As the college football season winds down, so begins a new cycle of players entering the transfer portal to explore their options for the 2025 season. As of last Friday, the total number of FBS entrants was approaching 2,000, a mark that is on pace to smash the 1,561 FBS players who submitted their names during the portal’s inaugural 2018-2019 cycle.
With all of that being said, perhaps no program has done a better job of simultaneously acquiring quantity and quality than the Texas Tech Red Raiders. We’ll touch on other programs that made impressive moves this portal cycle at the conclusion of this focus, but let’s dive into what makes Tech’s focus so impressive.
The Red Raiders are an easy place for me to place my focus – I’ve been fairly vocal about their efforts thus far. Perhaps the best aspect of Tech’s haul in the portal is the fact that they don’t have to spend big on a quarterback, and while I don’t have any concrete knowledge or evidence of their financial standings and capabilities, it wouldn’t surprise me if Behren Morton’s services were coming at a cost lower than that of some of the high-end names in the portal at that position (which, for what it’s worth, is not an indication of his abilities).
Not having to spend big for a passer allows teams to allocate those resources elsewhere, especially in the form of assistance of said triggerman as Tech has done. On the receiving end of Morton’s passes next season will be new tight end, Terrance Carter (Louisiana-Lafayette), and wide receiver, Reggie Virgil (Miami-OH). Carter’s 48 receptions for 89 yards and four touchdowns ranked him tied for first, second, and tied for second respectively amongst his Ragin Cajun teammates, all while sharing targets with another pass-catcher who has also transferred up to the Power 4 level this cycle. The 6-foot-2, 239-pounder will be a great addition to an offense losing two senior tight ends. A tight end had the seventh-most targets in new offensive coordinator, Mack Leftwich’s system at Texas State last year but I would expect that to look differently in 2025.
As for Virgil, the 6-foot-4, 190-pound wideout was a product of the fairly common Year 3 breakout: after recording just two receptions in his first two seasons, Virgil exploded for 41 receptions for 816 yards (19.9) and 9 scores this season. Averaging nearly 20 yards a catch, he did the majority of his damage at the catch point with an ADOT of 18.9 yards but that didn’t stop him from putting his long strides to use to separate with the ball in his hands. It’s no surprise that the explosive athlete logged PRs of 22’7″ in the long jump and 6’6″ in the high jump as a senior prep track and field member.
Help for Morton is also coming form of protection from offensive tackle transfers Howard Sampson (North Carolina) and Hunter Zambrano (Illinois State). The returns as a first-year starter in a Power 4 setting were very encouraging for the 6-foot-8, 325-pound redshirt sophomore Sampson. His pairing of length and agility kept pass rushers at bay at a reliable rate while his advantageous size was present when it came time to widen lanes in the run game – most notably in their power and inside zone runs. As for Zambrano, he entered the season with 7th-round BLESTO grades and legitimate Sunday expectations before being sidelined with a season-ending injury after just two games. If he can make a full recovery and return to form, Tech will have an NFL-caliber lineman at their disposal.
Tech is also trending for stud Maryland running back, Roman Hemby. The Maryland native has tallied more than 3,000 offensive yards in his career as a Terrapin and was a personal favorite of mine during my time at Liberty.
The Red Raiders also made major splashes defensively, perhaps none more noteworthy than the addition of UCF defensive tackle, Lee Hunter. He was undoubtedly the most dangerous front-four guy in our prep for the Knights during my time in Houston in 2023 and it’s plays like this that show why; there is legitimate NFL Draft potential in that packaging of athletic and physical traits. Next to him will be Houston transfer, A.J. Holmes, my defensive breakout candidate before our 2023 season whose production has risen each year – he tallied career-highs in tackles (40) and tackles-for-loss (8.5) while racking up 2.5 sacks in 2024, half a sack behind his top mark in 2023. The familiarity with new defensive coordinator Shiel Wood’s defense (a very good hire that should not go unnoticed) adds to the value of Holmes’ addition. Rounding out the trio of interior additions is an intriguing one in Northern Illinois’ Skyler Gill-Howard who started his career at D2 Upper Iowa before spending the last two seasons with the Huskies. The 6-foot-1, 285-pound defender capped the 2024 campaign with 52 tackles, eight TFLs, and five sacks, and what he may lack in size he compensates for with the twitch to cross-face and win the race to landmarks in the run game. The natural leverage at his disposal paired well with his strength and balance to anchor against Notre Dame’s largely unsuccessful efforts to push him around.
In the back end, Tech added three corners with height and production on the ball in UTEP’s Amier Boyd-Matthews, Charlotte’s Dontae Balfour, and Mississippi State’s Brice Pollock. Pollock brings experience against a talented caliber of receiver in the SEC, and if you’re going to bet on Group of 5 Players, bet on the ones in clear possession of traits and production supported by Balfour and Boyd-Matthews. Pro Football Focus charged Boyd-Matthews with a lowly completion percentage of 34.5% of targets thrown his way.
An addition of high interest comes from Purdue corner Tarrion Grant, a former prospect in the class of 2025 who reclassified to the class of 2024 before the season. The 6-foot-2, 197-pound defender was a rising senior that we highly valued at Auburn, and the early returns have shown why. He registered 13 tackles and 1 forced fumble across 253 defensive snaps, an impressive feat for someone who sacrificed a year of development to jump into Power 4 competition. The former Siegel (TN) product’s growth potential as a player pairs well with his athletic upside signaled by his personal bests of 10.71 in the 100m, 22.50 in the 200m, and 23’0.5″ in the long jump at the prep level.
Aside from Lee, however, the most fanfare defensively should come from the addition of North Dakota State’s Cole Wisniewski. Much like Zambrano, the 6-foot-4, 218-pound safety was viewed as a potential NFL Draft selection before a preseason injury forced him to miss the 2024 campaign. The ballhawk took it away eight times in 2023 and brings the versatility to both operate on the roof and spin down into a Nickel Sam role. A full recovery should provide the Red Raiders with a highly valuable defender.
The transfer portal will officially close on Saturday, December 28th, so expect Texas Tech to continue its push in player acquisition.
OTHER TOP PORTAL HAULS
Oregon: While the quantity doesn’t match Texas Tech’s haul, the value is undeniable. They’ve added a potential Sunday safety in Purdue’s Dillon Thieneman and an All-Big 10 corner in Northwestern’s Theran Johnson. Offensively, Louisville’s Jamari Johnson will get lost in the shuffle of a strong tight-end market but he is certainly amongst the upper-tier options this year. Tackles Alex Harkey (Texas State) and Isaiah World (Nevada) are Group of 5 gems with the skillsets and physical traits to become quality Power 4 starters.
Wisconsin: Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. carries Big 10 experience over from Maryland and will have a new 6-foot-7, 237-pounder to throw to in Ball State tight end Tanner Koziol. Highly-coveted Tulane defensive lineman, Parker Petersen, has the makings of a productive down guy in that conference.
Missouri: Louisiana-Monroe true freshman running back, Ahmad Hardy, will help fill the void left by the departure of fellow true freshman back, Kewan Lacy. Josiah Trotter should give them an upgrade at linebacker as a thumper in the box who made 93 total stops as a true freshman at West Virginia. A sneaky-good addition also comes in the form of D2 transfer Langden Kitchen, a 6-foot-7, 270-pound defensive end from Northwest Missouri State.
Tampa Two 
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