The spring transfer window closed for non-graduates at the end of April and there were several late entrants for incoming and outgoing AAC squads.
Not every AAC football team was impacted in a significant way by the transfer portal over the past few weeks, but some experienced significant departures. Here are five names worth mentioning as they prepare to exit their respective programs.
RB Alton McCaskill, Houston
Houston won’t be an AAC member for much longer, but the Cougars face several incoming and outgoing AAC squads in 2023 and will have to do so without Alton McCaskill, arguably their most talented offensive player. McCaskill rushed for 961 yards and 16 touchdowns as a true freshman before missing last season with an injury. Colorado is rumored to be a potential landing spot.
WR Zakhari Franklin, UTSA
The go-to target for the Roadrunners, Franklin was another shocking late entrant to the portal. He set the single-season program records for receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns as a junior in 2021 and then broke his own program records for those same measures in 2022. UTSA will still return Joshua Cephus and De’Corian Clark, but Franklin is a massive loss.
WR Jyaire Shorter, North Texas
Shorter has run into some bad luck on the injury front in 2020 and 2021, but when healthy, remains a dynamic playmaker. He led the FBS in yards per reception last season (27.2 yards per catch) and figured to be the top target for the Mean Green in 2023. That will no longer be the case. Auburn is rumored to be a potential landing spot.
LB Larry Nixon III, North Texas
A multi-year starter for North Texas, Nixon posted double-digit tackles in three of his final four games with the Mean Green and leaves Denton with 246 career tackles. He was offered be Auburn and Miami soon after entering the portal.
CB Jadon Canady, Tulane
Canady was a starter in 2021 and the early portions of the 2022 campaign before an ACL injury ended his season prematurely. He might not be fully 100 percent to begin the 2023 season, but he’s still a quality player with extensive experience, more than 1,200 snaps over the past two years.
