2023-24 Northwestern Transfer Tracker

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WildcatReport is tracking the players who are coming into or leaving the Northwestern program through the transfer portal in 2023-24.

All players will be immediately eligible to play next season.

Status: Graduate

Years remaining: One

Previous program: USC

Lovelace has taken an unfamiliar path to Northwestern. He played just one year of high school football at Shawnee Mission (Kan.) East, then spent three years at Butler (Kan.) Community College, where he played just one season. From there, he went to USC, where he appeared in just seven games over the last two seasons.

Interestingly, Lovelace has some deep ties to Northwestern. His mom is an NU graduate, and he has connections to both offensive coordinator Zach Lujan, who recruited him briefly out of high school, and offensive line coach Bill O'Boyle, who coached Lovelace's OL coach from Butler at Southern Illinois.

At 6-foot-5 and 305 pounds, Northwestern hopes Lovelace can at least compete for the right tackle job, but they also talked to him about guard. Either way, he'll add depth to a room that desperately needs it.

Status: Graduate

Years remaining: One

Previous program: Colorado

Northwestern filled a glaring need on its interior offensive line by landing grad transfer guard Jack Bailey from Colorado.

Bailey seemed destined to be a Wildcat when Northwestern named Bill O'Boyle its new offensive line coach in January. The 6-foot-3, 280-pounder has played his entire career for O'Boyle.

First, he played for O'BOyle for four years at Kent State from 2019-22, where he started 18 of the 22 career games. Then, he followed him in 2023 to Colorado, where he started all 12 games for the Buffaloes and only allowed one quarterback hurry, according to CUBuffs.com. Now, Bailey will play for O'Boyle at Northwestern for his sixth and final season.

Bailey could slide right into a starting role at Northwestern after the Wildcats lost both of their starting guards after the 2023 season. Josh Priebe transferred to Michigan, while Dom D'Antonio left to become an offensive line coach for a team in Italy.

Status: Graduate

Years remaining: Two

Previous program: Texas Tech

Matt Keeler, a 6-foot-6, 305-pound offensive lineman, committed to Northwestern out of the transfer portal on Feb. 19 to become the first incoming player from the portal in this cycle.

Keeler appeared in all 25 games at Texas Tech the past two seasons, including two starts at right tackle in 2022, and is a key add at a position of need. The Wildcats lost three OL to the portal, including starting guard Josh Priebe.

Keeler is coming home, or close to it, having played his high school ball at nearby LaGrange Park (Ill.) Nazareth Academy before spending one year at prep school St. Thomas More in Connecticut.

He spent one year at Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College and then three years for the Red Raiders since 2021. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

Keeler could be a swing tackle for Northwestern, and also has the potential to move inside to guard.

Status: Graduate

Years remaining: One

Dartmouth defensive lineman Hank Knez quietly joined Northwestern as a walkon this spring. Knez visited Evanston in February and was seen at their open spring practice on April 20 taking reps at defensive tackle wearing No. 93.

Knez is coming home, or close to it. He played in high school at nearby Glen Ellyn (Ill.) Glenbard West, a program with two other current Wildcats on roster: LB Greyson Metz and LS Will Halkyard.

Knez, a 6-foot-4, 290-pounder, started all 10 games as a senior, recording 27 tackles for a Big Green team that finished in a three-way tie for the Ivy League championship with Yale and Harvard.

PFF gave Knez a grade of 68.1 for his 2023 season.

Status: Graduate

Years remaining: One

Previous program: Cornell

Northwestern picked up a preferred walkon commitment from graduate transfer linebacker Noah Taylor of Cornell. Taylor led Cornell with 74 tackles on the season, while the next highest player had 42, and won the school's Red Helmet Award as the team's Defensive MVP. For his career, the former Cincinnati St. Xavier product, had 152 tackles, 13 TFL, 3.5 sacks and 5 PBUs.

Taylor graduates from Cornell in May. He chose Northwestern over a PWO offer from Boston College.

Status: Senior

Years remaining: Two

Quarterback Brendan Sullivan announced he was entering the transfer portal on April 23, just three days after the conclusion of spring practice. While Northwestern is strongly expected to bring in a transfer to at least compete for the starting job, Sullivan was the presumptive starter on the roster during spring ball after serving as the No. 2 the last two seasons.

