Top Non-QB Offensive Players in the 2023 College Football Transfer Portal
by Brad Shepard · B/REverybody is focused on the quarterbacks in the transfer portal, and rightfully so. There are enough top-tier dudes who can sling the ball around and make a difference for teams across the country.
But the guys under center aren't the only ones moving from one place to another.
Offensive playmakers abound this portal season, and highlighting that group are waves and waves of pass-catchers who could go somewhere and become WR1. As a matter of fact, there are probably 25 receivers who could have made this list; it's just a matter of preference.
There are strong tight ends, a handful of good running backs and even a few offensive linemen who are going to start bidding wars among Power Five teams.
As players started entering the transfer portal on Monday, big name after big name became available. It's free agency in college football, and while the signal-callers are the headline-makers, plenty of others will make waves, too.
Here are the top offensive players in the transfer portal who won't be throwing the ball in 2024.
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Note: This list consists of players who were available in the portal as of Dec. 6.
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Chase Bisontis, Texas A&M Offensive Lineman
For the second year in a row, Texas A&M is seeing a mass exodus of players hit the transfer portal.
Last offseason, it was after Jimbo Fisher's top-rated class members were first-hand witnesses to a pedestrian Aggies team falling short on the field and the buzz beginning that the coach's job was in jeopardy. This year, it's fallout from Fisher getting fired.
Regardless, several talented former Aggies are going to make somebody else very happy. Perhaps none of them could make as quick of an impact as offensive lineman Chase Bisontis.
The New Jersey native was a top-100 prospect who headed south for his college days and immediately found himself in the starting lineup as a true freshman. While his pro potential may be best-suited as a guard, Bisontis started all 12 games for the Aggies at right tackle.
That versatility will make him a hot commodity. He's not only super-talented, but he can play across the line and has the potential to be dominant.
The 6'3", 315-pound lineman held his own in the SEC this past year, and while several schools could enter into the mix (Who wouldn't want a top-caliber O-lineman with three years of eligibility?) AggiesWire.com's Jarrett Johnson says to watch out for Rutgers.
Bisontis arguably would be Scarlet Knights coach Greg Schiano's biggest recruit at the flagship school of Jersey. Others that are closer to his home that could potentially get involved are Penn State, Ohio State and Maryland. He will have plenty of options.
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Raleek Brown, All-Purpose Athlete
If you want somebody who can do it all, go after Raleek Brown.
The 5'8", 185-pound offensive dynamo got a bit lost in the shuffle with so many playmakers at USC, and his skill set was a bit overshadowed this season by electrifying freshman Zachariah Branch, but Brown is the ideal player who could benefit from a change of scenery.
If he goes somewhere where they'll get the ball in his hands, he can do a lot of things well—and get there quickly doing it.
The Santa Ana, California, native came to the Trojans to play running back and largely played that role as a freshman in 2022. However, he was shuffled to wide receiver this year and opted to redshirt his sophomore season while dealing with a hamstring injury. The good thing is he can play both, and he also can impact the game on special teams.
It appears he will probably play running back at his next stop, and while it's unclear where he will go, options won't be a problem. With three seasons of eligibility left, there's a lot of meat left on the bone of his ability.
Wherever he goes, Brown is going to be in the mix for offensive touches, and that means he's going to produce. He's too explosive not to. He's one of the most underrated players in the portal who can make a quick impact.
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Deion Burks, Wide Receiver
When the Jeff Brohm era at Purdue gave way to Ryan Walters, the offense-centric philosophy left West Lafayette.
Unfortunately for the Boilermakers, so have the wins (at least for now), and while the former Illinois defensive coordinator is building his program, there are going to be some bumps along the way. One of the biggest was the entry of Deion Burks into the transfer portal.
The star pass-catcher is one of the top targets in the portal and already has reportedly gotten offers from Texas, Auburn, Miami, USC, Utah, Washington, and Oregon, among others.
The offer list at this early juncture is growing, but the interest from top schools everywhere shows just what a commodity Burks will be. As he begins scheduling visits, Burks is going to have some important decisions to make. He will be as coveted as any player out there.
Even though there are a bunch of difference-making receivers in the portal, the 5'11", 195-pound sophomore from Michigan has an elite skill set and a bunch of upside with two seasons of remaining eligibility.
On a poor offense this past year, he was Hudson Card's top weapon, catching 47 passes for 629 yards and scoring seven touchdowns.
