The transfer portal has closed for this off-season. Unlike previous seasons, there is now only one transfer portal. The NCAA decided to move to just a winter transfer portal. This winter, the teams in the Big Ten loaded up on transfer talent as the league looks to win its 4th National Championship in a row. Indiana has a massive target on its back, and Curt Cignetti approached the offseason looking to repeat.
Ranking the best transfer classes in the Big Ten
1) Indiana
Curt Cignetti has found a blueprint, and it sounds like he is sticking with it. Even during the team's win of a National Championship, Cignetti was recruiting players out of the transfer portal. They added 16 players in the transfer portal. Notable signings include quarterback Josh Hoover (from TCU), wide receiver Nick Marsh (from Michigan State), and running back Turbo Richard (from Boston College).
Hoover, Marsh, and Richard should all start and be big contributors on the Indiana team. Hoover is now the 3rd straight transfer quarterback Cignetti has signed. He has big shoes to fill, since he is replacing Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Marsh and Richard are both talented players as well.
2) Penn State
The Penn State Cyclones, I call them, since new Penn State head coach Matt Campbell leaned heavily in recruiting players from Iowa State to join him at Penn State. Penn State signed 22 players from Iowa State. Including in that group is highly touted quarterback Rocco Becht. Becht was a must-get for Campbell to help the transition to the new offense Campbell will be running in State College.
They also signed notable Iowa State players: Jeremiah Cooper (cornerback), Carson Hansen (running back), and Marcus Neal (safety). Penn State should benefit from an influx of players from Iowa State to help the new coaching staff make the transition successful. Hey, at least plenty of them will have some friendly faces on the team as well.
3) Ohio State
Ohio State made a notable change to its roster management this offseason. They decided to get veteran starters and players to replace the younger guys who transferred out. Ohio State lost a staggering 31 players through the transfer portal, but they signed 16 players through the transfer portal. All but one of the 31 players who left were backups and were not expected to be key contributors next season for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State specifically replaced defensive players with experience. They signed two safeties in Earl James (from Florida State) and Terry Moore (from Duke. They then signed 3 defensive linemen: John Walker (from UCF), edge Qua Russaw (Alabama), and James Smith (Alabama). All five of these 5 players should be heavy contributors for the Buckeyes this season.
4) Oregon
Oregon has consistently done well in the transfer portal. No difference this season as they added impact players: safety Koi Perich (from Minnesota), defensive lineman D’Antre Robinson (from North Carolina), and defensive back Carl Williams (from Baylor). All 3 should make an impact on defense for Oregon.
Oregon also signed quarterback Dylan Raiola. He is planning to have a redshirt season and sit behind Donte Moore this upcoming season. So, Oregon also got its quarterback for the future in Raiola as well. Excellent class for head coach Dan Lanning.
5) UCLA
New UCLA Head Coach Bob Chesney did the Curt Cignetti treatment when he was hired by UCLA. He brought 10 players with him from James Madison. Like what Cignetti did when he took a ton of players from James Madison to Indiana.
The most notable James Madison prospect to sign with UCLA was Wayne Knight, the dynamic running back. Plus, he signed Sahir West, a talented edge defender from James Madison. Chesney signed a total of 14 players with previous starting experience.