Less than two weeks after losing star safety Brandon Joseph, Northwestern suffered another high-profile defection on Monday when freshman wide receiver Jordan Mosley entered the transfer portal.

Mosley only made one catch in his debut season for the Wildcats, gaining seven yards, but his combination of speed and upside gave him arguably the highest ceiling of anyone in the wide receiver room.

With the leading receiver of 2021, Stephon Robinson Jr., moving on, Mosley was one of the players expected to help fill his shoes. Now Northwestern will be forced to look elsewhere for pass catchers.

Coming off of a dismal 3-9 campaign, Northwestern has now lost seven scholarship players and two walkons to the portal. Meanwhile, they have only brought in one: linebacker Wendell Davis.

The Wildcats have their work cut out for them in replenishing and improving a roster that looked overmatched in losing seven of nine games this season by 17 or more points.

Mosley, a Class of 2021 signee, was a Tennessee commit for over a year, but he decommitted on Jan. 18, 2021, after Volunteer head coach Jeremy Pruitt was fired. Northwestern swooped in and was able to land the Alabama native just a few days before signing day.

A 6-foot, 190-pounder who held the 60-meter sprint record at Mobile McGill-Toolen, Mosley was expected to add some explosiveness to a wide receiver position that often lacked the ability to stretch the field. While he appeared in just three games in 2021, losing him is another gut punch for the Wildcats, especially after he appeared in national signing day videos last month.

Mosley's decision to leave the program also underlines the fact that, in the era of the transfer portal, consistent success is more important than ever. Players can move to winning teams very easily, and going 3-9 in two of the last three years makes player retention significantly tougher.

Below is a tally of the Wildcats who have left or come into the program since the end of the season.

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

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

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

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

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

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: Big blow for Northwestern: Brandon Joseph enters the transfer portal

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

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

These are transfers that are leaving Northwestern but won't count against the program's scholarship allotment because they were walkons.

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

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