WildcatReport is tracking the players who are coming into or leaving the Wildcat program through the transfer portal in 2021-22.
Included are incoming players, players who decided to enter the portal but then return to Northwestern, and both scholarship and walkon players who are leaving the program.
All players will be immediately eligible to play in 2022.
INCOMING TRANSFERS
P Luke Akers
Status: Sophomore
Years remaining: Three
Akers was the starting punter for UCLA for the last two seasons, playing in all 12 games in 2021 and seven in 2020. He averaged 43.1 yards on 34 punts in 2021, dropping eight inside the 20 kicking six over 50 yards, including a career-best 66-yarder against Hawaii. In 2020, he averaged an identical 43.1 yards for the Bruins. Akers, who is the son of former NFL kicker David Akers, was ranked as a rare three-star punter in the Class of 2020 out of Brentwood (Tenn.) Ravenwood. He figures to take over the starting job after the departure of Derek Adams, who handled punting duties for the Wildcats the last two seasons after coming over as a grad transfer in 2020.
MORE: Northwestern 'too good to be true' for new transfer punter Luke Akers
DT Henrik Barndt
Status: Graduate
Years remaining: One
A 6-foot-5, 285-pounder, Barndt made 17 total tackles for the Sycamores in 2021, with five tackles for loss and two sacks. Northwestern coaches got a close look at Barndt last Sept. 11, when he made two tackles in the Wildcats' 24-6 win over the Sycamores. Barndt redshirted his true freshman season at Indiana State in 2017. He played in five games in 2018 and then had his best season statistically in 2019, when, as a junior, he set career-highs in games (12), tackles (32), TFL (6.5) and sacks (4.5).
MORE: Northwestern adds second grad transfer DT
LB Wendell Davis
Status: Graduate
Years remaining: Two
Davis had 44 tackles, 5 TFL and 2 sacks in his career at Pittsburgh, where he played for Panther defensive coordinator Randy Bates, a former linebackers coach at Northwestern. Davis started the first two games in 2020 before suffering an injury that ended his season. He played in eight games in 2021, starting six, and collected 27 tackles, 3.5 TFL and a sack. Davis's last game was against Miami on Oct. 30. He announced his intention to transfer just a few days later. A versatile 6-foot-2, 240-pounder, Davis Davis played the Mike, or middle, linebacker position, at Pitt, but Northwestern coaches think he could also play the Will, or weakside, spot for the Wildcats.
MORE: Transfer LB Wendell Davis looking for new challenge at Northwestern
DT Taishan Holmes
Status: Graduate
Years remaining: Two
No one has had a more interesting path to Northwestern than defensive tackle Taishan Holmes. Holmes went from Bluefield (Va.) University (an NAIA school), where he played just spring football, to Virginia State (an HBCU) to Garden City (Kan.) Community College (a JUCO) to UMass (Group of Five), where he played the last two seasons. He has played four years of college ball and could have two years remaining if he takes advantage of his "free" 2020 COVID season. Recruited to play either tackle or noseguard by the Wildcats, Taishan is a 6-foot-4, 315-pounder who will add beef to a Northwestern defense that finished 119th in the nation against the run last season. He had 12 tackles in eight games for UMass in 2021, but he was there to plug the middle, not collect statistics.
MORE: The long, winding road that led Holmes to Northwestern
CB Jeremiah Lewis
Status: Graduate
Years remaining: Two
Lewis had an interception return for 23 yards in Duke's 30-23 win over Northwestern last September. Wildcat coaches must've filed that away because they landed the former Blue Devil as a grad transfer. Lewis made 30 tackles in 11 games for the Blue Devils in 2021, with two interceptions and two PBU. A 6-foot-1, 190-pounder, he played in 38 career games for the Devils, recording 80 tackles, four INTs and 13 PBUs. Lewis, who drew an offer from the Wildcats out of high school, redshirted in 2018. He played the next three seasons but could have two years of eligibility left if he takes advantage of his "free" COVID year in 2020.
OL Vince Picozzi
Status: Graduate
Years remaining: One
Calling grad transfer interior offensive lineman Vince Picozzi a veteran doesn't begin to do his career justice. He will play his seventh year at his third school in 2022. He began his career as a walkon at Temple in 2016. He started 34 games for the Owls from 2017-20, at every position but right tackle. He transferred to Colorado State for the 2021 season but had his season ended by an injury. A 6-foot-4, 310-pounder, Picozzi will likely play guard for the Wildcats.
MORE: Northwestern adds veteran OL Vince Picozzi
TRANSFERS WHO DECIDED TO STAY
CB Garnett Hollis
Status: Sophomore
Years remaining: Three
Cornerback Garnett Hollis entered his name in the portal shortly after the end of the 2021 season but then decided to remove his name from the portal and return on Dec. 20. Hollis did not see any game action in 2020 but played in five games this season and made five tackles. He had a career-best three tackles in a loss to Wisconsin on Nov. 13. A big corner at 6-foot-1 and 197 pounds, Hollis was on the two-deep as the fourth corner all season, behind Cameron Mitchell, AJ Hampton and Rod Heard.
