Breaking down the former five-stars in the transfer portal
The transfer portal has been open now for a few days and a good amount of former five-stars prospects have jumped in. Here is a breakdown of those players as more could jump in the pool soon as well:
Ranked as the second-best defensive tackle in the 2022 class (behind only Walter Nolen, who also went in the transfer portal from Texas A&M to Ole Miss) and ninth overall, Alexander is back in the portal after playing two seasons at USC and one at Georgia. Alexander made something of a controversial decision to opt into a redshirt year after playing only three games for the Trojans this season. Originally from Texas, the Longhorns intrigue him and there’s been reporting he could visit SMU this week along with Penn State, Oregon and possibly Georgia again getting in the mix.
Arnold waited behind Dillon Gabriel last season before Gabriel transferred to Oregon and the keys were handed to the former five-star quarterback – for a few games – before getting benched in favor of Michael Hawkins, who then lost the starting job back to Arnold in something of a bungled situation in Norman this season. With basically no healthy receivers (and Arnold wasn’t faultless, either), the five-star dealt with an offensive coordinator fired midseason as he threw for 1,421 yards with 12 touchdowns and three picks. Auburn is making a serious run at him and Mississippi State is as well since he has a connection to coach Jeff Lebby (the former Oklahoma OC) and Georgia has been mentioned some as well.
In a recruiting class that was led by Brandon Inniss, Zachariah Branch and Carnell Tate, Cook was another five-star receiver but his time at Texas did not last long. In early November, Cook left the Texas program in a “mutual decision” as the receiver room was crowded with elite players and many of them transfers. Cook is a dynamic playmaker but never really found his niche in Austin as he had just eight catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns this season. Oregon and Texas A&M have been mentioned as two landing spots and the Aggies would be interesting (ironic maybe) since a Cook video went viral when he was in high school about him not seeing trophies in their facility during a recruiting trip.
There have not been many tight ends in Rivals history dating back to 2002 who looked as good as Gilbert, a 6-foot-5, 248-pound tight end who looked like he was chiseled from marble. But some off-field incidents and other issues dramatically sidetracked his career and now he’s looking for one final chance by entering the portal. Gilbert was the top-ranked tight end and No. 9 prospect in the 2020 Rivals250 who played at LSU and then planned to transfer to Florida only to land at Georgia and then Nebraska but he was ruled ineligible so he hasn’t played since 2022.
North Carolina beat out Georgia, Texas A&M and Ohio State for Grimes, ranked as the third-best cornerback in the 2020 Rivals250 behind Elias Ricks and Kelee Ringo. The five-star played in Chapel Hill for three seasons but then his career has been topsy-turvy as he transferred to Texas A&M for the 2023 campaign but was sidelined with an injury and landed at UNLV this season where he totaled 20 tackles and six pass breakups.
An early Florida commit, Humphrey backed off that pledge and chose Georgia over Texas A&M and LSU late in his senior season in a recruitment that was trending toward the Bulldogs for a while. After a great all-star event, Humphrey earned his five-star status and finished as the fifth-best corner in the class that was led by Michigan’s Will Johnson. But Humphrey lost out on playing time to Daniel Harris with the Bulldogs this year and the word is that the Aggies could now be the front-runner to land him this time around.
Ranked only behind elite receivers Jeremiah Smith, Ryan Williams and Cam Coleman in the 2024 position rankings, Hudson was the crown jewel of the Texas Tech recruiting class and it seemed like he could be an immediate star in Lubbock. But with some talented receivers coming back, Hudson struggled to get on the field and finished with only eight catches in eight games. After all the work to get him to play for the Red Raiders, Hudson is back on the market and he’s coming off a visit to Texas A&M. The Aggies do look strong to land the five-star receiver but other visits could take place first.
Nwaneri had a little bit of a wild recruitment as he was considered a Georgia lean and then it looked like Oklahoma would land him for sure before the five-star defensive end picked Missouri in the summer before his senior season. Once under consideration for the No. 1 overall player in the 2024 Rivals250, Nwaneri ended up eighth but the top defensive end but he lasted only one season in Columbia. In four games, Nwaneri had just two tackles and one sack this season before decided to depart.
In his two years with USC, Robinson showed flashes of what he could become in the passing game but has not dominated like a potential first-round pick would as a pass-catcher. The fluid 6-foot-6, 220-pound receiver/tight end finished with 23 catches for 396 yards and five touchdowns this season and came on late as Jayden Maiava found him often in the passing game. USC beat out Georgia for Robinson, the top-ranked tight end in the 2023 class so the Bulldogs could be a team to watch. Nebraska could also make a run at him because quarterback Dylan Raiola is looking for more weapons and the two know each other from Phoenix (Ariz.) Pinnacle.
