There’s an argument to be made that the biggest incoming transfers to the Big Ten in 2024 are Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington. While the conference will look a lot different next season, there’s one thing that feels constant in the modern era of college football: if you aren’t using the transfer portal to patch holes in your roster, you’re putting yourself in a hole.
Thousands of players enter the portal every year, and most end up somewhere. While you’re always at risk of losing key players, by and large, conferences like the Big Ten and SEC feature the schools hoovering up the top available players. Ohio State has dominated the headlines this offseason with some of its big-name transfer acquisitions, but the Buckeyes aren’t the only Big Ten team that’s been doing work in the portal.
Let’s look at the incoming transfer for each Big Ten school likely to make the biggest impact in 2024.
Big Ten transfers ready to make impact in 2024 season
Cole Rusk, TE, Illinois: The Illini have added multiple players along the offensive and defensive lines, and while they fill higher-priority needs, there’s a good chance Rusk will be the most impactful transfer. Surprisingly, considering the tight ends produced on Bret Bielema teams at Wisconsin and Arkansas, Illinois hasn’t had much production at the position. Tip Reiman’s 19 catches for 203 yards and three touchdowns were the most by any TE in Bielema’s three seasons; Rusk should eclipse those numbers. The 6-foot-6, 252-pound Rusk caught 36 passes for 485 yards at Murray State last season. The Illini also lose their two leading receivers, Isaiah Williams and Casey Washington, so there will be plenty of targets to go around, and Rusk seems in line for many of them.
Kurtis Rourke, QB, Indiana: I…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/big-ten-football-transfer-portal-additions-one-newcomer-for-each-team-ready-to-make-impact-in-2024-season/
Author : Tom Fornelli
Publish date : 2024-02-01 16:55:32
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