A young, talented quarterback who entered the transfer portal committed to an ACC school, and another young arm from the ACC added his name to the list of those available.
Those were two of the biggest non-coaching developments Wednesday as players across the country took visits to find new destinations and the number of players available in the portal soared past 1,400.
Quarterback carousel
Darian Mensah, one of the most sought-after players at any position, took his name off the board when he committed to Duke on Wednesday. It was a bit of a surprising move for the 6-foot-3, 200-pound redshirt freshman who has three years of eligibility remaining.
“He’s a future NFL quarterback,” said an SEC scouting director.
Maalik Murphy, the quarterback Mensah is replacing, is being courted by Auburn, Ole Miss, Missouri, Syracuse, UCLA and Oregon State. He has two years of eligibility left.
Devon Dampier, one of the best running quarterbacks in the nation in 2024, committed to Utah on Wednesday after spending two seasons at New Mexico. He will be reunited with Jason Beck, the new offensive coordinator at Utah who held the name position with the Lobos last season.
New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier has committed to Utah pic.twitter.com/Ipy9oLSUfT
— NCAA Transfer Portal (@RivalsPortal) December 11, 2024
Fernando Mendoza left an emotional goodbye letter to Cal fans on Wednesday after leading the Bears to back-to-back bowl appearances. Mendoza, who has two years of eligibility remaining, isn’t close to deciding his next stop, according to Dave Dunn, his coach at Miami Columbus High School. His younger brother, Albert, is a backup quarterback at Indiana.
The Hoosiers are one of the schools that has reached out, along with Wisconsin, UCLA, Oregon State and Northwestern. Mendoza was a two-star recruit coming out of high school who was headed to Yale before Cal offered him a week before signing day.
Numbers game
So, which programs have been hit hardest by portal departures?
Through the first 72 hours, these schools lead the way: Arkansas (25), UCF (22), Purdue (22), Kentucky (20), Arizona (19), Nebraska (19), Mississippi State (19), Texas A&M (18), Arizona (17) and Virginia Tech (17).
Four programs have been hit especially hard when it comes to starters lost — Purdue (seven full-time starters), Arkansas (five), Kentucky (four) and Virginia Tech (four).
Kentucky’s departures are especially notable — receivers Dane Key (36 career starts) and Barion Brown (26), tight end Jordan Dingle (21) and defensive lineman Keeshawn Silver (23).
Former five-stars on the move
Former Florida State and Georgia edge rusher Marvin Jones Jr. added his name to the portal Wednesday, the latest in a growing list of former five-star recruits looking for a new home.
The son of former FSU star Marvin Jones Sr. started nine games and recorded four sacks for the 2-10 Seminoles. In two previous seasons at Georgia, Jones produced 16 tackles, 5.5 TFLs and two sacks in 25 games. The South Florida native is sure to have plenty of suitors.
There are three former five-star quarterbacks in the portal — Jackson Arnold (formerly of Oklahoma), Conner Weigman (Texas A&M) and Sam Huard (Washington, Cal Poly and Utah). All signs point to Weigman ending up at Houston. Mississippi State, Auburn, Wisconsin and Ole Miss are potential landing spots for Arnold.
Huard is looking for his fourth school after spending the 2024 season at Utah. He didn’t see the field and had season-ending surgery in October after coming over from Cal Poly, where he started nine games and threw for 2,247 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2023. He has one year of eligibility left but is reportedly seeking a medical redshirt to add another year. His former high school coach, Sheldon Cross, is now at Stetson.
What about the eight other ex-five-star recruits?
Johntay Cook II, WR, Texas (two): The 6-foot, 186-pound DeSoto, Texas, native caught 16 passes for 273 yards and two scores in 20 games for the Longhorns. The two leaders for Cook are Oregon and Texas A&M, according to On3.
Duce Robinson, WR, USC (two): The 6-6, 220-pound Phoenix native caught 39 passes for 747 yards and seven touchdowns in his two seasons in Los Angeles. Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham has noted that wide receiver was a priority for the Big 12 champions this offseason. Could there be a homecoming for Robinson?
Micah Hudson, WR, Texas Tech (three): The Red Raiders were ecstatic when they signed the first five-star recruit in program history last December. The 6-foot, 195-pound speedster could be headed to Texas A&M after hauling in eight passes for 123 yards in seven games with one start as a true freshman.
Arik Gilbert, TE, Nebraska (two): Like Huard, Gilbert is looking for his fourth home in five years. The 6-6, 260-pound Peach State native hasn’t played in a game since 2022 when he was at Georgia. He was arrested twice in 2023, including a smash-and-grab burglary of a liquor and vape store in Lincoln. Gilbert signed with LSU in 2020 as the No. 1 high school tight end in the nation.
Keeshawn Silver, DL, Kentucky (one): The 6-4, 336-pound Rocky Mount, N.C., native played a total of 36 snaps in two seasons at North Carolina before becoming a 23-game starter the last two years in Lexington. In 12 games this season, he had 26 tackles and a sack. Florida, Miami, Michigan and USC are potential destinations, according to On3.
Travis Shaw, DL, North Carolina (one): There is little doubt that new Tar Heels coach Bill Belichick will be calling the 6-6, 330-pounder to convince him to stick around Chapel Hill. Though he didn’t crack the starting lineup, Shaw played significant snaps and recorded 22 tackles, including three for loss, and two fumble recoveries in 2024. Shaw is in much better shape than when he arrived at UNC after losing more than 40 pounds.
Williams Nwaneri, edge, Missouri (four): It was a huge recruiting win when Eli Drinkwitz landed the No. 1 player in the state during the 2024 cycle. Nwaneri’s stay in Columbia lasted one season. The 6-7, 255-pound Kansas City native played in four games in 2024. He chose Missouri over Oklahoma coming out of high school, though it’s notable that his high school coach, Jamar Mozee, is now a senior football assistant at Nebraska.
Tony Grimes, CB, UNLV (one): The Virginia Beach native is one of only two players in the portal with at least 40 career starts. Grimes started 12 games for the Rebels last season after sitting out the 2023 campaign at Texas A&M. He spent three seasons at North Carolina and earned honorable mention All-ACC honors in 2021. He has one year of eligibility. We’ll see if he follows coach Barry Odom to Purdue.
(Photo of Darian Mensah: Tommy Gilligan / Imagn Images)