Sullivan was key last season as he stepped up for the injured Ben Bryant to lead Northwestern to a 2-2 record before Bryant returned. He had the best game of his career, throwing for 265 yards and two touchdowns in a 33-27 win over Maryland.

He finishes his career at Northwestern with a 2-6 record as a starter. He threw for 1,303 yards and 10 touchdowns, along with 257 rushing yards and three touchdowns in 13 appearances over the past two seasons.

Destination: Iowa

Status: Senior

Years remaining: Two

Jacob Gill entered the portal on April 19, the first player to leave Northwestern in the spring window of 2024.

Gill measures 5-foot-11, 195 pounds and was competing for playing time on the wide receiver depth chart. He never made much of an impact in Evanston in his career, totaling 16 catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns, one in 2021, and the other in 2022 at No. 11 Penn State.

Gill had just one catch last season, for 11 yards, against Rutgers in the season opener. He was unable to carve out a consistent role after Bryce Kirtz, Cam Johnson and AJ Henning quickly established themselves as the top trio. The fact Gill entered the portal at the end of spring practice is likely a sign that he didn't feel like he'd get much playing time next fall.

Gill came to Northwestern in the Class of 2021 as a three-star receiver. He chose the Wildcats over nine other offers, including Louisville, North Carolina State and Wake Forest.

Destination: Iowa

Status: Graduate

Years remaining: One

Northwestern lost its fourth defensive back to the portal on Feb. 13, when starting cornerback Garnett Hollis Jr. announced his intention to transfer.

A very large and physical corner at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, Hollis started all 13 games for the Wildcats last season and finished fifth on the team with 49 tackles. He also had one interception, three PBU had 3.5 TFL as Northwestern's defense once again became the strength of the team under first-year head coach/defensive coordinator David Braun.

In 2022, as a junior, Hollis appeared in eight games, starting four, and finished with 24 tackles and one interception.

Hollis's presence will be missed, as he and Theran Johnson became bookend cornerbacks for the Wildcats, starting 12 of 13 games. A three-star prospect in the 2020 class out of Nashville, Tenn., Hollis played in 26 games over four years at Northwestern.

Hollis also entered the portal after the 2021 season but elected to return to Evanston. This time, however, he already has his degree and will likely follow through on his intention to leave.

Destination: West Virginia

Status: Graduate

Years remaining: Two

Northwestern's secondary took another hit when safety Jaheem Joseph announced he would be entering his name in the transfer portal.

Joseph played a key role on the 2023 defense as the first safety off the bench, providing rotational depth early in the season and then stepping into the starting role after captain Coco Azema was injured against Wisconsin. Joseph started the last four games of the season and hauled in three interceptions in the final two games, including two in the Wildcats' Las Vegas Bowl victory over Utah. He finished the season with 24 tackles and three interceptions.

Joseph was a three-star safety in the Class of 2020. He played in 25 games in his Northwestern career.

Destination: West Virginia

Status: Graduate

Years remaining: Two

Northwestern's offensive line lost some of its depth when senior tackle Zachary Franks entered the portal on Jan. 16. Franks played in 24 games in his Wildcat career. He earned the starting right tackle job coming out of camp in 2023 and made his first career start against Rutgers. But he was replaced as the starter by Josh Thompson the following week and never made another start. Franks, who battled injuries throughout his career, was a big-time get for the Wildcats out of Baltimore (Md.) Gilman School in the Class of 2019. He had 32 offers in all, from all Power Five conferences. He first committed to Penn State before flipping to the Wildcats a week later in August of 2018.

Destination: Duke

Status: Graduate

Years remaining: One

Northwestern's running backs room lost some of its depth as power back when Anthony (Tre) Tyus III entered his name in the transfer portal. Tyus was Northwestern's short-yardage back and had carved himself a niche in a crowded backfield behind starter Cam Porter and alongside speed back Joseph Himon II.

