Typically we see transfer rumors start to circulate near the end of the regular season or after the conclusion of the bowl season, but with changes to the transfer rules this past offseason, we’ve seen a new trend.
With college football players now permitted to play in four games before having to burn their redshirt, we’ve seen several teams have to deal with rumors that their players will sit out for the remainder of the 2024 season in order to hit the transfer portal this offseason with their redshirt intact.
Last week, we saw UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka announce his intentions to do just this thing after an NIL dispute with the Rebels program.
Now, we will see this same tactic used by a player at a Big 12 program, although, this doesn’t appear to have anything to do with NIL.
According to Brandon Helwig of Rivals, UCF wide receiver Xavier Townsend opted out of the remainder of the 2024 season in order to preserve his redshirt with the intent to transfer after the year is over.
While there has been no announcement from Townsend himself, some UCF players appear to be saying farewell to Townsend via Instagram, as noted above.
It’s a major loss for the Knights, as Townsend was one of the starting wideouts for this team in ‘24. Through four games, Townsend had 10 receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown, plus 12 carries for 88 yards.
The Knights are coming off a 48-21 loss to Colorado and will head to Gainesville to face Florida on Saturday.
