Carolinas Transfer Portal Sees Relatively Mild Activity

This season of Carolina’s football was neither great nor terrible. When teams find themselves in the middle of no-man’s land, transfer portal activity tends to also be uneventful. Big names don’t leave programs in droves and those teams are not at the top of the list of attractive candidates for high-end entrants. Mostly it is made up of players who are depth pieces or have little eligibility left and are seeking one last chance to make an impact. Transfers can be impacted by a coaching change or another transfer entering a player’s program and taking his spot.

There are noteworthy exceptions. The highest profile news coming out of the Carolinas was Clemson recruiting two players, DE Blake Heldt, formerly of Purdue, and WR Tristan Smith, formerly of Southeast Missouri State, becoming Head Coach Dabo Swinney’s first two non-quarterback graduate transfers. From a roster standpoint, it was not a seismic transaction. From a cultural perspective, it is potentially program changing. The development was so stunning, little was noted about the Tigers only losing four players to the portal.

From a player standpoint, the transfer of former Duke QB Maalik Murphy departing the Blue Devils after his record setting season was surprising as any move. His transfer caught observers by surprise. His portal experience has been equally baffling. Murphy, who arrived in Durham after a stint with Texas, initially committed to Kentucky, but abruptly pivoted his commitment to Oregon State. As of now, he has not signed with the Beavers. Murphy’s absence was quickly filled by Darian Mensah, who brings his 2,723 yards passing, 22 touchdowns, and three years of eligibility, with him from Tulane. He will be handing the ball to RB Anderson Castle who joins Duke from App State.

Not due to a transfer, but all eyes are on the North Carolina program after the dismissal of long-time head coach Mack Brown and the shocking hiring of the legendary Bill Belichick to replace him. Whenever there is a coaching change, roster turnover often follows. It is very later in the recruiting process and the new head man is left with the prior coach’s commitments. The transfer portal is the most efficient manner to shape the roster to the incoming coach’s philosophy. This is the case with the Tar Heels. Fourteen players left Chapel Hill via the portal while ten new players arrived in the same manner. The new players arrived from diverse programs such as Holy Cross and Alabama. Six of the new arrivals are on offense, three on defense, and one kicker. The bulk of these players will be counted on for depth and experience. Of the departing players, a pair of offensive linemen, Andrew Rosinski and Howard Sampson, will create the largest playing time voids.

When a program finishes with a 2-6 conference record and tied for 14th in the ACC standings, turnover will occur. Wake Forest finished worst among the Carolinas P4 teams. Talented players become targets of more successful programs, and bigger NIL deals. The Demon Deacons will have a new head coach in Jake Dickert. As previously noted, coaching changes are another prime catalyst for players to enter the portal. When the exodos occurs, the coaching staff hope it does not cause too much harm to the depth chart. For Wake Forest, the portal claimed three starters— WR Horatio Fields, TE Harry Lodge, and OL Nick Sharpe. Barring a significant NIL payout, programs such as these are not very attractive to impact transfers. Dickert hopes that Tennessee transfer WR Kalen Webb can at least duplicate his 16-116 production from this season. It might be a campaign or two before more players are drawn to Winston-Salem than look to leave.

Teams that lobby hard to be selected to participate in the College Football Playoff and have yet to play their bowl game usually are not heavily impacted by the transfer portal. South Carolina finds themselves in this position in advance of their appearance in the Citrus Bowl against Illinois. The Gamecocks had 15 players submit their names to the portal. Eight of the 15 are offensive players with four WRs, three TEs, one RB, and one QB. While that might sound like part of a Christmas carol, the good news is that with the exception of back up QB Robby Ashford, those players registered minimal snaps in 2024. Three of the new arrivals in Columbia have interesting backstories. Former Bowling Green TE Jordan Dingle entered the portal twice before pulling the trigger. He was the backup to All-American Harold Fannin, Jr and with Fannin of to the NFL, he would have benefitted by receiving the increased targets. Now he joins a crowded and competitive tight end room in South Carolina. A pair of former four-star Edge rushers, Jaylen Brown from Missouri, and Shawn Murphy of Florida State, hope to reinvigorate their former lofty status.

NC State is a team who’s season was neither exceptional nor awful. Head Coach Dan Duerson’s squad finished 6-7 overall and tied for 10th in the ACC’s twenty-team conference standings. Not surprisingly, the middle of the road Wolfpack experienced middle of the road activity in the portal, at least from a numbers standpoint. The bad news for Duerson, one of the players headed out was ACC Rookie of the Year, WR Kevin Concepcion. Concepcion took his 53-460 and two touchdowns with him to Texas A&M. His departure was probably motivated by a lucrative NIL deal in College Station. NC State has also lost their top punt returner to the portal. In 2024, Jalen Coit returned 22 punts for 215 yards. These departures, especially Concepcion, bring a bitter end to the Wolfpack’s season which ended with a thud in a last-minute 26-21 loss to East Carolina in the Military Bowl, a game marred by a brawl resulting in eight ejections between both teams.

The transfer portal isn’t just a nuisance for P4 programs. In fact, a successful team from the likes of the AAC is ripe for poaching from deeper pocketed, higher visibility, conferences. These conferences can offer better NIL deals and greater exposure that can increase a players draft profile. It provides college blue bloods a do over on players they did not evaluate properly when they were in high school. East Carolina is feeling the sting of that reality. LB Zakye Barker was the Pirates’ defensive signal caller. In addition to being counted on to relay formations to his teammates, he also contributed 86 tackles, 12 of which were for loss. CB Isaiah Brown-Murray had to step up when star CB Shavon Revel, Jr was lost to injury. Revel is a likely first round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and Brown-Murray was being counted on to lessen the blow Revel leaving for the NFL. The loss of the two transfers and Revel will leave a significant void in the ECU defense.

The offense did not escape unscathed. Second leading receiver Chase Sowell also entered the portal. Sowell led the team with a 19.94 yards-per-catch average. He was second on the Pirates in receiving yards with 678. His three touchdowns were tied for third most. Sowell’s numbers are not eye popping, but they were good enough to garner an offer from Iowa State. His transfer is an example of even complimentary players who can find interest from perceived bigger programs in the arms race that is the portal.

The winter transfer portal window closed on December 28th. That is not the end of the activity. Another 30 day window opens on April 16, 2025. Players currently in the portal may commit to another program at any time. Spring practice will produce a new set of depth charts and hurt feelings. More names will become available in April. Players, often through representatives, will declare their intentions. Coaching staffs that spend months on the road courting high school players as young as 15, now have to spend their dwindling free time either keeping players in house or chasing their replacements off a computer spreadsheet. Fun times, indeed. Welcome to the 24/7/365 nature of roster building, NCAA style.