If you extrapolate those numbers on an excellent offense, Burks could be the centerpiece of a potential national title contender. He's going to have that level of impact.
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Marcus Carroll, Running Back
Scouting running backs out of high school is hit-or-miss, and you never quite know which ones are going to hit and become stars and which ones will fall flat.
Even though the transfer portal is a great place to get some proven ones, there aren't a whole lot of dudes out there who have proven they can churn out numbers on a college stage.
The best of the bunch is Georgia State running back Marcus Carroll, the Union City, Georgia, native who was eighth nationally in total rushing yards with 1,350 yards. He also scored 13 touchdowns for the Panthers, and he was an every-down back for the Group of Five team.
If you want a game-breaking runner, the 5'10", 210-pound senior doesn't really seem like your guy on the surface. His numbers indicate he's more of a between-the-tackles yard-chewer, and he averaged fewer than five yards per carry.
But don't be fooled. He tied with Troy's Kimani Vidal for the most rushes of 10 yards or more with 46. He also had 138 total yards against LSU, so he has shown he can do well against Power Five competition.
The first-team All-Sun Belt selection is the most productive player at his position to enter the portal so far, and while there may be some young runners who have more upside, Carroll is a veteran who has performed consistently and is looking for a place to prove he belongs in the NFL.
He would be a nice add for most anybody.
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Julian Fleming, Wide Receiver
It's hard not to get lost in the shuffle at Ohio State, where there are wide receivers galore who rank among the nation's top talents at the position.
When you consider the Buckeyes have churned out guys like Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka recently, there's a good reason why you haven't heard a ton from Julian Fleming.
It still was far from a disappointing career with the Buckeyes, and now the former 5-star is going to start fresh elsewhere. While with Ohio State, he caught 79 passes for 963 yards and seven touchdowns in 38 games.
In 2022, he was third on the team with 533 yards and six touchdowns on 34 catches but took a back seat to some talented newcomers this year.
Will he look to head back home to Penn State to finish his career? Others mentioned by TrojanWire's Donovan James are USC, Tennessee, Texas A&M, North Carolina, Clemson, Ole Miss, Michigan State, Florida and Florida State.
In other words, there are a whole lot of teams that like what they've seen from the 6'2", 210-pound receiver to step in and fortify their receiver room for a season.
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London Humphreys, Wide Receiver
One of the young guys in the transfer portal with an explosive upside who you may not have heard a whole lot about is former Vanderbilt receiver London Humphreys.
This past year, Humphreys got to display his ability on a big stage against some stellar competition, and as the Clark Lea era has really failed to get off the ground in Nashville, the receiver will look to continue his career elsewhere for a better team.
The same can be said for fellow Commodores receiver Will Sheppard, who was the more productive of the two and also has gone portal-ing.
Humphreys is somebody lots of quality teams are excited about, because the 6'3", 186-pound Nashville native was only a freshman this past year and caught 22 passes for 439 yards and scored four touchdowns.
He is a big-play machine waiting to happen. He's reportedly visiting Georgia this weekend, according to UGASports.com's Anthony Dasher. The Bulldogs may be the favorite, but 247Sports' Robbie Weinstein said Tennessee and Kentucky are also going to go after him.
Sheppard may have the production and be the better all-around receiver right now, but Humphreys was somewhat new to the sport when he committed to Vanderbilt. He displayed the size, speed and athleticism that turned heads in his first year.
This is a guy with a ton of incredible football left to play, and SEC teams from all directions are coming calling.
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Justin Joly, Tight End
You may not have heard of Connecticut tight end Justin Joly, because the Huskies were a pretty awful offense this year in Jim Mora Jr.'s second season.
But the 6'3", 232-pound tight end from West Rochelle, New York, was the biggest star on that team, catching 56 passes for 578 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His best game came in a 59-3 loss to Tennessee at Neyland Stadium where he had eight catches for 89 yards.
That made so much of an impression on coach Josh Heupel and Co., that the Vols were one of his first offers, and he's visiting Knoxville this weekend along with former Notre Dame tight end Holden Staes, according to 247Sports' Ryan Callahan.
With three seasons of eligibility remaining, lots of teams will come after Joly. He told Callahan that Tennessee tight ends coach Alec Abeln said he could be a "matchup problem."
According to reports, North Carolina State, Colorado, USC, Auburn, SMU, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisville, Mississippi State, Arizona State and others have offered Joly, and he is going to be a great fit somewhere.
