863 players remain on the D1 men's soccer transfer portal.
As signings ramp up, there are many quality players still available.
From our initial article on the men's transfer portal, Ryan Quintos from Wisconsin has made the move to Louisville while Gavin Carmichael from Drexel heads to UNC Wilmington. A couple of players who made their moves before we could include them in this article are Palmer Ault (who goes from Butler to Indiana) and Barzee Blama (Mercer to Old Dominion).
Today, our focus is on the top remaining players from mid-majors and the student-athletes who play in highly rated conferences but for lower-rated teams. We're looking for those high-value, under-the-radar players who can step in and make an impact for most teams in the nation.
We'll get things started with our Coastal Athletic Association pick.
Eoin Farrell, Hofstra, Defensive Midfielder, Senior
Farrell's a defensive workhorse in midfield. The Hofstra holding mid earned 1,551 minutes this season and chipped in with four goals.
He's an enforcer in the center of the pitch with a high positional IQ. While he's serviceable in possession, he's the kind of player who would excel in a double pivot paired with someone who wants the ball at their feet.
When he does get on the ball, the senior does tend to pick out high targets, though he will certainly give the ball away with his long pass volume. Still, for a more direct team who wants their pivots playing into the highest line, Farrell is a fantastic fit.
Jacobo Fedrizzi, Evansville, Midfielder, Redshirt-Freshman
Fedrizzi grew up in Italy playing for Udinese and made training camps for the U16 and U17 Italian national teams.
The big 6’2” midfielder is very secure on the ball, rating as one of the more reliable midfielders in possession. While he does have a smaller percentage of his team's passes, when he does get on the ball, he shows his quality.
This season, Fedrizzi claimed 1,632 minutes at Evansville while adding four goals and six assists. He also managed to score at Indiana, Louisville, and Missouri State. The Italian is one of the top mid-major players available and surely won't remain on the transfer portal long.
Harvey Sarajian, Georgia Southern, Wide Forward, Freshman
Now we get to a player who shined in one of the toughest conferences in the nation, but on a team with an RPI of 99. Sarajian’s impressive 2024 campaign included picking up the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year and Sun Belt Conference First Team awards.
A dynamic winger with one of the highest tendencies to run at opponents on the dribble, the Georgia Southern true freshman picked up 1,035 minutes this season. He rates near the top of the nation in touches in the box P90 and is in the 100th percentile in xG assists and progressive runs.
Much like Fedrizzi, Sarajian won't be available long. To put up the numbers that he did while scoring against UCF and West Virginia (added an assist too), he's one of the top players available.
Tyler Morck, St. John’s, Midfielder, Sophomore
Morck falls into the same category as Sarajian. The Big East is one of NCAA D1 men's soccer's top conferences, but St. John's 84 RPI rates them close to the national average.
The sophomore from New York, who's a product of the NYCFC youth academy and played for NYCFC II came off the bench in the first five games of the season, but then claimed a spot in the starting lineup and never looked back. He finished the season with 965 minutes, scoring four goals and adding a couple of assists.
The midfielder adds some quality in the final third, but there's a lot of value in his defensive contributions too. He rates in this 72nd percent tell for interceptions P90 and 74th for counterpressing recoveries. His attacking data is close to replacement level, but one of the appealing things about Morck is that he's as well-rounded a player as you’ll find in the portal.
Max Fisher, Gardner-Webb, Left-back, Sophomore
Gardner-Webb had a storybook season and Max Fisher was a big part of it. The Bulldogs went 4-9-4 in 2023, then made a miraculous turnaround in 2024 with a record of 13-4-3. The Big South champions also defeated Oregon State and the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Fisher started 15 of 16 games this season, earning 1,308 minutes. The left-back is solid defensively and has the knack for picking out his teammates higher up the pitch.
His successful progressive passes are impressive given that he rates as one of the more frequent of that past type. For anyone who's unfamiliar with progressive passes, the general definition is that it moves the team 25% closer to goal. Fisher has that in his arsenal and is another player who's pretty solid across the board while also having a couple of strong qualities.
Elias Khodri, Gardner-Webb, Center Forward, Junior
We’re staying in Boiling Springs, NC for this next pick. Khodri arrived at Gardner-Webb from Northeastern Junior College. The forward from Lyon, France played a game with the U17 Algerian national team during his youth career. That quality showed this season as he added nine goals and one assist over 1,164 minutes of play.
He rates highly in shots P90, touches in the Box, and xG per shot. In addition to the quality he brings in the final third, he's the kind of guy who can get on the ball and run at defenders, showing one of the higher tendencies to dribble at opponents at the forward position.
Khodri will give his new team a reliable goal-scorer and maturity at the position. There simply aren't many available players who can consistently score goals. The Frenchman is one of them. He's another player you would imagine will get swooped up quickly.
Evaluating Mid-Majors for a Power Conference Environment
One of the challenges of evaluating mid-majors is the difference in the level of play.
Yes, Khodri had a brilliant season with Gardner-Webb in the Big South, but how can a school in the ACC or Big 10 know if he has the quality to step in and immediately contribute?
We addressed that in a previous article on conference strength, but it's worth noting again since top mid-major players who enter the portal will likely garner a significant amount of scholarship money, and possibly require compensation from NIL. There is financial risk here.
Coaching staffs have to get the players right, which is why we not only used The Win Factory's Impact scores, but also factored in team and conference RPI to determine which players from mid-major programs were best suited to move upward.
After sorting through 863 transfer portal entries, filtering for minutes and impact, we quickly identified players who can make an impact at a higher level and will likely make their move soon.