UPDATED: Falcons in the portal finding new homes

Rhys Patrykus, Sports Reporter, FMSN

Here is a breakdown of the latest announcements of former BGSU Football players and their decisions on new homes for the 2023-24 college football season, as well as the latest influx of talent coming into Bowling Green.

Outgoing Transfers: 

Owen Bainbridge: Redshirt Freshman, Quarterback: Stow, OH 

New Home: Notre Dame College (DII) 

Bainbridge redshirted his 2022 season and did not see the field. 

Jaedyn McKinstry: Sophomore Tight End- Fremont, OH 

New Home: Louisiana-Monroe 

Other Offers: Western Illinois (FCS) 

McKinstry saw minimal action in 2022 and posted no stats after recording three catches for 22 yards in 2021 

Willie Jones: Sophomore Safety- Chicago, IL 

New Home: In portal 

Current Offers: Southeast Missouri State (FCS), Samford (FCS), Alabama A&M (FCS) 

Jones saw no action and recorded no stats in his true freshman 2022 season. 

Jalen Holly: Redshirt Freshman, Wide Receiver- River Rouge, MI 

New Home: In portal 

Current Offers: Northwood (DII), Central State (DII), Wayne State (DII), Ferris State (DII) 

Holly redshirted in 2022 and saw little to no action. 

Jaylen Jennings: Redshirt Freshman, Running Back- Columbus, OH 

New Home: In portal 

Current Offers: None 

Jennings redshirted the 2022 season after only seeing action against Mississippi State, carrying the ball six times for 28 yards. 

Braxton Todd: Redshirt Freshman, Running Back- Martinsburg, W.Va. 

New Home: In portal 

Current Offers: None 

Todd redshirted his freshman season and didn’t appear in any games. 

 

Incoming Transfers: 

Chace Davis: Sophomore Defensive Lineman- Long Beach, CA

Davis comes to BG after one year at the University of Texas at San Antonio where he recorded four tackles and a pass deflection across four games for the Roadrunners. In 2021, he was extremely productive for East Los Angeles Community College, racking up 24 tackles and three sacks in 10 games for the Huskies. 

Steve Lubischer: Redshirt Junior, Defensive Back- Oceanport, NJ 

Lubischer spent four seasons at Boston College, totaling 15 tackles across 22 games for the Eagles. A former QB coming out of high school, Lubischer was given a three-star prospect grade by 247sports and was ranked the 46th best player in the state of New Jersey in 2019. 

Jordan Jackson: Redshirt Junior, Defensive Back- Freeport, NY 

After redshirting the 2019 season at Stony Brook, Jackson racked up 70 total tackles (43 solo), eight passes defended, three forced fumbles, an interception and a sack across the next three seasons as a member of the Seawolves. Jackson comes to Bowling Green with two remaining years of eligibility.  

Davian Mayo: Redshirt Junior, Linebacker, Monticello- Ark. 

Following three seasons as a Memphis Tiger, Mayo comes to Bowling Green with 30 games of experience, seeing action in every season in Memphis. In 2022, Mayo accumulated 21 total tackles (8 solo), including a career high eight tackles against Arkansas State. The former three-star LB has two years of eligibility remaining.  

Finneas Hogan: Redshirt Freshman, Wide Receiver- Maple City, MI 

Hogan redshirted his first year as a Chippewa, appearing in three games in 2021. The next season, he caught 19 balls across 12 games for 155 yards and a touchdown. He comes into Bowling Green with over 100,000 TikTok followers and three remaining seasons of eligibility. 

Jaylon Tillman: Sophomore Wide Receiver- Plainfield, Ill. 

Tillman comes to Bowling Green fresh off a 2022 season in which he was named to the All-GLIAC Second Team after hauling in 31 passes for 568 yards and four touchdowns. The second receiver to join the Orange and Brown this cycle, Tillman joins Finn Hogan, Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim and Dom Grguric as the newest Falcon receivers.  

Chris Akporoghene: Redshirt Sophomore, Offensive Lineman- Warri, Nigeria 

After spending three seasons at the University of Tennessee, Akporoghene transferred to the University of Tulsa for the 2022 season. After seeing mainly special teams work as a Golden Hurricane, he re-entered the transfer portal and now finds himself at Bowling Green.  

Evan Branch-Hanyes: Redshirt Freshman, Defensive Lineman- Richmond, CA.  

A three-star recruit coming out of Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep School, Branch-Haynes committed to the University of Arizona. After redshirting the ‘21 season, he recorded five total tackles in four games in 2022.    

Davon Ferguson: Senior Defensive Back- Baltimore, MD

However, the biggest announcement came over the weekend, where defensive back Davon Ferguson announced he is coming back to the orange and brown after previously declaring for the portal and committing to Georgia State.

Ferguson, who missed all but two games during 2022, had a stellar 2021 season, with 68 tackles and two sacks across eight games after transferring in from the University of Kansas.  

With a new position coach following the departure of Eric Lewis, Ferguson looks to repeat the same success from two years ago while trying to stay healthy with an almost entirely different group around him.