Skill position talent captures most of the attention on college football game days, but in order to win at the highest level, teams cannot afford to come up short in the trenches. Defensive alignments continue to shift in an era when getting pressure on the quarterback is of the utmost importance, and in turn, some of the best and most influential players for the 2024 season reside at the edge rusher spot. Formidable interior defensive linemen are also still tremendously important as the first line of defense against the run game.
There is a great disparity between supply and demand in defensive line recruiting, and that was quite apparent on the 2024 transfer market, where many of the biggest winners in this year’s portal cycle are the ones who acquired game-changing help up front.
The likes of Walter Nolen, Nic Scourton, Princely Umanmielen, Trey Moore and others are in line for huge roles on College Football Playoff-contending rosters after they joined new teams via the transfer portal.
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Below are the top 20 defensive linemen and edge rushers in the transfer portal and where they landed ahead of the 2024 season.
20. XZAVIER MCLEOD, GEORGIA
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 91 Rating | No. 94 Overall | No. 8 DL
Former School: South Carolina
Georgia was one of the first programs to extend a scholarship offer to Xzavier McLeod as a high school prospect, and the relationships the Bulldogs built with him dating back to 2021 paid off as he chose to transfer to the program after one year at South Carolina. He played sparsely as a true freshman and now provides depth to the UGA defensive front with four years of eligibility remaining. McLeod logged an assisted tackle and interception in a Week 2 win over Furman last fall.
19. JACK KELLY, BYU
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 91 Rating | No. 93 Overall | No. 12 Edge
Former School: Weber State
Former FCS standout Jack Kelly is a rising star at BYU, where he makes his power conference debut in 2024. He is already among the most athletic players on the Cougars’ roster and could immediately be one of the most disruptive pass rushers in the Big 12. He played in 28 games at Weber State and racked up 85 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and 16.5 sacks, wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks at an incredible rate. Kelly also has a strong track record in the takeaway department with five forced fumbles and an interception on his ledger.
18. BJ GREEN, COLORADO
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 91 Rating | No. 83 Overall | No. 7 DL
Former School: Arizona State
All-Pac-12 defensive lineman BJ Green was en route to Washington before Kalen DeBoer left to take the Alabama job, and after the coaching change, he flipped his commitment to Colorado. The trenches were a major offseason area of need for Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes, and Green offers ready-made playmaking ability to a unit that could use a veteran presence like his own. He played in 36 games throughout his Arizona State career and started all 12 contests last season, racking up 11.5 tackles for loss and six sacks in his best year of college football to date.
17. KOREY FOREMAN, FRESNO STATE
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 91 Rating | No. 73 Overall | No. 11 Edge
Former School: USC
With two more years of eligibility ahead of him, Korey Foreman still has plenty of time to turn himself into the dominant pass rusher that made him a five-star prospect and top-three overall recruit in the 2021 class. He could be in for a career resurgence at the Group of Five level.
“There’s still an excellent defensive lineman somewhere in Korey Foreman,” 247Sports’ Chris Hummer said earlier this spring. “Fresno State needs to bulk him up and kick him inside.”
16. TYLER BARON, MIAMI
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 71 Overall | No. 10 Edge
Former School: Tennessee
Tyler Baron had himself a busy offseason and perhaps the wildest transfer process of any prospect in the 2024 cycle. The former Tennessee edge rusher entered the portal in December, initially committed to Ole Miss then flipped to Louisville ahead of spring practices. He worked out with the Cardinals throughout camp and again hit the portal during the spring window, eventually selecting Miami as his destination for the upcoming campaign. Baron’s road to Coral Gables was about as far from straightforward as they come.
15. JAXON HOWARD, MINNESOTA
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 70 Overall | No. 9 Edge
Former School: LSU
Jaxon Howard was the top-ranked recruit in the state of Minnesota during the 2023 recruiting cycle, and he considered the in-state Golden Gophers during that initial process. After spending his freshman season at LSU, Howard transferred to play for P.J. Fleck after all. He redshirted during his first year of college football and therefore brings four years of eligibility with him to his home state, and there exists a path to playing time right away at his new program.
