Going into the transfer portal to look for answers can be a tricky thing, both for the players and prospective teams. Adding to your team through the portal is something that just about every FBS college football program does now out of necessity.
Liberty is no different. The Flames have brought in dozens of players through the transfer portal each of the past several seasons, primarily out of necessity to ensure there is a full complement of players on the roster. For head coach Jamey Chadwell, the Flames are also looking to the portal to shore up certain positions. One of those positions has been at linebacker.
“When you pop on tape, you start to look for a few traits – speed, toughness, instincts, length,” said Liberty linebackers coach Josh Linam of what he looks for in the transfer portal. “If a guy has speed and he’s got length and he’s aggressive, you’ve got something there. You’ve got something you can mold and work with.”
Liberty’s current roster of nine linebackers include five transfers, three of which have joined the team since the conclusion of the 2024 season – Deuce Spurlock, Micah Pollard, and Derrell Farrar. Spurlock and Pollard began their careers at Michigan where they were teammates. Spurlock left Michigan and transferred to Florida where he spent the past two seasons. Meanwhile, Farrar began his career at Appalachian State before coming to Liberty this offseason.
“He may not have gotten an opportunity,” continued Linam on evaluating players in the portal. “He may have been behind some All-American guys at Michigan or Florida. He could have something missing. There’s guys in the portal, majority of them may have something missing, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t somebody who couldn’t help you out or something you can’t mold or work with. They’ve got to have that willing mentality, and they’ve got to love football. If they do and you see that in them, then you’ve got something you can work with.”
Spurlock was ranked as a three-star recruit in the Class of 2022. Originally from Madison, Alabama, Spurlock played in two games at Michigan in 2022 during his true freshman season, maintaining his redshirt before heading to Gainesville. He was named Freshman Defensive Player of the Game honors in his collegiate debut against Hawaii. In 2023, he played in three games for Florida, all on special teams. He did not play in 2024.
Pollard played in 30 career games over three seasons at Michigan, including two in 2024, finishing with 15 career tackles for the maize and blue. In 2023, Pollard played in all 15 Michigan games with 7 tackles while helping them to the CFP national championship. He is the son of former NFL tight end Marcus Pollard and was a three-star recruit and the No. 620 player in the country coming out of the 2022 class.
Farrar is a 6’1″, 225 pound linebacker originally from Loganville, Georgia. In two seasons at App State, Farrar totaled 52 tackles and 1.5 sacks. He entered the portal on April 16 and has two years of eligibility remaining.
All three are expected to carve out roles at linebacker for Liberty this season, likely significant roles. They will be looking to bolster the position that is anchored by Joe Carter, a multi-year starter.
“It’s starting to clear up a little bit,” Linam said of learning his new weapons. “Trying to figure out what they’re best at, what their skill set is. Right now, there is such a high level of competition. It’s figuring out who the guys are that we trust the most to go out there on the field.”
Just about a week into preseason training camp, the early returns on these additions have been strong.
“We’re still early in the process, but it has shown they are the right type of guys,” said Linam of these three additions. “They have the right mentality. They have high character. They are willing to work hard. Going out there on the practice field is fun when we are still trying to learn these guys.”
Coach Linam and the rest of the staff are confident and hopeful these three new additions through the portal can provide an immediate impact at the position.
“They all have great traits,” said Liberty safeties coach Aaron Fierbaugh on the new transfer additions Liberty has at linebacker. “To me, and I think to the rest of the coaching staff, the thing that stands out is their intangible qualities of not just loving football but being fantastic people. I think as the fans get to know these three guys, they are all elite people. Not just love of football, but they are great teammates. They have great personalities. They’re great to talk to. I think when you look for people in the portal, that’s what you have to look for because there are so many people in the portal with so many good clips and bad clips and all those things, but the number of really good football players that are really good people are uncommon. In the linebacker room, in the portal this year, I think Coach Linam and the rest of the staff found three really, really good ones.”
Coach Linam echoed those sentiments.
“That’s one of Coach Chadwell’s biggest things – is he a good teammate and does he love football,” said Linam. “They are really good humans. They are high character guys. I don’t have to worry about them doing anything off the field, and they love football. They are very driven, intrinsically motivated to learn the defense, to learn the system, to be great. When they have that foundation and that mindset, it is fun. It is a blast to work with them every day.”
