Ten of the top 40 transfer portal prospects in the country landed at Big Ten schools this offseason.
Ohio State dipped into the portal more than ever before, signing eight new scholarship transfers to help bolster its 2023 roster as player mobility reaches new heights across college football. And while the Buckeyes didn't land any of the top 10 transfers in the nation, per 247Sports' rankings, defensive backs Davison Igbinosun and Ja'Had Carter headline one of the strongest transfer classes in the Big Ten.
Michigan's class gives Ohio State a run for its money, as new Wolverine linebacker Ernest Hausmann and interior offensive lineman LaDarius Henderson rank among the top four transfers in the Big Ten and are each rated in the nation's top 20. In fact, Hausmann is the top-rated transfer in the entire conference, and we'll begin with the former Nebraska Cornushker as we look at the Big Ten's best transfers in order of their 247Sports rank.
LB Ernest Hausmann
- 247Sports transfer rank: No. 4
- Former team: Nebraska
- New team: Michigan
Just a three-star high school recruit out of Columbus, Nebraska, in 2022, Hausmann quickly proved his ceiling is higher than many talent evaluators might have thought as a true freshman with the Cornhuskers.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound linebacker appeared in all 12 games for Nebraska and made seven starts in his first season, finishing with 54 total tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery. Hausmann came on strong in the final leg of the 2022 season, beginning with an eye-opening 10-tackle performance against Michigan on Nov. 12 in which he also registered a sack and a tackle for loss. The following week against Wisconsin, Hausmann outdid himself with a 12-tackle effort, with 10 being solo tackles.
The Wolverine coaching staff must have been impressed by its first-hand look at Hausmann’s ability as the Michigan program landed his services through the transfer portal back on Dec. 15. With the addition of Hausmann, 247Sports’ fourth-ranked transfer prospect, Michigan’s linebacker corps is rated among Phil Steele’s top five in the nation for 2023. Hausmann has three years of eligibility remaining.
Next chapter #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/vowmLb60aH
— Ernest Hausmann (@Ernest_Hausmann) December 15, 2022
CB Davison Igbinosun
- 247Sports transfer rank: No. 13
- Former team: Ole Miss
- New team: Ohio State
The No. 13 transfer portal prospect in 2023, per 247Sports, Igbinosun didn’t waste time living up to that billing as he wowed Buckeye fans and media members alike in his first spring with the Buckeyes.
A 6-foot-2 cornerback out of Union, New Jersey, the four-star high school recruit became an immediate starter at the SEC as a true freshman at Ole Miss. Igbinosun started 10 games for the Rebels, tallying 37 total tackles and five pass deflections en route to being named a College Football New Freshman All-American.
After committing to Ohio State on Jan. 31, Igbinosun impressed Buckeye personnel with a business-like approach to his transition to Columbus, and the results were evident immediately. Possessing wiry length and technical prowess in the defensive backfield, Igbinosun created turnovers and broke up passes during Ohio State’s open spring practice sessions and left many thinking he could be a Week 1 starter in scarlet and gray.
Almost a great catch by Carnell Tate, but Davison Igbinosun breaks up the play pic.twitter.com/UuwtK4jj51
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) April 1, 2023
Whether or not that comes to fruition remains to be seen this preseason, but with three years of eligibility at Ohio State, Igbinosun appears to have a bright future with the Buckeyes either way.
QB Hudson Card
- 247Sports transfer rank: No. 17
- Former team: Texas
- New team: Purdue
After losing out in a quarterback battle with Quinn Ewers at Texas, the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the 2020 class will have an opportunity to be the top dog under center at Purdue.
Card began the 2021 season as the Longhorns’ QB1 but ultimately lost his spot to Casey Thompson. Following Thompson’s transfer, Card was bested once again by Ewers – who transferred in from Ohio State – in 2022, although he filled in admirably during Ewers’ multi-game injury absence and finished the year with 928 passing yards, six touchdowns and one interception. With Ewers firmly established as the go-to guy in Austin, though, Card needed a fresh start.
Under new head coach Ryan Walters, Card should step in as a Week 1 starter at Purdue to replace outgoing star QB Aiden O’Connell. Card is 247sports’ second-rated quarterback transfer prospect and the 17th-best transfer overall.
OL LaDarius Henderson
- 247Sports transfer rank: No. 18
- Former team: Arizona State
- New team: Michigan
Michigan nabbed another one of the top 20 transfers in 247Sports’ rankings on Dec. 6 when Henderson, a three-year starter at Arizona State, committed to the program.
A 6-foot-5, 310-pound offensive lineman, Henderson played both left tackle and left guard for the Sun Devils and was considered a possible Day 2 NFL draft pick before opting to spend his final year of eligibility in the college ranks. Henderson missed the final six games of the 2022 season with a broken bone in his hand, which likely informed his decision to return to school for another year.
However, Henderson will do so with a Michigan program that has seen its offensive line win the Joe Moore Award for the best front five in the nation in each of the past two seasons.
