Predicting Landing Spots for Biggest Names in the 2023 Transfer Portal

There are so many quality players in this year's transfer portal that the options of where they may end up are dizzying.

Already, we've seen potential superstars come off the board such as former Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel heading to Oregon for his final year and cornerback Toriano Pride leaving Clemson for Eli Drinkwitz's upstart Missouri Tigers.

Expect a lot more movement in the next few weeks as the flurry of players testing the portal waters continues to grow by the day. It's a frenetic time for coaches across the country anyway with bowl practice and the early signing period starting.

Now, you throw in a game-changing time when program-defining veterans become available to go through the recruiting process all over again, and it gives a whole new meaning to what once was known as the "silly season."

Here are some of the best players in the portal right now with a guess as to where they'll wind up finishing their college days. Your list of the so-called "top" players would be totally different, too. There are so many names out there who would be terrific fits in the right opportunity.

Isn't portal season the best?

The first of two former Texas A&M Aggies players leaving College Station is a by-product of both former coach Jimbo Fisher's terrific recruiting and the challenge new coach Mike Elko has in building his program.

Chase Bisontis was perhaps A&M's biggest recruiting victory in the 2023 class when the 4-star from New Jersey decided to come all the way to the Lone Star State. All he did was immediately slot into the right tackle job and start all year for the Aggies.

Now, he's leaving the place where he appeared to be an SEC staple on the starting front for years to come.

Who wouldn't want a mauler who stands 6'6", 320 pounds and has proved he can guard edge-rushers, even if his best NFL potential is in the interior at guard? Bisontis is the type of guy who can solidify an O-line for the next two or three seasons.

As expected, everybody is trying:

LSU is trying really hard with Bisontis, and it's still early in the process, but he is a kid from New Jersey who may want to get closer home.

With the Michigan Wolverines, Penn State Nittany Lions and Rutgers Scarlet Knights in pursuit, those are a handful teams that could grant him that opportunity.

The Wolverines have put together the nation's best offensive line consistently, and a roll-of-the-dice pick here is for Jim Harbaugh's team.

Prediction: Michigan

There are two quarterbacks with extremely high upside on this list who have barely cut their teeth in college football and still have plenty to prove.

But, boy, do they have a bucketload of ability.

The first guy is rising sophomore Aidan Chiles, an uber-athletic playmaker who saw action with the Oregon State Beavers as a true freshman this season while backing up DJ Uiagalelei for a very good Pac-12 team.

Now that Jonathan Smith is leaving his alma mater to become the new head coach at Michigan State, it wouldn't be a major shocker to see Chiles follow him across the country.

Smith is a former signal-caller who has done an exceptional job developing little-known recruits into strong quarterbacks during his days in Corvallis. Last year, he landed a top-tier transfer in Uiagalelei and an exceptional prospect in Chiles, in whom the coach showed a lot of confidence during some key moments in 2023.

Chiles would be smart to follow his coach and help jump-start a proud program with the Spartans. It already sounds like he's just waiting for the right time, telling SBLive Sports' Andrew Nemec: "I hope it's everything I want."

He would be "the man" for Michigan State, and Smith could build his offense around him. This is a no-brainer for all sides.

Prediction: Michigan State

It's not going to be easy to get a difference-making running back in this portal cycle because, for all the great players who are looking for fresh pastures, that position is pretty thin when it comes to guarantees.

Former Florida running back Trevor Etienne, the younger brother of Jacksonville RB and Clemson great Travis, may be the best of the bunch at this point.

The 5'9", 205-pound back is a budding star who rushed 249 times for 1,472 yards, averaging 5.9 yards per attempt and 14 touchdowns for the Gators. He also caught 30 receptions for 238 yards and a score during his two years in Gainesville.

Even though he was the most explosive and steady player on coach Billy Napier's offense, he still split time with other runners.

Now, it appears that many of the whispers have Etienne heading to SEC East rival Georgia. DawgNation's Mike Griffith believes he has the potential to become the Bulldogs' first first-team All-SEC runner since D'Andre Swift.

At this point, there's too much smoke to think Etienne will wind up anywhere other than Athens. Could he get closer to his Jennings, Louisiana, home and play for LSU? Sure, if he wanted to. Also, Clemson likely would be in the mix if coach Dabo Swinney placed more emphasis on recruiting in the portal.

However, Etienne with the Dawgs makes a lot of sense, even if it breaks Gators' hearts.

Prediction: Georgia

Will Howard has played a ton of important football at the most important position on the field and won a conference championship for the Kansas State Wildcats.

Now, he's going to play his final season of college football somewhere else.

Given his sturdy frame, big arm and sneaky-good athleticism, there are a lot of very good teams after Howard. The 6'5", 242-pound Pennsylvania native is looking to head somewhere where he can play meaningful football and prove he's a top-tier NFL prospect.

It's hard to believe he still has a lot to prove following a career with the Wildcats that saw him throw for 5,786 yards and 48 touchdowns and run for 921 yards and 19 more scores.

