Who are the best Group of 5 transfers heading to the Power 4 ranks?

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There were 292 players selected to Power 4 all-conference teams in 2024, and roughly 40 percent (119) were transfers. The majority of them (71) came from other P4 programs.

But there were also plenty of notable selections who came from Group of 5 schools. That included Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke (Ohio), Oregon receiver Tez Johnson (Troy), Ole Miss receiver Tre Harris (Louisiana Tech), North Carolina guard Willie Lampkin (Coastal Carolina), Cal cornerback Nohl Williams (UNLV) and Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers (New Mexico State).

So, who’s next? Who are some of the former G5 players who will make a splash at their new schools in 2025?

Here’s our list of the best bets.

1. John Mateer, QB, Washington State → Oklahoma

Brent Venables targeted Mateer and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to change the Sooners’ fortunes on offense after they ranked 97th in scoring and 124th in yards per play last season. Mateer, a fourth-year junior, finished eighth nationally in passing efficiency last season and threw for 3,139 yards with 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions and added 826 yards and 15 TDs on the ground. He has the 12th-best odds to win the Heisman Trophy, according to BetMGM (+2500).

2. Makhi Hughes, RB, Tulane → Oregon

As good as the Ducks were last season — winning the Big Ten and going undefeated before losing to eventual national champion Ohio State in the Rose Bowl — Oregon’s running game wasn’t nearly as potent as it has been in the recent past. The Ducks ranked 63rd nationally in yards per carry (4.4), down from third in 2023 (5.9).  Hughes, the top returning rusher at the FBS level with 1,401 yards and 15 touchdowns last season as a sophomore, is expected to change that.

3. Jimmori Robinson, edge, UTSA → West Virginia

The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Virginia native and former unranked recruit was the 2024 American Athletic Conference’s defensive player of the year following a breakout campaign in which he produced 43 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 10 1/2 sacks and two forced fumbles. Robinson, who has one season of eligibility, will have plenty of opportunities to contribute to a West Virginia defensive front that is losing top edge rushers Tyrin Bradley and Ty French.

4. Isaiah World, OT, Nevada → Oregon

With starting offensive tackles Josh Conerly Jr. and Ajani Cornelius both heading to the NFL, World is expected to take over at left tackle for the Ducks. A fourth-year senior, World has started 35 games in his college career, including 13 last season when he was an honorable mention All-Mountain West pick.

5. Darian Mensah, QB, Tulane → Duke

Mensah is the only returning quarterback with a higher passing efficiency rating than Mateer. He completed 65.9 percent of his attempts for 2,723 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions as a redshirt freshman. The Blue Devils finished 9-4 in Manny Diaz’s first season in Durham with Maalik Murphy setting a single-season school record for touchdown passes (26), but they must replace several veterans on both sides of the ball.

6. Ahmad Hardy, RB, Louisiana-Monroe → Missouri

The 2024 Sun Belt freshman of the year ran for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns and is expected to be one of eight new starters on offense for the Tigers, who ranked 13th in the SEC in yards per play last season. In the last two seasons, Missouri has had the SEC’s leading rusher (Cody Schrader in 2023) and fifth-leading rusher (Nate Noel in 2024),  so it’s a safe bet that Hardy is going to put up decent numbers.

7. Zechariah Poyser, S, Jacksonville State → Miami

The Hurricanes pass defense struggled mightily down the stretch, and they spent a lot of NIL dollars on trying to fix the secondary. Poyser, a 2024 Freshman All-American, has seemingly secured a starting spot as the only natural safety among five defensive backs added to the roster via the portal. He had three interceptions and 11 pass breakups in his first full season as a starter.

@coach_cristobal @CanesFootball pic.twitter.com/McnIw6Ldbj

— Zechariah Poyser (@PoyserZechariah) December 17, 2024

8. Ethan Onianwa, OT, Rice → Ohio State

The 6-6, 345-pound native Texan started 34 games at Rice, including nine this past season at left tackle, where he’s projected to start for the Buckeyes this fall. Onianwa allowed only one sack as a junior after giving up 13 over two seasons as Rice’s starting right tackle in 2022 and 2023. Ohio State also signed Minnesota transfer Phillip Daniels to help plug a hole at right tackle.

9. DJ Harvey, CB, San Jose State → USC

The Trojans ranked 15th in the Big Ten in passing defense in 2024 and have to replace their top four cornerbacks in terms of snaps played. Enter Harvey, a 5-10, 186-pound fifth-year senior who spent his first two seasons at Virginia Tech before transferring back home to California to play for San Jose State. Last season, Harvey intercepted four passes and earned second-team All-Mountain West honors.

10. Martavius French, LB, UTSA → Colorado

The Memphis native signed with Tennessee out of high school in 2020 before spending a season at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College and the last three seasons at UTSA, where he started 20 games and earned second-team All-AAC honors in 2024. French led UTSA with 80 tackles, including 17 for loss, last season and should rack up solid numbers in Boulder replacing Alabama-bound Nikhai Hill-Green in the middle of Colorado’s defense.

11. Devon Dampier, QB, New Mexico → Utah

After ranking 115th in total offense and suffering the program’s first losing season since 2013, Utah shuffled the deck with its offensive staff, hiring Jason Beck from New Mexico as the new offensive coordinator in December. Ten of the 15 transfer additions are offensive players, none with more hype than Dampier, who threw for 2,768 yards and 12 touchdowns and ran for 1,166 yards and 19 scores in 2024. The 5-11, 204-pound junior needs to improve his efficiency after completing only 57.9 percent of his attempts and throwing 12 interceptions last season.

