• Dillon Thieneman leads the way: Oregon’s newest safety is our highest-ranked player in the transfer portal.
• Miller Moss is our top-ranked quarterback: Louisville’s next signal caller is second on this list and was unfairly blamed for some of USC’s struggles this season.
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Estimated 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 every year and essentially become free agents in college football. Six of the last eight Heisman winners have been transfers, including this past year’s Travis Hunter.
So who are the best players in 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 down sophomore season, Thieneman is still our top-ranked player in the portal for how stellar he was as a true freshman. Last year, his 89.5 grade was second to only Tyler Nubin among FBS safeties, while his six interceptions also tied for second. Thieneman’s down sophomore 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 played just 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.
2. QB Miller Moss, Louisville Cardinals (USC Trojans)
- 2024 Snaps: 605
- 2024 PFF Grade: 79.6 (51st of 144)
- 2024 WAA: 0.341 (28th of 164)
Even though Moss was benched late in the season, he was far from USC’s biggest problem. His 77.4 passing grade 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 Davis, Undecided (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-round pick entering this season but, like most of Arizona’s 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 freakishly large 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 700-plus receiving yards in each of his first two seasons. He’s a terrific 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 last two years are 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 is still an elite separator, getting open on 80.6% of his targets against single coverage (96th percentile among FBS wide receivers). He’s also fantastic 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’s very good at finding the soft spots in zone coverage, placing in the 91st percentile of FBS wideouts in receiving grade against zone/underneath/top coverages.
7. WR Duce Robinson, Undecided (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 only dropped one of his 25 catchable targets this season. The former five-star recruit is a very strong athlete and can be a matchup nightmare for defenses.
8. LB Amare Campbell, Undecided (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, placing second among ACC linebackers this past season with an 85.5 pass-rushing grade. The sophomore’s three sacks were a top-20 mark among Power Four linebackers this year as well. His 75.0 run-defense grade was a top-15 mark in the conference as well.
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, posting 503 receiving yards this past season. He’s electric after the catch, placing 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 at 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 productive pass-rushers in the country over the last couple of 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% pressure rate in that span was second to only James Pearce Jr.
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