Grading how each ACC program did in the spring portal window
The ACC has added California, SMU and Stanford to the league, and two of those three teams were active in the spring portal. Ten of the ACC teams landed two players or fewer this spring, with a few not having any transfers.
We give out grades here for the ACC in the spring portal open window.
*****
THIS SERIES: Grading how each SEC program did in the spring portal window | Grading how each Big 12 program did in the spring portal window | Grading how each Big Ten program did in the spring portal window
MORE TRANSFER PORTAL: Latest news | Transfer search | Transfer tracker/player ranking (football) | Transfer team ranking (football) | Transfer tracker/player ranking (basketball) | Rivals Portal Twitter
*****
Boston College: D
Key additions: None.
Key subtractions: Joseph Griffin Jr., WR (uncommitted); Matthew Rueve, QB (uncommitted); Connor Lytton, K (uncommitted); Charlie Gordinier, TE (uncommitted); Hans Lillis, TE (Eastern Michigan).
Outlook: Boston College didn’t get anyone in the portal following the coaching change.
Griffin was a promising wide receiver, who caught 25 passes for 345 yards and a touchdown this season, and he had 18 catches for 234 yards and five scores in 2022.
*****
California: B
Key additions: Kyion Grayes, WR (Ohio State); Jasiah Wagoner, CB (Oklahoma); Ryan Yaites, S (LSU); C.J. Harris, QB (Ohio); Serigne Tounkara, OLB (Missouri); Deamontae Diggs, DL (Youngstown State); Braden Miller, OL (Michigan State); T.J. Bollers, DL (Wisconsin).
Key subtractions: Myles Jernigan, OLB (Louisville); Marquez Dortch, WR (uncommitted); Tiumalu Afalava, DL (uncommitted); Kaylin Moore, CB (uncommitted).
Outlook: California was busy with players coming and going, but the Bears came out ahead.
Quarterback Harris was brought in from Ohio, where he threw for 248 yards, two touchdowns and three INTs in about 1 1/2 games, plus 12 carries for 55 yards.
Graves was ranked No. 98 in the class of 2022 by Rivals.com, and both Wagoner and Yaites were four-star prospects in the class of 2023. Graves will help at wide receiver, Wagoner and Yaites will find a niche in the secondary.
The front seven will get a makeover from Diggs, Bollers and Tounkara.
*****
Clemson: D
Key additions: None.
Key subtractions: Zack Owens, OL (Colorado); Adam Kissayi, DE (Minnesota).
Outlook: This is obviously a “mythical” title that Clemson isn’t aiming to win.
The massive Owens is 6-6 and 375 pounds and was a four-star prospect coming out of high school at McDonough (Ga.) Eagle’s Landing Christian. He had committed to Clemson, flirted with Florida State and then signed with the Tigers. He is now headed to Colorado.
*****
Duke: C
Key additions: Alex Howard, LB (Texas A&M); Zachary Franks, OL (Northwestern).
Key subtractions: River Hanson, S (uncommitted); Calib Perez, OL (uncommitted); Isaiah Fisher-Smith, S (Liberty); Apollos Cook, WR (uncommitted); Mehki Wall, WR (North Carolina Central); Ethan Hubbard, OL (uncommitted).
Outlook: Howard played for Youngstown State his first three years, and had 67 tackles, 1.5 sacks and one interception this past fall. He ended up transferring to Texas A&M and former Duke coach Mike Elko, but then made the move to the Blue Devils.
Franks, who is 6-6 and 315 pounds, started at right tackle in three games, and appeared in nine games for Northwestern in 2023.
*****
Florida State: C
Key additions: Omarion Cooper, CB (Colorado); Cam Riley, OLB (Auburn).
Key subtractions: Greedy Vance Jr., CB (USC); Vandrevius Jacobs, WR (South Carolina); Jaden Floyd, S (uncommitted).
Outlook: Florida State was busy in the winter portal, but must feel good about its two-deep this spring.
Cooper is a unique situation where he played his first two years at Florida State, then went to Colorado for 2023, but is back in Tallahassee. He had 37 tackles and one sack last year for the Buffaloes.
Riley came off the bench at Auburn last year and had 31 tackles and 2.5 sacks, but had 64 stops for the Tigers in 2022. He committed to NC State this spring and flipped to FSU.
*****
Georgia Tech: C
Key additions: Zachary Tobe, S (Illinois); Jayden Davis, S (Cincinnati); Jordan van den Berg, DL (Penn State); Romello Height, OLB (USC).
Key subtractions: Khari Gee, S (uncommited); Jack Barton, DE (Connecticut); Eddie Kelly, DL (Missouri); Ayo Tifase, DL (uncommitted); James BlackStrain, WR (uncommitted); Eric Reed, CB (uncommitted); Gabe Forston, OL (uncommitted).