14. QUENCY WIGGINS, COLORADO
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 64 Overall | No. 6 DL
Former School: LSU
Quency Wiggins was a significant loss for LSU and perhaps an even bigger gain for Colorado. The rising defensive lineman left a noticeable hole in a Tigers defensive front that needs to take a step forward this season, but he also fills a similar need for the Buffaloes. The sample size on his production is still quite modest as Wiggins played in nine games with no starts as a true freshman last season at LSU, but across his seven tackles and one stop behind the line of scrimmage, he showed the disruptiveness that comes with a seven-foot wingspan.
13. CASHIUS HOWELL, TEXAS A&M
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 60 Overall | No. 8 Edge
Former School: Bowling Green
While Nic Scourton stole the show in spring camp as a potential game-changer for the Texas A&M defense, fellow pass rusher Cashius Howell did not rank far behind him in the 2024 transfer cycle and further elevated the Aggies’ defensive end depth. The Bowling Green product is unlikely to start in 2024 but projects as a key piece of the rotation on the Texas A&M defensive front after he tied for the MAC lead and ranked 16th nationally last season with 9.5 sacks.
12. FADIL DIGGS, SYRACUSE
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 56 Overall | No. 7 Edge
Former School: Texas A&M
Fadil Diggs is the instant leader of the Syracuse pass rush and an absolute gem for new head coach Fran Brown, who flexed his muscles as the nation’s reigning top recruiter with this acquisition. Diggs was a two-year captain at Texas A&M and started 20 games over the last two seasons, racking up 16 tackles for loss and seven sacks in that span. The Orange could cause chaos as an ACC sleeper team for years to come if it continues to pick up this kind of impact talent.
11. SAMUEL OKUNLOLA, COLORADO
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 52 Overall | No. 5 DL
Former School: Pittsburgh
Colorado again put together a massive transfer class and picked up a gem in Samuel Okunlola. The former Pittsburgh lineman is the crown jewel of Deion Sanders’ second portal haul, and while he alone would bring improvement to the Buffaloes’ defensive play, he also projects to get plenty of help from his fellow newcomers on the front seven. Okunlola tied for the team lead in sacks last season at Pittsburgh with five and still has three years of eligibility remaining as a budding star.
10. JOEY SLACKMAN, FLORIDA
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 49 Overall | No. 4 DL
Former School: Pennsylvania
Florida made a couple of splashes in the spring window when they secured a pair of top-50 transfers in Jason Zandamela and Cormani McClain, but for much of the offseason, Joey Slackman was the headliner of the Gators’ class. The FCS product amassed 50 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and four sacks at Penn last season and should be ready to go for the 2024 season after he underwent season-ending surgery last fall to repair a torn bicep.
9. RJ OBEN, NOTRE DAME
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 42 Overall | No. 6 Edge
Former School: Duke
This new addition to the vaunted Notre Dame defense may just be a star hiding in plain sight. As one of the catalysts behind Duke’s defensive breakthrough over the last two seasons, RJ Oben brings tremendous upside to a Fighting Irish unit that, despite boasting some of the nation’s top star power on that side of the ball, ranked towards the middle of the pack in sacks (44th) and tackles for loss (65th) in 2023. Oben tallied 14.5 sacks in his three-year Blue Devils career.
8. MARVIN JONES JR., FLORIDA STATE
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 93 Rating | No. 38 Overall | No. 5 Edge
Former School: Georgia
Marvin Jones Jr. might be on the verge of a breakout season. The new Florida State pass rusher made his presence known in the spring game when he forced a pressure on quarterback DJ Uiagalelei and nearly snagged an interception. He held just a limited role over his two seasons at Georgia (one start across 25 appearances) but finally has a path to the starting lineup after the Seminoles lost their top defensive linemen to the NFL.