12. Tanner Koziol, TE, Ball State → Wisconsin

Wisconsin tight ends combined to catch 28 passes for 202 yards and one touchdown in 2024. New Badgers offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes promises the position will play a bigger role in his scheme. That makes sense with Koziol, a 6-7, 237-pound senior and three-time All-MAC selection, coming to Madison. Koziol is the top returning pass catcher in the nation (94 receptions for 839 yards and eight touchdowns).

13. Wayshawn Parker, RB, Washington State → Utah

If anyone on Utah’s offense is ready to succeed right away, it’s Parker, a 5-10, 206-pound sophomore who ran for 735 yards and four touchdowns as a true freshman last season. Utah brings back all five starting offensive linemen, and Parker has a dangerous dual-threat quarterback playing next to him in Dampier to keep opposing defenses honest.

14. Chase Sowell, WR, East Carolina → Iowa State

The Cyclones have to replace two 1,000-yard receivers (Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel), and Sowell, a 2022 Colorado signee, is one of two roster additions expected to help. The fourth-year junior caught 81 passes for 1,300 yards over the last two seasons. UCF transfer Xavier Townsend is the other new target the Cyclones are counting on.

15. Rahsul Faison, RB, Utah State → South Carolina

With leading rusher Rocket Sanders off to the NFL, Faison (1,109 yards in 2024) is in prime position to be LaNorris Sellers’ new running mate in the backfield. Coach Shane Beamer said two weeks ago he was very optimistic the NCAA would grant Faison, a 2019 high school graduate who spent two years at the junior college level, an extra year of eligibility.

16. Matthew McDoom, CB, Coastal Carolina → Cincinnati

The Bearcats lost five straight games to finish the 2024 season 5-7, and Scott Satterfield brought in 14 transfers to try and plug some holes. McDoom, a 5-11, 177-pound senior, earned first-team All-Sun Belt honors in 2024 after producing 36 tackles, 10 pass breakups and three interceptions. He’s expected to thrive in Tyson Veidt’s 3-3-5 scheme.

17. Joseph Sipp, LB, Bowling Green → Kansas

Lance Leipold signed nine transfers on defense to improve a unit that ranked 10th in scoring and 12th in yards per play allowed in the Big 12 in 2024. None has more starting experience than Sipp, who earned first-team All-MAC honors in 2024.

18. Reginald Hughes, LB, Jacksonville State → Colorado

Hughes, a 6-2, 240-pound Mississippi native, started at the junior college level, spent two years at Ole Miss and then earned first-team All-Conference USA honors last season playing for Rich Rodriguez. He totaled 83 tackles, including 9 1/2 for loss and 4 1/2 sacks, and a team-leading 29 quarterback pressures as a redshirt junior.

19. Eric Rivers, WR, FIU → Georgia Tech

The 2021 Memphis signee is one of the top transfer additions in the ACC after leading Conference USA in receiving yards (1,172) and TD catches (12) in 2024. Georgia Tech lost leading receiver Eric Singleton to Auburn but managed to bring No. 2 receiver Malik Rutherford, who entered the portal, back into the fold.

20. Bradley Weaver, edge, Ohio → Rutgers

The 6-4, 265-pound senior from Ohio earned first-team All-MAC honors in 2024 when he had 15 tackles for loss and 8 1/2 sacks. Weaver has 26 career starts and is among three new projected defensive line starters from the G5 ranks for Greg Schiano. The others are first-team All-Sun Belt selection Eric O’Neill from James Madison and nose tackle Doug Blue-Eli from USF.

21. Kaidon Salter, QB, Liberty → Colorado

The 2023 Conference USA player of the year would be ranked higher if he were not competing for the starting job with talented freshman JuJu Lewis. Salter was a better quarterback for Liberty in 2023 when he served as more of a dual threat, rushing 1,089 yards and 12 touchdowns. His passing efficiency slipped from third nationally in 2023 to 78th in 2024 when he tried to become more of a pocket passer. Salter said this spring he’ll run when he has to, but he transferred mostly to throw the ball.

22. Joshua Eaton, CB, Texas State → Michigan State

The Spartans struggled to slow down opposing quarterbacks in 2024, one reason why they finished 5-7 in Jonathan Smith’s first season in East Lansing. Eaton, a sixth-year senior from Houston, began his career at Oklahoma before transferring to Texas State.

23. O’Mega Blake, WR, Charlotte → Arkansas

The Razorbacks have to replace the SEC leader in catches (78) and receiving yards (1,140) in Andrew Armstrong, and Blake, a 6-2, 182-pound fifth-year senior, provides lots of experience and production. Last season, he caught 32 passes for 795 yards and ranked second nationally with 24.8 yards per catch. He is running with the first team in spring practice.

24. Tru Edwards, WR, Louisiana Tech → Kentucky

The Wildcats lost four receivers to the transfer portal as well as receivers coach Daikiel Shorts Jr. to Nebraska. The makeover began with Edwards, a 6-3, 201-pound seventh-year senior. He led Conference USA with 84 catches and had 986 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

25. Jalen Catalon, S, UNLV → Missouri

There was only one other safety with more starting experience in the transfer portal this cycle than Catalon, a seventh-year senior and 2024 third-team AP All-American with more than 2,200 snaps played. He signed with Arkansas in 2020 before transferring to Texas and eventually UNLV.

Others to watch

Luke McGary, TE, Tulsa → Houston

Javon Tracy, WR, Miami (Ohio) → Minnesota

Omari Kelly, WR, Middle Tennessee → Michigan State

Pryce Yates, edge, UConn → North Carolina

Kyran Duhon, edge, UTEP → Oklahoma State

(Photo of Makhi Hughes: Greg Fiume / Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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