It’s officially that time of year again, as the spring transfer portal opened up on Wednesday morning and dozens of Big 12 athletes have entered their names into the NCAA database.
This cycle is set to be particularly intriguing, as it’s likely the last time that we’ll see an undetermined market price for players with the House vs. NCAA settlement looming this summer. Tennessee starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava got things started off with a negotiation-gone-wrong and now he finds himself with “no market” after demanding a $4 million deal with the Volunteers.
However, that’s not the only headline that we’ve seen emerge from the college football portal, and there were several notable things happening around the Big 12, too. Yesterday, we saw the top five stories from around the Big 12. Now, here are the three most important transfer portal storylines from Thursday.
Utah Goes Big Game Hunting
When former Texas Tech wide receiver Micah Hudson re-entered the transfer portal, it felt like a foregone conclusion that he’d end up back with the Red Raiders.
However, reports on Wednesday suggested otherwise, as 247Sports’ experts said it would be “surprising” if Hudson heads back to Lubbock.
Then, less than 24 hours later, it was reported that Hudson would be headed to Salt Lake City to visit with Utah.
With Devon Dampier now calling the shots at quarterback, Utah’s offense is bound to be way more explosive than it was a season ago.
If they somehow found a way to land a talent like Hudson, it would take their offensive ceiling to an entirely different level. Combine an explosive offense with the typical defensive units that we see in Utah, and you’ve got a legitimate Big 12 title contender.
Whether the two parties will find common ground is anyone’s guess, but if it does work out, it might be the biggest transfer news for the conference this cycle.
Houston Lands Massive Portal Tight End
When Steve Wiltfong makes a prediction on social media, it might as well be an announcement post, and on Thursday, the On3 expert projected Houston to land an elite transfer portal tight end.
Tanner Koziol, a former standout tight end at Ball State, is the definition of a matchup nightmare. Listed at 6-foot-7, 237 pounds, Koziol is too big for a safety or cornerback to handle in jumb-ball situations. However, he’s an issue for most linebackers in coverage.
In 2024, he ranked fourth in the country with 7.8 receptions per game and broke Ball State career and single-game records with 94 receptions for 839 yards and eight touchdowns.
The news became official on Thursday night.
With Conner Weigman set to take over at quarterback, and a target like Koziol headed in, there’s reason to believe that Houston’s offense could be better in 2025.
If they maintain the level of defense they played last season, a revamped offense could be enough to make them a team that surprises some folks in 2025.
Colorado Loses Cash
Not real cash. But True Freshman All-American center Cash Cleveland, who is set to enter the transfer portal.
This one hurts for Coach Prime, especially since the offensive line was vastly improved from 2023 to 2024, and Cleveland was a big reason why. He did not allow a sack all season.
Most services had Cleveland unranked coming out of high school. Only On3 had him listed as a three-star. Colorado welcomed Cleveland into the program as a walk-on and he became the first-ever walk-on to start at center for the Buffaloes.
Now, the Buffaloes will need to figure out their next move at one of the most underappreciated positions in football.
