Top under-the-radar players to know in the transfer portal
The transfer portal has no shortage of big names, including quarterbacks Kyle McCord (Ohio State), Riley Leonard (Duke) and Cam Ward (Washington State).
Among the lesser-known names, here are nine to know.
Georgia State running back Marcus Carroll
2023 stats: 12 games | 274 carries, 1,350 yards, 13 touchdowns; 23 receptions, 234 yards
Carroll held his own against an LSU defense that, despite its glaring weaknesses, still has future NFL talent. He had 15 carries, 87 yards and a touchdown with a season-high four receptions for 51 yards. He was one of the most explosive running backs in the country, tied with Troy's Kimani Vidal for the most rushes of 10 yards or more (46), per Pro Football Focus.
Ball State linebacker Clayton Coll
A lower leg injury in the season opener against Kentucky ended Coll's season, giving the senior a sixth year of eligibility. With the Cardinals, Coll established himself as a strong tackler. Data from PFF shows Coll tied for the lowest missed tackle rate (4.3 percent) in the country among the 50 linebackers with the most defensive snaps last season after ranking third (6.7 percent) in 2021.
Toledo quarterback DeQuan Finn
2023 stats: 13 games | 201-of-317 (63.4 percent), 2,657 yards, 22 touchdowns, nine interceptions; 123 carries, 563 yards, seven touchdowns
Finn led Toledo to back-to-back MAC championship game appearances, winning in 2022, its first conference title since 2017. The dual-threat quarterback has a strong arm and quick release, which he demonstrated in this year's 23-14 MAC title game loss to Miami (Ohio).
His ability as a runner allows him to create offense when plays break down and makes him a difficult matchup to defend in the red zone.
Bowling Green cornerback Jalen Huskey
2023 stats: Six passes defended, four interceptions, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble and recovery
Arguably the best corner in the portal, Huskey was named First Team all-MAC this season. Per PFF, quarterbacks had a 44.6 passer rating when targeting Huskey, completing only 25-of-45 attempts (55.6 percent) for 279 yards and one touchdown to go along with the four interceptions. PFF also credited the 6-foot-1 corner with 13 "stops," or tackles that resulted in a failure for the offense, making him one of the best run-defending cornerbacks this season, too.
South Alabama wide receiver Caullin Lacy
2023 stats: 12 games | 91 receptions, 1,316 yards, seven touchdowns
Lacy led the Sun Belt in receiving and punt return yards (210), and the speedster can be a devastating deep threat at his next stop. In the Jaguars' stunning 33-7 romp over Big 12 runner-up Oklahoma State earlier this season, Reel Analytics notes he reached a top-speed of 20.1 miles per hours on a 57-yard touchdown.
Indiana wide receiver Donaven McCulley
2023 stats: 12 games | 48 receptions, 644 yards, six touchdowns
The massive 6-foot-5 McCulley joined the Hoosiers as a quarterback but moved to wide receiver in 2022 and looked fully acclimated this year, particularly on this absurd one-handed touchdown grab against Wisconsin.
McCulley was a four-star quarterback recruit out of high school and has the talent to be lethal by taking snaps out of the wildcat. Seriously, watch this run when he was a freshman and tell us a defender wants to try to tackle him.
UTSA edge rusher Trey Moore
2023 stats: 12 games | 17.5 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, one interception, one forced fumble and recovery
The sophomore edge rusher wreaked havoc in UTSA's first season in the American, leading the conference in sacks and tackles for loss. On Nov. 29, he was named AAC Defensive Player of the Year, and we like his odds of being in the running for Defensive Player of the Year honors at his next conference stop, too.
Last season, while in Conference USA, Moore (No. 31) showed his quickness and relentless pursuit on these two plays: a tackle for loss on Louisiana Tech running back Marquis Crosby and a sack on UAB quarterback Jacob Zeno.
Western Kentucky guard Quantavious Leslie and center Vincent Murphy
Hilltoppers quarterback Austin Reed was kept clean on 77.4 percent of his drop-backs this season, and Leslie and Murphy were the two biggest reasons why. According to data from PFF, Leslie and Murphy combined to play 1,043 pass-blocking snaps and allowed no sacks and only 16 pressures.
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