DL Andre Carter
- 247Sports transfer rank: No. 21
- Former team: Western Michigan
- New team: Indiana
Indiana boosted its 2023 defense with the addition of a second-team All-MAC defensive end who is fresh off a monster season at Western Michigan in 2022.
Listed at 6-foot-5, 273 pounds, Carter racked up 70 total tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, two forced fumbles, two pass deflections and an interception in his fifth year of college football last season. Carter has 6.5 sacks and 10.5 TFLs in the final seven games of the 2022 season alone. The Detroit product has 14 career sacks, 29 tackles for loss and 135 total tackles to his credit.
Carter, who ranks 21st in 247Sports’ list of the top transfers in the country, will be a welcome addition to an Indiana unit that finished 119th in the country in total defense in 2022.
S Ja’Had Carter
- 247Sports transfer rank: No. 24
- Former team: Syracuse
- New team: Ohio State
The top-rated transfer safety in the country is a Buckeye after spending his first three seasons at Syracuse.
Carter was a Freshman All-American in 2020 and an All-ACC honorable mention this past season, racking up 138 total tackles, 12 pass deflections, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble across 28 career starts and 31 appearances for the Orange. Carter had a career-high three interceptions this past season alone to go along with 36 total tackles.
The 6-foot-1, 203-pound Virginia native gave Ohio State an immediate option to replace outgoing 2022 starting nickel safety Tanner McCalister. However, Carter’s first spring in the program was cut short after a knee injury suffered in practice. Luckily for Carter and the Buckeyes, the issue isn’t supposed to keep him off the field for the start of the season.
In order to earn a starting spot early in 2023, Carter must beat out OSU veteran Cameron Martinez, who handled most of the first-team nickel safety reps this spring.
DL Tunmise Adeleye
- 247Sports transfer rank: No. 35
- Former team: Texas A&M
- New team: Michigan State
The 39th overall prospect in the 2021 recruiting class, former Ohio State defensive line commit Tunmise Adeleye will now play against the Buckeyes in the Big Ten after transferring from Texas A&M to Michigan State.
Despite his high-profile recruiting status out of high school, Adeleye’s college career has largely stalled through his first two seasons. Adeleye redshirted as a true freshman in 2021 and although he started the first two games of the 2022 campaign, the 6-foot-4, 290-pound lineman only appeared in one more contest for the duration of the season.
Still, Adeleye – the 35th-ranked transfer in the country – is an intriguing addition for the Spartans, who ranked 101st in the nation in total defense this past year.
Unbothered... pic.twitter.com/cMWFuKexzC
— Tunmise Adeleye (@OTK4Ltunmise) May 17, 2023
WR Dante Cephas
- 247Sports transfer rank: No. 36
- Former team: Kent State
- New team: Penn State
Another MAC standout is headed to the Big Ten East Division this season as former Kent State wideout Dante Cephas, the No. 36 transfer in the nation, joined the Penn State roster in the offseason.
Cephas turned heads with a breakout 2021 campaign in which he hauled in 82 passes for 1,240 yards and nine scores. The 6-foot-1 receiver had a quieter 2022 season, but still put up impressive numbers with 48 receptions, 744 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Ranked as the 298th-best wide receiver in the country out of Pittsburgh’s Penn Hills High School in 2019, Cephas returns to his home state to give new starting quarterback Drew Allar another weapon in the Nittany Lion wide receiver room.
WR Kaden Prather
- 247Sports transfer rank: No. 37
- Former team: West Virginia
- New team: Maryland
Maryland brought in a 6-foot-4 target for veteran QB Taulia Tagovailoa to throw to this offseason in the form of Prather, a four-star 2021 recruit who spent his first two seasons at West Virginia.
Prather had a few productive games as a true freshman but came into his own this past year, catching 52 passes for 501 yards and three touchdowns. Prather turned in a career-best showing in a win over Baylor on Oct. 13, notching his first-ever 100-yard performance with eight catches for 109 yards and a score. The 37th-ranked transfer in the country hauled in three touchdowns in a four-game stretch that put his potential on full display in September and October, although his production tapered off in the back half of the season.
Maryland already possessed the 41st-ranked passing offense in the country in 2022, and adding the 12th-best transfer wideout in the nation should only aid the Terps in forming another solid pass attack in 2023.
TE Erick All
- 247Sports transfer rank: No. 39
- Former team: Michigan
- New team: Iowa
The former Michigan captain will look to bounce back from an injury-addled 2022 season with a new team this year as All starts a new chapter at Iowa.
The 6-foot-4 tight end enjoyed a breakout 2021 campaign in which he caught 38 passes for 437 yards and two touchdowns while helping lead the Wolverines to a Big Ten championship and the program’s first-ever College Football Playoff appearance. However, All’s fourth year in maize and blue was cut short after just three games due to lingering back issues that eventually required surgery.
At Iowa, All reunites with former Michigan starting quarterback Cade MacNamara, who committed to the Hawkeye program just a week before him.
Last spring ball Wouldnt of had it any other way. GO HAWKS! pic.twitter.com/73tmougMHu
— Erick All Jr. (@eallindi83) April 23, 2023
