College football transfer portal: Where top 20 defensive backs landed ahead of 2024 season (2024)

Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 90 Rating | No. 115 Overall | No. 8 S

Former School: Washington

Washington was vulnerable to the big play through the air during its rise to national championship contention under Kalen DeBoer, but Mishael Powell delivered some of the defensive backfield's greatest highlights with 38 tackles, three interceptions, three pass breakups and a pick-six during the 2023 run to the CFP title game. Powell skyrocketed up the transfer rankings by more than 100 spots upon his arrival at Miami and filled a key position of need for the Hurricanes.

Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 90 Rating | No. 113 Overall | No. 12 CB

Former School: Alabama

Earl Little II has a path to Florida State's starting slot corner role in his first year with the program. He still has much to prove given his marginal game experience and production over the last two seasons at Alabama, but the upside is still strong with this former top-100 recruit. Little missed much of his freshman and sophom*ore campaigns due to injury and managed just two tackles for the Crimson Tide but is finally out of that crowded group.

Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 91 Rating | No. 106 Overall | No. 11 CB

Former School: Texas

Illinois was a major beneficiary of the spring transfer window as it picked up a commitment from somewhat of a surprise entrance in Terrance Brooks. The longtime Texas contributor racked up 19 starts over the last two years and earned a spot last season among the All-Big 12 honorable mentions, and he presents impact talent to a Fighting Illini defense that ranked near the bottom of the Big Ten in yards allowed per pass attempt (7.3) in 2023. Brooks logged a career-best three interceptions last fall and was a top-100 prospect out of high school.

Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 91 Rating | No. 100 Overall | No. 10 CB

Former School: Alabama

Jameer Grimsley enrolled at Alabama Jan. 10, the same day that Nick Saban announced his retirement. The four-star recruit hit the transfer portal one week later, and by the middle of the month, he was a Florida Gator. It was a quick turnaround for the Tampa native, who landed at his second school in time to participate in spring camp. Grimsley might be able to carve out a rotational role in the cornerback room this season, but he will almost certainly require a year of development before he cracks the starting lineup.

Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 65 Overall | No. 7 S

Former School: Texas A&M

Jacoby Mathews is the top available prospect in the transfer portal entering the summer. He left Texas A&M during the spring window and will bring with him to a destination program of his choosing 21 games of SEC experience, including 12 starts, over two years with the Aggies. He recorded a combined 67 tackles, half a sack, one interception and eight passes defended across those two campaigns in College Station.

Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 63 Overall | No. 6 S

Former School: UCLA

Kamari Ramsey followed former UCLA defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynnto USC, giving the Trojans a much-needed boost in the secondary by way of a rival program. He started every game for the Bruins' formidable defense last season and logged 40 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, an interception and four pass breakups. Ramsey has three years of eligibility remaining and will be a key part of a unit that seeks major improvement ahead of its move to the Big Ten.

Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 58 Overall | No. 5 S

Former School: Michigan

Alabama lost hordes of defensive back talent to the portal this offseason but benefitted from another coaching change when it picked up Keon Sabb in the wake of Jim Harbaugh's exit from Michigan. Sabb is a breakout candidate and a likely immediate starter for the Crimson Tide despite making just four starts across two years with the Wolverines. He surrendered only 10 receptions on 21 targets in pass coverage last fall and hauled in two interceptions to just one touchdown allowed.

Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 57 Overall | No. 4 S

Former School: Penn State

King Mack was the top safety in the spring transfer window and represents a massive late pickup for Alabama. He addressed a key need in the back end of the Crimson Tide defense and brings ample experience with him after he played in all 13 games at Penn State last year, though many of his snaps came on special teams rather than the dominant Nittany Lions defense. Mack was the No. 6 safety in the 2023 recruiting class and thus has a very lofty ceiling with three years of eligibility remaining.

Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 47 Overall | No. 9 CB

Former School: Clemson

Missouri had two open spots at cornerback entering the spring and filled one of them with a Clemson product in Toriano Pride Jr., who displayed tremendous potential in his first two seasons of college ball. He played in 26 games as a true freshman and sophom*ore and tallied 37 tackles, two tackles for loss, nine pass breakups, an interception and a safety in that action. Mizzou needed to reload quickly on defense in order to reach its 2024 Playoff goals, and Pride's arrival was an important step in that direction.

Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 46 Overall | No. 8 CB

Former School: Alabama

Trey Amos played in all 14 games last year for Alabama, and that experience primes him for a breakout year at Ole Miss. He was a big riser in the spring transfer rankings update after he impressed during the Rebels' camp, and his arrival in Oxford is a big reason why Lane Kiffin and his program have the nation's top-ranked portal class for the 2024 cycle. Amos was a modest three-star recruit out of high school but has the makings of a stalwart in pass defense as a two-time transfer and highly experienced weapon with 48 career games under his belt.

Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 46 Overall | No. 8 CB

Former School: USC

Two-year USC contributor Domani Jackson committed to Alabama last December and stuck with the program through its coaching change. Injuries plagued his underwhelming stint with the Trojans, with whom he signed as a five-star recruit and the No. 2 cornerback in the 2022 class, but Jackson gets a fresh start in the SEC and may finally reach his high potential as a premier pass defender. He has 18 games of experience and 28 tackles and four pass breakups on his tally.

Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 93 Rating | No. 36 Overall | No. 6 CB

Former School: Idaho

Portland, Ore. native Marcus Harrisopened his career as a walk-on at Oregon State but later jump started his college football career at the FCS level. He played in 40 games over the last three years at Idaho, where he earned first-team All-Big Sky honors as a fifth-year junior last fall with his 51 tackles, career-high 5.5 tackles for loss, 10 pass breakups and three interceptions. That breakthrough earned Harris another shot at the FBS power conference level, this time at California.

Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 93 Rating | No. 29 Overall | No. 3 S

Former School: Clemson

Andrew Mukuba stunned Clemson in December with his announced departure from the program and gave Texas a huge jolt very early in the offseason. He made 31 starts for the Tigers over the last three seasons and racked up 149 tackles, 20 pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and an interception as a key cog in one of the nation's toughest and most talented defenses. Mukuba returned this offseason to his hometown to play for a national title contender, and he will have a major say in the Longhorns' 2024 success.

Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 93 Rating | No. 27 Overall | No. 2 S

Former School: Texas A&M

LSU needed an influx of defensive talent in the biggest way this offseason, and while it struck out on the spring defensive line market, it hit paydirt at the safety position with Jardin Gilbert. The secondary was the Tigers' greatest weakness last season, and Brian Kelly addressed that deficiency with the former Top247 prospect who, despite missing the vast majority of the 2023 campaign due to injury, still has starting experience in the SEC.

Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 94 Rating | No. 21 Overall | No. 5 CB

Former School: Colorado

Maturity and drive are the only things standing between Cormani McClain and star status, as he has all the potential in the world as an elite athlete, five-star recruit and former headliner of Colorado's 2023 class. Those are big hurdles to overcome, but Florida took a calculated risk on the former top cornerback prospect. He settled into a contributing role down the stretch of his freshman season but needed a couple of months to earn Deion Sanders' trust and eventually had an ugly breakup with the program.

Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 94 Rating | No. 20 Overall | No. 4 CB

Former School: Alabama

Dezz Ricks played in just two games during his first and only season at Alabama, but the touted cornerback prospect should see immediate action in a big role for Texas A&M. He redshirted last year and thus maintains four years of eligibility for the Aggies, and the difference between Year 1 and Year 2 at the college level figures to be significant for the former No. 3 cornerback recruit given that he received a year of instruction from Nick Saban, received a bit of game action and learned from stars at his position like Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold.

Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 94 Rating | No. 16 Overall | No. 3 CB

Former School: Washington

Oregon went behind enemy lines to find a new starting cornerback, prying an All-Pac-12 defender away from rival Washington. Jabbar Muhammad led the Huskies with three interceptions in his lone year on Montlake and now heads south down I-5 to Eugene as a two-time transfer. Muhammad played in five games during the 2020 season and improved on an annual basis thereafter, flourishing in his third year at Oklahoma State before making the move to Washington. He has All-American upside on a Ducks defense that churns out NFL talent on the regular.

Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 95 Rating | No. 13 Overall | No. 2 CB

Former School: Georgia

With All-Big Ten Second Team cornerback Kalen King off to the NFL, Penn State needed to find a replacement to cover the perimeter. Former five-star prospect A.J. Harris fills that void. He saw limited action as a true freshman at Georgia in 2023, recording eight tackles over seven games, behind a stacked depth chart. The upside remains for Harris, who ranks No. 2 among the best transfer cornerbacks in the cycle.

Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 95 Rating | No. 12 Overall | No. 1 CB

Former School: Georgia

Purdue punched above its weight class in this transfer portal recruitment, receiving an upgrade in its secondary courtesy of Georgia. Former five-star cornerback Nyland Green left his home state for a fresh start with the Boilermakers in 2024. The defensive back played primarily on special teams during his time with the Bulldogs, but Green competed for a starting role in the preseason and now faces much less competition on his way into the starting lineup at Purdue under second-year coach Ryan Walters.

Transfer Profile: 5-Star | 99 Rating | No. 1 Overall | No. 1 CB

Former School: Alabama

Caleb Downs is the crown jewel of the 2024 transfer portal class as a reigning young star on one of the nation's most potent defenses. He became the first Alabama freshman in program history to lead the Crimson Tide in tackles with his 107 stops, and the National Freshman of the Year has elite expectations on an Ohio State defense that perennially pumps out NFL talent. Downs is one of the many reasons why the Buckeyes are preseason favorites to win the Big Ten and potentially win the national championship.