Outlook: Some teams lose backups and deep reserves in the winter portal, but Georgia Tech took the hit this spring.
Fifteen players departed the program, though some were players who arrived in the spring. Defensive end Barton had signed with Georgia Tech out of Furman, and is now going to Connecticut.
Tobe had 25 tackles and five passes broken up at Illinois last fall, and he has three years of eligibility in the secondary left. Davis is another freshman safety that arrives from Cincinnati.
Height had 21 tackles and four sacks for USC last year, and is originally from Dublin, Ga. He played in 2021 at Auburn.
*****
Louisville: B-
Key additions: Tramel Logan, DT (South Florida); Rene Konga, DT (Rutgers); Myles Jernigan, OLB (California); Richard Kinley II, OLB (Memphis); Dan Foster Jr., LB (Texas State).
Key subtractions: Marcus Washington, CB (Syracuse); Jermayne Lole, DT (Texas); Peny Boone, RB (Central Florida); Jaylin Alderman, LB (Miami); Tawfiq Thomas, DL (Colorado); Tyler Baron, DL (uncommitted).
Outlook: Few schools were as active in the winter as Louisville, but the roster changes kept coming this spring, but on a smaller scale.
Louisville had a few of the winter signings end up leaving after going through spring practice, with Boone the highest profile. The main priorities of the spring came on defense.
Rising senior defensive end Logan had 33 tackles, 1.5 sacks and one interception at South Florida. Foster had 52 tackles at Texas State, and was at Marshall his first three years.
Jernigan is a key addition at outside linebacker, and Konga showed some flashes at defensive tackle while playing at Rutgers.
*****
Miami (Fla.): A-
Key additions: Jaylin Alderman, LB (Louisville); Simeon Barrow Jr., DT (Michigan State); Samuel Brown, WR (Houston); Damien Martinez, RB (Oregon State); Dyoni Hill, CB (Marshall).
Key subtractions: Jayden Wayne, DE (Washington); Jacurri Brown, QB (UCF); Nyjalik Kelly, DE (UCF); Henry Parrish, RB (Ole Miss).
Outlook: Few teams in college football have been as active in the transfer portal as the Hurricanes, both in the winter and the spring. Sure, some nice potential players have departed, but they are far out-weighed by the newcomers.
Martinez is a major addition and has two years of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot, 232-pounder rushed 194 times for 1,185 yards and nine scores for Oregon State last year. He’ll combine with sophomore Mark Fletcher to form a potent 1-2 running punch.
Barrow had 36 tackles and 3.5 sacks, and brings another big body to the fold with winter transfer C.J. Clark of NC State.
Brown caught 62 passes for 815 yards and three touchdowns at Houston last fall. He played his first two years at West Virginia.
Hill is another value pickup, getting 55 tackles and an interception last year for the Thundering Herd.
*****
North Carolina: D
Key additions: Joshua Harris, DL (Ole Miss); Jacolby Criswell, QB (Arkansas).
Key subtractions: Tad Hudson, QB (Coastal Carolina); Ayden Duncanson, S (East Carolina); D.J. Geth, OL (Liberty); Chance Carroll, OL (Georgia Southern).
Outlook: UNC’s two additions were “fun” pickups due to their past ties to the Triangle area.
Criswell is a X-factor at quarterback because he did a nice job of pushing Drake Maye in 2022, but left for Arkansas when he didn’t win the job. Now, he’s back to join former LSU/Texas A&M quarterback Max Johnson and rising sophomore Conner Harrell in August.
Harris was a four-star prospect from nearby Roxboro (N.C.) Person, who signed with NC State. He was a backup nose tackle for the Wolfpack, but left a year ago for Ole Miss. North Carolina edged NC State in getting Harris this spring.
*****
NC State: C
Key additions: Chazz Wallace, NT (Colorado); Kerry Martin Jr., S (Akron); Donovan Kaufman, S/Nickel (Auburn).
Key subtractions: Julian Gray, WR/KR (Liberty); Nick Campbell, DL (uncommitted).
Outlook: NC State was heavily active in the transfer portal in the winter, but just looked to fine-tune the roster with a limited amount of scholarships to use this spring.
Adding Wallace to go with junior Brandon Cleveland should solidify the nose tackle position. Martin and Kaufman are insurance with returning defensive back Devan Boykin coming off a torn ACL last December.
Kaufman had 37 tackles, one sack and one interception for the Tigers, and Martin, a former WVU player, had 45 tackles and two interceptions last fall.
****
Pittsburgh: D
Key additions: Jeremiah Anglin Jr., S (Kentucky).
Key subtractions: Dayon Hayes, DE (Colorado); Solomon DeShields, OLB (Texas A&M); Samuel Okunlola, DL (Colorado); Christian Veilleux, QB (Georgia State).
