With the transfer portal and NIL landscapes what they are today, things can change around college football in a flash. Teams can’t take massive rises, and others can regress quickly. When it comes to teams taking steps forward, there are a few that quickly come to mind.

When evaluating the offseason, and schedules in front of them, there are a couple who stand up along the pack. Get ready for an entertaining 2024 college football season. It won’t disappoint.

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Utah Utes

The Utah program, and all their fans, have gotten used to a consistent product under head coach Kyle Whittingham. Heading into the 2023 season, that included ten or more victories in three of four years, as well as back-to-back PAC-12 championships in 2021 and 2022. Unfortunately, injuries completely decimated the 2023 version, especially at quarterback with a preseason injury of Cam Rising.

Despite that, Utah was still able to go 8-5, a respectable record once you considered the ineptitude on the offensive side of the football. The defense should be quite good in 2024, bringing back star linebackers Karene Reid and Lander Barton. Other talented defenders return, including star cover man Zemaiah Vaughn.

With Rising coming back for yet another year, you should expect the offense to be worlds better. Heading to the Big 12, who should not be as top-heavy as the departed PAC 12, things should turn around quickly for the Utes.

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish

It’s no exaggeration to say that this could be the most well-rounded and deepest team that Notre Dame has had in a long time. Marcus Freeman has seriously upped the recruiting game since taking over as head coach. The team also has some impressive core players returning, especially on defense, including All-American cornerback Benjamin Morrison, safety Xavier Watts, and defensive tackles Howard Cross and Rylie Mills.

The offense will be led by former Duke Signal caller Riley Leonard, who is a stellar talent when healthy. The Irish have a revamped passing attack with the additions of Kris Mitchell (FIU) and Beaux Collins (Clemson, while also having an extremely talented duo of running backs in Jeremiyah Love and JaDarian Price.

The talent is all there, and so is the coaching staff. Could this be the year Notre Dame finally gets over the hump? It’s very possible.

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Ole Miss Rebels

Under Lane Kiffin, you can always count on Ole Miss having a really impressive offense. That should continue in 2024 with the return of quarterback Jaxson Dart, as well as wide receivers Tre Harris, Jordan Watkins, and transfer addition Antwane Wells. They also have talent at tight end and running back coming back, making for a potentially balanced attack.

The thing that has been lacking under Kiffin is a defense that can match. The transfer portal was dedicated this offseason to making that happen. Getting Walter Nolen (Texas A&M) and Princely Umanmielen make this one of the best defensive lines in the country on paper, especially with the return of Jared Ivey.

This is going to come down to physicality and good coaching. Kiffin has had some dudes in big games before, which needs to be remedied this season.

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Miami Hurricanes

On paper, this one should be a no-brainer. Miami spent a lot of money this offseason in the transfer portal, bringing in a ton of talent. That includes former Washington State signal caller Cameron Ward, as well as star running back Damien Martinez who was previously of Oregon State. Houston wide receiver Samuel Brown also opted for the Hurricane, completely revamping the skill positions.

On defense, it was largely the same. The defensive line was the biggest beneficiary, bringing in CJ Clark (NC State), Simeon Barrow (Michigan State), and Tyler Baron (Tennessee). Add that to significantly better recruiting under Mario Cristobal and this could go very, very good for Miami.

The problem is that sometimes the portal can go back wards in a hurry. All the talent is there. It will all come down to whether everyone is motivated, and it all meshes quickly.