Newsletter: Ott, Illinois, Oklahoma State, and More!
Ott, Illinois, Oklahoma State, and More!
April 16, 2025
Good morning, and welcome back to CFB Roundup from CFB Home – the first daily newsletter that’s all college football, all the time with no bias, no slant, and no fluff.
Cal RB Transfer Jaydn Ott Commits to Oklahoma
Cal RB transfer Jaydn Ott committed to Oklahoma out of the portal yesterday.
Ott was ranked by On3 as the 40th ranked player and 4th ranked RB in this transfer portal class after 3 seasons with the Cal Golden Bears.
With Cal, Ott put up a combined 2,597 rushing yards, 24 rushing touchdowns, 95 catches, 736 receiving yards, and 6 receiving touchdowns.
In 2023, Ott led the Pac-12 with 1,315 rushing yards, while his 2024 output did get slowed down just a bit as Ott struggled to find much footing in the ACC where he had zero 100-yard games.
Illinois RB Josh McCray Planning to Enter Portal
Illinois RB Josh McCray is planning to enter the transfer portal, according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett. McCray will have one season of eligibility remaining.
McCray was not super highly rated coming out of high school, but he’s developed into a solid, productive player. As a freshman in 2021, McCray ran for 549 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a pair of 140+ yard games against Purdue and Penn State. He had quieter 2022 and 2023 campaigns, only rushing for 56 and 156 yards, respectively.
McCray had a breakout 2024, though, rushing for 609 yards and 10 touchdowns, including 114 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl win over South Carolina.
App State OT Markell Samuel Commits to Oklahoma State
Appalachian State OT Markell Samuel committed to Oklahoma State out of the transfer portal yesterday for his final season of eligibility.
Samuel was Honorable Mention All-Sun Belt this past season after starting 11 games for the Mountaineers at left tackle.
Samuel ranks 274th nationally and 30th at his position, according to On3’s transfer portal rankings.
Samuel allowed 5 sacks last year, but only 2 were on true pass sets, per PFF (screens and play action is removed for true pass sets).
ECU, Former Mizzou & Miami, QB Jake Garcia Expected to Hit Portal
From East Carolina University Athletics
Current ECU and former Missouri and Miami QB Jake Garcia is expected to enter the transfer portal according to a report from 247’s Stephen Igoe.
Garcia reportedly missed practice yesterday, which is why the expectation is that he’ll enter the portal.
Garcia spent his first two seasons at Miami before transferring to Missouri, where he never appeared in a game. He then transferred to East Carolina, where he split time with Katin Houser this season.
Coming out of high school, Garcia was a high 4-star prospect, ranking 53rd nationally and 10th at the QB position, ranked ahead of some names like Garrett Nussmeier (11th), Jalen Milroe (12th), and Sawyer Robertson (16th).
Ferris State Transfer QB Trinidad Chambliss Commits to Ole Miss
Ferris State transfer QB Trinidad Chambliss has committed to Ole Miss out of the portal.
Chambliss has spent the last two seasons with Ferris State (D2), throwing for 2,925 yards and 26 touchdowns while adding another 1,019 rushing yards and 25 rushing touchdowns in 2024. His performance led to him being named a D-II All-American.
In this transfer portal cycle, Chambliss ranks 605th nationally and 44th at the QB position, an intriguing pickup for Ole Miss as the Rebels offense looks to what’s next after Jaxson Dart graduates to the NFL.
Kentucky CB Jiquavious Marshall Plans to Enter Portal
Kentucky CB Jiquavious Marshall announced on X yesterday that he was planning to enter the transfer portal.
Marshall spent just one season with the Wildcats, a redshirt season. So, he will have 4 seasons of eligibility remaining after being a high 3-star in the Class of 2024.
In high school he was the 596th ranked player and 62nd ranked cornerback, picking up offers from programs like Michigan, Nebraska, Florida State, Georgia Tech, and others.
Stanford Transfer OL Jake Maikkula Commits to Oklahoma
Former Stanford OL Jake Maikkula committed to Oklahoma yesterday out of the transfer portal.
Maikkula was also strongly considering UCLA, according to On3’s Pete Nakos, but Coach Bill Bedenbaugh and OU are the ones to get some fortification on the offensive line.
Maikkula was the starting center for Stanford, but he also played some left guard for the Cardinal. He graded out slightly above average in pass blocking, per PFF (71.3, avg. of 60), but was slightly below average overall (58.7).
Maikkula gets to Norman with 2 seasons of eligibility remaining after spending 3 years with Stanford.
3-Star WR Brock Boyd Flips from TCU to Ohio State
Brock Boyd (@BrockBoyd_2): After many conversations and prayers, I would like to announce that i’m committing to Ohio State. Thank you TCU for all that you’ve provided for me. I enjoyed building relationships with the entire staff. let’s get it!!
3-star WR Brock Boyd flipped his commitment from TCU to Ohio State yesterday after committing to TCU back in July.
Boyd visited Ohio State earlier this spring, sharing that the environment of Columbus was great and what separated Ohio State from other places he visited. He also shared that the pedigree of past WRs at Ohio State is unmatched. Boyd caught 111 passes for 1,868 yards and 19 touchdowns as a junior at Southlake Carroll.
Boyd is rated as a 4-star by both On3 and Rivals, ranking 224th nationally and 32nd at the WR position. For Ohio State, this is the 11th commitment for a class which ranks 3rd nationally.
3-Star EDGE Max Meier Commits to Stanford
Max Meier (@MadMaxMeier): Great weekend on The Farm and was able to finally sit down with Andrew Luck to understand that our goals are aligned to bring @StanfordFball back to the top! Feeling incredibly grateful to announce my commitment to STANFORD.
3-star EDGE Max Meier committed to Stanford yesterday over offers from USC, Arizona State, Nebraska, and others.
Meier is one of the first commitments for Stanford since moving on from Coach Troy Taylor and interim Coach Frank Reich was appointed by new GM Andrew Luck. The On3 industry composite ranks him 640th nationally and 64th at the EDGE position.
3-Star IOL Brock Brownfield Commits to Purdue
Brock Brownfield (@BrockBrownfield): 1000% committed this is Home. Extremely grateful to have this opportunity!
3-star IOL Brock Brownfield committed to Purdue yesterday over offers from Michigan State, Indiana, West Virginia, and others.
Brownfield had visited Purdue multiple times, but it was the new staff in place that really swayed him. Brownfield is rated highest by On3, where he ranks 41st at the IOL position group.
Other Commitments/Decommitments
- 3-Star (87) QB Rees Wise commits to Ole Miss
- 3-Star (86) DL Carnell Jackson commits to Arkansas
- 3-Star (86) CB James Brewer III commits to Ohio
- Unrated ATH Sharard Vaughn commits to Toledo
- Unrated OT Braden Petzel commits to Northern Illinois