The NCAA winter transfer portal window officially closed on Dec. 28 – though you’d never know by all the announcements and commitments in the three days since then.
Still, with New Year’s Day on the doorstep and Northwestern’s winter quarter set to begin next week, we thought it would be a good time to take a look at where the Wildcats stand right now, and what they still want to add through the transfer portal.
First of all, about that window-closing date on the 28th: it was never a hard stop because there are so many exceptions that allow player movement to continue well past the deadline. That date doesn’t stop commitments, which can happen at any time once a player has entered the portal. The date also doesn’t apply to players in the playoffs or in bowl games, who have until five days after the season ends to enter. Then, any players impacted by a head coaching change have 30 days to enter the portal. On top of all that, there are grad transfers, for whom windows don’t really apply – they can enter and exit at just about any time. And graduates are the players whom Northwestern is still most heavily involved with; they make up six of their seven signees thus far.
So the transfer portal train will continue to roll. The current dead period will be lifted on Jan. 1-5, and Northwestern will once again by busy trying to add players before the start of the winter quarter on Jan. 6. Sources say that the Wildcats will host at least four visitors this week.
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MORE: 2024-25 Northwestern Transfer Tracker
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Where things stand right now
So far, the Wildcats have added seven players through the portal. That’s seven more than they had added over the previous two years by this time as the streamlined admissions process WildcatReport wrote about is paying immediate dividends. As is the exponential increase in NIL dollars at the program’s disposal.
The Wildcats went into the window with needs throughout their roster, but their top three priorities were quarterback, offensive line and wide receiver. They addressed all three spots already, but more work needs to be done at OL and WR.
Let’s take a look at the players they’ve already landed.
QB Preston Stone: This was a home run: an experienced veteran with a dual-threat skill set who has a lot of football under his belt. The only drawback is that Stone only has one year of eligibility remaining. If you had any doubts that Northwestern would be a player in the early window in this NIL era, acquiring Stone ended the debate.
OL Xavior Gray: An all-conference performer from Liberty, Gray figures to be a plug-and-play starter at right tackle. He’s another experienced veteran who will help bolster a unit that badly needs an infusion of talent to drive what was a moribund 2024 offense.
WR Chase Farrell: The Wildcats added some speed to the room with Farrell, who just completed his true freshman season at Stanford and redshirted. He is a development player with four years of eligibility remaining, but Northwestern still needs receivers who can contribute right away.
TE Alex Lines: It’s ironic that after years of drawing criticism for having too many tight ends, Northwestern had to add a transfer in this cycle. After losing Thomas Gordon and Marshall Lang, the Cats return one catch worth of production – if Hunter Welcing comes back next season. Lines will be a sixth-year man on his fifth school in 2024.
S An’Darius Coffey: General Manager Luke Walerius went back to his old school, Memphis, to pluck Coffey, who should immediately be plugged into the rotation. The Wildcats wanted a veteran presence after losing Coco Azema and Devin Turner to graduation and the portal, respectively.
LB Yanni Karlaftis: Linebacker wasn’t exactly a pressing need, but when you get a chance to add an impact player like Karlaftis, you take him. The Wildcats’ top three of Mac Uihlein, Kenny Soares and Karlaftis make the position one of the strengths of the team.
LS Liam Reardon: Northwestern lost multi-year starter Will Halkyard to the portal, so they replaced him with Reardon, a former Hawkeye who was the starter last season at Akron.
What they still need
So where does that leave things for the Wildcats? We’ve been talking to sources who are in agreement that this is the personnel they’d still like to add, either now or in the spring.
Offensive line: The Wildcats would still like to add a couple interior offensive lineman, a guard and/or a center. Jack Bailey is returning, but they could move him to guard, where he’s played the bulk of his career, if they pick up a center. They would still like to bolster the interior after losing multiple-year starter Josh Thompson, as well as one-time promising freshman Jordan Knox, and Nick Herzog suffering an injury that limited him to two games in 2024.
Will letting Thompson go come back to bite them? Time will tell. They are optimistic that they might be able to add at least one more in this winter window. They’d also like to add one younger tackle/swing as a development prospect – Jack Tanner, who committed to Kansas over NU, would have been perfect there – but the priority is interior guys.
Wide receiver: The Wildcats still have a lot of work to do here. The out-of-eligibility duo of AJ Henning and Bryce Kirtz combined for 98 catches last season; the rest of the room combined for 30. Northwestern is looking for veterans with a lot of football under their belts.
That may seem like a difficult task, but the Wildcats have done well with transfers at this position in the recent past with key contributors like Henning, Cam Johnson and Stephon Robinson.
Cornerback: Northwestern is in decent shape here, even after losing their best cover corner in second-team All-Big Ten Theran Johnson. Head coach David Braun is high on Josh Fussell, who looked good in his first real experience this season, and Ore Adeyi was penciled in as the starter last summer before going down with a season-ending injury in fall camp. Braden Turner and Evan Smith also got some playing time.
The Wildcats would like to get another veteran with a lot of snaps under his belt to add some experience to a room that is short on starts.
Safety: This is a nice-to-have, not necessarily a need-to-have. After losing two of their top three safeties, Northwestern wouldn’t mind bringing in another veteran. Damon Walters looks like an up-and-coming star, and Robert Fitzgerald made a lot of plays as the nickel back. Coffey may or may not start but will be in the rotation; one more vet would round out the room.
Defensive line: This position may not be a need, after all. The Wildcats figure to have the depth to withstand the losses of defensive ends Sean McLaughlin and Jaylen Pate, especially with Richie Hagarty returning. Plus, the recent JUCO ruling could mean that Reginald Pearson Jr., who really came on last season, could have another year of eligibility, meaning the Wildcats are set at defensive tackle, as well.