Outlook: Pittsburgh lost 12 players to the second transfer portal window, and took some hits on the defensive side of the ball.
Defensive linemen Hayes and Okunlola picked Colorado, and DeShields at outside linebacker is headed to Texas A&M.
DeShields had 58 tackles and two sacks, and Hayes had 45 tackles and four sacks last fall. Okunlola chipped in 18 tackles and five sacks.
Veilleux, a former Penn State transfer, threw for 1,179 yards and seven touchdowns, but also eight interceptions, with the Panthers trying three different quarterbacks last year.
Anglin was a Rivals.com three-star prospect in the class of 2023 out of Lake Wales (Fla.) High, who picked Kentucky.
*****
Southern Methodist: B+
Key additions: Jared Harrison-Hunte, DL (Miami (Fla.)); Paris Patterson, OL (Arkansas); Andrew Chamblee (Arkansas); Qae’Shon Sapp, OL (East Carolina); Billy Walton, DE (Texas); Jaden Milliner-Jones, S (Colorado).
Key subtractions: Branson Hickman, OL (Oklahoma); Marcus Bryant, OL (Missouri); Bryan Massey, CB (Houston).
Outlook: SMU landed freshman All-SEC offensive lineman Chamblee from Arkansas, along with his teammate Patterson. Add in ECU’s Sapp and the offensive line got fortified.
Walton was a Rivals.com three-star prospect in the class of 2023, who arrives after attending Texas. Milliner-Jones had 24 tackles during his freshman year playing safety for Colorado.
Harrison-Hunte was a rotational defensive lineman the last four years at Miami (Fla.), and has nine career sacks.
*****
Stanford: D
Key addition: Griffin Waiss, TE (Washington).
Key subtractions: Kiersten Lee, LB (uncommitted); Benjamin Hudson, LB (uncommitted); Aaron Armitage, DE (uncommitted); Jimmy Wyrick, S (Texas-San Antonio).
Outlook: Stanford’s academics and NIL setup will likely always make it hard for the Cardinal to be a big player in the transfer portal.
The 6-5, 240-pound sophomore Waiss had one catch for 21 yards in 2022.
*****
Syracuse: B
Key additions: Marcus Washington, CB (Louisville); Justus Ross-Simmons, WR (Colorado State); Savion Washington, OL (Colorado); Clarence Lewis, CB (Notre Dame); Codie Hornsby, OL (Grambling); Jacob Zuhr, LS (Wake Froest).
Key subtractions: Joe More, OL (Arkansas); Juwan Price, RB (North Texas); Quan Peterson, CB (Coastal Carolina); Damien Alford, WR (Utah); Kevon Darton, DL (Arizona).
Outlook: The two Washington’s should make an instant impact, as should Ross-Simmons at wide receiver.
Savion Washington played at Kent State from 2020-22, and then started nine of 10 games at Colorado last year at right tackle.
Marcus Washington brings good size to the secondary at 6-1 and 200 pounds, and went to Georgia his freshman year, and then Louisville. He was ranked No. 140 overall in the class of 2022 by Rivals.com coming out of Grovetown (Ga.) High.
Ross-Simmons, who is from Rochester, N.Y., is coming back home. The 6-3, 205-pounder caught 45 passes for 724 yards and three scores. He’ll help replace Alford, who had 33 catches for 610 yards and three touchdowns last year.
****
Virginia: D
Key addition: Ethan Sipe, OL (Dartmouth).
Key subtractions: Delaney Crawford, QB (uncommitted); Grady Brosterhous (uncommitted).
Outlook: The addition of Sipe, who has two years of eligibility remaining, will provide some depth to the offensive line. He started all 10 games at right tackle last fall, and was a backup in 2021.
****
Virginia Tech: D
Key additions: Collin Schlee, QB (UCLA).
Key subtractions: Dylan Wittke, QB (Minnesota); Antonio Cotman Jr., CB (Charlotte); Tralon Mitchell, RB (uncommitted); Gabriel Arena, OL (uncommitted).
Outlook: Virginia Tech lost a quarterback and gained one in Schlee of UCLA.
The 6-3 rising senior threw for 217 yards and two touchdowns, and he rushed 42 times for 425 yards and four scores this past fall. He played his first three years at Kent State, and threw for 2,109 yards and 13 touchdowns, plus five interceptions in 2022, along with 492 rushing yards and four scores.
*****
Wake Forest: D
Key additions: None.
Key subtractions: DaShawn Jones, CB (Alabama).
Outlook: Wake Forest was semi-active in the winter session, but relatively quiet in the spring.
Losing Jones was a blow to the secondary. He had 37 tackles, three interceptions and two passes defended this fall. The 6-foot, 181-pound sophomore will be a solid addition to Alabama.