College football transfer portal live updates: Spring commitments, latest moves, analysis

Ru’Quan Buckley, the Nebraska offensive lineman who entered the transfer portal last week, is headed to Michigan State, as On3 first reported.

Buckley, a grad transfer with two seasons of eligibility, came to Nebraska from Wyoming, Mich. He played D-line for two-plus seasons before moving to offense in November. He had made strides on that side of the ball into the spring, according to coaches and teammates.

Texas has landed a commitment from San Jose State transfer cornerback Jay’Vion Cole. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound cover man transferred up from FCS Cal Poly to SJSU and was one of the top corners in the Mountain West and one of the best available this spring. Cole became a key need for the Longhorns after returning starter Terrance Brooks opted to transfer this spring.

Alabama transfer safety Peyton Woodyard has announced his commitment to Oregon. Woodyard was the No. 8 safety and No. 115 overall recruit in the class of 2024 and enrolled early with the Crimson Tide. The California native hit the portal after going through spring practice with Alabama’s new coaching staff and adds to an already impressive portal class for the Ducks, who just landed Michigan State transfer DT Derrick Harmon on Friday.

Oklahoma transfer WR Gavin Freeman is switching sides in the Bedlam rivalry and has committed to Oklahoma State. The wideout joined the Sooners as a walk-on and earned a scholarship going into his sophomore season. Freeman caught 19 passes for 95 yards, scored two TDs and was an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection as a punt returner. We haven’t seen these transactions often in the rivalry, but Oklahoma State DE Trace Ford did transfer to OU last year.

TCU transfer defensive tackle Damonic Williams has committed to Oklahoma, he announced Thursday.

The 6-foot-2, 290-pound lineman was No. 2 in The Athletic’s rankings of the best available players in the transfer portal and chose the Sooners over LSU, Texas and Missouri.

Williams, a former three-star recruit from California, developed into one of the Big 12’s best young defensive tackles with the Horned Frogs. He became a starter at nose tackle as a true freshman, earned Freshman All-America honors during the Horned Frogs’ run to the College Football Playoff title game in 2022 and started 27 consecutive games in his two seasons with the program.

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USC transfer offensive lineman Jason Zandamela has announced his commitment to Florida. The 6-foot-3, 306-pound center was one of the Trojans' top recruits for 2024, with multiple services ranking him as the No. 1 interior line prospect in the country. Zandamela enrolled early but decided to leave the program and move closer to home in Florida, choosing the Gators over UCF. He was the No. 5 player in our latest best available rankings.

Western Kentucky cornerback Anthony Johnson Jr. has officially withdrawn from the transfer portal. That's great news for the Hilltoppers' coaching staff. Johnson was No. 20 in our best available rankings and one of the top starting corners in FBS last season according to Pro Football Focus grading.

Some significant portal news for Michigan: WR/DB Amorion Walker is coming back after spending the spring at Ole Miss. Walker started his career on offense, then switched to defense last year and was in the mix for a starting cornerback job before Josh Wallace emerged as a starter. Coaches raved about his athleticism at 6-feet-3, and given Michigan’s need for a bigger outsider receiver, offense would seem like the natural spot for him this time around.

Former Maryland, Toledo and (briefly) Louisville running back Peny Boone has committed to UCF. The 2023 MAC offensive player of the year at Toledo was No. 12 in our best available ranking after spending the spring at Louisville and going back into the portal. He rushed for 1,400 yards and 15 TDs last year.

The Knights have added a slew of Power 4 transfers this offseason once again, and UCF expects to take a step forward in its second Big 12 season next year.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The transfer portal is officially closed, and the Ohio State Buckeyes had a relatively quiet window this time around.

After losing 19 players in the winter, Ohio State lost just six this spring, running back Dallan Hayden, safeties Ja’Had Carter and Cedrick Hawkins, offensive lineman Enokk Vimahi, wide receiver Kyion Grayes and linebacker Nigel Hayes.

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UCLA transfer QB Collin Schlee has committed to Virginia Tech. Schlee was a starter at Kent State prior to joining the Bruins for one season. That’s a great depth add for the Hokies to complement returning starter Kyron Drones.

A third Ohio State player has hit the portal today, before the deadline. Linebacker Nigel Hayes, who transferred to Ohio State last summer from Northwestern, is going back into the transfer portal. Hayes did not play last year after arriving in the summer and did not have a direct line to playing time for the Buckeyes this season with Cody Simon, Gabe Powers, C.J. Hicks, Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles all ahead of him on the depth chart.

He is the third Buckeyes player to enter the portal today and the fifth overall in the spring window. Ohio State now has 81 scholarship players, so it has room to add multiple players from the portal before the summer begins.

Arizona State transfer CB Ed Woods has committed to Michigan State. Woods was the No. 10 player in our best available ranks and one of the more talented corners available. Many expected him to land at Alabama as soon as he hit the portal, but the Spartans were able to get an official visit after the Tide and locked him up.

Wake Forest CB DaShawn Jones has entered the transfer portal. Jones was a returning starter who led the Demon Deacons with three interceptions last season. That's a tough hit at the deadline for a secondary that was already trying to replace two NFL Draft picks in Malik Mustapha and Caelen Carson. There are a bunch of Power 5 teams on the market for corners right now.