The college football transfer portal’s spring window closes next week and there are several highly-rated players who remain uncommitted. The portal will reopen for two weeks in May. For now, the 11 best available players include three quarterbacks, a couple of wide receivers, and several defenders in the trenches. College football transfer portal rankings 2023 Washington QB Sam Huard highlights best 11 available players
RELATED: Jose Mourinho: Net worth in 2023, salary, current club, age, wife, son and daughter
Several top-end transfers came off the board over the past week with commitments, including South Carolina edge Jordan Burch (Oregon), Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong (NC State), and Oregon wideout D’onte Thornton (Tennessee). The highest-rated available quarterback now is Washington’s Sam Huard, who entered the portal this week.
Florida State currently holds the nation’s top-ranked transfer class with nine players, including former South Carolina tight end Jaheim Bell, edge rusher Gilber Edmond and Miami defensive lineman Darrell Jackson. College football transfer portal rankings 2023 Washington QB Sam Huard highlights best 11 available players
As of Jan. 12, here are the best available players on the market.
1. DANTE CEPHAS, WR, KENT STATE
Overall transfer rank: No. 26
Cephas says he wants to be enrolled at a school in January. ESPN’s Pete Thamel recently reported that Pittsburgh has emerged as the expected landing spot for the portal’s best available player. Cephas signed with Kent State in the 2019 class and had a breakout season in 2021 when he caught 82 passes for 1,240 yards and nine touchdowns. This season, he followed it up with 48 receptions for 744 yards and three touchdowns. College football transfer portal rankings 2023 Washington QB Sam Huard highlights best 11 available players
2. ARLAND BRUCE, WR, IOWA
Overall transfer rank: No. 97
Bruce was the second Iowa wide receiver who entered the portal last month, joining former four-star Keagan Johnson. Bruce, who has been one of Iowa’s primary wide receivers through the past two years, finished this season with 19 receptions totaling 187 yards and a touchdown. He also carried the ball 12 times for 47 yards and a touchdown. Iowa’s offense took steps back in 2022 and it was a struggle to get anything going, especially through the air. College football transfer portal rankings 2023 Washington QB Sam Huard highlights best 11 available players
3. SAM HUARD, QB, WASHINGTON
Overall transfer rank: No. 107
Huard, the son of former NFL quarterback Brock Huard, was a coveted prospect for the Huskies, but playing behind Michael Penix Jr., who is one of the Heisman frontrunners for the 2023 season, he said playing time meant something to him. College football transfer portal rankings 2023 Washington QB Sam Huard highlights best 11 available players
“I was definitely back and forth. Before the bowl game, I was leaning toward that I might get in the portal after the season,” Huard said this week. “Being down (in San Antonio) I was like ‘I love this place a lot’ and it was just a back and forth deal for the past couple of weeks and I think, ultimately, I made my decision two nights ago and just kinda decided this was going to be my decision and just kinda weighing all the options and trying to take the emotion side out of it and look at it the best way possible, from a business standpoint, and just doing what I have to do what’s best for me and my life right now and my future in college football.” College football transfer portal rankings 2023 Washington QB Sam Huard highlights best 11 available players
4. LEVI BELL, DL, TEXAS STATE
Overall transfer rank: No. 119
One of the portal’s possible hidden gems, according to Chris Hammer, Bell is a converted linebacker and former Louisiana Tech transfer who dominated this season up front for Texas State. The Bobcats noticed Bell right away because he is from nearby Cedar Park, Texas. They saw that Bell had 13 pressures in just four games — a rare pressure rate from the inside — and they saw him flash in Louisiana Tech’s season opener against Mississippi State. That game showed Texas State Director of Player Personnel Connor Anderson that Bell could hold up against the best competition. College football transfer portal rankings 2023 Washington QB Sam Huard highlights best 11 available players
“The first thing that stands out about Levi is his motor,” Anderson said in an interview with 247Sports. “He’s nonstop. There were even a few plays against Mississippi State against a first-round left tackle (Charles Cross), where they might have him on the ground, but he just gets up and keeps going. Every play is the exact same speed.” College football transfer portal rankings 2023 Washington QB Sam Huard highlights best 11 available players
5. DAMIEON GEORGE, OL, ALABAMA
Overall transfer rank: No. 143
Damieon George — 6-foot-6, 333-pound offensive lineman — only played in two games this season, appearing in the first two contests of the year against Utah State and Texas. This comes after he played in 12 games during the 2021 campaign, including three starts. George started at right tackle in Alabama’s final regular-season games against New Mexico State, Arkansas and Auburn. Elsewhere, in the right system, George could be a Day 1 starter. College football transfer portal rankings 2023 Washington QB Sam Huard highlights best 11 available players
