Transfer portal: With Miami, Florida State, and Auburn on the schedule, elite quarterbacks and wide receivers are getting close to making decisions.

Mobile Quarterbacks Evolution: How Justin Fields, Lamar Jackson, and Others Are Immortalizing the Work of Mike Vick

The transfer portal closed for the vast majority of college football players Jan. 2, and while graduates and student-athletes from a small group of teams still have another day or more to exit from their respective programs, most of the roster movement from now until the spring window will come by way of commitments rather than departures.

Many highly-ranked prospects have already made their decisions, and with spring enrollment deadlines quickly approaching, more announcements are on the horizon. Which of the best-available transfers will be the next to commit to their destination program remains to be seen, but as they take visits to interested schools and weigh their options, players such as Quinshon Judkins, Peny Boone, Kaidon Salter and Malachi Nelson will hone in on decisions for their futures.

247Sports’ Chris Hummer provided the latest intel on each of the aforementioned high-profile prospects on The Transfer Portal Show, explaining why Judkins hit college football’s transfer market, who scheduled visits and which schools are in play for each target.

Below is Hummer’s latest reporting from the transfer portal.

RB QUINSHON JUDKINS

Transfer Profile: Awaiting evaluation

Former School: Ole Miss

Despite some slight rumblings about his Ole Miss future in recent weeks, Quinshon Judkins’ announced intention to depart from the Rebels program came as a stunning development. The two-time 1,000-yard rusher figures to have a substantial market as the most proven and dominant running back in the transfer portal, and 247Sports’ Brad Crawford identified six high-profile schools that could be favorable landing spots for the difference-making ballcarrier. Judkins rushed for 31 touchdowns over his first two years of college football.

Hummer: “I think, frankly, it’s fair to say this came down to NIL. This is the era we’re in, in college football. And I think Quinshon Judkins wanted more than Ole Miss was willing to offer in this case. Negotiations have been happening behind the scenes for a while, and I think conversations broke down between the two parties. And now Quinshon Judkins is likely headed elsewhere. I talked to somebody at Ole Miss today that’s not expecting him to come back, and I think Quinshon Judkins’ process will be open to teams that can fit what he wants both on the field and off.”

RB PENY BOONE

Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 91 Rating | No. 65 Overall | No. 5 RB

Former Schools: Toledo, Maryland

Initially a four-star signee with Maryland in the 2020 class, Peny Boone spent two solid but generally unremarkable seasons with the Terrapins, running for a combined 258 yards and two scores. He entered the transfer portal following the 2021 season and ended up at Toledo. Boone ran for 443 yards and three touchdowns that season, but that was nothing compared to what Boone did in 2023. Given the opportunity to start, Boone emerged as one of the nation’s most productive backs, finishing eighth nationally with 1,400 rushing yards and adding 15 touchdowns on an eye-popping 7.2 yards per carry.

Hummer: “He’s somebody that a lot of people are interested in. He told me he’s visiting Louisville this coming weekend, but Florida State is still pushing hard to potentially get him on campus, and he also told me Miami is in the mix for him, as well, for a potential visit. So the two Sunshine State schools, three ACC schools overall, fighting for Peny Boone — somebody who started his career at Maryland and found a resurgence of sorts at Toledo this year as one of the top running backs in the country.”

QB KAIDON SALTER

(Photo: © Brian Bishop, USA TODAY Sports)

Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 23 Overall | No. 5 QB

Former Schools: Liberty, Tennessee

Kaidon Salter instantly became one of the top-ranked quarterbacks in the transfer portal when he entered shortly after Liberty’s Fiesta Bowl loss to Oregon. There is a clear mutual fit between him and Auburn, which desperately needs an upgrade at the signal-caller position, but it is no guarantee he reunites with his former head coach. Salter emerged as one of college football’s most productive dual-threat quarterbacks during a breakout with the Flames, in which he passed for 2,876 yards and 32 touchdowns while rushing for an additional 1,089 yards and 12 scores this season.

Hummer: “The Kaidon Salter market I think needs to start with Auburn. The Tigers obviously have a very strong connection to Kaidon Salter. Hugh Freeze was his coach at Liberty in 2021 and 2022, helped him kind of find a soft landing spot after a rough exit at Tennessee for Kaidon Salter. And obviously the last two seasons, Salter’s emerged as one of the best quarterbacks in the Group of Five. I think they are the main team to watch there, though I could see a school like Miami potentially entering the mix, because Miami’s quarterback options haven’t really worked out the way they would have liked to this cycle.”

QB MALACHI NELSON

Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 93 Rating | No. 22 Overall | No. 4 QB

Former School: USC

Few available names in the transfer portal are as high-profile as that of Malachi Nelson, who ranked as the No. 13 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class and is already on the move after just one year at USC. Despite that recruiting background, though, Nelson could be poised for a move down to the Group of Five level as he scheduled a visit to Boise State for this coming weekend. Nelson preserved his redshirt after playing in just one game as a true freshman with the Trojans, completing 1-of-3 passes in the Week Zero victory over San Jose State.

Hummer: “Malachi Nelson’s a name that’s been associated with the Hurricanes. But I would say, overall, Malachi Nelson — the former five-star recruit from USC — his market has been a little more tepid than you might expect. Our Greg Biggins reported he’s visiting Boise State this weekend, and Boise State is potentially in really good position to land him. That lines up with what I’ve been hearing about Nelson overall. I think he’s going to be kind of an upper-level G5 quarterback in the market right now, or maybe one of the lower-level P5 teams, potentially.”