College football transfer portal all-impact team: Dillon Thieneman headlines defense

Fox Sports

2 days ago

Thanks to the creation and proliferation of the transfer portal, player acquisition in college football now takes on a life of its own every winter and every spring. Coaches across the country — including those whose seasons haven't yet ended — begin remaking their rosters during the initial December transfer window and tweak them once more during a subsequent flurry of movement each April.
Though equal parts maddening, exciting and unrelenting, the transfer portal has shown just how quickly programs can now change the trajectory of their seasons with a couple fistfuls of shrewd additions. Would Ohio State have won last year's national title without the likes of Will Howard (Kansas State), Caleb Downs (Alabama) or Quinshon Judkins (Ole Miss)? Would Texas have reached back-to-back national semifinals without Quinn Ewers (Ohio State), Matthew Golden (Houston) or Andrew Mukuba (Clemson)?
Identifying which transfers might make the largest contributions in 2025 is, of course, a subjective exercise — but a fun one nonetheless. It's a task rooted in the amalgamation of past production, future opportunity and the projection of how certain individuals might mesh with new coaches, teammates and schemes to influence the landscape of college football.
We unveiled our offensive transfer portal all-impact team earlier this week. And now it's time to reveal our all-impact team on the defensive side of the ball:
*Transfer Portal rankings courtesy of 247Sports.com Edge rushers David Bailey, Texas Tech via Stanford (No. 12 transfer, No. 3 edge rusher)
For the third year running, Bailey established himself as one of college football's most potent pass rushers on a per-snap basis, leading Stanford in tackles for loss (eight), quarterback hurries (eight), sacks (seven) and forced fumbles (five) despite playing just 364 snaps in 12 appearances, only two of which were starts. That he accumulated such noteworthy production in roughly half the playing time afforded to other leading edge rushers around the country — Penn State's Abdul Carter logged 734 snaps, Ohio State's JT Tuimoloau logged 667 snaps, Indiana's Mikail Kamara logged 671 snaps — underscores how effective Bailey might be this fall in an expanded role for Texas Tech. Bailey's quarterback pressure rate of one in every 9.3 snaps outpaced all three of his aforementioned contemporaries in 2024, while his pass rushing grade of 93.2 from Pro Football Focus narrowly edged Carter for highest in the country. Now a senior, Bailey enters his final year of eligibility tied for second among active FBS players with seven career forced fumbles and should enliven a Texas Tech defense that finished tied for 92nd in sacks last fall. Will Heldt, Clemson via Purdue (No. 41 transfer, No. 7 edge rusher)
Heldt's decision to join Clemson last December was noteworthy both because of the caliber of player involved and the institution that recruited him. It was clear to most observers that Heldt, a true sophomore in 2024, was among the bright spots of an otherwise ghastly Purdue campaign that resulted in the dismissal of head coach Ryan Walters. The 6-foot-6, 265-pound Heldt racked up 10 tackles for loss, five of which were sacks, and found the end zone on a 16-yard fumble recovery against Illinois. His scoop and score was part of a two-game stretch in which Heldt tallied nine quarterback pressures, 11 tackles (including two for loss) and 1.5 sacks against the Illini and Wisconsin combined. Heldt became the first scholarship defensive transfer to join Clemson under head coach Dabo Swinney, a noted skeptic and infrequent user of the portal. The Tigers' 2025 transfer portal class, which ranks 113rd nationally, only includes three players in Heldt, former Alabama linebacker Jeremiah Alexander (No. 704 transfer, No. 38 LB) and former Illinois State wide receiver Tristan Smith (No. 150 transfer, No. 29 WR). But landing an emerging edge rusher with multiple years of eligibility remaining represents a big win, and potential philosophical softening, for Swinney and his staff. Beau Atkinson, Ohio State via North Carolina (No. 95 transfer, No. 15 edge rusher)
On paper, the defending national champions didn't assemble the same kind of splashy transfer portal class as they did last winter, when Ohio State landed the top overall player in Downs, the highest-rated running back in Judkins, the highest-rated quarterback in Julian Sayin and Howard, the former Kansas State signal-caller and eventual starter. That group boasted the highest average prospect score of any class in the country, according to 247Sports. This year's group, which ranks 25th, still includes likely starters at running back (CJ Donaldson from West Virginia), tight end (Max Klare from Purdue) and along the offensive line (Ethan Onianwa from Rice; Phillip Daniels from Minnesota), but it was the late-April addition of Atkinson that gave the Buckeyes a significant boost at position of need. The departures of veteran edge rushers JT Tuimoloau (12.5 sacks and 51 QB pressures in 667 snaps) and Jack Sawyer (nine sacks and 64 QB pressures in 698 snaps) for the NFL left Ohio State somewhat inexperienced on the edge, even though backups Kenyatta Jackson Jr. (316 snaps) and Caden Curry (231 snaps) both rotated in throughout the season. Atkinson, who notched 25 quarterback pressures last fall, finished the 2024 campaign with more sacks (7.5) in 381 snaps than Jackson and Curry combined (four). Defensive line David Blay Jr., Miami via Louisiana Tech (No. 51 transfer, No. 5 DL)