Howard met with USC coach Lincoln Riley shortly after he entered the portal, and other teams such as Miami and Oregon have inquired, too. But the popular name that makes the most sense right now would be the Texas A&M Aggies.

Coach Mike Elko hired away K-State offensive coordinator Collin Klein to be the new play-caller in College Station, and Howard has a lengthy existing relationship with the assistant. With the Aggies looking for a quarterback in the portal, he makes a lot of sense.

If the Miami Hurricanes push, they could make this interesting. There are several options for Howard (and for the Aggies, for that matter), but sometimes the obvious answer is the best one.

Prediction: Texas A&M

Former Duke quarterback Riley Leonard and Howard are connected during this portal season, whether they want to be or not.

It's not hard to guess one of them may end up with Texas A&M.

While it wouldn't be a shocker to see Leonard follow his head coach to the SEC program, he isn't really being mentioned much with the Aggies right now. And he has plenty of suitors. Even though the 2023 season wasn't a memorable one for the signal-caller, his voicemail is going to be full this portal season.

The dual-threat playmaker battled injuries all year and wasn't himself for the Blue Devils, but most teams are going to be banking on the athletic quarterback to return to his 2022 form when he led the surprising Blue Devils to eight wins and helped Elko resurrect that program.

Now, a program that went to the well of former veteran ACC QBs to lead them this past year should probably be considered the favorite. That would be Notre Dame and coach Marcus Freeman, who just exhausted their one season with former Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman at the helm.

The Fighting Irish have been viewed as a favorite to land Leonard since he went into the portal. Watch him land in South Bend, though it's far from a slam dunk with him supposedly visiting Ohio State and Auburn (which is close to home) before making a decision.

Prediction: Notre Dame

(Editor update: Leonard announced Tuesday that he has committed to Notre Dame.)

The biggest high school recruiting headline in the 2022 cycle was when Dante Moore flipped late from Oregon to UCLA. Now, he's making waves in 2023 after his one season with the Bruins.

After starting a few games and proving himself to be too turnover-prone to hold down the starting job, head coach Chip Kelly pulled Moore. Now, the rising sophomore is bolting on the Bruins.

Once he went into the portal, early buzz connected him with returning to home and playing for new Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith and the Spartans. But if Aidan Chiles goes there, it's unlikely Moore will too.

So, where does he end up? That's the million-dollar question right now.

Allen Trieu of 247Sports wrote recently that Moore "possibly" will visit Oregon next weekend, and that's even with the Ducks securing a portal commitment from Dillon Gabriel, who has one year of eligibility remaining.

If Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy decides to forego his final season in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines could be a major threat to land Moore, too. Miami is another program that has been linked to the 18-year-old and has some predictions on his On3 profile.

Moore may take his time, a la Jayden Daniels a couple of seasons ago. But if things line up and McCarthy leaves the Wolverines, it makes too much sense not to predict. It's all up in the air right now.

Prediction: Michigan

Here's the thing about Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and the transfer portal: He'd better get with the times and start recruiting it, because it's a one-way street out of South Carolina right now for prospects.

Predictably, the 54-year-old is seeing guys leave his program, but no one is coming back in.

That's especially true in the defensive backfield where star safety Andrew Mukuba and cornerback Torian Pride are going to leave the Tigers a little more depleted than they would like to be.

Pride already surfaced with Mizzou, and now Mukuba is going to find himself as one of the most coveted safeties in the nation. The 6'0", 185-pound physical back-end defender had 42 stops in 2023, including two for a loss and six tackles defended.

Teams around the nation need to shore up that all-important safety spot, and the Austin native would be a great choice to do just that.

Some of the programs interested in him are Oklahoma, Texas, USC, Ole Miss and Oregon, and Mukuba plans to visit all of them, according to On3's Matt Connolly.

Obviously, this one feels like a Red River Rivalry battle. Mukuba could choose to go back home and play for his hometown Longhorns or head to Norman to play for the coach who recruited him in Brent Venables, the former Clemson defensive coordinator who is now the head coach at OU.

The lean here is the 'Horns.

Prediction: Texas

The top player in this year's transfer portal just so happens to be the same guy who was the top overall player in the 2022 recruiting class.

During that cycle, the 5-star from Memphis, Tennessee, who played his high school senior season in Knoxville decided to play his college ball at Texas A&M for Jimbo Fisher. And after working his way into the rotation as a freshman, he began to blossom this year.

He's a huge player at 6'4", 285 pounds, but he still possesses incredible athleticism at that size and can get after quarterbacks aggressively from the center of the line. He finished his sophomore season with 37 tackles, including 8.5 for a loss, and four sacks.

"Disrupter" is a great way to describe Nolen, and many teams around the nation want him, even if it likely will be for just one season before he leaves early for the NFL.

Steve Wiltfong and Matt Zenitz of 247Sports reported Nolen visited Oregon this weekend and Ole Miss will get the next shot at him. They also noted Alabama, Florida, Texas and USC were trying to get in the mix, and while Tennessee was mentioned early on, there isn't a lot of buzz surrounding the Vols right now.

