Transfer market a tool as Diaz remakes roster

CORAL GABLES — Online, its science fiction-esque name has spawned thousands of jokes and memes and provided lots of fodder for college football fans navigating the offseason ahead of spring drills.

But for many coaches across America, the NCAA’s transfer portal — a database, really — has become a new way to track which players may be interested in leaving their current programs to seek fresh starts, better opportunities or more playing time somewhere else.

And there’s no doubt Miami’s Manny Diaz has taken advantage.

Since being named the Hurricanes’ new coach in the wake of Mark Richt’s abrupt resignation on Dec. 30, Diaz has landed pledges from three high-profile transfers, including former USC safety Bubba Bolden, former Buffalo wide receiver K.J. Osborn and

former Ohio State quarterback Tate Martell.

Earlier this week, Diaz and the Hurricanes were in hot pursuit of two major quarterback transfers: Martell and Jalen Hurts, both of whom reportedly entered their names into the NCAA’s transfer database on Jan. 10.

There is some risk for athletes who choose to take the steps Martell, Hurts and dozens of other players have taken in recent weeks. Entering the database doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll transfer, but it could mean while new programs reach out to gauge their interest in that possibility, their current school can revoke their scholarships.

There was little doubt, though, that Martell and Hurts wouldn’t land at major programs. And that’s exactly what happened, with Martell just after midnight Wednesday announcing he was transferring from Ohio State to Miami and Hurts announcing Wednesday afternoon he was transferring from Alabama to Oklahoma.

In Coral Gables, Martell will join two of his former high school teammates, Bolden and Brevin Jordan, a rising sophomore tight end who was one of the bright spots on Miami’s offense last season.

He’ll also join four more transfers that have pledged to join the Hurricanes: Osborn, former Butler left tackle Tommy Kennedy, former Auburn running back Asa Martin and punter Louis Hedley, a junior college transfer from the City College of San Francisco.

All of those additions will be key, especially considering the fact the Hurricanes — who endured a rough 7-6 season in 2018 — didn’t fare as well as they had hoped with high school players during December’s Early Signing Period.

“After a rough stretch, absolutely, there’s some good vibes going on around Miami,” said Steve Wiltfong, the director of recruiting for 247Sports.com. “It doesn’t matter where the players come from, whether it’s recruiting or transfers or they walk on and you develop them. As long you get them, that’s what matters. Miami didn’t finish the 2019 [recruiting] class the way they wanted to, but they got some good players on the transfer market. … and we’ll see. The [Hurricanes] are not as far away as the season indicated. They hired a good coach [in offensive coordinator Dan Enos] and they added another talented signal caller [Martell] and we’ll see what happens.”

Diaz and the Hurricanes aren’t finished yet.

Even as Miami’s coaches are recruiting high school prospects ahead of National Signing Day on Feb. 6, the Hurricanes are still pursuing UCLA graduate transfer Chigozie Nnoruka, a defensive tackle.

And Diaz has said, more than once, he doesn’t mind adding veteran players he may not have recruited when they came out of high school.

In the three years he worked as Richt’s defensive coordinator, Miami has brought in several graduate transfers, including cornerbacks Adrian Colbert and Dee Delaney, along with defensive tackle Tito Odenigbo.

All three contributed during their respective seasons at Miami and filled positions of need. And that, Diaz says, is what he wants for transfers he brings into the program.

Among Miami’s current group of transfers, Kennedy and Osborn are graduates, meaning they would be able to play immediately. Bolden is reportedly on track to graduate in the spring, meaning he, would be eligible to play next season.

“We’ve had, in our minds, great success the last three years with graduate transfers, speaking even specifically on defense with Adrian Colbert, Dee Delaney and Tito Odenigbo this past year. All three guys really had great, great seasons. All three guys — two of the three are in the NFL and Tito is bound for the NFL. They all really improved their stocks. They were all at a position of need,” Diaz said. “You still have to assess your whole team when you go out recruiting in terms of, what are your immediate needs? Why would you bring in a guy of age in front of the guys you have? With Adrian and Dee’s situations, we were so young at corner, we were down on some scholarships in the secondary. With Tito’s situation a year ago, [we had] Kendrick [Norton] and RJ [McIntosh] leaving.

“It’s a constantly fluid state of affairs because you have to understand your roster, which is changing sometimes with guys that are leaving early or you may have guys transfer off your own team. So, it is a situation where you have to be available [to] whoever’s out there. Of course, the portal sort of does make that easier now. But, the No. 1 thing is you have to understand who you are and what the needs of your team are.”

And Wiltfong says that’s what the Hurricanes have done with several of their transfers — in particular Martell, considering the state of Miami’s quarterbacks that also includes redshirt sophomores N’Kosi Perry and Cade Weldon, along with redshirt freshman Jarren Williams.

“The first thing Miami is getting from Tate Martell is a guy that is a performer under scrutiny. He’s a guy that in high school was one of the first players in his class to emerge nationally,” Wiltfong said. “He’s a guy that is not going to be scared by the stage of playing at Miami. He’ll embrace that aspect and I think that’s a big piece of that position. He’s got the fortitude to play it. …

“He brings a run element to the game, he never turned it over in high school. … he takes care of the ball, he completes at a high percentage, he’s a run threat. … and he needed an opportunity.”