Kent State football quarterback Collin Schlee, top RB Marquez Cooper enter transfer portal

The departure of Kent State head coach Sean Lewis to Colorado as offensive coordinator has precipitated the movement of several star players on the Golden Flashes' roster.

Thirteen players on Kent State's 2022 roster have entered the transfer portal since Dec. 1, according to espn.com. Starting quarterback Collin Schlee and leading rusher Marquez Cooper entered the portal on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after the news of Lewis leaving for the Buffaloes broke on social media.

Kent State's second-leading receiver, Dante Cephas, entered the transfer portal on Monday and several teammates followed him a day later. At the latest count, 13 players have entered the portal.

Schlee, a redshirt junior from Ijamsville, Md., was named to the All-Mid-American Conference third team in his first season as a starter. He completed 157-of-226 passes for 2,109 yards and 13 touchdowns with five interceptions. He started 11 games (missing the Akron contest) was not knocked out of the season finale at Buffalo with an injury early in the contest.

Cooper, a junior from Gaithersburg, Md., was an All-MAC first-team choice. He rushed for 1,326 yards and 13 TDs on 285 carries, averaging better than 4.6 yards per attempt and 110.5 yards per game.

Other players confirmed to have entered the transfer portal include junior offensive tackle Marcellus Marshall, sophomore cornerback Emon Hill, junior offensive tackle Savion Washington (a St. Vincent-St. Mary graduate), running back Shaki Carson, sophomore safety Gage Michael, sophomore receiver Marcus Harris, junior defensive lineman Adin Huntington, freshman linebacker Luke Miller and cornerback Montre Miller.

Also, three-star recruits Cruce Brookins of Pittsburgh and Maverick Gracio of West Palm Beach, Fla., announced on Twitter they were de-committing from Kent State.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Kent State football standouts Collin Schlee, Marquez Cooper in portal