3 collections in the transfer portal, 3 losses

At least seven players from the 2023 roster have entered the transfer portal since April 21, a small exodus in Pete Lembo’s first year as UB head coach, but the Bulls aren’t idle . At least four transfers will join the program this fall, including linebacker Shaun Dolac, who returns after spending the spring semester at Utah State.

Teams can still add transfers before preseason practices begin. Here’s a look at the three key portal picks for UB so far and the three key losses for the Bulls after the transfer portal window closes on April 30 for undergraduate transfers and May 1 for graduate transfers.

Linebacker: Shaun Dolac. The addition (or re-addition) of the former West Seneca East standout and 2018 Buffalo News Player of the Year instantly bolsters UB’s defense. Dolac led the nation in solo tackles (97) in 2022 and established himself as one of the leaders of UB’s defense before a left leg injury limited him to four games in 2023 .

Dolac’s return to the Bulls isn’t just necessary for the morale and skill of UB’s defense. This is also necessary for UB numbers. Joe Andreessen exhausted his eligibility after the 2023 season and UB had only five linebackers on its spring roster, but four healthy linebackers, as Dion Crawford did not play in the spring game.

Strategist: Jack Shields. The Old Dominion transfer has already been part of a quarterback competition. Shields lost the starting job to Grant Wilson in 2023 at Old Dominion. However, Shields completed 25 of 47 passes for 353 yards and two touchdowns, with three interceptions in six games last season, including two starts. Film posted to Old Dominion’s YouTube page shows Shields working well in the pocket and out of the shotgun during the Monarchs’ spread offense and not afraid to throw long passes, as he carried averaging 14.12 yards per completion.

The addition of Shields means UB still has six quarterbacks on its roster, but adds a new dimension to the competition for the starting quarterback job.

Defensive line/defensive end: Antonio Colclough is, for lack of a better term, a college football veteran who received honorable mention All-Coastal Athletic Association honors in 2023 after recording 24 tackles and 4.5 sacks in 11 games at Monmouth, a program subdivision of the football championship. He didn’t play at Temple in 2018, played in 20 games at James Madison from 2019-2022, then joined Monmouth before the 2023 season.

He will be the fifth defensive end on the UB team, joining Solomon Brown, Nick Roy, Jacari Bennett and CJ Bazile. He’s part of a position group that lost Max Michel and Jyaire Stevens, who exhausted their eligibility after the 2023 season.

Bettor: Anthony Venneri was the only punter listed on UB’s roster this spring and handled all of the Bulls’ punting duties in 2023, after joining the Bulls as a backup in 2022 and earning a scholarship for 2023.

He averaged 43.88 yards per punt in 2023, a year after averaging 43 yards. Venneri’s departure leaves UB with just one punter. Dylan Drennan will join the Bulls as a true freshman this season and is listed as a kicker and punter.

Offensive line: Isaiah Wright. The Bulls have a glut of offensive linemen, but not a lot of experience. The position group took a hit when Wright entered the portal on April 30. Wright played multiple positions in two seasons with the Bulls, with 18 starts at tackle and six at center.

UB has 13 offensive linemen on its spring roster and has two new freshmen. But the Bulls need to develop a backup center in Dom Polizzi, one of four returnees with experience for the Bulls, along with guard Tyler Doty, guard Trevor Brock and tackle Caelan Shepard.

Strategist: Richie Watts. On paper, Shields replaces Richie Watts, who announced April 30 that he had entered the transfer portal after one year with the Bulls. From a production standpoint, Watts’ departure isn’t much of a loss, as the San Mateo (Calif.) college transfer didn’t play at all during the 2023 season.