College football’s 2022 All-Portal Team, from Caleb Williams to Xazavian Valladay

As coaching staffs across the country compete for the more than 1,000 players who entered the NCAA transfer portal this week, here’s a reminder of why those efforts matter so much. It’s time for The Athletic’s second annual All-Portal Team.

Just like our 2021 squad, this group is loaded with All-America and all-conference performers who came from a variety of backgrounds and previous stops. The All-Portal Team recognizes the transfer players who were most productive on their new teams and most impactful for this college football season. Only newcomers who joined their current program in 2022 were eligible to make this list.

Many of these players were much-hyped when they hit the portal during the 2021-22 cycle, but this team also features a bunch of surprise standouts. These picks are never easy, especially when you consider how many players transferred this year, and many more players merit recognition. But here’s a closer look at the most successful transfer portal pickups of the year.

QB Caleb Williams, USC: What can you say about the dude at this point? Williams flashed thrilling potential in his freshman season at Oklahoma. The five-star truly leveled up in his second year with Lincoln Riley in putting up 4,075 passing yards, 639 rushing yards (excluding sacks), 47 touchdowns and just four interceptions. His trophy case is filling up fast: Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year, Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year, possibly the Heisman on Saturday night. But what Williams did this season goes far beyond individual accomplishment. Flipping your record from 4-8 to 11-2 with a trip to the Pac-12 title game in Year 1 is a seriously rare feat made possible by a special talent who has dramatically raised expectations for the Trojans’ bright future.

RB Khalan Laborn, Marshall: Laborn is one of the unique success stories of the 2021-22 transfer portal cycle. The former five-star recruit was dismissed from Florida State in 2020 and got stuck in the portal. He couldn’t find somewhere to go and opted to stay in Tallahassee and finish his degree. He paid for school by driving for Uber, Lyft and Instacart and working at a lumber yard. A year later, Laborn ranks No. 13 nationally in rushing with 1,423 yards and 16 touchdowns and is a first-team All-Sun Belt selection. In just his second game back since 2019, Laborn turned 31 carries into 163 yards and a score in a stunning upset win at Notre Dame.

RB Xazavian Valladay, Arizona State: Valladay was a very productive back at Wyoming and ranks No. 2 on its all-time rushing list, so it was no surprise to see the grad transfer move up and thrive against better competition. Valladay ranks No. 2 in the Pac-12 in rushing (1,192) and yards from scrimmage (1,481) while leading the conference with 18 rushing touchdowns. The second-team all-conference pick was as steady as it gets, with nine 100-yard performances.

WR Charlie Jones, Purdue: Iowa’s wide receiver room combined for 72 catches for 752 yards and two touchdowns on 132 targets this season. Jones has 110 catches (most in the FBS) for 1,361 yards (also most in the FBS) and 12 touchdowns on 154 targets this season. Nobody made a better business decision than Jones in this portal cycle. He teamed up with longtime friend Aidan O’Connell, became a first-team All-Big Ten standout and All-American, significantly improved his draft stock and helped lead the Boilermakers to a Big Ten West title.

WR Trey Palmer, Nebraska: Palmer got stuck behind some very talented guys at LSU and was their No. 6 wideout in terms of receiving yards in 2021. He transferred to Nebraska, more than doubled his targets and proved he could be a serious playmaker in the Big Ten. Palmer set single-season school records with 71 catches and 1,043 receiving yards while catching nine touchdowns in his lone season in Lincoln. He broke another Husker record against Purdue when he burned them for 237 receiving yards and two TDs on just seven catches.

WR Antwane Wells Jr., South Carolina: There were too many great wideouts to choose from for this last spot, but “Juice” Wells earned it with a strong finish in November. The James Madison transfer rose up to become a first-team All-SEC selection and ranks second in the conference in receiving yards (898) on 63 catches with six touchdowns. Wells stepped up in the Gamecocks’ biggest games late in the year, with a combined 20 catches for 308 yards to help stun top-10 foes Tennessee and Clemson.

TE Tanner McLachlan, Arizona: McLachlan was one of the great under-the-radar finds of this past portal cycle, an FCS transfer from Southern Utah who came in as a walk-on while still recovering from a torn ACL. He earned a starting job and a full-ride scholarship by the end of fall camp and went on to have the most productive season by an Arizona tight end since Rob Gronkowski in 2008. McLachlan caught 34 passes for 456 yards and two scores and likely led all FBS tight ends in hurdled defenders.