6. SPENCER SANDERS, QB, OKLAHOMA STATE
Overall transfer rank: No. 147
Sanders entered the portal in December after four seasons as Mike Gundy’s starter in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and the latest indications suggest the ex-Cowboys signal-caller may be SEC bound. Thamel reported on Jan. 2 on College GameDay that Auburn and Ole Miss have expressed interest in Sanders, who guided Oklahoma State to 12 wins and a Big 12 Championship Game appearance during the 2021 season. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Sanders started for the Cowboys each of the last four seasons. He has thrown for 9,553 yards in his career to go along with 67 touchdowns, but those numbers came with inconsistent play. Turnovers were an issue — especially early in his Cowboy career — Sanders committed 40 interceptions during his Oklahoma State.College football transfer portal rankings 2023 Washington QB Sam Huard highlights best 11 available players
7. TRUMAN JONES, EDGE, HARVARD
Overall transfer rank: No. 173
Florida State and Miami were in on Jones after his entry into the portal following the 2022 season, per reports from 247Sports insiders. He was a team captain at Harvard this season and led the team with six sacks and 13 tackles for loss in 10 games. He also blocked three kicks on special teams. According to 247Sports’ updated transfer rankings, Jones is the highest-rated edge rusher still on the market. College football transfer portal rankings 2023 Washington QB Sam Huard highlights best 11 available players
8. MARQUIS ROBINSON, DL AUBURN
Overall transfer rank: No. 181
Auburn Auburn Undercover reports that Robinson, one of the highest-rated players in Auburn’s 2021 class, entered the portal last January before withdrawing his name three months later. He missed all of the spring practice as a result. He re-entered the portal following the 2022 season in December. Robinson appeared in only two games this season, registering just two tackles. He was one of a mass exodus of players with intention to leave Auburn following the firing of Bryan Harsin and hiring of Hugh Freeze to conclude 2022. College football transfer portal rankings 2023 Washington QB Sam Huard highlights best 11 available players
9. JUAN POWELL, CB, ECU
Overall transfer rank: No. 209
247Sports Crystal Ball: N/A
a part-time starting safety and cornerback with ECU, entered the portal on Jan. 6. Powell spent the past four seasons with the Pirates, accumulating 113 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two picks and four pass breakups. He has two years of eligibility remaining. Igoe notes that according to sources, “Powell left the team at halftime of the Birmingham Bowl win over Coastal Carolina in Birmingham on Dec. 28. Powell was on the field for pregame warmups and played two special teams snaps in the first half, but did not return to the field in the second half and was not present for the postgame celebration.” College football transfer portal rankings 2023 Washington QB Sam Huard highlights best 11 available players
10. DECOLDEST CRAWFORD, WR, NEBRASKA
Overall transfer rank: No. 211
Crawford entered the portal in December after an ankle injury his freshman season kept him off the field. Crawford caught 150 passes and tallied more than 2,200 receiving yards in his high school career as a three-star prospect and was recruited to Nebraska by Mickey Joseph. Crawford recently posted an update from Jackson State after what appeared to be an official visit to Deion Sanders’ former program. College football transfer portal rankings 2023 Washington QB Sam Huard highlights best 11 available players
11. HANK BACHMEIER, QB, BOISE STATE
Overall transfer rank: No. 213
Boise State’s starting quarterback this season for the first month. Bachmeier was in the middle of his fourth season with the Broncos, having up-and-performances through four games.Tim Plough after a loss to UTEP. Through four games, Bachmeier had completed 54.3% of his passes for 497 yards and six touchdowns to three interceptions. In four seasons (29 games) with Boise State, Bachmeier totaled 6,605 yards for 41 touchdowns to 19 interceptions and a 61.5% completion rate. College football transfer portal rankings 2023 Washington QB Sam Huard highlights best 11 available players
2023 NFL Draft underclassmen tracker: List of college players declaring early
College football season is officially in the rearview mirror, and some of the top underclassmen around the country are announcing their intentions for the 2023 NFL Draft. The deadline for players to declare for the draft is Monday, Jan. 16. College football transfer portal rankings 2023 Washington QB Sam Huard highlights best 11 available players
Last year saw 100 underclassmen declare early for the NFL Draft, including 73 players who were granted special eligibility and 27 players who had college eligibility remaining but notified the league that they have fulfilled their degree requirements. Twenty-two of those early entrants went on to be selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, including nine of the top 10 overall picks. College football transfer portal rankings 2023 Washington QB Sam Huard highlights best 11 available players
The 2023 NFL Draft is scheduled to be held in Kansas City from April 27 through April 29. The first round will take place April 27, followed by the second and third rounds April 28 before concluding with the final four rounds April 29.
