become a season-ending toe injury against Louisville the following week. Leonard finished with a 57.8% completion rate, 1,102 passing yards and three touchdowns, along with 352 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground in 58 attempts.
Ironically enough, Leonard is widely expected to be a candidate to take over for Sam Hartman at Notre Dame, per multiple reports. Several Notre Dame players are also among Leonard’s recent social media follows. Like Hartman this past season, Leonard would be playing out his final year of eligibility with the Irish after being a multi-year starter at an ACC school.
Former Texas A&M QB Max Johnson to North Carolina
The southpaw quarterback became the first high-profile portal entry to find a new home. He will reportedly join Mack Brown’s Tar Heels as the presumptive replacement for Drake Maye at starting quarterback, as Maye is expected to be a top prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Johnson, who will arrive at North Carolina as a graduate transfer, began the 2022 season as Texas A&M’s starter, but suffered a season-ending injury in its fourth game. He began the 2023 season as the backup but became the starter following an injury to Conner Weigman, throwing for 1,452 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions in eight games.
Johnson began his college career with LSU before transferring to A&M in 2022. He has two years of eligibility remaini
Miami QB Tyler Van Dyke
The junior signal-caller is entering the transfer portal, according to ESPN, after the Hurricanes finished the regular season a disappointing 7-5. Van Dyke completed 65.8% of his passes this season for 2,703 yards and 18 touchdowns, but he also threw 12 interceptions.
Michigan State QB Katin Houser
The redshirt freshman is entering the portal just days after Michigan State hired Jonathan Smith as its next head coach, ESPN reported. Houser, a four-star recruit, redshirted as a freshman and began the 2023 season as the Spartans’ backup quarterback before becoming their starter. He threw for 1,132 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions with two rushing scores.
Starting Michigan State right tackle Spencer Brown and linebacker Darius Snow also announced on social media that they’re entering the portal.
Baylor QB Blake Shapen
The redshirt junior quarterback told ESPN that he will be entering the transfer portal. After helping Baylor win the Big 12 title game in 2021 in one of his two fill-in starts that season, he became the Bears’ starting quarterback in 2022. He threw for 2,790 yards, 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions with two rushing scores that season, going 6-7 as a starter. He threw for 2,188 yards, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions with four rushing touchdowns in 2023, missing four games due to injury as Baylor went 2-6 in his starts.
USC WR Raleek Brown
The sophomore wideout has told multiple outlets that he’s planning to enter the transfer portal. Brown, who was regarded as a top-70 prospect in the Class of 2022, decommitted from Oklahoma and committed to USC following Lincoln Riley’s decision to go to USC at the end of the 2021 season.
He had 14 receptions for 151 yards and three touchdowns while adding 166 rushing yards and two rushing scores as a freshman. His playing time diminished in 2023, recording only three receptions and three rushes.
Kansas State RB Treshaun Ward
The senior running back will enter the transfer portal for a second straight season, leaving Manhattan after joining the Wildcats from FSU last year. Ward had a solid year at Kansas State, rushing for 643 yards and scoring seven total touchdowns as he split starting halfback duties.
Nov. 26
Utah QB Nate Johnson
The redshirt freshman told ESPN that he’s intending to enter the transfer portal once he’s eligible. Johnson’s decision to enter the portal comes after he flipped roles as the starting QB for the Utes with Bryson Barnes. He ended up finishing the season on the bench, throwing for 499 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions with 235 rushing yards and four rushing scores. Despite the solid-looking numbers, Utah struggled to score in two of his three starts, losing one of them.
Nov. 24
Mississippi State QB Will Rogers
Rogers announced his intention to transfer a day after his team’s season finale, making the decision before Jeff Lebby was announced as the school’s new head coach. Rogers can move as a grad transfer, making him eligible to play immediately.
Rogers started every game for the Bulldogs in the 2021 and 2022 seasons after starting for half of the 2020 season. Under Mike Leach, Rogers thrived in his first three years in Starkville, throwing for an SEC-record 505 completions in 2021 and had 82 total touchdown passes during that span.
However, the death of Leach last December seemed to affect the Bulldogs this season, struggling under Zach Arnett. Rogers also missed four games due to injury, throwing for 1,626 yards, 12 touchdowns and four interceptions in 2023.
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