It’s the unfortunate time of year when some struggling teams start to lose players to the transfer portal. While players can’t officially enter their names until the conclusion of the regular season, they can announce their intentions to leave and then sit out to preserve their redshirt, provided they haven’t played more than four games.
After the NC State Wolfpack‘s tepid start, talented edge rusher Red Hibbler announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal at the end of the year.
Landing Spots for Red Hibbler
Hibbler is a junior college transfer who burst onto the scene last season for NC State, the first major college to offer him in late 2022. He had 6.5 sacks in 2023 but struggled to start the year this season.
As the Wolfpack fell to 2-2, Hibbler announced he would no longer be part of the team. This week, he reiterated what everyone had suspected and will enter the transfer portal at the end of the regular season.
Where could Hibbler end up?
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Originally from the Magnolia State, Hibbler attended Northwest Mississippi Community College before going to NC State. Not only is Mississippi State in Hibbler’s home state, but the Builldogs have been extremely forthcoming about their intentions to lock down the state’s junior colleges.
That level of football is bigger in Mississippi than in any other state, and even though Hibbler hasn’t been in the JUCO ranks in over two years, the Bulldogs are certainly aware of him.
Mississippi State needs to boost its recruiting in any way it can, and Hibbler seems like low-hanging fruit to improve an underwhelming defensive line.
Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss will need to reload along the defensive line, and Hibbler provides a quick and easy fix there. The Rebels prefer to look to the portal to fill out their starting positions along the defensive line, and there just aren’t many starting-caliber edge rushers with ties to the Magnolia State for Ole Miss to pick up.
Ole Miss has the NIL infrastructure and the talent to afford a one-year rental like Hibbler. They also have the win-now mentality that Hibbler is likely seeking in his next school.
Sam Houston State Bearkats
Admittedly not the powerhouse that some of these other teams are, Sam Houston State is quietly building a strong and stable infrastructure. The Bearkats have a strong defense and look like they belong in the FBS after struggling in 2023.
The Bearkats were among the first teams to offer Hibbler out of Junior College and one of the few with a stable coaching situation among that group.
South Carolina Gamecocks
South Carolina has quietly been one of the best mid-level teams in the transfer portal, has one of the country’s top edge coaches, and has a huge need for experience on the defensive line next season.
It certainly doesn’t hurt that the Gamecocks’ edge rushers are making waves this season or that Kyle Kennard (a former ACC edge rusher) has raised his draft stock as much as anyone else in the country. The fit and the talent level make sense for both sides here.
Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
Louisiana was one of the few FBS schools to show interest in Hibbler out of high school. While Billy Napier is at Florida, (for now) head coach Michael Desormeaux was on staff at the time. With a high-scoring offense, the Ragin’ Cajuns need as much help as they can get on the defensive side of the ball.
While Hibbler is a Power Four talent, we’ve seen weirder things happen in the portal era, especially with players who announce their intentions in the middle of the season. If something happens and he gets lost in the shuffle, Louisiana could be a really nice fit later in the process.
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