OT Ryan Swoboda, UCF: The massive 6-foot-10, 325-pound right tackle had one more year of eligibility as a sixth-year senior when he elected to grad transfer from Virginia to UCF, and he made his last year count. Swoboda earned first-team All-AAC honors after playing 982 snaps — third-most among all FBS tackles, according to Pro Football Focus — and only surrendered three sacks on the year.

OT Tyler Steen, Alabama: The Crimson Tide picked up one of the most experienced linemen in the portal and didn’t regret it. Steen, a four-year starter who has played more than 3,000 career snaps, came over from Vanderbilt and managed to earn the job at left tackle. The second-team All-SEC selection started every game and did a solid job of protecting the elusive Bryce Young, giving up two sacks on 444 snaps in pass protection.

G O’Cyrus Torrence, Florida: Everyone wanted Torrence when his name popped up in the portal in January, but he trusted Billy Napier and his Louisiana coaches and followed them to Gainesville. The four-year starter left no doubt about whether he could compete at the SEC level this fall. Torrance earned first-team All-America honors from The Athletic after allowing zero sacks over his 11 starts at right guard, and he’s currently the top-rated guard in the country in PFF grading.

G Prince Pines, Tulane: Pines has been on an interesting journey. He began his career at Baylor and developed into an FCS All-American and national champion at Sam Houston. After initially committing to transfer to Oklahoma State, he ended up coming home to Tulane and becoming a first-team all-conference selection. Pines started all 13 games at left guard for the AAC champs and gave up zero sacks and just six pressures, according to PFF.

C Olu Oluwatimi, Michigan: With all due respect to Williams, you could make the argument that no transfer enjoyed a better season than Oluwatimi. The grad transfer from Virginia had an All-America-caliber year while anchoring an excellent line that powered another run to the College Football Playoff. Oluwatimi won the Outland and Rimington Trophies on Thursday, and this crew could win the Joe Moore Award for a second consecutive year. He couldn’t have made a better choice when he went into the portal.

AP Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama: Few backs in college football are as dangerous as Gibbs. The Georgia Tech transfer played up to big expectations in Tuscaloosa with 850 rushing yards, 378 receiving yards, 227 return yards and 10 total touchdowns despite essentially missing two games due to injury. The second-team All-SEC selection surpassed 100 all-purpose yards in seven games, highlighted by a 226-yard day against Arkansas and 203 yards against Tennessee.

DE Jared Verse, Florida State: The FCS-to-Power 5 transition ended up being no problem at all for Verse. After two big seasons at Albany, Verse entered the portal and became one of the most coveted transfers on the market. He joined the Seminoles and played up to the hype with 22 quarterback hurries, 14.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks, according to PFF, which earned him a spot on The Athletic’s All-America team.

DE Laiatu Latu, UCLA: Latu’s commitment to UCLA didn’t generate a ton of attention last December, but few portal pickups panned out better than this one. Latu began his career at Washington and had to medically retire from playing due to a neck injury. He got cleared to resume his career, joined the Bruins and had one of the most impressive comeback seasons in college football. The first-team All-Pac-12 pass rusher ranks No. 2 in the conference in sacks with 9.5 and has logged 35 quarterback hurries, 33 tackles, 11 TFLs and three forced fumbles.

DT Mekhi Wingo, LSU: Wingo, a Missouri transfer, stepped in for injured star Maason Smith and was one of the Tigers’ most dependable defenders. The second-team All-SEC selection really exceeded expectations in playing 777 snaps — second-most on the team — and contributing 43 tackles, 23 pressures, four TFLs, four pass breakups, two sacks and a forced fumble as a sophomore for the SEC West champs.

DT Levi Bell, Texas State: The Louisiana Tech transfer had an unbelievably productive year on the Bobcats’ D-line with 66 tackles, 39 pressures, 13.5 TFLs and five sacks. Bell is undersized at 6-foot-1 and 275 pounds, but he’s tough to contain and ranks No. 3 among all interior defensive linemen in PFF’s grading. Bell re-entered the transfer portal following Texas State’s coaching change and should have a chance to play at the Power 5 level next year.