Still, with New Year’s Day on the doorstep and Northwestern’s winter quarter set to begin next week, we thought it would be a good time to take a look at where the Wildcats stand right now, and what they still want to add through the transfer portal.
First of all, about that window-closing date on the 28th: it was never a hard stop because there are so many exceptions that allow player movement to continue well past the deadline. That date doesn’t stop commitments, which can happen at any time once a player has entered the portal. The date also doesn’t apply to players in the playoffs or in bowl games, who have until five days after the season ends to enter. Then, any players impacted by a head coaching change have 30 days to enter the portal. On top of all that, there are grad transfers, for whom windows don’t really apply – they can enter and exit at just about any time. And graduates are the players whom Northwestern is still most heavily involved with; they make up six of their seven signees thus far.
So the transfer portal train will continue to roll. The current dead period will be lifted on Jan. 1-5, and Northwestern will once again by busy trying to add players before the start of the winter quarter on Jan. 6. Sources say that the Wildcats will host at least four visitors this week.
*****
MORE: 2024-25 Northwestern Transfer Tracker
*****
Where things stand right now
So far, the Wildcats have added seven players through the portal. That’s seven more than they had added over the previous two years by this time as the streamlined admissions process WildcatReport wrote about is paying immediate dividends. As is the exponential increase in NIL dollars at the program’s disposal.
The Wildcats went into the window with needs throughout their roster, but their top three priorities were quarterback, offensive line and wide receiver. They addressed all three spots already, but more work needs to be done at OL and WR.
Let’s take a look at the players they’ve already landed.
QB Preston Stone: This was a home run: an experienced veteran with a dual-threat skill set who has a lot of football under his belt. The only drawback is that Stone only has one year of eligibility remaining. If you had any doubts that Northwestern would be a player in the early window in this NIL era, acquiring Stone ended the debate.
OL Xavior Gray: An all-conference performer from Liberty, Gray figures to be a plug-and-play starter at right tackle. He’s another experienced veteran who will help bolster a unit that badly needs an infusion of talent to drive what was a moribund 2024 offense.
WR Chase Farrell: The Wildcats added some speed to the room with Farrell, who just completed his true freshman season at Stanford and redshirted. He is a development player with four years of eligibility remaining, but Northwestern still needs receivers who can contribute right away.
TE Alex Lines: It’s ironic that after years of drawing criticism for having too many tight ends, Northwestern had to add a transfer in this cycle. After losing Thomas Gordon and Marshall Lang, the Cats return one catch worth of production – if Hunter Welcing comes back next season. Lines will be a sixth-year man on his fifth school in 2024.
S An’Darius Coffey: General Manager Luke Walerius went back to his old school, Memphis, to pluck Coffey, who should immediately be plugged into the rotation. The Wildcats wanted a veteran presence after losing Coco Azema and Devin Turner to graduation and the portal, respectively.
LB Yanni Karlaftis: Linebacker wasn’t exactly a pressing need, but when you get a chance to add an impact player like Karlaftis, you take him. The Wildcats’ top three of Mac Uihlein, Kenny Soares and Karlaftis make the position one of the strengths of the team.
LS Liam Reardon: Northwestern lost multi-year starter Will Halkyard to the portal, so they replaced him with Reardon, a former Hawkeye who was the starter last season at Akron.
What they still need
So where does that leave things for the Wildcats? We’ve been talking to sources who are in agreement that this is the personnel they’d still like to add, either now or in the spring.
Offensive line: The Wildcats would still like to add a couple interior offensive lineman, a guard and/or a center. Jack Bailey is returning, but they could move him to guard, where he’s played the bulk of his career, if they pick up a center. They would still like to bolster the interior after losing multiple-year starter Josh Thompson, as well as one-time promising freshman Jordan Knox, and Nick Herzog suffering an injury that limited him to two games in 2024.
Will letting Thompson go come back to bite them? Time will tell. They are optimistic that they might be able to add at least one more in this winter window. They’d also like to add one younger tackle/swing as a development prospect – Jack Tanner, who committed to Kansas over NU, would have been perfect there – but the priority is interior guys.
Wide receiver: The Wildcats still have a lot of work to do here. The out-of-eligibility duo of AJ Henning and Bryce Kirtz combined for 98 catches last season; the rest of the room combined for 30. Northwestern is looking for veterans with a lot of football under their belts.
That may seem like a difficult task, but the Wildcats have done well with transfers at this position in the recent past with key contributors like Henning, Cam Johnson and Stephon Robinson.
Cornerback: Northwestern is in decent shape here, even after losing their best cover corner in second-team All-Big Ten Theran Johnson. Head coach David Braun is high on Josh Fussell, who looked good in his first real experience this season, and Ore Adeyi was penciled in as the starter last summer before going down with a season-ending injury in fall camp. Braden Turner and Evan Smith also got some playing time.
The Wildcats would like to get another veteran with a lot of snaps under his belt to add some experience to a room that is short on starts.
Safety: This is a nice-to-have, not necessarily a need-to-have. After losing two of their top three safeties, Northwestern wouldn’t mind bringing in another veteran. Damon Walters looks like an up-and-coming star, and Robert Fitzgerald made a lot of plays as the nickel back. Coffey may or may not start but will be in the rotation; one more vet would round out the room.
Defensive line: This position may not be a need, after all. The Wildcats figure to have the depth to withstand the losses of defensive ends Sean McLaughlin and Jaylen Pate, especially with Richie Hagarty returning. Plus, the recent JUCO ruling could mean that Reginald Pearson Jr., who really came on last season, could have another year of eligibility, meaning the Wildcats are set at defensive tackle, as well.
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