Tyus's best season was 2023, when he finished with 50 carries for 238 yards and a touchdown. Some of his best performances were six carries for 63 yards against Nebraska and 10 carries for 40 against Iowa, a performance that needs a multiplier when you factor in Iowa's defensive excellence.

Tyus, a four-star prospect out of Portage (Mich.) Northern in 2021, had 114 carries for 483 yards and two TDs in his career as a Wildcat, and added 10 catches for 81 yards and another score. He also earned his degree in just three years.

Destination: Ohio

Status: Graduate

Years remaining: One

Heard was a foundational member of this year's defensive turnaround and may be the loss that stings the Northwestern team the most so far. Head coach David Braun appears to have expected Heard's departure, referencing the need to bring in another safety or corner to play his nickel position in his remarks on Signing Day, eight days before Heard would enter his name in the portal.

Heard tallied 85 tackles, third-most on the defense and most in the secondary, and was the leading tackler for Northwestern in the Las Vegas Bowl with 12. He seemed to really thrive under Braun's system, after two years under previous coordinator Jim O'Neil.

Heard started 25 games over the last two seasons for Northwestern as an incredibly flexible nickel who could drop back in coverage and make plays in the run with equal ease. Along with senior linebackers Xander Mueller and Bryce Gallagher, and sometimes sophomore safety Devin Turner, Heard was one of the few players to typically play every snap in a game for Northwestern's defense this season.

Destination: Notre Dame

Status: Freshman

Years remaining: Four

Northwestern lost a promising offensive lineman when Alex Doost entered the transfer portal on Dec. 27, four days after the Wildcats' Las Vegas Bowl win over Utah. Doost has prototypical tackle size at 6-foot-7 and 295 pounds, and looked to have a bright future with the Wildcats after redshirting this season.

A three-star prospect in the 2023 class, Doost was a big get for the Wildcats out of Glendale (Ariz.) Mountrain Ridge, choosing Northwestern over offers from 10 other Power Five programs, including seven from the PAC-12. The rumor that offensive line coach Kurt Anderson will be dismissed would likely have played an important role in Doost's decision if it turns out to be true.

Destination: Arizona

Status: Graduate

Years remaining: One

Priebe entered his name into the portal and implied in his X post that offensive line coach Kurt Anderson may not be returning next season. Head coach David Braun said his coaching staff will stick together through at least the bowl game, but has not ruled out changes afterwards.

"Due to the uncertainty surrounding the future of Coach Anderson's position here it is in my best interest to explore other potential options given no timeline for when decisions will be made," Priebe said in his announcement post on X, formerly Twitter.

Priebe started 29 games for the Wildcats over the last three seasons. He was named to the All-Big Ten Third Team this season after starting all 12 games at left guard.

Destination: Michigan

Status: Graduate

Years remaining: One

Lawson came into Northwestern hoping to provide valuable depth and experience to an undermanned defensive line, but unfortunately suffered a season-ending injury in his debut against Rutgers. The Wildcat defensive line coalesced throughout the season and could bring all four players in their four-man rotation back next season. Lawson is entering the portal to find a new team for his last season of college ball.

He recorded a tackle for loss against Rutgers before leaving the game due to injury.

Destination: New Mexico State

Status: Graduate

Years remaining: Two

Williams was recruited out of high school by Northwestern as a rangy, three-star cornerback from Richmond, Va. He played towards the back end of the defensive back rotation in 2022, appearing in 10 games and logging three tackles. With the rise of Garnett Hollis and Theran Johnson as nearly every-down corners this season, Williams saw 55 snaps this season, all within the first four games.

Destination: New Mexico

Status: Junior

Years remaining: Two

Freeman came to Northwestern as a walkon and served as deep depth in the Wildcat quarterback room. After injuries sidelined three different quarterbacks in 2022, Freeman stepped up to close out Minnesota and start the final two games of the campaign. With Brendan Sullivan and Ryan Hilinski back to full health this season, as well as transfer starter Ben Bryant, Freeman resumed his role as emergency depth in the quarterback room.

Freeman has drawn words of encouragement from many of the guys in that quarterback room, and has put his name in the portal to find an opportunity with a better chance at playing time.

Destination: Columbia