The spring window to enter the NCAA transfer portal closed at the end of April and HBCU football has seen a steady procession of talented players coming and going from HBCUs to FBS football via the transfer portal in the first two weeks of May.
One trend has become clear among all the transfer portal comings and goings in HBCU football. HBCUs are losing productive players who have been developed at the FCS level to FBS schools that are looking for a proven entity.
Leading the pack of HBCU transfer portal departures is a linebacker duo from Tennessee State that was one of the most productive in all of FCS football in 2023. Monroe Beard III and Terrell Allen combined for nearly 100 tackles last season while anchoring the TSU defense in one of its most competitive seasons in recent years.
Monroe Beard III came to Tennessee State from another HBCU, the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Beard has yet to announce his next landing spot as of the publication of this article. He was once listed as the top-ranked linebacker in the transfer portal and has received interest from FBS schools like Georgia Tech, Kansas State, and SMU.
His former Tennessee State teammate Terrell Allen committed to Tulane University of the American Athletic Conference on May 12. Allen had “one of the best individual seasons by a Tiger defensive lineman in TSU history” according to his bio on the school website.
He finished the 2023 season with 65 tackles (44 solo, 21 assists) and led the FCS in both sacks (14.5) and tackles for loss (28), with his 28 TFLs (tackles for a loss) setting a new TSU single-season record en route to winning the 2023 Big South-OVC Defensive Player of the Year award.
The Tulane Green Wave added another productive HBCU defensive player to its roster when they signed former Grambling defensive lineman Javon Carter. Carter played in 33 games at Grambling racking up 69 tackles 7 sacks and 3 forced fumbles.
Devonta Davis is another productive HBCU talent headed to the FBS after a long career in black college football. The 6’3, 296-pound defensive lineman out of Jackson State announced his commitment to Florida Atlantic University on May 3rd.
Davis signed with Jackson State in 2019 and had 66 tackles, 18.5 TFLs (tackles for a loss), and 7 sacks in 36 games as a Tiger.
HBCU football has a long-standing reputation for finding and developing players who, for whatever reason, didn’t get the opportunity to play at the FBS level out of high school, and before the NCAA transfer portal changed the game, that level of commitment was often rewarded with a players loyalty to the coaching staff that believed in them.
Now, the transfer portal era of NCAA football works more like a business, and a productive year/career at an FCS HBCU will likely result in a too-good-to-pass-up chance to prove yourself at an FBS school.
And while HBCU football is losing productive players, the portal is causing FBS schools to lose experienced players who are falling down the depth charts due to portal newcomers, creating a pipeline of ready-to-impact FCS players looking to get some reps at an HBCU.
The transfer portal door is revolving in both directions at Jackson State. The Tigers lost a long-time plug on its defensive line while gaining an experienced FBS defensive back in Eastern Michigans Cameron Smith and a quality running back in former Kansas State and Akron running back Clyde Price III.
Cameron Smith, a former three-star recruit from Cleveland, Ohio racked up 75 tackles in 27 games with one interception and 5 pass deflections at EMU.
Clyde Price III began his career at Kansas State and appeared in one game. He transferred to Akron for the 2022 season appearing in all 12 games including five starts. He rushed for 309 yards on 99 carries with a team-high seven rushing touchdowns. After not seeing any action in 2023, Price heads to one of the top teams in HBCU football looking to reestablish himself at the FCS level.
North Carolina A&T is looking to rebuild its football program in the Coastal Athletic Association and the addition of Appalachian State University transfer defensive end DeAndre Dingle-Prince gives them a key piece on defense heading into the 2024 season.
Dingle-Prince is as experienced as they come in FBS football, playing in 45 games over his four-year career at App State where he put up 77 tackles and 3 forced fumbles.
Some HBCUs are making it a point to get experienced FBS veterans, while others are taking a shot at players who haven’t had a chance to showcase their skills on the field.
Deljay Bailey, a former three-star quarterback from Petal, Mississippi committed to Ole Miss out of high school, and after sitting a year, Bailey has committed to Grambling State, hoping the move to FCS nets him a chance to put some college game film together.
Andre Craig committed to Kennesaw State in 2022 after setting school records for receiving yards, touchdowns, and receptions during his final season at Meadowcreek High School. Craig had 1,143 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior and was a three-time all-regional selection.
After not playing for a year at Kennesaw he transferred to the University of Alabama for two months before entering the transfer portal for the second time in two years.
On May 12, 2024, Andre Craig announced his commitment to Alabama A&M University, giving the Bulldogs a high-ceiling player ready to contribute immediately.
Time will tell whether the transfer portal era will continue to push the best in HBCU football out to the FBS or if the players coming down from FBS will turn into stars at the FCS level, but for now, the revolving door of the NCAA transfer is still swinging both ways for HBCUs, which might be the best you can ask for in the current NCAA football climate.