Coveted Linebackers Enter Transfer Portal Including Former 5-Star Palaie Gaoteote

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG

RNG on Facebook

Coveted difference makers on defense have hit the NCAA Transfer Portal giving other collegiate teams an opportunity to sign a thumper in the box, an outside backer who can bring pressure off the edge, and a slew of players capable of playing the run and the pass. Of all the former top recruits seeking a different opportunity, former 5-Star Palaie Gaoteote IV highlights the group.

Coming out of national powerhouse Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, Gaoteote was the top-ranked player in Nevada in the 2018 class and the top inside linebacker in the nation. Signing with USC holding 30-plus offers, Gaoteote hit the ground running with the Trojans starting the first six games of the 2019 season, seven overall, before an ankle injury hobbled him for the remaining part of the schedule. Now, the 6-2, 250-pound, defender leaves USC with 12 career starts tallying 96 tackles with 7.5 tackles for a loss and two sacks.

Another big name on the market is grad-transfer Jordan Anthony. Rated a 5-Star by Rivals, Anthony signed with Michigan but has had limited playing time. During the 2019 season, Anthony appeared in nine games coming up with 11 stops and one quarterback hurry. Anthony did not register a statistic with the Wolverines during their 2-4 2020 season. The Wolverines suffered another setback in their linebacking corps with Class of 2020 4-Star Osman Savage entering the portal. Savage, a former outside backer for St. Frances Academy (MD), also did not register a defensive statistic during the 2020 season. A third backer for Michigan, Class of 2019 3-Star Charles Thomas, has also departed the team.

After bad seasons, and one coaching change, the SEC programs in Tennessee continue to lose talent on the roster. The Volunteers have been hit hard via the NCAA Transfer Portal on both sides of the ball, and that trend continues at linebacker losing a pair of former 3-star recruits in Kivon Bennett and Deandre Johnson. With the dismissal of head coach Derek Mason, players on the Commodores’ two-deep are jumping the proverbial ship. Dimitri Moore and Colin Anderson have turned in their transfer papers. Moore was a prominent member of Vanderbilt’s defense in 2020 finishing with 36 tackles in six games played.

An early beneficiary of the transfer portal among the linebackers has been Georgia Tech. Head coach Geoff Collins has welcomed former 4-Star Jermaine Johnson from Alabama and 3-Star prospect Ayinde Eley from Maryland.

The following is a list of former 4- and 3-Star recruits who have already transferred and those still in process of finding a new college football team.

Transferred 4-Star Linebackers

Kevin Harris – Alabama to Georgia Tech

Keyshawn Greene – Nebraska to FAU

Jermaine Johnson – Georgia to Florida State

Abdul-Malik McClain – USC to Jackson State

Available 4-Star Linebackers in NCAA Transfer Portal

Jordan Anthony – Michigan to –

Osman Savage – Michigan to –

Leonard Warner – Florida State to –

Jaquan Yulee – Marshall to –

Sione Lund – Utah to –

Trennell Troutman – Louisville to –

Transferred 3-Star Linebackers

Ayinde Eley – Maryland to Georgia Tech

Marcel Lewis – Michigan State to Central Michigan

Ben Wilson – TCU to Washington State

Solomon Turner – Baylor to Hawaii

DeMarrquese Hayes – Kansas State to Texas State

Andrew Johnson – Oregon to Georgia Southern

Matthew Tago – Oregon State to San Jose State

Cosmas Kwete – Washington State to Northern Arizona

Isaiah Graham-Mobley – Temple to Boston College

Available 3-Star Linebackers in NCAA Transfer Portal

Big Ten

Luke Fulton – Michigan State to –

Jeslord Boateng – Michigan State to –

Charles Thomas – Michigan to –

Cortez Andrews – Maryland to –

Yahweh Jeudy – Iowa to –

Jack del Rio – Rutgers to –

Big 12

Byron Vaughns – Texas to –

Chance Cover – Texas Tech to –

ACC

Brandon Hill – Duke to –

Matthew Flint – North Carolina to –

P.J. Blue – Louisville to –

Thurman Geathers – Louisville to –

Cornelius Evans – Georgia Tech to –

Calvin Hart – NC State to –

Pac-12

Elijah Juarez – Arizona State to –

SEC

Kivon Bennett – Tennessee to –

Deandre Johnson – Tennessee to –

Jesiah Pierre – Florida to –

Octavious Brothers – Auburn to –

Josh Marsh – Auburn to –

Aubrey Miller – Missouri to –

Dimitri Moore – Vanderbilt to –

Colin Anderson – Vanderbilt to –

Group of Five

Tim Hart – Memphis to –

Alexy Jean-Baptiste – FIU to –

Devin Gil – South Florida to –

Tae’Avilon Gray – South Florida to –

Jayden Russell – Miami-Ohio to –

Maverick Wolfey – Akron to –

Maureese Wren – Texas State to –

Eric Mitchell – UCF to –

Dorian Holloway – Cincinnati to –

Michael Pitts – Cincinnati to –

Jeffery Blake – San Diego State to –

Paul Scott – Hawaii to –

Zach Bowers – Hawaii to –

Solomon Wise – UTSA to –

Related Article

Defensive Ends in NCAA Transfer Portal

Defensive Tackles in NCAA Transfer Portal

Contribute Now

Photo credit: Michigan Chronicle; No. 34 Jordan Anthony