10 best transfer portal additions that will shape the 2023 college football season

Sam Hartman could be why Notre Dame pops in year two under Marcus Freeman

While Sam Hartman could have stayed at Wake Forest for one more season, he has a terrific opportunity to raise his overall profile playing for Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame. He was one of the best returning quarterbacks last year. Although he had a bit of a health scare during the offseason, Wake Forest continued to remain a consistently strong program under Dave Clawson.

But this is Notre Dame, a place where you can make the College Football Playoff is you go 12-0. Wake Forest has competed in an ACC Championship recently, but the Deacs will be playing fourth-fiddle to Clemson, Florida State and UNC this year. It was a good time for Hartman to make the change. It could help his draft stock, but better yet, it could do wonders for his collegiate legacy.

Hartman should be better than Ian Book was in South Bend, possibly as good as Brady Quinn was.

Travis Hunter followed Deion Sanders from Jackson State to reshape Colorado

We just saw Deion Sanders do historic things in the transfer portal. He had a whopping 25 players switch schools or follow him to Colorado from Jackson State, none bigger than former five-star cornerback Travis Hunter. Although you could argue for Sanders’ son Shedeur on this list, Hunter was the former No. 1 recruit in the 2022 cycle. The Buffaloes defense is about to be a No Fly Zone.

As simply as I can put it, Colorado now has an elite SEC-caliber cornerback to anchor its defensive backfield around. The Buffs also struck gold by landing 2023 five-star Cormani McClain during National Signing Day. Together, Hunter and McClain could be prominent pillars in turning this thing around in Boulder. They must get better in the trenches, but CU is humming outside the numbers.

If Florida State and Georgia wanted a defensive back, then you know you got something special.

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