LB Ivan Pace Jr., Cincinnati: The Miami (Ohio) transfer is another Group of 5 standout who gets knocked for his size (6-foot, 235 pounds) and makes up for it with remarkable effort and production. He absolutely proved he can play with the best in making the move to Cincinnati and putting together an All-America season. Pace earned AAC Defensive Player of the Year after compiling 120 tackles, 19.5 TFLs, nine sacks and two forced fumbles. PFF credited him with an FBS-leading 53 total pressures and has him graded as the No. 1 linebacker in the country.

LB Drew Sanders, Arkansas: The former five-star recruit made the move from Alabama to Arkansas and proved he’s one of the most talented defenders in the country. The first-team All-SEC linebacker was already dangerous as an edge defender, but he pulled off the transition to playing in the box, ranking No. 4 in the conference in tackles (103) with a whopping 25 quarterback hurries, 13.5 TFLs, 9.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception.

LB Daiyan Henley, Washington State: Henley joined his defensive coordinator Brian Ward in making the move from Nevada to Washington State following an All-Mountain West season and couldn’t have been more impactful for the Cougars’ defense as a sixth-year senior playmaker. The first-team All-Pac-12 selection filled up the stat sheet with 106 tackles (No. 2 in the Pac-12), 18 pressures, 12 TFLs, four sacks, three forced fumbles, an interception and even a 36-yard catch-and-run on a fake punt against Washington.

CB Christian Gonzalez, Oregon: Gonzalez, a transfer from Colorado, played his way into potential first-round draft pick status with a first-team All-Pac-12 caliber season at Oregon. The No. 13 player in Dane Brugler’s top 50 declared for the draft after logging 50 tackles, seven pass breakups and four interceptions, third-most in the Pac-12.

CB Josh Newton, TCU: Newton was a late get for TCU, a grad transfer from Louisiana-Monroe who hit the portal after the May 1 deadline, and he ended up being an invaluable addition in terms of not just his play but his leadership on defense. The first-team All-Big 12 selection started all 13 games and allowed a mere 22 catches on 64 attempts (34 percent) with 12 pass breakups and three interceptions, including a 57-yard pick six, for the College Football Playoff-bound Horned Frogs.

S Darius Joiner, Duke: Mike Elko and his staff pulled off an 8-4 season in Year 1 thanks in part to their efforts to land some great underrated portal pickups. Joiner spent five years at the FCS level — four at Jacksonville State, one at Western Illinois — and bet on himself for his super senior season. He led all ACC defensive backs with 91 tackles this season and added seven TFLs, three sacks, four pass breakups and two interceptions for a Blue Devils defense that improved dramatically in 2022.

S Mark Perry, TCU: Here’s another Colorado transfer who made the most of his move and solidified the Horned Frogs’ defense on the back end. Perry produced 74 tackles, six TFLs and two pass breakups on 817 snaps and was a versatile chess piece who could move around to safety, the slot or in the box. Between Gonzalez, Perry and USC’s Mekhi Blackmon, that 2021 Colorado secondary sure had a ton of talent.

K Chad Ryland, Maryland: Ryland has a powerful leg and got lots of opportunities to show it off for the Terrapins. The grad transfer from Eastern Michigan went 16 for 20 on his field goal attempts on the year, hitting 11 of his 12 tries from 30-49 yards, and he had makes from 51, 52 and 53 yards. Only Missouri’s Harrison Mevis converted more 50-plus-yard kicks this season.

P Jon Sot, Notre Dame: The Harvard grad transfer proved really effective for the Irish, dropping 23 of his 45 punts inside the 20-yard line with just two touchbacks. Sot had a net average of 40.8 yards per punt with only eight punts that were returned for a total of 71 yards. His 75-yard punt against Ohio State in his Notre Dame debut was the eighth-best by any FBS punter this season.

KR Nikko Remigio, Fresno State: Remigio, a transfer from Cal, was one of just five FBS players to return two punts for touchdowns this season: an 87-yarder against UConn and a 70-yard score in the Bulldogs’ Mountain West Championship Game victory against Boise State. The second-team All-Mountain West selection also led the conference in punt return yards (259) and was a dynamic weapon on offense with 810 total yards and seven touchdowns on 10.8 yards per touch.

(Top illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic; Photos: Joe Robbins / Icon Sportswire, Michael Reaves, G Fiume / Getty Images)