By Tony Thomas
Washington has landed a gunslinger as a replacement for Michael Penix, Jr., SEC teams continue their raiding party for defensive players in the transfer portal, and an all-conference quarterback is headed to the Big Ten.
QB Will Rogers
Washington Huskies (from Mississippi State)
6’2”, 205 lbs.
As one of the most highly productive quarterbacks ever to suit up in the SEC, Will Rogers is #2 all-time in the SEC in career passing yards with 12,315. Rogers is also 4th all-time in passing touchdowns with 94 and is the conference leader in career pass completion percentage at 69.3%.
.@c_whit115 for six!
📺 » https://t.co/YmsKNhZO9q (SEC Network)#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/FChx68ojIa
— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) October 7, 2023
Rogers thrived in the Air Raid system at Mississippi State under the late great Mike Leach, which bodes well as the Washington offense has roots in the Air Raid philosophy under head coach Kalen DeBoer. However, 2023 was a down year for Rogers under defensive-minded coach Zach Arnett, playing in only eight games while battling a shoulder injury.
Rogers has logged 46 games played so far in his career and will easily be the most productive and accomplished passer on the Huskies roster in 2024.
QB Kurtis Rourke
Indiana Hoosiers (from Ohio University)
6’5”, 231 lbs.
As a 2-time All-MAC quarterback for the Ohio Bobcats, Kurtis Rourke takes his quarterback skills to the Big Ten to play for new Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti. This season, Rourke passed for 2,207 yards, 11 touchdowns, and four INTs, while completing 63% of his passes. He was named to the 2nd Team All-MAC.
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I MEAN… COME ON! SAM WIGLUSZ TOUCHDOWN! 💯
📺 CBSSN | #OUohyeah pic.twitter.com/JGUTOFg20l
— Ohio Football (@OhioFootball) October 21, 2023
In 2022, Rourke was awarded the Vern Smith Award as the top player in the MAC after passing for 3,256 yards, 25 touchdowns, and four INTs. He completed 69% of his passes and added four touchdowns on the ground. Rourke has 7,650 passing yards, 50 passing touchdowns, and 16 INTs for his career.
Indiana also brought in former Wisconsin four-star offensive lineman Trey Wedig to keep Rourke upright. Wedig will reunite with his former offensive line coach Bob Bostad in Bloomington as the retooling continues for the Hoosiers.
Edge Kyle Kennard
South Carolina Gamecocks (from Georgia Tech)
6’5”, 238 lbs.
As the #6 edge rusher in the transfer portal, Kyle Kennard brings 42 games of college experience to the Gamecocks. He is a graduate transfer and will have one year of college ball left to play. This season, Kennard posted 54 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, six sacks, and two forced fumbles for Georgia Tech.
Against Wake Forest, Kennard exorcised the demons out of the Deacons by racking up eight tackles, four tackles for loss, four sacks, and forced a fumble in a 30-16 win by the Yellowjackets. For his career, Kennard has 115 tackles, 12.5 sacks, and 21.5 tackles for loss to his credit.
DL Tyler Baron
Ole Miss Rebels (from Tennessee)
6’5”, 260 lbs.
Ole Miss Defensive Coordinator Pete Golding has been busy in the transfer portal, looking to shore up that side of the ball for the Rebels, and he did just that by landing the #5 Edge Rusher in Tyler Baron. Baron brings 48 games of college experience with the Tennessee Volunteers to Oxford and will have one year of eligibility left.
“Tyler Baron with back-to-back monster stops” pic.twitter.com/4mOdzOywtc
— We Run the Sip (@OMRebelNation) December 16, 2023
Baron racked up 28 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, six sacks, and broke up two passes this season. He has 101 tackles, 13.5 sacks, and 27 tackles for loss in his career. Baron uses his strength and a quick burst of speed off the line of scrimmage to overpower offensive linemen, and is expected to be an immediate impact player.
RB Raleek Brown
Arizona State Sun Devils (from USC)
5’8”, 185 lbs.
ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham went out and got himself a versatile player with plenty of upside in RB Raleek Brown. Brown comes to the Valley of the Sun with three years of college ball left to play. As a freshman at USC in 2022, Brown showed his versatility on the field by scoring three rushing touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns while logging 517 yards on kickoff returns.
USC WR/RB Raleek Brown commits during Arizona State Visit:
Click here: https://t.co/h0wMx3613T
Raleek was a five-star RB prospect at Mater Dei and a top 25 recruit in the 2022 class.@raleek2 @MDFootball @ASUFootball @jwillies116 pic.twitter.com/GRhAqqlVeu— Dave Keefer (@DaveKeefer) December 16, 2023
Brown, who was the #3 overall running back prospect in the country in the 2022 class coming out of Mater Dei High School in California, possesses elite speed both as a game-breaker to run away from defenders and in short yardage situations.
