DT Bear Alexander (Georgia to USC)
The skinny: USC continued to overhaul their defense during this transfer portal cycle with the addition of Alexander. He flashed his star potential during his limited time on the field during his true freshman season in Athens and will now work to take the next step in Los Angeles. With so many new faces on the defensive side of the ball, playing time will be very much up for grabs at most positions during summer camp, which will give Alexander more than enough opportunity to establish himself before the season begins.
DT Tywone Malone (Ole Miss to Ohio State)
The skinny: Ohio State made a serious push for Malone coming out of high school, but with his desire to also play baseball, he eventually made his way to Ole Miss. However, given a second chance, the Buckeyes and defensive line coach Larry Johnson weren’t going to miss on Malone again. His addition in Columbus adds even more talent and depth to an already impressive group of returning defensive linemen who have the potential to be dominant this fall in the Big Ten.
DE Isaac Ukwu (James Madison to Ole Miss)
The skinny: Ole Miss needed to find a disruptive pass rusher in the portal and did so with the addition of Ukwu. The graduate transfer excelled during the 2022 season with 40 tackles, 7.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for a loss, while earning first-team All-Sun Belt honors. The Rebels added another defensive lineman, Stephon Wynn from Nebraska, on the same day as Ukwu, but it is the James Madison transfer who has the potential to make the bigger impact in Oxford this fall.
DE Anthony Campbell (Louisiana-Monroe to Miami-Florida)
The skinny: At 6-foot-7 and 278-pounds, Campbell adds versatility and obvious size to the defensive line in Coral Gables. With Louisiana-Monroe he spent most of his time on the edge but is expected to move inside this fall. However, don’t be surprised if he gets moved around the line depending on the situation. While Miami returns a few and has also added other interesting pieces to the line, Campbell has the potential to become an important part of the rotation.
DE Sav’ell Smalls (Washington to Colorado)
The skinny: One of the nation’s top high school recruits during the Class of 2020, Smalls never saw his career reach its potential at Washington with an accumulation of 32 tackles and one tackle for a loss through three seasons. So, will a change of scenery rejuvenate his collegiate career? There will be plenty of curious eyes pointed towards Boulder this fall, for many reasons, one of which will be to see if Smalls can reach the potential many expected from him only a few short years ago.
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