Four Intriguing Transfer Portal Players That Stanford Should Pursue

Troy Taylor and his staff have shown a willingness to use the transfer portal as Stanford looks to ascend back to prominence

The college football transfer portal officially opened on December 4, and as you would expect madness has ensued. 

There are well over 1,000 players (and counting) who have entered their names into the portal, and while Stanford won't be bringing in the biggest transfer class, they can still improve their roster. As we saw this season which saw Stanford finish 3-9 in Troy Taylor's first season as head coach, the team is extremely young and inexperienced at just about every position.

We have also seen and heard from Taylor himself that Stanford will be using the portal. It is unclear what their ceiling is with their current academic restrictions but the fact they are willing to use it is a step in the right direction. Heading into this past season, they brought in six transfers and if they want to better their chances of competing in the ACC in year one, they will need to attack the portal again. 

Here are four transfer portal players that Stanford needs to land if possible in order to bolster their roster! 

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Stanford Helmet  / James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Jalen Travis, Offensive Line, Princeton 

There are a couple of ways to look at Stanford's offensive line performance in 2023, the unit was inexperienced and was for the most part a group who were backups the year prior that got much much-needed run. Or, you can look at it and say while they were inexperienced, they also were one of the weakest units in the country. Finding quality linemen in the portal isn't easy and a lot of other Power 5 programs are in the market, so Stanford's best bet may be the Ivy League route again. The 6-foot-9 Princeton Transfer Jalen Travis has the size and could help sure up Stanford's line. He also is the younger brother of former Stanford basketball star Reid Travis. 

Notre Dame WR Ricio Flores / D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

Rico Flores, Wide Receiver, Notre Dame

Notre Dame has seen a mass exodus in their wide receiver room, and as many Stanford fans know they often go after the same recruits. Rico Flores was someone Stanford offered but missed on. He is someone who not only shined in his freshman season, recording 27 catches for 392 yards and a score, but he's someone Troy Taylor is familiar with. Flores hails out of Folsom, which is where Taylor was the long-time head coach before he jumped to the college ranks. Adding Flores to pair with Elic Ayomanor and Tiger Bachmeier would give Stanford one of the better-receiving trios in the country.

Georgia Tech DB Kenan Johnson  / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Kenan Johnson, Corner, Georgia Tech 

The Cardinal lost their entire secondary after the 2022 season, and while they do have some promising young defensive backs in Collin Wright and Jshawn Frausto-Ramos, but Georgia Tech transfer Kenan Johnson is both experienced and productive. Stanford ranked No. 129 in the country in passing yards allowed, and while that position group should develop further with more experience, it wouldn't hurt to have someone who forced three turnovers help bolster the defense. 

Zeke Correll  / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Zeke Correll, Center, Notre Dame

Another lineman who will certainly be a hot commodity, but would be a huge addition for Stanford. He has started over 20 games during his time at Notre Dame, and while Levi Rogers was Stanford's best offensive lineman at center, he can shift over to guard where he was recruited to play. The more Stanford's offensive line improves, the more effective the run game will be, which opens up the passing game.