Charlotte 49ers football: More than 40 players from 2022 team have departed

It was another record year for the college football transfer portal, with more than 9,000 student-athletes entering their names, and the Charlotte 49ers were a clear beneficiary.

Charlotte has reshaped its entire roster under first-year head coach Biff Poggi, who has added upward of 50 new faces to the locker room, including the likes of five- and four-star talent from across the nation.

But as expected with any coaching change, there was also an exodus from the program. This one was labeled as a mass exodus, with more than 40 players departing — some who have entered the portal and others who have called it a career.

That group was primarily composed of reserves and scout team players. Still, it did include 13 players who started games for the 49ers, including Elijah Spencer, one of the best young receivers in the nation, and Xavier Williams, whom many thought would be the 49ers’ starting quarterback moving forward.

Charlotte finished 3-9 in 2022, the fourth and final season for former head coach Will Healy. The team also concluded its eight-year tenure in Conference USA and made the highly anticipated jump to the American Athletic Conference on July 1.

With just six Saturdays until the 2023 season kicks off, here’s a roundup of where the former 49ers will be suiting up this fall. With such a long list, we’ve highlighted impact players who have moved on from the program.

Key departures

S Aveon Grose, Southern Illinois

Grose was Charlotte’s highest-rated prospect in Healy’s final recruiting class and started four games in his true freshman season with the 49ers. After being forced to burn his redshirt, Grose landed in the FCS with the Salukis, who finished sixth in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) last season.

OT Jaxon Hughes, South Carolina

Hughes joined Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks as a preferred walk-on after starting 19 games overall, 18 at left tackle during his time in Charlotte. Walking away from a scholarship to join an SEC program is certainly a “prove-it” mentality, but one Hughes couldn’t pass up.

K Braeden McAlister, Georgia State

McAlister was a highly touted local prospect and was considered a five-star kicker leading up to redshirting his only season in Charlotte. McAlister committed to Healy and remained with the program through the coaching change, where he competed in the spring session before transferring to the Panthers. He will have a homecoming matchup in Week 3 when Charlotte hosts Georgia State on Sept. 16. Georgia State was one of Charlotte’s three victories last season.

S Solomon Rogers, Jackson State

After four years at Charlotte, Rogers committed to Jackson State under head coach T.C. Taylor. Rogers saw action every season in the Queen City, with two years of starting experience at safety. The Wake Forest native is one of just 25 players to reach 100 career tackles in Charlotte’s short history.

DE Darion Smith, Missouri State

Smith was primarily a special teams player and rotational defensive end at Charlotte, where he played in all 12 games in his last season with the program. He committed to FCS program Missouri State in May, where he will compete in the MVFC in his redshirt junior season.

WR Elijah Spencer, Minnesota

This one hurt for the 49ers. Spencer was Charlotte’s leading receiver with 57 catches for 943 yards and nine touchdowns in 2022. Poggi and staff put forth their best effort to retain the junior wideout, but a connection from Healy’s former staff helped bring Spencer to Minnesota.

As far as Poggi’s pitch to keep him in Charlotte, Spencer elaborated during an appearance on The Highway 49 Podcast.

“He told me that they’re going to win games. They’re going to bring in a competitive nature,” Spencer said of Poggi. “He doesn’t believe in the whole culture deal, so a lot of that stuff is just real football. Just going out there and balling. They made it clear that they’d give me that opportunity to ball, but that’s something I have to create for myself.”

Spencer joined PJ Fleck’s Golden Gophers, who went 9-4 last season in the Big Ten. The 6-foot-2 wideout looked to be WR No. 1 in Minnesota’s spring game, reeling in nine catches for 120 yards and a touchdown.

TE Taylor Thompson, James Madison

Following three seasons at Charlotte, Thompson elected to join the James Madison Dukes in the Sun Belt. After tearing his ACL in 2021, Thompson bounced back playing in all 12 games in 2022, where he recorded 14 catches for 263 yards.

QB Xavier Williams, Central Florida

This was a prominent loss for the 49ers, as Williams started his first career game against Maryland and showed promise in his two appearances last season. Prior to the addition of quarterback Jalon Jones, Williams looked to be Chris Reynolds’ successor, but following the spring game it was clear that Williams would be the backup heading to the fall. Williams made the most of the portal, following Healy to the Power Five level at Central Florida. Now a redshirt sophomore, Williams has four years of eligibility remaining under head coach Gus Malzahn.

Destination unknown

DB Trey Creamer

Creamer showed flashes of being a solid corner in Conference USA, including being Charlotte’s top cornerback in 2021 with 11 starts and a team-high seven pass breakups. But Creamer struggled in the offseason leading up to the 2022 season, where he was benched and played in just two games before sustaining a season-ending ACL tear against Georgia State. Creamer was not retained by Poggi’s staff and elected to hit the portal.

QB James Foster

Foster’s journey at Charlotte provided plenty of ups and downs. Foster was the catalyst for fan-favorite and current Green Bay Packer Grant DuBose’s Charlotte career, but didn’t have the type of on-field impact he expected. Foster started his collegiate career as a four-star prospect at Texas A&M and joined the 49ers in 2021, where he would start just two games in as many seasons serving as Reynolds’ backup. Foster, despite praise from Poggi following the spring game, elected to hit the portal in April, but a signing elsewhere is yet to be announced.

RB ChaVon McEachern

McEachern was the team’s second-leading rusher in 2022, with 56 carries for 256 yards and a touchdown. He was primarily used as a change-of-pace back behind returnee Shadrick Byrd. He played in seven games in 2022, making one start prior to missing the back half of the season due to an injury. No announcement has been made on his football future.

LB Chase Monroe

Monroe joined the 49ers in 2022, where he racked up 50 total tackles and played in all 12 games for the first time in his collegiate career. Monroe, a Huntersville native, started his career at Wake Forest, where he recorded 40 total tackles in two seasons of action. He dealt with repeated injuries during his time in the ACC and was removed from the 49ers roster following the spring session. No announcement has been made on his final season of eligibility.

P Bailey Rice

Rice played four years in the Australian Football League before joining the 49ers in 2021. He would earn C-USA all-freshman team honors after his first season and served as starting punter in all 24 games during his time at Charlotte. He was removed from the roster and has not made an announcement on his collegiate future. Charlotte currently has one punter on the roster, senior Grant Gonya.

Other departures

▪ Running backs: Micah Bell (Mercer), Johnny Martin (Stony Brook)

▪ Receivers: Reggie Givhan III (Blinn, JUCO), Nolan Groulx

▪ Tight ends: Donta Armstrong (Campbell), Collin Frank

▪ Offensive linemen: Jordan Brown (Georgia Tech), Trevor Timmons (Georgia State), Knox Boyd (Lamar), Antonio Graves (Eastern Kentucky), Michael Statham Jr., Matt Rosso, Cade Goldman, Arabee Muslim

▪ Defensive backs: Teddy Creecy III (Catawba), Luke Raykovicz (Catawba), Juice Martin (Catawba), Bryson Whitehead (Campbell), Trey Bly, Nassir Freeman, Valerian Agbaw, Comanche Francisco, Briston Bennett.

▪ Defensive linemen: Jordan Moore (Mississippi Valley State), Isiah Potts (Campbell), Miles Posey (Hampton), Tyson Clawson

▪ Linebackers: DJ Brown (Pennsylvania), BJ Turner (North Carolina A&T), Shyhiem Scotland

▪ Special teams: K Aidan Laros (UT Martin), P Bailey Rice