By Mike Farrell
1. DE Damon Wilson II-Missouri
6’ 4”, 250 lbs.
Damon Wilson II saw limited playing time as a freshman at Georgia in 2023. In 2024, He recorded 22 total tackles, three sacks, forced two fumbles, and recovered two fumbles. Wilson was the top-rated transfer DE according to On3 Sports.
2. DE Patrick Payton-LSU
6′ 5″, 250 lbs.
After redshirting at FSU in 2021, Patrick Payton was named the 2022 ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year when he had 31 total tackles and five sacks. As a sophomore, Payton started all 14 games, had 44 tackles, a career-high seven sacks, and was honorable mention All-ACC.
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3. CB Xavier Lucas-Miami
6′ 2″, 198 lbs.
Xavier Lucas is heading back to South Florida after one season at Wisconsin. He played in 12 games and totaled 18 tackles, one sack, and one interception. Technically, Lucas never entered the portal. He withdrew from Wisconsin and enrolled at Miami.
4. S Dillon Thieneman-Oregon
6′ 0″, 207 lbs.
Dillon Thieneman became a starter at safety as a freshman at Purdue. After recording 106 tackles, two forced fumbles, and 6 interceptions, he was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and third-team All-American. Thieneman was the top-rated safety according to On3 Sports.
5. DE Princewill Umanmielen-Mississippi
6′ 5″, 245 lbs.
Princewill Umanmielen earned second-team freshman 2023 All-American honors as a linebacker after totaling 22 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 1.0 sack in 2023. Umanmielen will be moving to defensive end for the Rebels.
6. DE Keeshawn Silver-USC
6′ 4″, 336 lbs.
Keeshawn Silver spent 2 years, appearing in six games, at North Carolina before transferring to Kentucky in 2023. Silver had 26 tackles and a sack in 12 starts in 2024. He had 23 starts and 47 tackles in 30 games during his four-year career.
7. DE Romello Height-Texas Tech
6′ 3″, 240 lbs.
Romello Height started his career at Auburn in 2020 and 2021. He transferred to USC in 2022, where he had 21 tackles and four sacks. He transferred back home to Georgia Tech for the 2024 season, where he made 34 tackles, 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and one interception.
8. DE James Williams-Florida State
After spending 2022 at Iowa Central CC, James Williams transferred to Nebraska. He redshirted in 2023 after playing in four games. In 2024, Williams played in 12 games for the Huskers and recorded 14 tackles and five sacks.
9. DE Williams Nwaneri-Nebraska
6′ 7″, 255 lbs.
As a five-star recruit out of Kansas City, Missouri, Williams Nwaneri chose Missouri over many of the top programs. He played in four games for the Tigers, had two tackles and one sack before redshirting.
10. DL David Gusta-Kentucky
6′ 3″, 302 lbs.
In his three seasons at Washington State, David Gusta recorded 62 total tackles, six tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks. He had a career-high 30 tackles in 2023. Gusta was the second-highest rated defensive lineman in the portal according to 247sports.
