Top Defensive Players in the 2023 Transfer Portal
The transfer portal entries thus far are not nearly as star-studded on the defensive side of the ball as on offense, but that doesn't mean there aren't instant-impact players who could make a difference for top teams across the country.
Plenty of guys are major wants for elite programs, and those guys aren't leaving where they currently are to sit the bench, either.
There's a former No. 1-ranked overall player in the 2022 recruiting class, a bunch of top-tier defensive backs and several former Texas A&M Aggies.
As teams around the nation search for impact transfers, several already have come off the list such as Toriano Pride (from Clemson to Missouri), Thor Griffith (from Harvard to Louisville) and Teddye Buchanan (from UC Davis to California).
Plenty more will come off the board in the coming weeks, and top teams around the nation are swinging for the fences in the portal window.
Here is a look at Bleacher Report's top defensive players in the portal so far, and just like last week's quarterback and non-quarterback offensive entries, we took into consideration instant-impact ability, potential upside and on-field resume for those who made this list.
Jaishawn Barham, Linebacker
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There are a bunch of players in the transfer portal with a better star rating than former Maryland linebacker Jaishawn Barham, but that's odd considering just how productive he's been.
It isn't like the Terrapins play poor competition; they're in the Big Ten, after all. And all Barham has done in his couple of seasons is make plays for coach Mike Locksley's team.
Now, he'll be heading elsewhere to make an impact and perhaps play for a title-contending team.
In two years in College Park, Barham has registered 95 tackles, including 9.5 for loss and seven sacks. He also has two passes defended and an interception. And while his production dropped off significantly as a sophomore in 2023, plenty of teams still like his ability.
Right now, Michigan appears to be a major player for the 6'4", 233-pound former Terps defender from St. Frances Academy in Baltimore. In two years at Maryland, he started 23 games and was a steady playmaker. The Wolverines have experienced great success recruiting from that powerhouse high school program in the past, landing running back Blake Corum and defensive end Derrick Moore.
Now, while Corum is heading to the NFL, Barham could be reunited with Moore. It would make a lot of sense considering Big Blue must replace Mike Barrett and possibly Junior Colson if he leaves early for the NFL. Barham would be an ideal plug-and-play option.
Tyler Baron, EDGE
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The first on a long list of talented edge-rushers is former Tennessee Vol Tyler Baron, who has played a lot of meaningful football on Rocky Top.
Even though he never really lived up to his massive potential until this past season, Baron has been a staple in the Tennessee defensive rotation, playing in 48 games over four seasons and starting in 19.
The 6'5", 260-pound defensive end trimmed up this offseason and was his most explosive in 2022 with a lot of attention on young phenom James Pearce. He finished his UT career with 102 tackles, but by far his most productive season was '23 when he had 28 tackles with six sacks and a four passes defended.
Now, it's just a matter of where he will wind up. Baron flirted with the portal last year considering Kentucky, and the Wildcats may be in the mix for his one year of services this season, too, along with Alabama.
Those, obviously, are two major Vols rivals who will leave a sour taste in the mouths of fans on Rocky Top, but Baron has played four stellar seasons with Tennessee and likely will be remembered fondly no matter where he winds up.
Pursuing the NFL draft also isn't out of the question at this point.
Fadil Diggs, EDGE
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Considering how defensive-minded new Texas A&M coach Mike Elko is, you'd think several Aggies would want to stick around and play for the former defensive coordinator. But there has been a bit of a mass exodus from College Station.
Three former Aggies made this list, and all three of them have massive potential.
The first of whom is Fadil Diggs, an impressive edge-rusher from Camden, New Jersey, who has started each of the past two seasons for A&M and is a 6'5", 260-pound veteran with a lot of playing time under his belt.
This past season, he finished with 36 tackles and four sacks rotating with a bunch of young, talented defenders.
With former defensive line coach Elijah Robinson going to Syracuse to coach with new Orange head coach Fran Brown—a childhood buddy who also both hail from Camden—it would be a surprise if Diggs wound up anywhere else but Syracuse.
There's a new era in Syracuse, and while Diggs hasn't settled on any destination yet, plenty of teams would be happy to have his services for another season or two.
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Phillip Dunnam, Safety
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The Indiana Hoosiers don't normally go into South Florida and get players who are wanted by everybody around the nation, but you can bet now that Phillip Dunnam is leaving Bloomington, he's going to get a full run of recruiting.
