What's the portal picture for Georgia after its first spring loss? (2024)

The 2023-24 transfer portal cycle is on pace to be another record-setting one, with 2,100 scholarship college football players already in the portal at the FBS level. So far, nearly 1,400 have announced commitments as we enter the 14-day spring transfer window from April 16-30.

Which big names do you need to know ahead of the portal deadline? In an effort to help you keep track of who’s going where and which top transfers are still on the market, The Athletic ranks the best available players in the portal.

Transfers are ranked based on their experience, production, potential, interest they’re generating and feedback from coaches throughout the country. This is a fluid list that we’ll constantly update as players make decisions, so be sure to keep this one bookmarked.

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ATHENS, Ga. — The college football spring transfer portal window opens on Tuesday, and Georgia got its first news a bit early: Andrew Paul, a second-year running back, told On3Sports that he will be entering the portal.

It’s not a huge shock: Georgia has seven scholarship running backs, and Paul was at best third on the depth chart. But he had shown promise after missing his freshman season when he tore his ACL during 2022 preseason practice.

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With 51 seconds left on the clock in October at NC State, a frenetic Dabo Swinney urged his offense to pick up the pace from the sidelines.

Clemson had just gotten a critical first down, crossing midfield. Trailing 24-17, the Tigers had a chance to tie the score or win.

As Swinney gesticulated, all but begging his team to move faster, Clemson finally snapped the ball. But the first two plays resulted in a combined loss of 9 yards, and then quarterback Cade Klubnik’s pass fell incomplete.

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College football’s transfer portal opens again on Tuesday and closes on April 30, giving players the option to find new landing spots and teams the chance to shore up any personnel deficiencies for the fall.

As of Sunday morning, the 18 Big Ten schools had 299 football players enter the transfer portal during the previous cycle, according to player entries compiled by On3 and totaled by The Athletic. These numbers reflect the 2023-24 cycle that began Dec. 4, 2023, through Jan. 2, 2024, and extends throughout this spring for players who entered the portal after their seasons concluded in January, their coaches left for another job or are graduate transfers.

Of those transfers, 217 found new homes, 29 withdrew from the portal and two opted for the NFL Draft. Those schools added 153 commitments or enrollees during that cycle.

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Our Until Saturday podcast crew shares its thoughts on what to expect during the spring portal. Check out the full episode here.

This is not a sentence one expects to type: The NCAA meant well. And yes, it really did, but this being the NCAA, even when it does something that makes sense, the unintended consequences make it backfire in spectacular fashion.

And not surprisingly, it has to do with the transfer portal.

You may have heard, assuming you have working internet service, that Nick Saban recently retired. That came after the most recent transfer window had closed for non-graduate students. But the NCAA had foreseen this — again, an unexpected turn of phrase — and instituted a rule that allows players whose coaches leave the program an additional 30 days to enter the transfer portal.

And so more than a few Alabama players have done so. Receiver Isaiah Bond bolted quickly for Texas. Safety Caleb Downs appears headed for Georgia. More have left and more probably will. But the Saban effect didn’t stop at Alabama.

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Welcome to the era of unlimited transfers in college football.

Administrators and coaches have been putting it off for as long as possible, but it’s here. The rules limiting players to one transfer with immediate eligibility have been suspended since December and will likely be eliminated this week. Transfers are up almost 20 percent among FBS scholarship players from this time last year. The average Power 5 team has signed more than 10 transfers this offseason. And the spring transfer window opens on Tuesday.

In this evolving portal era, programs take different approaches to attacking that opportunity. Everyone must decide who they want to be when it comes to transfer recruiting, finding a strategy that fits their institution and ambition. As the action resumes, here’s a closer look at the five prominent styles of portal shopping you’ll see in the next two weeks.

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