The transfer portal is in full swing right now, with every team trying to take advantage of the madhouse by pulling talented players to give them a boost going into next season. With all of the talent available, it’s hard to keep track of the best players in the portal with so many names flying in.
Enter CFN’s transfer portal rankings.
Transfer Portal Kicker Rankings
6) Jacob Barnes, Louisiana Tech
A dual-threat special teams standout with kicking and punting potential, former Louisiana Tech kicker Jacob Barnes is also a licensed pilot. Not that the latter fact impacts his positioning in our transfer portal rankings. Barnes was a second-team CUSA honoree this season after nailing 80% of his field goals, 93.5% of his extra point attempts, and hitting a 46-yard long attempt.
5) Ethan Gettman, Bryant
There are several FCS standouts in the portal right now, but only one is worthy of inclusion in our transfer portal rankings.
Bryant kicker Ethan Gettman had a difficult 2023 campaign where he went 9-of-19 on field goal attempts. Yet, he’s one year removed from going 14-of-15 to win the Fred Mitchell Most Outstanding Placekicker Award. Stong-legged, Gettman boasts a 56-yarder on his résumé.
4) Mitch Jeter, South Carolina
South Carolina has been a hotbed of special teams standouts under Shane Beamer, and Mitch Jeter takes that standard into the transfer portal.
MORE: CFB Transfer Portal Tracker
He’s the only kicker in Gamecocks history to make two 50-yard field goals in the same game. He nailed a 51-yard attempt in 2023, completing 85.7% of his field goal attempts and 97.1% of his PATs in his final season in Columbia.
3) Derek McCormick, Louisiana-Monroe
The third-best kicker in our transfer portal rankings, Derek McCormick resides in an exclusive group of special teamers who nailed 100% of their multiple 50+ attempts in 2023. The former ULM kicker earned CFN Third-Team All-Sun Belt honors this fall after setting his career-long field goals (multiple times) while completing 94.1% of his field goal attempts.
2) Matthew Shipley, Hawaii
One of the most clutch kickers in the nation, Matthew Shipley ended his Hawaii career by nailing a 51-yard game-winner against Colorado State. An honorable mention All-Mountain West kicker who was also a semifinalist for the prestigious Lou Gross Award, Shipley might not have the same statistical profile as other portal kickers, but don’t sleep on the game-winning Warrior.
1) Graham Nicholson, Miami (OH)
If Graham Nicholson was a quarterback, his entry into the transfer portal would have been met with shock around the college football landscape. Having helped guide Miami (OH) to greatness this season, the MAC Special Teams Player of the Year and Lou Groza Award winner heads our transfer portal rankings.
Nicholson was perfect from 50+ yards this season, with a career-long 52-yarder showcasing his leg talent. Also showcasing incredible consistency, Nicholson went an FBS record 25 straight field goals without a miss this season, coming up short just once in the MAC Championship Game. Scoring in crucial spots multiple times this season, Nicholson puts the special into special teams.