Top New College Football Transfers In Spring Portal

The transfer portal is once again open and a handful of big names seek greener grass in the college football landscape.

The spring transfer window opened April 15 following spring camp for many teams. The expectation was that the flood gates would again be opened and countless names would seek greener grass. That turned out not to be the case. (Except at Colorado, but we'll tackle that later.)

But that's not for naught and some notable names jumped in the portal. Let's dive into the biggest current names to know.

Top College Football Transfers In Spring Portal

Tyler Buchner, QB, Notre Dame

© Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

Last year's Week 1 starter in South Bend suffered an injury in Week 2 and missed most of the season. Sam Hartman transferred in this winter and will almost assuredly be the starting QB to open the season.

Buchner hit the portal following Notre Dame's spring game on April 22, but left the option to return open. "After discussions with Coach Freeman," Buchner's Twitter post said, "remaining at Notre Dame is thankfully an option I'm continuing to consider."

Top landing sports for Buchner include Alabama – where his OC at Notre Dame, Tommy Rees, now coaches – and Florida.

Dae Dae Hunter, RB, Liberty

© Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Hunter transferred to Liberty following an implosion of the program's coaching staff. After the 2022 season – which included an implosion of the program's coaching staff – Hunter considered the portal again. He withdrew, but decided to re-enter following spring camp.

Battling injury last season, Hunter still rushed for 854 yards and eight touchdowns in nine games. He's also a terrific pass catcher and explosive in space.

Hopefully, Hunter finds a home with a coaching staff staying more than one season. A sensible landing spot would be Auburn, where his 2022 coach, Hugh Freeze, now coaches.

Emmanuel Pregnon, OL, Wyoming

After much thought I have officially decided to enter the transfer portal. Time to level up‼️🚨 #DontSleep

COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICAN/Mid-Season All-American (Guard) 3 years of eligibility. #NCAAFOOTBALL #TransferPortal @ON3
6’6 318 28% Body Fat pic.twitter.com/YvTVVGkbOn

— Emmanuel Pregnon (@PregnonEmmanuel) April 15, 2023

Wyoming fielded a stud offensive line last season and was bound to return all five starters in 2023. Until Pregnon hit the portal.

Hours after announcing his intent to transfer, the Freshman All-American had offers from about every Power Five school in the nation. His most recent offer, USC, seems to be the frontrunner to land him.

Other offers include LSU, Oregon, UCLA, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Penn State, Tennessee... you get the idea.

Alton McCaskill, RB, Houston

© Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports

McCaskill missed the entire 2022 season after tearing his ACL in the spring. It was a blow to the talented back, who rushed for 960 yards and a ridiculous 16 touchdowns as a true freshman. He was primed to be the starting running back for Houston as they transition into the Big 12.

Perhaps he wants to remain in the American, or that his starting spot was in jeopardy following spring camp. The Cougars did not host a spring game, so speculation is all we have with this one.

He's the second starter from UH to hit the portal this offseason, the other being all-conference offensive lineman Cam'Ron Johnson.

Jordan Hudson, WR, TCU

© Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Hudson – TCU's top recruit in 2022 – saw limited action last season behind an extremely experienced and talented receiving corps. The Frogs flipped his commitment from SMU when coach Sonny Dykes took the job in Fort Worth.

He joined TCU as a four-star high school recruit out of Garland, Texas.

According to On3's grading, Hudson is the top transfer available, with a strong projection back to SMU. SMU is the only school closer to his hometown than TCU. Auburn is also in the running.

Jalil Tucker, CB, Oregon

Tucker didn't get on the field much in 2022 and hit the portal ahead of Oregon's spring game (played April 29). He's a high four-star recruit out of San Diego and was heavily recruited, choosing Oregon over Washington, Florida State, Nebraska, Arkansas, and more.

247Sports' assessment of the rising RS freshman corner tabs him as a future Day 2 NFL Draft pick, compared to Darius Slay, an NFL All-Pro. Tucker also runs track.

Currently, his recruitment is wide open, with no projections on On3 or 247Sports yet.

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