While he needs a little more seasoning blocking in the run game, Joly is the type of pass-catcher who can split out and be a terror in space. He put up big numbers for the Huskies out of necessity, but he could be a weapon in the right system.
This is the tight end with the most upside in the portal.
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Josh Kelly, Wide Receiver
No matter who Josh Kelly played against this year, the former Washington State wide receiver produced.
As Cameron Ward's top target in coach Jake Dickert's offense, Kelly was targeted often and made play after play for a team that got lost in a deep Pac-12.
Now with the Cougars getting left out of the conference realignment shuffle and forced to play a hybrid Mountain West and Power Five schedule, Kelly wants out of Pullman and will take his talents elsewhere for the remainder of his eligibility.
The 6'1", 192-pound pass-catcher just finished his fifth year of college football and has one season remaining to make a major impact. This is a player who caught 61 passes for 923 yards and scored eight times a year ago against quality competition, far and away his most productive season.
Back in 2021, Kelly had 778 receiving yards and has enjoyed a sterling career that started at Fresno State.
While some receivers may have a higher upside than him, the steady veteran with big-play potential has a Power Five resume where he has been a major playmaker. He's going to have his options on where he wants to go.
Somebody is going to be getting a talent who can change their receiver room in a hurry.
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Caullin Lacy, Wide Receiver
Electrifying playmakers are hard to come by, and sometimes they manifest themselves in lower levels and become Group of Five stars that are on a different playing field than their counterparts.
These days, the transfer portal allows those players to showcase their talents on a larger level. Players like Devontez Walker (Kent State to North Carolina) and Jacob Cowing (UTEP to Arizona) are a couple of recent examples.
This year's best-receiver-you-don't-know mantle should go to South Alabama pass-catcher Caullin Lacy.
The 5'10", 190-pound junior from Mobile has been a star for the Jaguars the past two seasons. After amassing 813 yards and six touchdowns a season ago, he caught 91 passes for 1,316 yards and scored eight times this season. He was also a stud punt returner and ran 20 times for 112 yards as coach Kane Wommack looked for ways to get him the ball.
The first-team All-Sun Belt player was fifth nationally in catches and receiving yards. On the biggest stage of the season, he had 151 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 33-7 win over Oklahoma State, so stunning on a Power Five level isn't anything new. He'll wind up playing for a major.
This is the type of dynamo who can impact the game in a lot of ways, and teams from across the country will be lining up to try to convince him to look their way.
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Donaven McCulley, Wide Receiver
With Curt Cignetti heading to Indiana, the Hoosiers are about to get a lot better on offense as soon as he can get his system and players in place.
Unfortunately for those in Bloomington, that may take a while. The Hoosiers lost promising freshman quarterback Brendan Sorsby to the portal, and his top pass-catching playmaker Donaven McCulley is heading out, too.
At 6'5", 200 pounds, the Indianapolis, Indiana, native possesses terrific size, and he has a great catch radius and makes things happen once he gets the ball in his hands. As a junior this past season, he caught 48 passes for 644 yards and scored six times.
He arrived at IU as a star prep quarterback prospect, but he was moved by coach Tom Allen pretty quickly, and he has blossomed as a receiver.
In '23, once Indiana opened up the offense a little with Sorsby under center, McCulley thrived. This was really the first time he'd done anything since arriving in Bloomington.
Now, he will go somewhere else to play his final two or three seasons. He'll have plenty of suitors.
Since entering the transfer portal on Nov. 27, McCulley has reported offers from Penn State, NC State and South Carolina. He also has plans to visit Kentucky this weekend, according to 247Sports director of recruiting Steve Wiltfong, via Tyler Calvaruso.
Somebody is going to get a big talent just scratching the surface of what he can do with his athleticism at the position.
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Monroe Mills, Offensive Tackle
Being able to get a true road-grading future NFL star offensive lineman from the transfer portal isn't very easy, but when you have the opportunity to do so, college football programs swoop in like vultures over roadkill.
You can believe Texas Tech offensive lineman Monroe Mills is going to have tons of suitors who want him to come fortify their offensive fronts.
After spending his first two seasons at Oklahoma State, Mills transferred to Texas Tech where he anchored the Red Raiders line, making 10 starts at right tackle in 2022 and 12 starts at left tackle this season.
