The number of Fresno State football players who declared for the transfer portal has grown with the addition of senior running back Elijah Gilliam. He announced his intention to exit the program on Sunday with one year of eligibility remaining.

Sixteen Bulldogs entered the portal, which is college football’s version of free agency, before it closed Saturday night.

Seven of them — led by quarterback Mikey Keene, wide receiver Jalen Moss, and linebacker Phoenix Jackson — secured commitments from Power 4 schools.

Combined with the exits of standouts such as wide receiver Mac Dalena and linebacker Tuasivi Nomura, who completed their eligibility, the Bulldogs will have big holes to fill after a disappointing 6-7 season.

The next transfer portal window for FBS football players is April 16-25, 2025. CBS Sports reported that during the 2024 spring window, more than 1,200 players entered the portal.

Related Story: Fresno State Hires New Defensive Coordinator Nick Benedetto

Elijah Gilliam’s Career at Fresno State

In 2024, Gilliam accumulated 466 rushing yards with eight touchdowns and had 32 receptions for 203 yards. He totaled 931 yards on the ground with 14 touchdowns in his Bulldog career (2020-2024).

He started in 12 games the past two seasons for the ‘Dogs, mostly as a fill-in for the often injured Malik Sherrod, who committed recently to Mountain West and future Pac-12 rival Boise State for his final year of eligibility.

Some of those transfer players have already committed to Power 4 or Division 1 programs.

Transfer Portal Players with Commitments

QB Mikey Keene (Michigan)
RB Malik Sherrod (Boise State)
WR Jalen Moss (Arizona State)
WR Raylen Sharpe (Arkansas)
DL Gavriel Lightfoot (Colorado)
DL Jacob Holmes (Virginia)
LB Phoenix Jackson (Baylor)
CB Julian Neal (Stanford)

Still in the Transfer Portal

WR Tim Grear
TE Kamron Beachem
WR Antoine Sullivan
Athlete Justin Houston
WR Karim McCune II
CB Alzillion Hamilton
WR Chedon James
RB Elijah Gilliam

Coach Entz’s Focus on Rebuilding

New coach Matt Entz’s priorities is on new recruits, transfers, and assembling a new coaching staff.

So far, Entz has an incoming freshman class of 11 high school prospects and the program has received six transfers from the portal and community colleges. He has hired new coaches Josh Davis (offensive coordinator) and Nick Benedetto (defensive coordinator), while keeping John Baxter (special team coordinator).