Richmond has added multiple portal additions in each season since Coach Huesman’s first year in 2017. Despite not being a program known for stockpiling transfers, we’ve seen them be impactful every year. For this post, I’m only talking additions from the portal and how they’ve played in part in their season(s) at UR. Not every transfer from each class will be listed, as some didn’t see the field or were injured.

2017 Transfers

Tim Coleman – Back in the times of the old transfer rules, Coleman joined the Spiders in 2017 for his redshirt season. He went on to start 37 games and achieve All-CAA honors multiple times at left tackle. An A+ transfer at a premium position.

Cortrelle Simpson – Started his UR career with a 204-yard, 1 TD performance against Sam Houston State and didn’t slow down from there. 1,670 receiving yards in two seasons, along with 11 TDs, made Simpson an outstanding addition to our WR room.

2018 Transfers

Not much action from this group. Melvin Keihn joined the Spiders from Maryland but only appeared in four games. Dionte Austin played in six games at corner, but an injury cut his time short. Jeremiah Brown (WR) also joined the Spiders but only appeared a few times. The least impactful transfer year so far.

2019 Transfers

Brandon Feamster – Just one season with the Spiders for #4, yet he made it count. Feamster took over the boundary corner position and helped solidify the UR secondary. Six PBUs, one INT, and three sacks that season.

Keyton Fuller & Charlie Fessler – These WRs combined for over 56% of UR receptions in 2019, over 1,800 yards, and 13 TDs. Like Feamster, both only played one season at Richmond, yet they quickly became focal points.

Beau English – Adding a QB from triple-option Air Force will always confuse me.

2021 Transfers

*due to COVID I’m lumping 2020 and 2021 transfers together*

Dante Black – Didn’t see the field too much due to being behind Dykes/Smith his entire UR career. Still a nice addition for depth, as he looked good when he played.

Leroy Henley Jr. – One of my favorite Spiders in recent years. Henley was a reliable target outside the numbers, amassing nearly 1,500 yards in his 2 1/2 seasons at UR. His 10 TD season in 2022, along with 3rd team All-CAA honors, capped a fantastic career.

John Fitzgerald – 1st team All-CAA in the 4-game spring season but injuries kept him out in the fall. Would’ve loved to see what he would’ve done in a full season.

Jonathan Johnson – One year player for the Spiders, caught 12 passes during his senior year.

AJ Smith – Recorded 54 tackles in his one year at UR, filling a big hole at safety. Started all 11 games.

2022 Transfers

Reece Udinski – Dudley Award winner, 1st team All-CAA, highest completion % in UR, and plenty more. Safe to say this one worked out.

Jakob Herres – The VMI trio of Udinski, OC Billy Cosh, and Herres picked up right where they left off, with Herres totaling 77 catches, 968 yards, and 6 TDs. Package deals like this don’t come around very often and we were sure to take advantage of our opportunity.

Nick DeGennaro – If DeGennaro has a decent season in 2024, he’s statistically a career top-10 UR receiver. A similar or even better performance in 2024 compared to 2023? Top-5 isn’t out of the question, despite only three seasons in Richmond. Excited to see what #11 has in store this upcoming fall.

Derek Ferraro – Transfer from Rice and only stayed one season at UR. His depth was needed when Gavin Lamp went down in camp but he never secured a starting role.

Matei Fitz – Easily the underappreciated addition from 2022. Fitz has been a consistent piece in the DT rotation each of his first two seasons, recording 4.5 sacks last year. He’ll be a full-time starter for the Spiders moving forward.

2023 Transfers

The 2023 transfer class didn’t add a “true starter” on offense or defense like those before it, however the group was still impactful.

Will McManus transferred from Illinois and greatly improved the Spiders’ kickoff unit – he’s back in 2024. Quantraill Morris-Walker split time with Jared Joseph at Will linebacker, so he technically wasn’t a “true starter,” yet his impact was still substantial. He’ll take over as the full-time starter in 2024. I thought Mikey Jarmolowich played well throughout the year, however the rise of Jabril Hayes ended up cutting into his playing time. Scott Hummel got more playing time with Cade Salyers going out early and did well in his absence.

Those four alone would make for a good transfer class, especially on a team returning plenty of starters. What was different about 2023 were a couple positions that could’ve leaned on their transfer additions more.

Isaiah Wilson, WR from ETSU, was added once Jasiah Williams went down in the spring, however injuries hampered his 2023 season. With Ja’Vion Griffin also battling injuries it would’ve been great to have another outside weapon. Stefan Black II came to UR from Northern Iowa to help fill a need at corner, yet wasn’t on the roster by October. Once Angelo Rankin Jr. was deemed out for the season, CB was a thin position group. Throw in Tyler King (All-CAA linebacker from Stony Brook) committing to UR in December yet not making it on the spring roster, and Richmond is once again looking to add a linebacker this summer. You can’t fault anyone for getting hurt, and I don’t have the inside scoop on what happened with Black or King, but I do know those spots needed some support.

The flip side of that is who got to play more as a result. Yes, Isaiah Wilson and Stefan Black II would’ve been great to have, but seeing true freshman Landon Ellis and R-Fr. D’Angelo Stocker step up at WR & CB in their absence was awesome. It showed the depth this roster is continuing to build, and while I’m hoping we see our portal additions play a big role on the field in 2024, seeing younger Spiders continue to develop and increase their role is just as exciting.

2024 Transfers

Right now, 2024 looks to have a strong starter impact. Matt Robbert projects as the starting TE, Carter Glassmyer worked with the 1s at LB during the spring, and Zach Palmer-Smith will at worst get the 2nd most carries from the RBs.

Brandon Peskin will get a chance to be the Spiders’ kicker, while John Michael Roberto adds experience to the safety room. We’ll hopefully add a few names in the coming weeks, but those guys alone really help fill out the 2024 roster.

Even with those “bumps” in the road last year, 2023 continued an excellent run of portal success for Huesman and his staff that looks to extend into 2024. You won’t have seasons like 2019 or 2022 in terms of portal impact every year, but if we keep adding significant contributors (even if not starters) this team will continue their recent trend of success. Richmond will never be a program that adds 10+ transfers in a year, and that’s a good thing. We don’t want to be Campbell, who have added 15+ transfers in consecutive seasons, but we also don’t want to be allergic to the portal like Clemson. Continuing to find the right guys that fill critical roles will be the recipe to sustaining success in 2024 and beyond.

Next Post

Spiders open at UVA on August 31st, so camp starts a little earlier this year. The position group overviews got a little crowded last year in between camp updates, so I’ll spread things out more this season. Position groups will start earlier, with one potentially before camp starts.