Though many coaches and observers of collegiate athletics have grown frustrated with rules that allow players to change schools seemingly at will, Blay is an example of someone who used each of his two transfers to make a sizable leap in competition. The 6-foot-4, 303-pound defensive tackle began his career with two seasons at West Chester University, a Division II school in Pennsylvania. He parlayed that stint into an opportunity at Louisiana Tech in Conference USA, ultimately developing into a first-team all-league performer with 46 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in 2024, leading the Bulldogs in the latter two categories. He was only charged with two missed tackles all season by Pro Football Focus and finished with a miss rate of just 5.4%, which ranked in the top 35 among interior linemen with at least 400 snaps played. From there, Blay entered the portal a second time last December and became a key piece of Miami's transfer haul that now sits third in the country behind LSU and Texas Tech. The only incoming Hurricanes ranked higher than Blay in the transfer portal were former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck (No. 4 transfer, No. 2 QB) and former Wisconsin cornerback Xavier Lucas (No. 20 transfer, No. 1 CB). Bernard Gooden, LSU via USF (No. 47 transfer, No. 4 DL)
Interior defensive linemen who can generate consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks are often worth their (hefty) weight in gold, which is why Gooden was such a valuable commodity when he entered the transfer portal in April. At 6-1 and 280 pounds, Gooden is a bit short and thin for a traditional power conference trench player, two things he'll have to overcome when making a jump in competition to the SEC. But his 2024 campaign at USF, which included honorable mention All-AAC recognition from the league's coaches, proved that Gooden is more than capable of harassing quarterbacks. Gooden tallied an impressive 35 quarterback pressures in 594 snaps to finish tied for eighth nationally with Ole Miss standout Walter Nolen (first-round pick) and one ahead of Michigan standout Mason Graham (first-round pick) among players with comparable snap counts. His biggest challenge at LSU, which ranked 61st in total defense last season, will be converting a greater percentage of pressures into sacks. Of the 18 interior defensive linemen who notched at least 30 pressures in 2024 — all but three of whom played in the power conferences — none finished with fewer sacks than Gooden (1.5). David Gusta, Kentucky via Washington State (No. 26 transfer, No. 2 DL)
Gusta is another defensive tackle known for getting after the quarterback with aplomb, something he did consistently across 32 appearances (24 starts) at Washington State before entering the transfer portal in December. His 2024 pass rush grade of 84.8 from Pro Football Focus ranked fourth among defensive linemen who played at least 400 snaps last season behind Aeneas Peebles of Virginia Tech (91.2), Derrick Harmon of Oregon (86.3) and Vernon Broughton of Texas (86.3), though the quality of the Cougars' schedule as an independent can be fairly questioned. Still, Gusta transformed that pass-rush ability into 29 quarterback pressures, up from 16 the year prior, to finish tied for 20th nationally among linemen with comparable snap counts. At 6-3 and 316 pounds, Gusta has the requisite size to contend with hulking offensive linemen in the SEC, though Kentucky will be hoping he can hit the quarterback more often than he did at Washington State. Despite tallying 52 combined pressures over the course of his career, Gusta has only recorded 1.5 sacks in 1,256 snaps. Linebacker Dasan McCullough, Nebraska via Oklahoma (No. 123 transfer, No. 4 LB)
A former blue-chip prospect from the 2022 recruiting cycle, McCullough is now attending his third school in the last four years. His collegiate career began with rich fanfare when McCullough, a native of Bloomington, Indiana, became the highest-rated player (No. 75 overall, No. 9 edge rusher) to sign with Indiana in the recruiting rankings era. He made an immediate splash by appearing in all 12 games and earning freshman All-American honors after leading the Hoosiers in sacks (four) and ranking second on the team in tackles for loss (6.5). The 6-5, 223-pound McCullough then transferred to Oklahoma, where head coach Brent Venables and the staff converted him from a traditional edge rusher into a chess piece at the second and third levels of the defense. In 2023, McCullough lined up for 128 snaps in the slot, 80 snaps in the box and 60 snaps along the defensive line, according to Pro Football Focus, and finished the season with 30 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss, and three pass breakups amid an injury-marred campaign. He missed the first half of the 2024 season with a stress fracture in his foot but returned to his hybrid role down the stretch: 57 snaps in the box, 54 snaps at slot corner, 49 snaps along the defensive line. Now a senior, McCullough is expected to have more pass-rushing opportunities at Nebraska under first-year defensive coordinator John Butler. Khmori House, North Carolina via Washington (No. 71 transfer, No. 3 LB)
