A look at Savannah area football players in the NCAA transfer portal

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The college football transfer portal opened up on Jan. 2 and chaos has ensued across the country as thousands of players announced their plans to find new teams.

There are a number of players from the Savannah area who are in the portal, and a few have already announced their decisions.

Here’s a look at Savannah area athletes who have entered the portal, with the players who have made commitments.

Luke Kromenhoek, QB, from Mississippi State to the University of South Florida.

The former 4-star from Benedictine announced the move from Mississippi State to South Florida this week.

Kromenhoek started his college career at Florida State and had 502 yards passing with three touchdown passes to go along with 113 yards rushing as a freshman, before he transferred to Mississippi State for this season. He played in three games for the Bulldogs this year, completing 5 of 9 passes for 73 yards and was able to keep his redshirt.

He joins the Bulls under new coach Brian Hartline with three years of eligibility left.

Tre’ Brown III, WR, Old Dominion to LSU

The former Jenkins standout started his college career at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas before transferring to Old Dominion and had an excellent season with the Monarchs as he caught 38 passes for 762 yards and four touchdowns.

Brown III was drawing interest from big-time programs, including Ohio State, and announced his commitment to play at LSU under Lane Kiffin on Monday, Jan. 5.

“Tre’ has always had so much talent and he just got out of his own way and reached his potential,” Jenkins coach Tony Welch said. “We sent him to Hutchinson because it’s really like a Division I juco program. They are a hotbed for sending players to Power 4 schools.

“Tre’ had a lot of options and he turned down Georgia, Ohio State and Texas to got to LSU. He’s a big receiver who understands the game. He put in a lot of work, and it paid off.”

Jake Merklinger, QB, Tennessee

The former Calvary Day star and four-star prospect announced he was entering the portal last month after two years at Tennessee, and the 6-foot-3, 215-pound signal caller will have three years of eligibility left.

Merklinger was a backup to Joey Aguilar this season and was 13 of 24 passing for 173 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while rushing for 16 yards on four carries in limited time.

Merklinger is reportedly drawing interest from a number of Power 4 programs.

Terry Simmons, DL, Duke to South Florida

The former Calvary Day star didn’t see much action in his time at Duke, but the talented 6-foot-2, 305-pound defensive tackle is looking for a second chance after committing to play at USF earlier this week.

Za’Quan Bryan, DB, Minnesota

A four-star recruit who starred on both sides of the ball in his high school playing days at Benedictine, Bryan was a starter on the Gopher defense this season.

He ranked eighth on the Minnesota squad in tackles this year with 36 and had a forced fumble with three passes defended.

Bryan has been visiting several schools recently and is expected to make a decision soon. He has two years of eligibility left.

Langston Lewis, WR, Central Michigan

Lewis had a breakout season with the Chippewas as he led the team with 43 receptions for 596 yards and three touchdowns.

After Central Michigan’s loss to Northwestern in the GameAbove Sports Bowl, Lewis initially announced that he was entering the transfer portal. But he posted a video on X on Tuesday that ended with a graphic that Lewis will be rejoining the program at Central Michigan. He has two years of eligibility left.

Kamari Maxwell, WR, Austin Peay

The former New Hampstead star had a strong freshman campaign at Austin Peay as he caught 23 passes for 385 yards and four touchdowns.

As a senior at New Hampstead, Maxwell had 87 catches for 1,344 yards and 15 touchdowns to earn All-Greater Savannah first-team honors.

Maxwell is expected to announce his decision in the next week or two.

Barton Mixon, Sewanee: The University of the South

The former Savannah Country Day standout rushed for 781 yards and nine touchdowns and earned All-Conference honors as a freshman. He also passed for three touchdowns.

Mixon has three years of eligibility left and a redshirt season.

Troy Ford, LB, UCF

The former Calvary Day standout was highly recruited out of high school and is looking for a new home.

The former All-Greater Savannah first-team selection has three years of eligibility left.

Aaziah Scott, DL, Springfield College

The former New Hampstead standout was the NEWMAC Rookie of the Year as a freshman and followed it up by earning first-team All-Conference honors this season.

He had 46 tackles, with 8.5 for losses and 1.5 sacks this year.

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Here’s a look at Savannah area football players in the NCAA transfer portal

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