College football transfer portal's 11 biggest busts of 2023 cycle (2024)

The lone five-star transfer on this list, Harris' time in Baton Rouge did not go much better than his previous stop in College Station. The 6-foot, 190-pound cornerback appeared in just five games with three starts for the Tigers before missing the final seven games for undisclosed reasons.

He played 217 defensive snaps in that span, allowing six catches on 13 targets for 88 yards and two touchdowns while breaking up one pass, according to PFF College.

The Houston North Shore product still has time to turn things around, but he will have to do so at a new school as Harris re-entered the transfer portal this offseason and ultimately landed at UTSA.

Franklin was a big get for head coach Lane Kiffin and the Rebels in the 2023 portal cycle. The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder was a four-year starter coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons at UTSA, making him one of the most sought-after pass catchers in the portal.

But he missed the first three games of the 2023 season due to injury and went on to play in just four games (two starts), finishing with four catches for 38 yards and one touchdown.

Franklin re-entered the transfer portal this spring.

Schlee arrived at UCLA as a highly-rated transfer from Kent State last offseason, but he spent most of his first year with the Bruins as a backup that was used primarily in the run game.

He struggled as a passer, completing 53.2% of his passes for 217 yards and averaging just 4.6 yards per attempt with two touchdowns to two interceptions and averaging just 4.6 yards per attempt, but he was productive in the run game with 425 yards and three scores.

Schlee re-entered the portal in April and is headed to Virginia Tech for his final season.

Turnovers plagued Sims, a former three-year starter at Georgia Tech, in his lone season at Nebraska. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder appeared in just five games on the season, throwing for 282 yards and one touchdown on 59.6% passing and rushing for another 189 yards and one score.

But he tossed six interceptions in just 47 pass attempts on the year, including three in the season opener at Minnesota and two more in a late-season loss to Maryland.

Like many of the players on this list, Sims re-entered the transfer portal following the season. He is expected to transfer to Arizona State.

One of PFF College's highest-graded quarterbacks in the country during the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Armstrong experienced a drop off in play in his final season at Virginia after offensive coordinator Robert Anae left for Syracuse, but the duo reunited at NC State in 2023 and expectations were high for the former All-ACC signal-caller.

Armstrong was unable to return to that form, however, as he was benched for MJ Morris following a disappointing five-game stretch to open the season in which he threw five touchdowns against six interceptions.

He returned to the starting role late in the season after Morris opted to sit out and preserve a year of eligibility, finishing the year on a high note by leading the Wolfpack to three straight wins to close out the regular season before falling to Kansas State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

One of the top players in Colorado's top-ranked transfer class, Kennedy was unable to carve out a meaningful role on defense for the Buffaloes as he returned from a torn ACL that he sustained during his time at Alabama.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound linebacker played just 82 defensive snaps on the season — 55 of those came in the regular-season finale against Utah — recording 13 tackles with two tackles for loss. He also played an additional 158 snaps on special teams.

Kennedy re-entered the transfer portal during the spring window.

After accounting for nearly 1,100 yards and 18 touchdowns as a true freshman at Houston in 2021, McCaskill missed the entire 2022 season with a torn ACL before transferring to Colorado last offseason.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder appeared in just four games last season for the Buffaloes, who ranked dead last nationally in both rushing yards per game (68.9) and rushing yards per attempt (2.3).

He finished the season as Colorado's fourth-leading rusher with 59 yards on 14 carries and caught two passes for 19 yards across 56 offensive snaps. McCaskill was a surprise transfer portal entrant this spring.

Garcia completed 61.2% of his passes for 950 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions over his first two seasons at Miami before transferring to Missouri during the 2023 cycle.

But the former Top247 recruit did not play a single offensive snap in his lone season with the Tigers, losing out on the starting quarterback job and spending the season third on the depth chart behind starter Brady Cook and backup Sam Horn.

Garcia entered the transfer portal in December and transferred to East Carolina this spring.

Gilbert transferred to Nebraska ahead of head coach Matt Rhule's first season, but Gilbert's time in Lincoln was short-lived as he was arrested in August on a burglary charge while awaiting an NCAA waiver for immediate eligibility as a two-time transfer.

He left the program shortly after his arrest and never played a single snap for the Huskers.

The former five-star recruit out of Marietta (Ga.) started his collegiate career at LSU, where he caught 35 passes for 368 yards and two touchdowns as a true freshman in 2020 before transferring back to his home state to play for Kirby Smart at Georgia. Gilbert appeared in just three games for the Bulldogs before transferring to Nebraska.

A former top-50 recruit out of high school, McCall signed with Florida State and spent one season in Tallahassee before hitting the transfer portal and heading to College Station.

Despite being part of a struggling cornerback unit at A&M last fall, McCall played just 111 defensive snaps on the year, recording six tackles and one pass breakup over 11 total appearances. He had a rough night in coverage in his lone start at Ole Miss, as he is credited with allowing seven receptions on nine targets for 152 yards and one touchdown.

McCall re-entered the transfer portal this spring.

Ryan Day and company landed the top-ranked safety in the portal in Carter, who was a three-year starter at Syracuse before transferring to play for the Buckeyes.

But the former All-ACC defensive back battled injuries in his lone season in Columbus and was limited to just eight games on the season, missing weeks 3-6 due to injury and finishing the year with five tackles in 122 defensive snaps, per PFF College.

Carter re-entered the transfer portal this spring.