The 6-foot-6, 315-pound lineman has two seasons of eligibility left, and while everybody is going to come calling, you have to wonder if he has any interest in going back home to Columbia, Missouri, to play for Eli Drinkwitz's Tigers. After getting his degree while in Lubbock, Mills can head anywhere without a penalty.
When you have the potential to get a player who has started 22 games for a Power Five program at the all-important tackle position, you go after him. So, this is going to be one of the biggest battles this portal season.
Whoever gets Mills will get a player with a potential NFL future who can step in and be a key player for at least one season and maybe two. Offensive tackles aren't the highest-profile recruiting battles, but they are among the most important—and everybody needs them.
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Ethan Miner, Offensive Line
The North Texas Mean Green didn't have the best season under first-year coach Eric Morris, but they did improve and weren't an easy out for opponents. One thing is certain, too: They had some dudes on offense.
Ja'Mori Maclin, the team's top receiver, is looking for greener pastures and easily could have made this list. Unfortunately for Morris, another stalwart has entered the portal and is sure to land at a big-time program—offensive guard Ethan Miner.
The 6'2", 296-pound interior lineman could play center or guard. He's likely to settle at center, as there isn't anyone available at that position who is better than Miner. Most everybody who needs a center wants him.
The West Hartford, Connecticut, native originally played for Arkansas State before transferring to North Texas. In 2023, he was the nation's No. 2 highest-graded center, according to Pro Football Focus.
Mississippi State, Arkansas, UCF and others are hot on the trail of Miner, who will reportedly visit Starkville this weekend. He would be a nice pull for new coach Jeff Lebby. The connection there is that his former O-line coach at North Texas, Cody Kennedy, is now on the Bulldogs' staff, according to 247Sports' Chris Hummer.
"It would be nice to go to a school where I know somebody, because when I moved to Arkansas State I don't have any family down here," Miner said. "Now we've moved to Texas away from my wife's family after I hit the portal (from Arkansas State). It seems small, but it's nice to at least know somebody when you're so far away from family."
He could solidify an SEC offensive line in a hurry, even if it is for just one year.
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Raheim "Rocket" Sanders, Running Back
The last two players on this list are two of the most talented. They also both just happen to have super-cool nicknames that folks know them by even moreso than their given name.
While the transfer portal has some potential impact runners in there such as Marcus Carroll and Deamonte "Chip" Trayanum, no runner has more talent than former Arkansas back Raheim "Rocket" Sanders.
At times during the past couple of years in Fayetteville, he transformed the Hogs' offense when he was in there. The problem is he simply couldn't stay healthy in 2023. If he does next year, he is going to be a near-guarantee 1,000-yard rusher.
The 6'2", 238-pound back has just one year of eligibility, but his incredible 2022 season when he was completely healthy shows just what kind of ceiling he brings when he is on his game.
That year, he rushed for 1,443 yards and 10 touchdowns to go with 28 receptions for 271 yards and two more scores, doing it all and helping quarterback KJ Jefferson make the Razorbacks an offensive threat at times.
That wasn't the case in a forgettable '23 season. Now, as the Hogs, hot-seat coach Sam Pittman and new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino await news on whether Jefferson will stay at Arkansas or go elsewhere, they get word their biggest playmaker is headed elsewhere.
Sanders will be one of the hottest commodities on the market.
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Antwane "Juice" Wells, Wide Receiver
Arguably the best non-quarterback offensive player in the transfer portal is former South Carolina wideout Antwane "Juice" Wells, who is a big-play threat every time he gets his hands on the ball.
Throughout his career with the Gamecocks, he made big play after big play. The 6'1", 208-pound pass-catcher's biggest highlight came in 2022 when he stunned a Tennessee team that looked like it may be headed to the College Football Playoff with an 11-catch, 177-yard performance in the Gamecocks' 63-38 win.
He broke the Vols' hearts, and now he may be suiting up in orange and white. If he does, the question becomes, "Which shade?"
Wells played his first two collegiate seasons at James Madison before he decided to head to Shane Beamer's program before the '22 season. After an explosive first year in Columbia, Wells got injured early this season and never recovered.
Now, he's looking to finish his college career where he can be the star on a bigger stage and parlay that into NFL riches. Lots of teams are going to be after him, and Wells is one of the most dynamic players out there.
Whoever gets him should look to get him the football 80 times in '24. He can be an All-American in the right system, so watch out.
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