MORE: New CB coach had role in Garnett Hollis' return
OUTGOING TRANSFERS
OL Wyatt Blake
Status: Graduate
Years remaining: One
Blake, a grad transfer, was never able to find a home at Northwestern. A three-star prospect, he chose Northwestern over 13 other offers, including nine from the Power Five. He started out as an offensive lineman at NU but was moved to defensive line and appeared in six games as a backup as a redshirt freshman in 2019. Blake never cracked the rotation, however, and that turned out to be the most action he saw in a single season. He played in five games in 2020, making tackles against Iowa, Illinois and in the Citrus Bowl. The writing was on the wall when Blake appeared in just four games this season.
Destination: Northern Colorado
DT Te-Rah Edwards
Status: Sophomore
Years remaining: Three
A three-star prospect out of Ohio, Edwards chose the Cats over 24 other offers. The sophomore appeared in only five games during his Northwestern career, including three in 2021 as a depth defensive tackle. His debut came in the Wildcats' win over Wisconsin in 2020, and he made his first career tackle later that season against Illinois. A telling sign was when Edwards couldn't get steady playing time in 2021, even with Northwestern's run defense being gashed on the ground throughout the season.
Destination: Illinois
OL Payne He'Bert
Status: Graduate
Years remaining: One
He'Bert, who dealt with a litany of injuries during his Northwestern career, leaves Northwestern as a grad transfer after four seasons in Evanston. He served as the backup to Peter Skoronski at left tackle in 2021, appearing in six games. He made his debut in 2019, as a redshirt freshman, during the Cats' win over UMass. NU was He'Bert's only Power Five offer out of high school.
Destination: UTSA
QB Hunter Johnson
Status: Graduate
Years remaining: One
No one on this list came to Evanston with more fanfare than Johnson. The former five-star, superstar recruit transferred to Northwestern after Trevor Lawrence committed to Clemson. Johnson won the job coming out of camp and started five games in 2019, but he struggled, throwing one touchdown and four interceptions. After not attempting a pass in 2020 after grad transfer Peyton Ramsey took over, Johnson won the job again to start the 2021 season, but a disastrous first half against Duke in Week 3 got him sent to the bench and he did not appear in another game. In total, Johnson appeared in nine games at Northwestern, completing 51.9% of his passes for 856 yards, five touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Destination: Clemson
S Brandon Joseph
Status: Redshirt sophomore
Years remaining: Two or three
Former All-American safety Brandon Joseph dropped a bomb on Dec. 30 when he announced his decision to enter the portal. Joseph was a breakout star on the 2020 Big Ten West championship team as a redshirt freshman. As a first-year starter, he co-led the nation in 2020 with six interceptions to become just the 14th Wildcat to earn consensus first-team All-America honors. Voted a team captain in 2021, Joseph made significantly fewer big plays as the defense struggled. He still finished third on the team with 80 tackles and had two INTs, and he received second-team All-Big Ten honors from the media and an honorable mention by coaches. Joseph played in 24 games in his career and finished with 136 tackles, eight interceptions and 14 passes broken up.
Destination: Notre Dame
More: Brandon Joseph opens up about his transfer
WR Jordan Mosley
Status: Freshman
Years remaining: Three
Jordan Mosley only appeared in three games and made one catch in 2021, gaining seven yards, but his combination of speed and upside gave him arguably the highest ceiling of anyone in the wide receiver room. With Stephon Robinson Jr., the leading receiver of 2021, moving on, Mosley was one of the players expected to help fill his shoes and provide some explosiveness to a position that lacked the ability to stretch the field. Now, Northwestern will be forced to look elsewhere. Mosley was a Tennessee commit before Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt in January. Northwestern swooped in to land the Alabama native just a few days before signing day.
Destination: Mississippi State
LB Jaylen Rivers
Status: Graduate
Years remaining: One
Northwestern had high hopes for Rivers out of Logansville, Ga., in 2018, but he was hampered by injuries and was never able to make much of an impact in four seasons, serving as a reserve linebacker and special teams player. Rivers made his college debut as a true freshman in 2018, getting his first action against Rutgers and making the first of his five career tackles the next week against Wisconsin. He had his best game in Northwestern's season-opening win over Maryland in 2020, recording three tackles. Rivers was on and off the inactive in 2021 and played in just two games, making a tackle against Ohio.
Destination: TBD
QB/TE Jason Whittaker
Status: Graduate
Years remaining: One
Whittaker came to Northwestern as a quarterback and leaves as a tight end. The three-star prospect was an A-list recruit in 2018 despite playing in a Wing-T offense at Rockford (Mich.) that rarely threw the ball. He didn't last long as a quarterback in Evanston, switching to tight end after his freshman season. He moved back to quarterback in 2019 and got his only action as a signal caller in a game against UMass. He opted out of the 2020 season before returning in 2021 as a tight end and playing minimally.
Destination: TBD
OUTGOING WALKON TRANSFERS
These are transfers that are leaving Northwestern but won't count against the program's scholarship allotment because they were walkons.
K Trey Finison
Status: Graduate
Years remaining: Three
Finison handled kickoff duties in all 12 games as a true freshman in 2019. The Tuscaloosa, Ala., native appeared in just one game in 2020. In 2021, he kicked off in three games and made an extra point against Ohio.
Destination: TBD
QB Zac Krause
Status: Graduate
Years remaining: Three
Krause, a walkon from Olathe, Kan., appeared in one game in 2019 and one game in 2021. He did not record any statistics in his three years in Evanston.
Destination: TBD