The North Miami product was a great defender for the Hoosiers this year, coming up in the run game and plugging gaps for former coach Tom Allen. He also registered three interceptions and nine pass breakups in 12 games this season.
It's that kind of production that will make him a hot commodity in the portal, and teams around the country are going to be looking at him to come help lock down the back end of the defense.
With Kam Kinchens and James Williams expected to leave the Hurricanes and head to the NFL draft, it's possible Dunnam could go home to play for The U and coach Mario Cristobal.
At 6'1", 180 pounds, Dunnam has great size and has proven he's an all-around defender. The Hoosiers haven't played very good football recently, but they have produced some quality defensive players, and Dunnam is one of them.
His 53 total tackles show he isn't afraid to put his head in there and come up to deliver big blows, and with two seasons of eligibility remaining, that's a big deal, too.
Florida State was another team interested in him out of high school, so if he wants to go back closer to home, you'd expect he will have options. It will be interesting to see where he winds up.
Nyland Green, Cornerback
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Waves and waves of red-and-black clad talent are prevalent on all three levels of the Georgia Bulldogs defense, so when former elite prospects decide they don't want to finish their career in Athens, coach Kirby Smart will just replace them with other top players.
Nyland Green is one of those former dynamic prospects, a 5-star, top-20 prospect from the 2021 recruiting class. Now, the 6'1", 185-pound Covington, Georgia, native is going to be one of the best cornerbacks in the transfer class.
In limited action over 24 games in three seasons, Green finished with 12 tackles and two passes defended. He just couldn't quite break through and be a regular starter with the talent-laden Dawgs.
Kamari Lassiter and Daylen Everette started all the games at UGA this past season as cornerbacks, and Green probably saw he was going to be hard-pressed to get consistent reps in the secondary.
According to On3's Chad Simmons, North Carolina, Arkansas and UCF are among the teams showing interest in the talented defensive back, and others could creep into the mix as well.
Green is going to go somewhere where he can showcase his talents.
Kyle Kennard, EDGE
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It seemed like one moment Kyle Kennard was celebrating with the students on the field at Georgia Tech after the Ramblin' Wreck upset North Carolina.
The next, he's in the portal.
So goes this era of transfer portal recruiting where everybody is looking for a better opportunity and to get a little money at the same time. If you're going to pay an edge-rusher, Kennard is a good one with which to start.
The 6'5", 238-pound defender from Atlanta is leaving his home town for other opportunities, and one of those may be ACC rival Florida State, where Jared Verse transferred to from Albany a couple of seasons ago and carved out an incredible career.
While Kennard was on a recent official visit to Tallahassee, he spoke with Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell and Verse, as well as esteemed D-line coach Odell Haggins, who has done a tremendous job recruiting the portal the past couple of years.
Kennard is going to have several options from which to choose after a year that saw him register 54 tackles, including 11 for loss, six sacks, an interception, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
He was one of the most disruptive players in the ACC, and he is going to be a huge portal win for somebody.
Trey Moore, EDGE
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Every year, there are plenty of quality Group of Five playmakers who decide they have shown all they can on a lower level and want a bigger stage to showcase their abilities.
One of those potential splash players you maybe don't know much about is former UT San Antonio Roadrunners edge-rusher Trey Moore.
Standing at 6'3", 235 pounds and with two seasons of eligibility remaining, Moore is a popular dude in the portal, and it appears he's zeroing in on a pair of powerhouses. This past season, Moore finished with 45 tackles, including 17.5 for loss and 14 sacks.
That sack total was good enough for third nationally, and while the San Antonio native has to like playing close to home, he's far too talented to finish his career as a Roadrunner.
This past weekend, Moore made the short trip from San Antonio to Austin, where he visited the Longhorns, and if the flagship program of the state could land him, it would be a massive pull.
However, according to Horns247, Moore is also being coveted by Ohio State and renowned D-line coach Larry Johnson, and there is a chance he could visit there next weekend. If that happens, it's going to be a Horns-Buckeyes battle.
Andrew Mukuba, Safety
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Finding a hard-hitting, do-it-all safety in the portal isn't easy, but there's one out there in former Clemson defender Andrew Mukuba.
Everybody basically is after him, too.
Plenty of top teams around the nation would love to snag the Texas native, but even though USC, Oregon and Ole Miss all may get visits from the 6'0", 195-pound defensive back, this feels like it's going to be a Texas-Oklahoma battle.
Mukuba was recruited to Clemson by former defensive coordinator Brent Venables, who just happens to be wrapping up his second season as Oklahoma's head coach as he tries to build that proud program in his image.