House was only a three-star prospect coming out of football powerhouse St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California, but his list of suitors indicates college coaches were much higher on him than the recruiting services. He chose Washington over Texas, Auburn, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon and Tennessee, among others, and joined the Huskies as the No. 590 overall player and No. 56 linebacker in the 2024 cycle. Defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, the son of legendary NFL head coach Bill Belichick, trusted House enough as a true freshman to put him on the field consistently for a unit that finished the year ranked 28th nationally in total defense. House averaged 29.5 snaps per game from Week 3 through the end of the season and chipped in 35 tackles, one forced fumble, one interception and four pass breakups. His final defensive grade of 63.5 from Pro Football Focus ranked seventh in the country among freshmen linebackers behind only Javion White of Tulane (76.3), Vincent Shavers Jr. of Nebraska (70.9), Davhon Keys of LSU (69.8), Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa from Notre Dame (67.6), Simeon Coleman of Cincinnati (66.3) and Sammy Brown of Clemson (65.6). The familiarity between House and Belichick, both of whom are now at North Carolina, should ease the installation of the Tar Heels' new system. Josiah Trotter, Missouri via West Virginia (No. 353 transfer, No. 14 LB)
While not as highly rated as his contemporaries on this list, Trotter earned the nod for his appealing combination of youth and on-field production as a first-year starter at West Virginia in 2024. Trotter, who previously redshirted as a true freshman, is the son of former NFL linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, a two-time All-Pro with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2000 and 2001, and the brother of current Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr., a former second-team All-American at Clemson in 2022. The younger Trotter flashed some of the family's trademark toughness while winning Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year last fall, racking up 93 tackles — including four tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks — while also intercepting one pass and recording two pass deflections. His stoutness around the line of scrimmage was reflected in a run defense grade of 80.9 that ranked fourth in the country among underclassmen linebackers who logged at least 500 snaps, while his missed tackle rate of just 7.1% ranked fourth in the same age bracket. Trotter reached double-digit tackles in games against Penn State (10), Kansas (11), Iowa State (12) and Cincinnati (12) en route to finishing second on the team in total stops. Listed as a redshirt sophomore, Trotter should have three years of eligibility remaining at Missouri. Cornerback Jeremiah Wilson, Florida State via Houston (No. 78 transfer, No. 8 CB)
Wilson's decision to join Florida State can be traced to his time as a three-star cornerback at Osceola High School in Kissimmee, Florida, during the 2022 recruiting cycle. Rated as the No. 110 cornerback in the country, Wilson committed to Syracuse over additional scholarship offers from Arizona, Coastal Carolina, Iowa State and Washington State, among others, in part because of his relationship with then-defensive coordinator Tony White, who now holds the same position for the Seminoles. White slowly worked Wilson onto the field by doling out 200 snaps over the course of his freshman season before leaving to become the defensive coordinator at Nebraska. Wilson spent one more year at Syracuse and then transferred to Houston ahead of the 2024 campaign. He logged a career-best 557 snaps for the Cougars last fall and enjoyed a highly successful season that included 24 tackles (3.5 for loss), four interceptions and four pass breakups with a coverage grade of 86.9 that ranked 12th in the country among corners with comparable snap counts. His tally of four INTs, which included a pick-six against Baylor, was good enough for third in the Big 12 and tied for 21st nationally. Wilson originally entered the transfer portal on Dec. 9 but withdrew his name four days later. He entered the portal again on April 18 — by which point White had settled in as FSU's new defensive coordinator — and committed to the Seminoles a week later. Tacario Davis, Washington via Arizona (No. 32 transfer, No. 2 CB)