7. LT OVERTON, ALABAMA
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 93 Rating | No. 30 Overall | No. 3 DL
Former School: Texas A&M
LT Overton committed to Alabama weeks before Nick Saban announced his retirement and elected to remain with the program throughout its coaching change. That was a key early victory for Kalen DeBoer, who retained a former five-star recruit on the defensive line. Playing time came early and often for Overton at Texas A&M as he totaled 48 tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack across 23 games as a freshman and sophomore, and the best may still be yet to come for a player who reclassified during his recruitment from the 2023 class to the 2022 cycle.
6. CAIDEN WOULLARD, OKLAHOMA
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 93 Rating | No. 28 Overall | No. 4 Edge
Former School: Miami (Ohio)
Caiden Woullard is a physically imposing edge rusher who turned heads in Oklahoma’s spring camp, and he climbed in the final transfer portal rankings when his rating increased from 91 to 93. The jump from the MAC to the SEC is steep, but Woullard dominated at the lower level and should settle in nicely on the Sooners’ defense — even against a brutal schedule. He racked up 9.5 sacks at Miami (Ohio) last season and was a premier target during the transfer portal’s winter window when he held numerous power conference offers.
5. JAMAREE CALDWELL, OREGON
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 93 Rating | No. 25 Overall | No. 2 DL
Former School: Houston
Jamaree Caldwell put together one of the best overall performances by an interior defensive lineman in the Big 12 last season. The redshirt senior is set to take his talents to Oregon and the Big Ten in 2024. Caldwell recorded 26 total tackles, including 8.5 for loss and 6.5 sacks (which ranked fifth-most in the Big 12) despite playing in only 11 games. The former junior college prospect spent two seasons in Houston after a one-year stint at Independence Community College in Kansas. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
4. TREY MOORE, TEXAS
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 93 Rating | No. 23 Overall | No. 3 Edge
Former School: UTSA
Trey Moore was an unrated prospect in the 2021 recruiting class and received only four FBS offers. Now, he is a key piece of a potential College Football Playoff roster. That is a tremendous rise up the ladder for the former UTSA standout, who landed at Texas on the heels of a monster year in which he ranked third nationally in sacks (14) and 11th in tackles for loss (17.5). Moore is a fast-rising star who filled a position of need for the Longhorns at the edge rusher spot.
3. PRINCELY UMANMIELEN, OLE MISS
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 94 Rating | No. 18 Overall | No. 2 Edge
Former School: Florida
Princely Umanmielen was far from the reason Florida missed a bowl game last season. He jumped ship after developing over four years with the Gators and landed at an SEC rival program in Ole Miss. Umanmielen fills a position of great need for the Rebels, whose defense got immensely better this offseason in no small part because of his arrival. The transfer portal’s No. 2 edge rusher racked up seven sacks and 11.5 total tackles for loss in a career-best 2023 season.
2. NIC SCOURTON, TEXAS A&M
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 94 Rating | No. 15 Overall | No. 1 Edge
Former School: Purdue
While Texas A&M secured numerous instant-impact players in the early days of the Mike Elko era, none came with the magnitude of the Nic Scourton addition. He was always the top edge rusher in the portal from the day he hit the open market, and deservedly so, as he led the Big Ten in sacks last season with 10. Scourton obliterated the Aggies’ shorthanded offensive line in the spring game and posted 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in a thrilling debut in front of the Texas A&M faithful.
1. WALTER NOLEN, OLE MISS
Transfer Profile: 5-Star | 99 Rating | No. 3 Overall | No. 1 DL
Former School: Texas A&M
Few transfer portal acquisitions compare to the one Ole Miss pulled off with Walter Nolen. Not only was he the top prospect on the market for quite some time, but he also is a perfect fit for the Rebels, who last year ranked 71st nationally against the run at 152.8 yards per game. Assuming Nolen and his beastly interior presence spark improvement in that area, Ole Miss could be in for another one of the best seasons in school history. The first-year Rebel will have a huge say in the College Football Playoff race.