The Sooners need more impact defenders, and getting a veteran like Mukuba would go a long way toward that end. Pair him with elite youngster Peyton Bowen and All-American Billy Bowman, and OU is fearsome on the back end.
But they've got to win the battle with the Texas Longhorns, and coach Steve Sarkisian has been hot on the recruiting trail the past couple of years, no matter if it's high school or portal recruiting. Mukuba is from Austin, so going home and helping Texas win a championship would be a big deal, too.
There will be plenty of options.
Walter Nolen, Defensive Tackle
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When Walter Nolen left Tennessee for Texas A&M a couple of seasons ago, he had designs on ripping the heads off quarterbacks for the Aggies for years to come.
It didn't quite happen that way in the former No. 1-ranked overall player in the nation's two years in College Station, but Nolen began to realize his immense potential this past year.
Now, will he head to Eugene to break free and start living up to that 5-star billing the way Jordan Burch did when he chose Oregon after leaving South Carolina a year ago? The Ducks are certainly in the mix after he visited last weekend.
Other teams like Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama and Texas are trying to get involved here, too, and while it may seem like a stretch for him to go all the way to Syracuse, the Orange could be a sleeper with his former D-line coach Elijah Robinson as the new defensive coordinator up there.
The bottom line is Nolen is going to have his choice of where to go, and while it's probably going to take a hefty NIL to get him, Nolen is essentially entering what would be considered his "contract year" before heading to the NFL.
Expect a massive junior season for him in '24, no matter where he lands. He is the No. 1-ranked overall player in this year's transfer portal for a reason. Nobody has the upside he does.
R.J. Oben, EDGE
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Coach Mike Elko is dealing with his own fallout at Texas A&M, as this article has proven. But the Duke Blue Devils are losing plenty of talent who wanted to continue their careers under Elko in Durham, as well.
On offense, everybody is talking about quarterback Riley Leonard leaving, of course, but one of Duke's top defensive playmakers is going elsewhere, too. That would be defensive end R.J. Oben, who was the biggest disrupter for the Devils.
The 6'4", 255-pound defensive lineman could play edge or slide inside, and he will be a veteran with one year of eligibility no matter where he goes. This past season in Durham, he finished with 17 tackles, including six for loss and five sacks.
For his career, Oben has registered 18.5 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks, and while he isn't the most dynamic defender in the portal, he is a steady force who will be a quality starter for somebody.
The New Jersey native is going to visit Notre Dame, but the Irish are just one of a bunch of programs interested, along with USC, Oklahoma, Auburn, Florida State, Penn State, Louisville, Missouri, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech and South Carolina, according to 247Sports' Brian Dohn.
He's going to land somewhere and be an important piece of the defensive puzzle in '24.
LT Overton, Defensive Lineman
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When Lebbeus "LT" Overton reclassified from the 2023 class to join Jimbo Fisher's top-ranked 2022 Texas A&M class, everybody expected big things despite his young age.
That never came to fruition, but Overton still has plenty of time left to live up to his 5-star billing, and several teams would love the opportunity to get him on board and let his immense potential take over.
After a standout freshman season in which he finished with 31 tackles, including three for loss and a sack in '22, he tapered off considerably this year with just 17 tackles, zero sacks and zero tackles for loss.
Why did the dropoff occur? Regardless, he's heading out of College Station looking for a fresh start, and with two seasons of eligibility remaining, he will have a lot of suitors.
Overton visited South Carolina with his brother Micaiah this past weekend as the two brothers look to play alongside each other for the remainder of their careers. Micaiah transferred from Liberty to Texas A&M in April 2022, and now the two brothers are looking for their second home together.
While the Gamecocks apparently are willing to take both, if LT decides to go solo, he's going to have options from some of the top programs in the nation, such as Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, Florida, Texas and Oregon, according to 247Sports' Steve Wiltfong.
This one has plenty of twists and turns remaining, but Overton has a lot of skills to love and upside that could propel him to the NFL.
Kamari Ramsey, Safety
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The best safety prospect in the transfer portal—one who can step in and potentially be an All-American—is UCLA's Kamari Ramsey.
The thing is, he may wind up going across the town and finishing his collegiate career with the rival USC Trojans.
As a redshirt freshman this season, Ramsey was an impact player for the Bruins, finishing with 40 tackles, including 2.5 for loss, an interception and four passes defended. After Lincoln Riley tabbed UCLA defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn to replace Alex Grinch with the Trojans, he's committed to rebuilding that side of the ball.
