Top 25 players in the transfer portal

On By Littum

• Dillon Thieneman shows the way: Oregon‘s newest safety is our highest rated player on the transfer portal.

• Møller Moss is our top ranked quarterback: Louisville‘s next signal caller is number two on this list and was unfairly blamed for some of the USCmatch this season.

• Unlock your edge with a PFF+ subscription: Get full access to all of our in-season fantasy tools, including weekly rankings, WR/CB matchup charts, weekly projectionsthe Start-Sit Optimizer and more. Register now!

Expected reading time: 6 minutes

The transfer portal has become as important as high school recruiting in terms of building a collegiate roster. Over 2,000 players enter the portal each year and essentially become college football free agents. Six of the last eight Heisman winners have been transfers, including this past year’s Travis Hunter.

So who are the best players on the portal? Here’s a look at our top 25 using several of PFF’s advanced metrics.

1. S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon ducks (Purdue Boilermakers)

  • 2024 Snaps: 751
  • 2024 PFF Grade: 68.4 (202nd of 407)
  • 2024 WAA: -0.005 (265th of 495)

Even after a sophomore season, Thieneman is still our top-ranked player in Portal because of how great he was as a true freshman. Last year, his 89.5 grade was second best Tyler Nubin among FBS safeties, while his six interceptions also ranked second. Thieneman’s last year can largely be attributed to him playing out of position. In 2022, he played 88% of his snaps at free safety, where his range allowed him to shine. This year, Thieneman only played 58% of his snaps at free safety and played far more in the box. Dan Lanning would be wise to allow Thieneman to roam deep next season, where he can be one of the best safeties in America.

2nd QB Møller Moss, Louisville Cardinals (USC Trojans)

  • 2024 Snaps: 605
  • 2024 PFF Grade: 79.6 (51st of 144)
  • 2024 WAA: .341 (28th of 164)

Although Moss was benched late in the season, he was far from it USCbiggest problem. His 77.4 passer rating was still a top-40 mark among FBS signal-callers this season. He’s a smart, quick processor who could thrive in Jeff Brohm’s offense.

3. CB Tacario DavisUndecided (Arizona Wildcats)

  • 2024 Snaps: 684
  • 2024 PFF Grade: 61.0 (320th of 394)
  • 2024 WAA: -0.043 (327th of 472)

Davis was a projected first-rounder entering this season, but like most Arizonas team, had a very disappointing season. Nevertheless, he still deserves a spot high on this list for how elite he was last year. In 2023, Davis was fifth among Power Four corners with a 27.8% forced incompletion rate. He’s a wildly big corner at 6-foot-4 with the length to bother receivers both in press coverage and at the catch point.

4. WR Eric Singleton Jr., Undecided (Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets)

  • 2024 Snaps: 642
  • 2024 PFF Grade: 73.9 (93rd of 448)
  • 2024 WAA: 0.106 (96th of 583)

Singleton has had over 700 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons. He’s a great athlete for the position, testing above the 99th percentile of PFF’s Game Athleticism Score metric. Singleton is strong after the catch, his 545 yards after the catch over the past two years is eighth among ACC receivers.

5. WR Kevin Concepcion, Undecided (NC State Wolfpack)

  • 2024 Snaps: 568
  • 2024 PFF grade: 60.6 (333rd of 448)
  • 2024 WAA: -0.172 (567th of 583)

Like Davis, Concepcion had a disappointing 2024 season after a strong campaign last year. He had an issue with drops, dropping 11.5% of his catchable targets this year. Singleton remains an elite separator, opening up 80.6% of his targets against single coverage (96th percentile among FBS-wide receivers). He’s also great with the ball in his hands, leading all FBS receivers in 2023 with 341 rushing yards.

6. WR Dane Key, Undecided (Kentucky Wildcats)

  • 2024 Snaps: 626
  • 2024 PFF Grade: 79.5 (28th of 448)
  • 2024 WAA: 0.158 (50th of 583)

At 6-foot-3, Key presents a big target and can go up and grab 50-50 balls with the best of them. His 13 contested catches this year led all SEC wide receivers. He is very good at finding the soft spots in zone coverage, ranking in the 91st percentile of FBS wideouts in receiving grade against zone/under/top coverages.

7. WR Duce RobinsonUndecided (USC Trojans)

  • 2024 Snaps: 332
  • 2024 PFF grade: 74.4 (87th of 448)
  • 2024 WAA: 0.167 (40th of 583)

Robinson is an even bigger wide receiver at 6-foot-6, 220 pounds, and he has very strong hands. He gave up just one of his 25 goals this season. The former five-star recruit is a very strong athlete and can be a matchup nightmare for defenses.

8. LB Amare Campbellunsettled (North Carolina Tar Heels)

  • 2024 Snaps: 713
  • 2024 PFF Grade: 75.5 (62nd of 355)
  • 2024 WAA: 0.073 (81st of 428)

Campbell is very strong downhill, ranking second among ACC linebackers this past season with an 85.5 pass-rushing grade. The sophomore’s three sacks were also a top-20 mark among Power Four linebackers this year. His 75.0 run-defense grade was also a top-15 mark in the conference.

9. WR Zachariah Branch, Undecided (USC Trojans)

  • 2024 Snaps: 490
  • 2024 PFF Grade: 67.6 (198th of 448)
  • 2024 WAA: 0.029 (210th of 583)

Branch had a quiet sophomore year with 503 receiving yards this past season. Electric after the catch, he ranks fourth among Big Ten wideouts with 390 yards after the catch. As a true freshman, he was the only player in the country with a kick return touchdown and a punt return touchdown. The former five-star recruit has a ton of untapped potential and could explode in his next home.

10. EDGE Ben Bell, Undecided (Texas State Bobcats)

  • 2024 Snaps: 206
  • 2024 PFF Grade: 81.0 (N/A)
  • 2024 WAA: 0.012 (199th of 513)

Bell has been one of the most prolific pass rushers in the country over the past few seasons. His 93.8 pass-rushing grade since 2023 was second in the nation to only Laiatu Latu while leading the FBS with a 30.1% pass-rush win rate. His 22.4% strikeout rate in that span was second to only James Pearce Jr.

11. TE Tanner Koziol, Wisconsin Badgers (Ball State Cardinals)

12. CB Brice Pollock, Texas Tech Red Raiders (Mississippi State Bulldogs)

13. DI Lee Hunter, Texas Tech Red Raiders (UCF Knights)

14. QB Preston Stone, Undecided (SMU Mustangs)

15. QB Fernando Mendoza, Undecided (California Golden Bears)

16. WR Micah Hudson, Texas A&M Aggies (Texas Tech Red Raiders)

17. WR De’Zhaun Stribling, Ole Miss Rebels (Oklahoma State Cowboys)

18. TE Max Clear, Indecisive (Louisville Cardinals)

19. CB Theran Johnson, Oregon ducks (Northwestern Wildcats)

20. CB Josh Moten, Undecided (Marshall Thundering Herd)

21. OT Xavier Chaplin, Auburn Tigers (Virginia Tech Hokies)

22. AND Joshua Braun, Kentucky Wildcats (Arkansas Razorbacks)

23. DI Santana Hopper, Indecisive (Appalachian State Mountaineers)

24. QB Maalik Murphy, Undecided (Duke Blue Devils)

25. AND Jordan White, Vanderbilt Commodores (Liberty Flames)