The transfer portal is a new and wild frontier for college football. Georgia Tech added 17 players via the portal after the 2021 season but they also lost a lot of contributors and starters who left the program to try their luck elsewhere. With week one of the college football season here we take a look at where those players sit on the depth chart at their new school.
The question is, are the players in a better spot now and are they in the same type of role.
SMART MOVE
RB- Jahmyr Gibbs (Alabama)- obviously he is the starting running back at Alabama. Hard to fault his decision on any level.
WR- Adonicas Sanders (Temple) Sanders came on at the end of the 2021 season becoming the most reliable receiver for the Yellow Jackets. After graduating he left for Temple where he is projected to start when they play Duke on Friday night.
WE WILL SEE
QB- Jordan Yates (Sam Houston State) Yates understandably moved on after graduating early to compete at Sam Houston State as they transition next year to the FBS. He is in an OR situation with Keegan Shoemaker who was the backup at SHS last year.
DE- Jared Ivy (Ole Miss) Ivey earned the OR with returning Ole Miss starting DE Tavius Robinson. This seems like it may be a slightly better move for Ivey if he can stay in the rotation and push there. He was going to be behind Keion White at the field end spot in Tech's defense. He started 11 games last season largely because of White's leg injury that held him out most of the season.
DT- Ja'Quon Griffin (Coastal Caroina)- Griffin is currently listed as the co-#2 DT with Roland Wooden II. At GT he played in 10 games last year with one start and was in the regular rotation at DT, seems to be in a similar role at Coastal.
DT- Mike Lockhart (West Virginia) Lockhart is listed as the backup noseguard for the Mountaineers. His departure from Georgia Tech did not go well for him and it took months for him to find a landing spot after Auburn tried to make him walk-on after they allegedly pulled a scholarship offer to him. Lockhart tried to come back to GT but burned his bridges with how he departed and he settled for Morgantown.
LOOKS LIKE A BAD MOVE
DE- Jordan Domineck (Arkansas) Domineck who was a three-year starter under Collins but was not as productive as he would've liked left in the winter for Arkansas and he did not earn a starting spot week one. Instead, the Razorbacks are going with Zach Williams who had comparable production to Domineck in fewer snaps in a limited role at Arkansas last year.
NB- Wesley Walker (Tennessee) Walker is the #2 STAR or Nickel for Tennessee behind fellow junior Tamarion McDonald going into game one. Walker was the starting nickel for most of the 2021 season and he had a good 2020 and a bad 2021 season. He went back home to Tennessee to play for the Vols, but his role looks to be significantly smaller playing behind a younger player.
THEY MADE A MISTAKE IMO
RB- Jamious Griffin (Oregon State) This was a real head-scratching decision that Griffin walked back initially coming out of the portal before going back in. He enters the 2022 season in the same position he was in at GT last season as the 4th RB behind Deshaun Fenwick and Trey Lowe plus Damien Martinez. Griffin was likely going to compete for a starting job at GT had he stayed and instead Dylan McDuffie the Buffalo transfer will fill that role.
TE- Dylan Deveney (Pitt) Deveney who has battled numerous injury issues hit the portal and returned closer to him at Pittsburgh, but he is not currently in the three-deep at TE for the Panthers as they open the 2022 season on Thursday night against West Virginia. Deveney played in just three games last season due to injuries and lost his job at GT to Dylan Leonard because of injuries. Hopefully he ends up healthy and able to get in the rotation there.
QB- Chayden Peery had to go to a JUCO
The question is, are the players in a better spot now and are they in the same type of role.
SMART MOVE
RB- Jahmyr Gibbs (Alabama)- obviously he is the starting running back at Alabama. Hard to fault his decision on any level.
WR- Adonicas Sanders (Temple) Sanders came on at the end of the 2021 season becoming the most reliable receiver for the Yellow Jackets. After graduating he left for Temple where he is projected to start when they play Duke on Friday night.
WE WILL SEE
QB- Jordan Yates (Sam Houston State) Yates understandably moved on after graduating early to compete at Sam Houston State as they transition next year to the FBS. He is in an OR situation with Keegan Shoemaker who was the backup at SHS last year.
DE- Jared Ivy (Ole Miss) Ivey earned the OR with returning Ole Miss starting DE Tavius Robinson. This seems like it may be a slightly better move for Ivey if he can stay in the rotation and push there. He was going to be behind Keion White at the field end spot in Tech's defense. He started 11 games last season largely because of White's leg injury that held him out most of the season.
DT- Ja'Quon Griffin (Coastal Caroina)- Griffin is currently listed as the co-#2 DT with Roland Wooden II. At GT he played in 10 games last year with one start and was in the regular rotation at DT, seems to be in a similar role at Coastal.
DT- Mike Lockhart (West Virginia) Lockhart is listed as the backup noseguard for the Mountaineers. His departure from Georgia Tech did not go well for him and it took months for him to find a landing spot after Auburn tried to make him walk-on after they allegedly pulled a scholarship offer to him. Lockhart tried to come back to GT but burned his bridges with how he departed and he settled for Morgantown.
LOOKS LIKE A BAD MOVE
DE- Jordan Domineck (Arkansas) Domineck who was a three-year starter under Collins but was not as productive as he would've liked left in the winter for Arkansas and he did not earn a starting spot week one. Instead, the Razorbacks are going with Zach Williams who had comparable production to Domineck in fewer snaps in a limited role at Arkansas last year.
NB- Wesley Walker (Tennessee) Walker is the #2 STAR or Nickel for Tennessee behind fellow junior Tamarion McDonald going into game one. Walker was the starting nickel for most of the 2021 season and he had a good 2020 and a bad 2021 season. He went back home to Tennessee to play for the Vols, but his role looks to be significantly smaller playing behind a younger player.
THEY MADE A MISTAKE IMO
RB- Jamious Griffin (Oregon State) This was a real head-scratching decision that Griffin walked back initially coming out of the portal before going back in. He enters the 2022 season in the same position he was in at GT last season as the 4th RB behind Deshaun Fenwick and Trey Lowe plus Damien Martinez. Griffin was likely going to compete for a starting job at GT had he stayed and instead Dylan McDuffie the Buffalo transfer will fill that role.
TE- Dylan Deveney (Pitt) Deveney who has battled numerous injury issues hit the portal and returned closer to him at Pittsburgh, but he is not currently in the three-deep at TE for the Panthers as they open the 2022 season on Thursday night against West Virginia. Deveney played in just three games last season due to injuries and lost his job at GT to Dylan Leonard because of injuries. Hopefully he ends up healthy and able to get in the rotation there.
QB- Chayden Peery had to go to a JUCO
