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The Rumor Mill: Transfer Tracker

Juwan Mitchell
Juwan Mitchell (AP Images)

The transfer portal never stops, but is has slowed down in April before the next expected explosion. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t a bunch of rumors out there regarding kids who are looking for a new home, including a new popular entry from the SEC.

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Let’s start with wide receiver Michael Woods out of Arkansas, who just entered the portal on Tuesday. Despite such a recent jump into the portal he has already received an impressive amount of interest from around the country. Oklahoma, TCU, Penn State, South Carolina, Mississippi State, UCF, Michigan, Auburn, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisville, Baylor, Washington State, Miami, Missouri, Houston, Florida, Florida State, Illinois, Utah, Texas Tech and USC are among the programs that are interested.

It is too early to name favorites, but it is safe to say that Woods will be very busy in the coming days. Woods was a mid-level three-star out of Texas and had originally been committed to SMU before flipping to Arkansas as Chad Morris’ first commit. He visited Northwestern and Texas A&M, among others, before his SMU commitment and flipped from SMU when Morris was hired away. This will be one to follow as everyone in the country is enamored with his length, especially after he logged 65 catches for more than 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns in his first two seasons.

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Offensive lineman Justice Oluwaseun from UNLV announced a final three of Miami, Baylor and Houston on Tuesday, with a decision coming soon. With the Bears no longer seemingly seriously involved and with the ‘Canes having other pertinent positions to fill, this looks like it will likely be Houston.

Oluwaseun played his high school football in the Houston area, so the Cougars were seen as a likely landing spot after they offered.

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Linebacker Juwan Mitchell from Texas has seen things pick up recently. He led the Longhorns in tackles last season, and Kansas State and Temple have been involved from the start, with the Wildcats receiving a visit to campus.

But recently several additional schools have been in contact, with Miami and Tennessee leading the way. At this time it is the ‘Canes who have turned up their level of interest the most.

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Defensive back Joseph Johnson from Penn State entered the portal Tuesday, and he is already very busy. West Virginia, Virginia and Boise State are three of the more aggressive FBS programs after him. Along with those three, Johnson will have a long list of FCS programs to consider if he decides to take that route.

He liked his visit to West Virginia out of high school, so it could lead. And he hails from Virginia, so the Cavaliers are in there for sure. He was previously committed to NC State in high school, so we’ll see if it enters the battle.

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Phillip Paea from Michigan did not create much of a buzz from fans when he entered the portal, but college coaches have shown to be very intrigued by his potential. Oregon State has shown the most early interest, but Nebraska, Washington, Utah State and Wake Forest have also expressed interest in the offensive lineman turned defensive lineman.

No clue as to any early leader, but he was interested in some West Coast programs out of high school.

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Athlete Kendall Abdur-Rahman from Notre Dame didn’t see an explosion of interest when he first entered the portal, but over the last week or two things have picked up for him. Purdue, Indiana, Tennessee, Kent State and Western Kentucky have all turned up their level of interest, so it will be interesting if other schools come calling in the next few weeks. Staying in the Big Ten might be the move for the Illinois product, but keep an eye on the Vols here as well.

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