Breaking: Bulldogs now top suitors to land 6-foot-4 WR after offer
When Bryan McClendon called Travis Smith to invite him to Georgia earlier this month, Travis Smith finally realized how much Georgia wanted him.
He understood the Bulldogs were recruiting him. After all, they’d offered him early. They’d invited him to multiple game visits. Coaches swing by Westlake whenever the contact period permits it. But still, receiving the phone call with McClendon at the beginning of January hit differently.
Transfer portal: Where 2024’s top 10 wide receivers committed ahead of Signing Day
A talented pool of pass-catchers made interesting moves in the transfer portal.
The wide receiver position was absolutely loaded during the first transfer portal window, with nine wideouts in the top 50 overall rankings. Georgia and Texas were the biggest beneficiaries as the only schools to land two of the top 10 receivers in the portal.
Georgia’s receiver depth got pillaged this offseason as the Bulldogs lost six wideouts to the portal. Kirby Smart and Co. got busy and have added three receiver transfers this offseason, including two four-star prospects featured on this list. All three of the Bulldogs’ transfers came from Power Five programs.
Texas returns star quarterback Quinn Ewers next season but lost its top three receivers to eligibility and the NFL Draft. With a Heisman Trophy contender under center and an offensive guru in Steve Sarkisian at the helm, Austin is an attractive destination for any pass-catcher, and the Longhorns added plenty of transfer talent, including the best receiver ever to enter the portal.
10. NOAH ROGERS, OHIO STATE TO NC STATE
9. JULIAN FLEMING, OHIO STATE TO PENN STATE
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 48 Overall
Georgia went into the transfer portal period looking to add at least two wide receivers and scored a commitment from Colbie Young on Dec. 23. The 6-foot-5, 215-pounder finished third among Hurricanes in receiving yards this past season, catching 47 balls for 563 yards and five touchdowns. He recorded 32 catches for 367 yards and five scores as a sophomore in 2022. He chose the Bulldogs over heavy interest from Penn State in the portal.
7. MATTHEW GOLDEN, HOUSTON TO TEXAS
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 42 Overall
Texas had to replace its top three receivers — Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell and Jordan Whittington — this offseason and struck early with Matthew Golden on Dec. 16. A former four-star recruit in the class of 2022, Golden caught 76 passes for 988 yards and 13 touchdowns in two seasons at Houston. He had one of the best games of his career in a loss to the Longhorns on Oct. 21, catching seven passes for 88 yards and two scores.
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 38 Overall
LSU has the lowest-ranked transfer class in the SEC, but while it is a modest haul of just six players, half of them hold four-star ratings. That includes CJ Daniels, who joins the program as a potential replacement for some of the tremendous production the Tigers lost from last year’s receiving corps. He elevated his status in a major way throughout his Liberty career, joining the Flames in 2020 as a two-star recruit and leaving as one of the top wide receivers in the transfer portal. He is fresh off his first 1,000-yard campaign and racked up 10 touchdowns in his final year at Liberty.
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 94 Rating | No. 24 Overall
“Juice” Wells played in only three games this season due to a lower-body injury and caught three passes for 37 yards. He was the Gamecocks’ leading pass-catcher in 2022 with 928 yards receiving and six touchdowns and is one of the highlights of the Rebels’ top-ranked transfer class. He and fellow transfer receiver Devin Price should bolster an Ole Miss pass-catching corp poised to be on of the SEC’s best in 2024.
3. LONDON HUMPHREYS, VANDERBILT TO GEORGIA
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