The Ducks are normally very active and aggressive in the portal, but will Nolen head that far away from home to play his college ball? If the Crimson Tide and Longhorns get firmly in the mix, both programs would be a threat, and Lane Kiffin is a top-tier recruiter.

For now, though, let's roll with Dan Lanning.

Prediction: Oregon

The best tight end in the transfer portal is leaving South Bend and looking for a new home. Whichever team gets him is going to have a nice, all-around player at his position for the next couple of years.

Not only does former Notre Dame tight end Holden Staes have great hands, but he's also a tremendous blocker, which makes him an even hotter commodity in the portal.

The 6'4", 242-pound weapon from Atlanta already visited Knoxville over the weekend where the Vols are in desperate need of at least one, likely two, tight ends in the transfer portal. He also has visits lined up to Washington and Oklahoma.

That's three up-and-coming programs that have been on the cusp of breaking through the past couple of seasons.

In 2023, Staes had just 15 catches for 174 yards but scored four touchdowns, and he was going to be a huge piece of the Fighting Irish's plans moving forward. Now, he's looking to go somewhere where he can start, and three pass-friendly offenses appear to be his focus.

Staes told Volquest's Austin Price that he sees a lot of opportunity on Rocky Top, and while it's going to be hard to turn down the Sooners or the Huskies, the four-hour proximity of Knoxville to his home may help Tennessee win out in the end.

Prediction: Tennessee

The second former Florida Gator on this list may not be the top overall defensive lineman, but Princely Umanmielen is a coveted player at perhaps the most important position on that side of the ball.

Everybody needs guys who can get after quarterbacks, and Umanmielen is adept at doing that. His versatility is vital, too. Not only can he play with his hand down, but he can also stand up and get after signal-callers.

He's going to leave a major void in Gainesville. Somebody's going to get pass-rushing loyalty.

In 2023, the 6'4", 260-pound defensive end finished with 39 tackles, including 11.5 for a loss and seven sacks. He played 45 games with the Gators and started 24 times, so he has been an impact player for three seasons there.

He may end up at another SEC program, but plenty of teams will come calling. Right now, though, it's hard to find out potential destinations, and you never want to be one of the "last" visits during portal season because players can pull the trigger at any time.

Up first for Umanmielen is a visit to Oxford to check out the Ole Miss Rebels and coach Lane Kiffin, and they are hot right now, bending a lot of kids' ears when it comes to transferring.

Never discount Kiffin in portal season, so that's as good of a guess as any at the moment.

Prediction: Ole Miss

As many great quarterbacks who have entered the portal in recent days, it's easy to forget that one of the most talented one-and-done signal-callers has been out there for a while.

That would be Cameron Ward, the phenomenal former Washington State QB who transferred to Pullman from Incarnate Word and had two great seasons with the Cougars.

Now, he's going to play his final year of college ball with another team unless he heads to the NFL, but who will it be?

The guess is anybody's, because teams like Florida State, Miami and Ohio State are pushing hard. Washington, Wisconsin and USC are other interested parties, so Ward is going to have a bunch of great options.

There's a lot to love about the 21-year-old going to Columbus and playing for coach Ryan Day. And if those conversations heat up, at least Vegas loves the Buckeyes in the race.

But the Miami Hurricanes are hard to say no to once you visit, see South Beach and all the sun and fun there is around Coral Gables. Opportunity abounds on the field, too, with Tyler Van Dyke gone and coach Mario Cristobal needing a quality playmaker as a bridge signal-caller to the new regime.

Ward is visiting Miami this weekend, according to 247Sports' Gaby Urrutia, and while there are a lot of options, the Hurricanes have a lot to like.

Prediction: Miami

When Antwane "Juice" Wells transferred from James Madison to coach Shane Beamer's South Carolina program in 2022, he was one of the most dynamic impact receivers in the nation.

Unfortunately for Spencer Rattler and the Gamecocks, Wells got injured early in the 2023 season and never really returned to form.

Now, he's leaving Columbia, and teams everywhere want a chance to lure him to their program for one season before heading to the NFL next year.

Tennessee drew some early buzz, and Wells actually was expected to visit Knoxville last weekend, but that never materialized. Ole Miss, Oregon and Texas have become hot names going after him recently. He visited the Rebels last weekend, so they're in it for the long haul.

While Lane Kiffin has a lot to sell with veteran quarterback Jaxson Dart throwing him passes in an explosive offense, but the Longhorns are in the College Football Playoff and signal-caller Quinn Ewers is likely back for the 2024 season.

With Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell expected to go to the NFL, opportunity abounds at a powerhouse program that has a lot of NIL money and a showcase season on the horizon in 2024 for Wells. Texas makes all too much sense.

Prediction: Texas

All stats courtesy of CFBStats and Sports Reference unless otherwise noted. Recruit rankings courtesy of 247Sports unless otherwise noted.

Follow Brad Shepard on Twitter, @Brad_Shepard.