It's mostly quiet on the graduate-transfer front in the Big Ten, and that seems to be a trend. (Note: This might not just be a football thing, either.) Nebraska's addition of former Oklahoma State defensive tackle Darrion Daniels constitutes 25 percent of all of the grad transfers into the Big Ten at this point.
There were 53 committed grad transfers on gradtransfertracker.com's list on Wednesday morning, and just four, Daniels included, were headed to a Big Ten school. As percentage, that's in line with the previous two years. In 2018, Big Ten schools welcomed 7.3 percent of all committed grad transfers. It was 8 percent in 2017.
It is still early in the process. For most coaches it will make sense to wait until 2019 recruiting is finished to see what their most pressing needs might actually be. The addition of the transfer portal adds another layer to roster decisions.
But as things stand now, it's not hard to keep tabs on the immediately-eligible additions in the Big Ten. Illinois has two of them.
Former Oklahoma wide receiver A.D. Miller––like Daniels, a graduate of Bishop Dunne High School in Dallas––has joined the Illini. A 3-star recruit with offers from Notre Dame, Ohio State and Tennessee, Miller made 21 catches for 126 yards and four touchdowns over three seasons with the Sooners. Three of the Illini's four leading receivers a year ago should be back in 2019.
Illinois also added former Alabama offensive lineman Richie Petitbon. His grandfather was a Pro-Bowl safety, three-time Super Bowl champion and one-time (for one season) coach of the Washington Redskins. Petitbon was a 3-star recruit coming out of high school with offers from Boston College, Florida State and Iowa. He saw spot duty as a backup for the Tide over the past three seasons.
Minnesota makes it a West-Division sweep (for now) with its addition of former Notre Dame defensive lineman Micah Dew-Treadway. Another 3-star recruit, Dew-Treadway played 20 career games for the Irish. He made two tackles in 2018.
Big Ten teams still have plenty of time and options if they're looking to supplement their rosters. Gradtransfertracker.com still lists 103 available players. There are 13 Big Ten players on that list. Penn State tops that group with four players looking for a new school, Illinois has three and Iowa two.
That's all better than UCLA, however. After one year in the Chip Kelly system, seven Bruins are looking for a new place to play.
The Grab Bag
- Former Nebraska quarterback Ryker Fyfe has joined the Omaha Beef.
- Jacob Padilla does the dirty work with a detailed breakdown of the Huskers’ loss to Rutgers.
- Derek Peterson previews the Nebraska women’s matchup with Northwestern.
- Greg Smith makes some final predictions for the 2019 recruiting class. (Premium)
Today’s Song of Today
Brandon is the Managing Editor for Hail Varsity and has covered Nebraska athletics for the magazine and web since 2012, Hail Varsity’s first season on the scene. His sports writing has also been featured by Fox Sports, The Guardian and CBS Sports.