Boy, do they need it.
Getting a back-level defender like Ramsey would be a massive pull and go a long way in helping them do that. He truly can do everything, coming up in the run game and making plays and also good enough to defend the pass.
The 6'1", 205-pound safety not only has a ton of ability, but he also has three seasons of eligibility remaining. Wherever he lands, a program is going to have a lot of time to watch Ramsey blossom into what could be one of the top safeties in the nation.
If Chip Kelly is going to keep his job at UCLA, he's going to have to do so after losing top-tier playmakers on both sides of the ball. Ramsey is going to be tough to replace.
Joey Slackman, Defensive Lineman
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What is it about these Ivy League defensive linemen? Apparently, the smart schools churned out some top-tier talent on the defensive line, as well.
Not only is Harvard's Thor Griffith one of the top defenders currently in the portal, Penn's Joey Slackman has a bunch of top teams after him, too. His offer sheet is already going to be among the nation's best for transfers.
Michigan, USC, Washington, Florida, Missouri, Arizona, Colorado, Wisconsin, Oregon State, Vanderbilt, Miami, Louisville, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Duke, Virginia Tech, Illinois, Rutgers, Houston, Pittsburgh, Brigham Young and Connecticut are just some of the schools that have reportedly offered him.
That's a "wow" group for the 6'4", 300-pound prospect from New York who originally went to the Ivy League to wrestle but has turned into a sought-after prospect after a strong career with the Quakers.
Slackman will leave Penn with a political science degree, and he is going to play for a great program. Beyond that, maybe the NFL will follow. According to 247Sports analyst Clint Brewster, the defensive lineman reminds him a lot of Braden Fiske.
Fiske, of course, left Western Michigan a season ago for Florida State, where he helped lead an elite Seminoles defense that carried the team to an undefeated season. If programs see that type of potential in Slackman, there's no wonder he's one of the top defensive players in the entire portal.
This is a guy who keeps reporting incredible offer after offer on X every day, so this is going to be a stiff recruiting battle with a lot of potential options.
Upton Stout, Cornerback
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Upton Stout already has done this transfer portal thing once, moving on from the North Texas Mean Green to Western Kentucky, where he has starred for the Hilltoppers each of the past two seasons.
Now, though, he is getting interest from tons of elite teams across the country and may just be the top all-around defensive back in the portal.
Over the past two years in Bowling Green, Stout compiled 73 tackles, 15 pass breakups, five interceptions and a fumble recovery. He has three defensive touchdowns and also has played punt returner.
He's a dynamic, explosive player, and there's a reason why teams like Michigan, USC, Pittsburgh, Ole Miss, Washington State and others want the Houston native.
Stout is a smallish 5'9", but the redshirt sophomore is a flat-out playmaker, and he is going to be one of the most coveted players in the portal because it's so hard to find such an aggressive, fast cornerback who can shut down one side of the field.
Throw in his ability to be a force in the return game, and there are a bunch of reasons to love Stout's upside. Plus, he has a couple of remaining seasons, so there is a chance to be a multi-dimensional impact player for several years.
Lots of teams are going to be in the mix for this one.
Princely Umanmielen, EDGE
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Princely Umanmielen has one of the coolest names in the transfer portal. He also has one of the biggest games.
The defensive end with the regal name is a royal pain in the you-know-what for quarterbacks everywhere, and he is looking to get out of Gainesville to finish his eligibility. Ole Miss is among the teams trying to get him on campus.
The 6'4", 250-pound defender from Manor, Texas, was a big-time playmaker this past year for the Gators, registering 39 tackles with 9.5 for loss, 4.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. He is considered an NFL draft prospect, and it's possible he goes that direction.
If Umanmielen comes back for another year, it won't be with the Gators, and some team is going to get a guy who believes he can play his way into the first round of the 2025 NFL draft, which means he's going to have a chip on his shoulder.
Umanmielen has the versatility to stand up and play as an outside linebacker or put his hand down and get after quarterbacks surging around offensive tackles.
Either way, he's going to be one of the top edge-rushers in the nation in '24, and it's why a lot of teams are trying to catch his eye in the portal. He could be a big difference-maker right away for somebody.
All stats courtesy of CFBStats and Sports Reference unless otherwise noted. Recruit rankings courtesy of 247Sports unless otherwise noted.
Follow Brad Shepard on Twitter, @Brad_Shepard.
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