The transfer portal hits keep on coming for the San Diego State football team, which on Friday took its biggest hit when freshman safety Marcus Ratcliffe declared his intention to enter the NCAA transfer portal.
Ratcliffe, a Cathedral Catholic High School graduate, is the eighth starter from the 2023 team and 14th player overall headed to the portal, which opens on Monday.
“I am extremely thankful for my time at SDSU,” Ratcliffe wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Thank you Coach (Brady) Hoke and Coach (Kurt) Mattix for believing in me and allowing me to start as a true freshman. I will forever cherish my time at SDSU!
“That being said, I will be entering my name into the transfer portal with 3-4 years of eligibility remaining!”
This is the biggest loss because Ratcliffe was viewed as a potential four-year starter in the program. The 6-foot-3 safety was fourth on the team with 49 tackles. He made his first career interception in last week’s 33-18 victory over Fresno State.
Ratcliffe was just the fifth true freshman since 2009 to start on SDSU’s defense, joining cornerback Leon McFadden (2009), safety Tariq Thompson (2017), cornerback Noah Avinger (2021) and safety CJ Baskerville (2021).
“I believe I can play Power Five, so that was the biggest factor,” Ratcliffe said. “I want to compete at the highest level I can.”
Ratcliffe said he met with new coach Sean Lewis and had a good conversation, but he’s eager to see what he can do against Power Five competition.
“Especially with no set (defensive coordinator) that I can talk to,” Ratcliffe said. “I’d rather take my shot in Power Five.”
