Transfer portal winners, losers. Which Triangle football team will benefit in 2022?
When a coach brings in players from the transfer portal it can be a gamble.
N.C. State’s Dave Doeren hit the jackpot in 2021.
Prior to the 2021 season, Doeren dipped into the portal and welcomed four new players. All four — defensive tackle Cory Durden, offensive lineman Chandler Zavala, defensive backs Cyrus Fagan and Derrek Pitts — were starters.
Durden became an All-ACC selection and Doeren believes Zavala and Fagan were en route to have that type of season before they both suffered season-ending injuries.
Down the road in Chapel Hill, UNC head coach Mack Brown was tasked with replacing not one, but two 1,000-yard rushers in Michael Carter and Javonte Williams. Replacing the duo was a group effort, but the Day 1 starter was a Tennessee transfer, Ty Chandler.
It’s safe to say the transfers worked out for the Triangle coaches, a huge sigh of relief looking back over the season.
“A year ago we took four guys and all four of them helped our football team,” Doeren said.
Bringing a new guy in, at midseason more times than not, takes more than just looking at film. There is a vetting process.
“We’re very proud of the team and culture that we’ve created here,” Doeren said. “So you don’t want to bring someone in who doesn’t fit.”
After a prospective transfer comes for a visit, Doeren leans on his staff and players, picking their brains to find out what they think about a player. Will he fit in their room? Is he a guy they are excited about playing with? The answers to those questions are important before moving forward.
If they don’t fit, Doeren won’t take them.
The four guys he brought in a year ago were the right fit. Pitts and Fagan enrolled in the spring and quickly got accustomed to how things are done. Durden, who played with Fagan at Florida State, and Zavala enrolled over the summer and won the team over with their work ethic.
Doeren welcomed two transfers this spring: wide receiver Darryl Jones (Maryland) and punter Shane McDonough (Towson). Knowing Jones was about to walk into an unfamiliar situation, Fagan met him with words of comfort right away.
“I let him know he could be comfortable here,” Fagan said. “Just leave it all out there on the field, we’re all here together. We all want to see each other shine.”
A familiar face and a detour
Jones’ journey to Raleigh was actually a detour that turned into a final destination.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound wideout spent four seasons at Maryland. He earned his degree and was looking for a new situation.
After visiting East Carolina, Jones, from Virginia Beach, was planning to take a visit to UNC before a familiar voice from his past got him on the phone. N.C. State wide receiver coach Joker Phillips coached Jones when he played for the Terrapins.
The two talked and Jones told Phillips he would stop by Raleigh on his way to Chapel Hill.
“I didn’t even go,” Jones said about his scheduled trip to UNC. “I looked at the roster difference. I was like, ‘Who do I want to play against every day? Their (N.C. State) defense was one of the top (in the nation) and I get to play against them all the time. It was a win-win.”
Jones was also impressed with Wolfpack quarterback Devin Leary, another huge selling point in him picking N.C. State over UNC or ECU.
“I liked Leary,” Jones said. “He can throw the ball. I haven’t had a quarterback as good as Devin. At Maryland throughout the years I probably played with five or six different quarterbacks. But Devin, his numbers are what brought me here. His numbers show that he can spread the ball around and he knows where to put the ball.”
It also helped that Doeren was looking for an older guy in the room to replace Emeka Emezie and C.J. Riley. The receiver position group is probably the deepest on offense, but behind Devin Carter, Thayer Thomas and Porter Rooks, there is a lot of unproven talent.
Jones can bridge that gap.
The relationship with Phillips helped, but Jones would still be walking into a room of guys who have spent two or three years together. Plus, he would be trying to fill the shoes of the all-time receptions leader in school history.
Before they took Jones, Phillips did a quick poll.
“Coach Joker told me he asked the older guys if they would be OK with bringing in someone else,” Jones said. “Once he told me that, I figured I’d be fine.”
After losing multiple starters to the NFL Draft, UNC needed an upgrade on its offensive line, same after two linebackers graduated. Brown hopes to have taken care of those absences with the new faces he brought in this off season.
A look at Triangle transfers from 2021 and who is new in 2022
NC State 2021 transfers
Cory Durden (defensive tackle): Durden came to N.C. State from Florida State and started the final seven games of 2021. After finishing with 31 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss, Durden was named to the All-ACC first-team defensive team.
Cyrus Fagan (defensive back): Another FSU transfer, Fagan started two games before suffering a season-ending injury against Mississippi State. Fagan had one interception in the season opener against South Florida.
Derrek Pitts, Jr. (defensive back): Pitts transferred to N.C. State from Marshall and started 11 games at cornerback for the Pack. Pitts appeared in all 12 games and was fifth on the team in tackles (43) and had two interceptions.
Chandler Zavala (offensive line): Zavala started five games at guard before suffering a season-ending injury. Zavala was in for 340 snaps before his injury.
2022 transfers
Darryl Jones (wide receiver): During the 2021 season at Maryland, Jones caught 23 passes for 319 yards and two scores.
Shane McDonough (punter): McDonough might have the biggest shoes to fill, taking over for Trenton Gill. At Towson, McDonough averaged 43.2 yards per punt, making him the all-time leader in school history.
UNC 2021 transfers
Ty Chandler (running back): In 13 games Chandler, who transferred from Tennessee, carried the ball 182 times for 1,092 yards and 13 touchdowns. Chandler also caught 15 passes for 216 yards and one score.
2022 transfers
Noah Taylor (linebacker): Former UVA linebacker started 12 games for the Cavaliers in 2021. Was third on the team with 69 tackles. Also added 3.5 sacks. Played in a total of 30 games for UVA.
Corey Gaynor (offensive line): Transferred to UNC from Miami, where he started 27 games in three seasons for the Hurricanes. Was limited to just three games in 2021 before suffering a season-ending injury.
Duke 2021 transfers
Kade Parmelly (offensive line): Started nine games on the offensive line after transferring from Abilene Christian.
Carson Van Lynn (offensive line)“ Pittsburgh transfer was reserve offensive lineman for the Blue Devils. Saw action in all 12 games with three starts. Was in for 557 snaps in 2021.
Scott Boylan (special teams): Brown transfer was a reserve wide receiver who saw action on special teams a year ago.
Ja’Mion Franklin (defensive line): Notre Dame transfer had 14 tackles for the Blue Devils.
2022 transfers
Evan Deckers (long snapper): Arrives from UMass.
This story was originally published April 6, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
