Ranking the 10 biggest DL transfers this offseason

The spring transfer portal window is closed and a lot of movement has come to an end as rosters are being finalized for the fall.

Here is a look at the 10 biggest defensive line acquisitions from the transfer portal this offseason.

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THIS SERIES: Ranking the 10 biggest QB transfers of the offseason | RB transfers | WR transfers | TE transfers | OL transfers

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The five-star defensive tackle saw a major upward trajectory in his first two years at Texas A&M where he improved in every category but especially in tackles for loss (2.5 to 8.5) and sacks (one to four). After coach Jimbo Fisher’s firing, Nolen decided to hit the portal but he’s staying in the SEC, landing at Ole Miss as the Rebels have a legitimate shot to play for the national title.

Ole Miss loaded up in the portal for a run at the College Football Playoff and another big name – and the most productive on defense – is Umanmielen, who totaled 98 tackles and 14.5 sacks during his four-year career at Florida.

Umanmielen only has one year of eligibility remaining so he’s going to have to leave it all on the line for the Rebels which should be one of the best teams nationally.

Rated as the third-best defensive lineman in the portal, ahead of some former five-stars and high four-stars, Slackman had 49 tackles (11.5 for loss) and four sacks last season at Penn. There have been plenty of players that have taken a big step up in competition and still excelled but this will be a massive one from the Ivy League to the SEC so we’ll see how much he can help the Gators.

The second-to-last five-star in the 2022 class, Overton reclassified from 2023 and then picked Texas A&M where he hasn’t lived up to his billing but still has a ton of time ahead of him now with the Crimson Tide.

In two seasons in College Station, Overton totaled 48 tackles but only one sack.

A major recruiting battle took place between Oklahoma and LSU mainly for Williams, who finished with 33 tackles and three sacks this past season at TCU. A three-star in high school who had been committed to Cal before flipping to TCU, Williams became an immediate contributor in Fort Worth and after two seasons found his new home along Oklahoma’s defensive line.

The five-star who was once committed to Clemson but ended up at USC with such high expectations never saw it materialize and saw his career going nowhere with the Trojans. He had 2.5 sacks as a freshman and then was hardly playing in his third season.

A fresh start at Fresno State – still relatively close to home with an opportunity to play right away – could be what Foreman needs to restart his career and back up his five-star ranking.

The new Syracuse coaching staff under first-year coach Fran Brown has utilized the portal really well to land players from esteemed programs such as Georgia, Texas A&M and Alabama with Diggs being one of the biggest.

The former four-star from Camden (N.J.) Woodrow Wilson (a big connection to Brown there since he’s from the same city) totaled 36 tackles and four sacks at Texas A&M last season before leaving after coach Jimbo Fisher was fired.

Colorado is still looking to rebuild its entire team mostly through the transfer portal and the Buffaloes did some phenomenal work landing Hayes from Pittsburgh. The former four-star prospect from Pittsburgh (Pa.) Westinghouse finished with 45 tackles including a team-high 10.5 for loss this past season, as he should immediately boost Colorado’s defensive line presence.

A few years ago, Jared Verse transferred from Albany to Florida State and parlayed that into a first-round NFL Draft pick a few weeks ago. Could Juncaj be on the same path? Arkansas is certainly hoping so as Juncaj totaled 55 tackles and an amazing 15 sacks last season at Albany.

It’s a huge step up to the SEC but Juncaj clearly has elite skills and could be a major contributor for the Razorbacks.

A five-star prospect who finished No. 16 overall in 2022 and was the third-best strongside defensive end behind Dani Dennis-Sutton and Mykel Williams, Wiggins did not see his career take off at LSU so he hit the portal and is headed to Colorado.

There’s no question from a physical standpoint, Wiggins has all it takes to be a special player with the Buffaloes and beyond but he did not have a really impactful time at all in Baton Rouge.