The college football transfer portal has revolutionized the sport, allowing teams to rebuild or retool rosters at the most critical positions. Ahead of spring practices, we take a look at some of the top defensive back transfers that could make an instant impact on their new teams in the 2023 season.
Defensive Back Transfers To Have the Most Impact in 2023
Fentrell Cypress II, Florida State
Establishing the potential to have an immediate impact as one of the top DB transfers involves multiple factors, led by talent and opportunity at the landing spot. Fentrell Cypress II ticks both boxes as one of the most talented and productive defensive backs on the market, landing on a team that should be in position to do big things in the 2023 college football season.
The former Virginia cornerback racked up 14 pass breakups in just nine games last fall, earning all-ACC honors. Cypress is slated to slot straight in as a starter for the Seminoles, with his impressive size (6’4″, 184 pounds), length, athleticism, and ball skills making him a dangerous outside CB with lockdown potential for a defense full of talented playmakers.
DeShawn Gaddie, Ole Miss
With Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding heading to Oxford, there’ll be a renewed focus on an Ole Miss defense that has often been considered a weakness compared to their offenses under Lane Kiffin. Only South Carolina, Arkansas, and Vanderbilt allowed more passing touchdowns than the Rebels last fall.
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Ole Miss has added a pair of the top DB transfers, with Georgia Tech’s Zamari Walton being joined by former North Texas CB DeShawn Gaddie, who is line to make a significant impact. Gaddie tallied a career-high 12 pass breakups and 62 tackles last fall, while showcasing his ball skills, stickiness in man coverage, and the ability to be disruptive in the run game.
Darian ‘Duce’ Chestnut, LSU
As they look to build on Brian Kelly’s first season in the Bayou, LSU has been one of the more active programs in the CFB transfer portal. By snagging former Syracuse CB Darian “Duce” Chestnut, the Tigers have acquired one of the top defensive back transfers.
Chestnut should have a Day 1 starting role and can enhance LSU’s reputation as “DBU.” Logging four interceptions in two seasons with a touchdown against Wagner in 2022, Chestnut displays excellent ball tracking and is a physical disruptor at the catch point. He also uses that aggressiveness in run support, making him a well-rounded cornerback who maximizes his size and athleticism advantages with a high football IQ.
Travis Hunter, Colorado
Colorado’s 2023 defense is going to be unrecognizable from the unit that took to the field last fall. And let’s be honest, that’s probably a sweet relief for fans in Bolder.
Without even getting into the weeds of their run defense, the Buffs ranked last in the Pac-12 for passing yards allowed per attempt (8.7) and touchdowns (31), with only Arizona snagging fewer interceptions.
Former five-star athlete Travis Hunter arrives as one of the top defensive back transfers and with immediate impact potential. Hunter possesses a top-tier ability to read the game — with his experience on both sides of the ball evident in how he plays the CB position — and elite athletic capability to act upon what he’s seeing, making him a dangerous weapon.
Ja’Quan Sheppard, Maryland
Both of Maryland’s starting cornerbacks — Jakorian Bennett and Deonte Banks — are off to the 2023 NFL Draft, leaving a sizeable hole in the Terrapins’ secondary. Thankfully, Maryland managed to turn to the transfer portal to snag a cornerback who combines physical tools and technical excellence to be an impactful playmaker in the secondary.
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In a football equivalent of the tortoise and hare anecdote, Ja’Quan Sheppard spent his first three years in Cincinnati as a special-teams ace and defensive backup before flourishing into one of the top DB transfers after a standout season for the Bearcats that earned him first-team All-AAC recognition.
Jarron Morris, FAU
It’s not just a big-name head coach that’s headed to Boca Raton for the 2023 season. There are also big-time playmakers making the switch to Florida Atlantic.
Tom Herman’s tenure with the Owls begins by luring one of the top defensive back transfers to the program. Texas State CB Jarron Morris has tallied 27 pass breakups, seven interceptions, and 243 tackles in his career.
A multi-sport standout at the high school level, Morris has an enticing athletic profile that is buoyed by football intelligence and ball-tracking skills to make a coverage threat despite his diminutive stature. Meanwhile, the 5’9″, 170-pound CB shows physicality in all facets of the game, adding run-support prowess to his coverage capability.
Adari Haulcy, Houston
Houston heads to the Big 12 for the 2023 college football season, but they’re taking a player from the Group of Five level with them. Adari “A.J.” Haulcy was the standout performer on a poor New Mexico Lobos team last fall. His switch to the Cougars promises to value him into the national spotlight as one of the top defensive back transfers in the 2023 cycle.
Haulcy tallied an impressive 87 tackles, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions as a true freshman safety last fall. Twenty-four of those tackles came against Fresno State in one of the most commanding performances of the season. The new Houston safety plays with a red-hot motor and incredible physicality in all phases while possessing sideline-to-sideline speed.
Jack Henderson, Minnesota
Minnesota has been blessed with high-level plays from the safety position in recent seasons, including Jordan Howden impressing last season for the Gophers. With his departure, a starting safety to play alongside Tyler Nubin was a priority portal need. Now, former SE Louisiana star Jack Henderson has the chance to establish himself as one of the top DB transfers in that role.
The 6’3″, 205-pound safety has been a playmaking force for the Lions, and heads to Minnesota off a career year with 90 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions. Henderson has an alluring size and speed profile while showcasing playmaking ability in multiple phases.
Minnesota has a history of successfully converting FCS players into top-notch FBS talent.
Omar Rogers, East Carolina
East Carolina has had some of the most dangerous defensive backs in college football over the last two seasons. But with both Ja’Quan McMillian and Jireh Wilson departing in that time span, the Pirates will need someone else to step up. Former Elon DB Omar Rogers can be the next man up in East Carolina’s secondary.
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Rogers has established himself as one of the top DB transfers from the FCS in this cycle. The 6’0″, 200-pound secondary standout racked up 60 tackles, two forced fumbles, and three interceptions last fall. He hits like a freight train, a combination of physicality and competitiveness. Rogers has an eye for the ball, the skills to match, and can move well for his size.
Marques Sigle, Kansas State
The Kansas State Wildcats will have to retool their secondary for the 2023 season, losing five key pieces from the unit that helped the program to the Big 12 title last fall. Capturing former North Dakota State CB Marques Sigle will certainly help, as the Wildcats have historically had success molding FCS transfers into high-level FBS contributors.
Sigle heads to Kansas State off the most statistically successful season of his Bison career, snagging his first ever pick-six, sack, and tackle for loss while adding five pass breakups to his résumé. The new Wildcats addition positions himself well to make a play and has good ball-tracking ability, while he is deceptively strong as a tackler and physical in all phases.
Honorable Mention Defensive Back Transfers
- Charles Amankwaa, Rutgers
- Nick Jackson, Iowa
- Jamorri Colson, Washington State
- Shamari Simmons, Arizona State
- Storm Duck, Penn State
- Al Walcott, Arkansas
- Jalen Catalon, Texas
- Robert Rahimi, SMU
- AJ Hampton, Tulane
- Jireh Wilson, UCF
- Cam’Ron Kelly, Virginia
- Davonte Brown, Miami (FL)
- Davison Igbinosun, Ohio State