This is a reunion between Davis, who began his career at Arizona, and Jedd Fisch, the head coach he originally signed with coming out of high school. Davis was a three-star prospect and the No. 107 cornerback in the country for the 2022 recruiting cycle when he first enrolled at Arizona to play for Fisch, the Wildcats' head coach from 2021-23. A reserve role in his freshman season gave way to a starting job in his second and final year under Fisch as Davis blossomed into a second-team All-Pac-12 performer by leading the conference with 15 pass breakups, a byproduct of his 6-4 frame that is unusually tall for the cornerback position. Davis remained at Arizona for the 2024 campaign when Fisch left to become the head coach at Washington, once again garnering second-team all-conference honors amid the Wildcats' first year in the Big 12. He is expected to step into a starting role opposite another 6-4 corner in Ephesians Prysock, a fellow Arizona transfer. Prysock was teammates with Davis in 2022 and 2023 before following Fisch to Washington ahead of last season. With more than 3,200 career snaps between them, Davis and Prysock will form one of the most experienced — and, very likely, the tallest — cornerback tandems in the country this fall. Theran Johnson, Oregon via Northwestern (No. 208 transfer, No. 25 CB)
For the second consecutive offseason, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi are rebuilding their secondary ahead of what many expect to be a high-level, championship-caliber season for the Ducks. A year ago, the additions of safety Kobe Savage (Kansas State), cornerback Jabbar Muhammad (Washington) and slot man Brandon Johnson (Duke) propelled Oregon to a 13-0 start that included a Big Ten Championship and the No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff. None of those players are still on the roster entering the 2025 campaign, which made the appeal of immediate playing time quite obvious for someone like Johnson, a redshirt senior with limited eligibility remaining. Originally a three-star recruit, Johnson signed with Northwestern over additional scholarship offers from Notre Dame and Cincinnati. He spent two seasons in a reserve role before developing into a starting corner in 2023 and 2024, logging more than 1,300 snaps during that span. Johnson finished his Northwestern career with three interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown, and 15 pass breakups. His tally of eight pass breakups in 2024 was tied for 24th nationally and fourth among Big Ten cornerbacks behind Muhammad (10), Thaddeus Dixon of Washington (10) and Robert Longerbeam of Rutgers (nine). Safety Dillon Thieneman, Oregon via Purdue (No. 11 transfer, No. 1 safety)
As important as Northwestern transfer Theran Johnson will be for Oregon's secondary this fall, the addition of former Purdue safety Dillon Thieneman was the capstone of a portal class that ranked fifth in the country behind LSU, Texas Tech, Miami and Ole Miss. Now a junior, Thieneman was the most coveted safety in the transfer market following two standout seasons for the Boilermakers. In 2023, during his true freshman campaign, Thieneman was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a third-team All-American by the Associated Press when he led the team with 106 tackles and ranked third nationally with six interceptions — all despite entering college as a three-star recruit and the No. 988 overall prospect in the country. Thieneman followed up with a strong individual performance during his sophomore season for a team that failed to win a single conference game. He led all Big Ten defensive backs with 104 tackles, which included the first sack of his collegiate career, and proved tidy on the back end by recording six pass breakups without a single penalty. His positional versatility over the last two seasons included 1,152 snaps at free safety, 298 snaps in the box and 118 snaps in the slot. Oregon will be counting on him to anchor a secondary that is short on experience and in need of cohesion. Cole Wisniewski, Texas Tech via North Dakota State (No. 155 transfer, No. 5 safety)
Most college football fans probably aren't familiar with Wisniewski, a former zero-star recruit from the western side of Wisconsin whose only FBS scholarship offers came from Air Force, Navy, Northern Illinois and Wyoming. Wisniewski spurned all of them and spent the last five seasons at North Dakota State, an FCS school with rich tradition that won two national championships during his time on the roster. A 6-4, 220-pound safety, Wisniewski converted from linebacker following the 2022 season and was promptly named a consensus first-team FCS All-American in 2023 when he tied both the school and conference single-season record for interceptions (eight), while also leading the Bison with 92 total tackles and five pass breakups. A foot injury that required surgery eventually sidelined Wisniewski for the entire 2024 campaign before he entered the transfer portal last December, ultimately joining a portal class that now ranks second in the nation behind LSU. Wisniewski, who has one season of eligibility remaining, is expected to become the starting strong safety for a unit that brought in high-level transfers at all three levels after finishing 127th in total defense (460.2 yards per game) and 122nd in scoring defense (34.8 points per game) last fall.
Michael Cohen covers college football and college basketball for FOX Sports. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily !
recommended
Get more from College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more