Whether it be “Silly Season” in Formula One, or the transfer portal in traditional college athletics, roster moves can be one of the most exciting aspects of the offseason.
The same can be said for the collegiate Overwatch offseason, as no overseeing entity allows for easy transfers in and out of programs.
We typically see more drastic changes during the summer, but this winter gave us a surprising amount of changes for many contending teams.
Here’s a quick rundown of the changes for some of the top teams in the country, and what it could mean for their season:
No. 2 Winthrop University
Moves: Zeruhh enters collegiate, TR33 leaves to focus on OWCS.
After finishing runner-up in Overwatch Collegiate Homecoming (OWCH) in the fall, Winthrop just had one adjustment heading into the spring.
With TR33 leaving the school after signing with Team Liquid in the OWCS offseason, it left quite big shoes to fill for his replacement. \
Zeruhh is one of the players I would trust to replace a star player like TR33. This is the first stint in collegiate for the star NTMR DPS, but unlike some rookies, he has the experience to fit in right away.
The Eagles were the only team that were able to take a series off of No. 1 Illinois State throughout the Fall 2024 semester.
If Zeruhh keeps up his current form, Winthrop will remain the team with the best chance to take down the Redbirds once again.
No. 3 Northwood University
Move: Rokit rejoins the Timberwolves after taking a break in the fall.
There were rumors for some time that there would be one more move on this list, but as of now it is just Rokit returning to the Timberwolves for another shot at collegiate glory.
The Timeless DPS played with Fisher in Fall 2023, before transferring to play with Northwood last spring, finishing 3rd in OWCC 2024 and 2nd at CECC Texas 2024.
Northwood did fine in the fall, but at times it felt like they were missing the spark that Rokit consistently brought the semester prior.
With Rokit’s return, Boat will shift back to a substitute DPS role, bringing back the Rokit/Haven duo that was one of the best last spring.
Northwood have some catching up to do, after finishing 5th-6th in OWCH last fall, their worst finish in an Activision Blizzard Collegiate (ABC) event in program history.
No. 4 Fisher College
Moves: Hydron returns to collegiate after a 3.5 year absence. KiWii begins his collegiate career to replace the outgoing Renko.
Wow, probably the most random move of the winter transfer window.
Hydron’s return to collegiate was impossible to predict, as the former Florida Mayhem and Toronto Defiant DPS hadn’t played professionally since March 2024 with M80.
This is Hydron’s second go at collegiate, playing with ISU in the Fall 2021 semester. The shock value is obviously there for a player with such history, but the other side of that coin is that his form with M80 was far from perfect.
If he is committed and can return to the type of form he had during his OWL days, the possibilities are endless.
After a breakout year with Absolution, KiWii enters the collegiate scene for the first time as the Falcons’ new flex support.
KiWii’s ability to perform at a high level will be crucial to Fisher’s success this semester.
I do believe they have some incredible mechanics and could really step in really well, but with their lack of reps at this level, it’s difficult to estimate how they’ll do. But I truly believe KiWii can be a great fit for the best team on the east coast. Once this semester ends, I think we’ll look back at this move as one of the sneaky good moves of the winter transfer window.
As for the player they are replacing…
No. 5 Maryville University
Move: Renko joins the Saints to bolster the support line.
After just one semester at Fisher College, Renko has transferred once again, this time to Maryville to finish out the semester.
This is the third collegiate team the flex support has played on in his career, playing for ISU during the 2022-23 school year.
The Saints did not lose anybody during the transfer window, so questions remain as to the exact rotation between Renko and Squid at flex support.
Having depth at support is never a bad thing, especially if we return to a double FS meta at some point this semester.
Over the next month or so, we’ll at least get an idea if the former San Francisco Shock support found his way onto this team, or if he’ll be waiting for his shot on the bench.
No. 7 St. Clair College
Move: Axure brings major boost to St. Clair.
Going into last semester, there were a lot of questions regarding how the Saints would go about replacing Tred at tank.
He had a wonderful Spring 2024 campaign and was one of the main contributors for St. Clair reaching the Top 6 in OWCC.
However, St. Clair failed to answer those questions in the fall. The Saints struggled to beat top teams, finishing with a 5-9 record against teams who finished in the OWCRA Top 20.
Axure could very well be the answer to their needs, as it gives the team some much needed flexibility.
I do believe the Saints won’t struggle out of the gates like they did a semester ago, and could see massive improvement this spring.
No. 11 Bellevue University
Move: Karova leaves to focus on Marvel Rivals.
Karova might be one of the most notable Marvel Rivals defections since OWCH ended last November.
He has been their flex support since Fall 2023, and has massively improved over time.
Due to Bellevue University having a trimester schedule instead of a traditional two semesters, it puts them in an awkward spot.
If this semester’s OWCC does not start until closer to March – like many believe it will due to the tournament operator not yet being known – then they could find a replacement by the time their third trimester begins in early March.
This definitely takes the cake for the most intriguing situation, and hopefully they are able to find a quality replacement in time.
No. 13 Blinn College
Move: Sunset leaves the scene after a star rookie campaign.
The bittersweet aspect of collegiate esports is that it is often a stepping stone to whatever comes next, whether it be in life or in a player’s career.
And that is the case for Blinn’s star rookie Sunset, who announced near the end of last semester that he would be stepping away from the team.
It does put the Buccaneers in quite a sticky situation, as the timing of the announcement didn’t allow a ton of time for recruitment to begin playing in January.
As of now, Sunset’s replacement remains a question.
For whoever replaces Sunset this spring, it will be quite difficult to replace the impact he had in Blinn’s best semester to date.
No. 17 University of Illinois
Moves: The Illini Orange of old is now extinct; Zhulander, SillyPhil and Factual have all left the team, while Chopper and Surg appear to be gone as well.
Welp, these were moves that I can imagine OWCRA committee members wish they had before last week’s preseason rankings.
It was known that Zhulander was graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, but there was uncertainty regarding any other moves.
But it seems like the team will look completely different, as SillyPhil and Factual are confirmed to have left the team, while Chopper and Surg appear to have left as well.
As of writing, the only Illini roster registered for NECC is the Illini Blue roster from last semester.
If this is the case, I’d be shocked if Illinois are in any contention to be ranked until the new leading team can produce results.
No. 18 Fisher College Navy
Moves: Luka, Faded, Jake, Otos and Abbs all leave the Navy roster; Dongmin joins, Paolette to start at support with Pirate moving to sub.
Lots and lots of changes for Fisher Navy, which at this point shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given how often their roster fluctuates.
Navy retained Unread, Atlas and Talisman from last semester’s team, and moved Pirate to the bench. They also lost Luka, Jake, Otos and Faded, while Abbs retired from OW to focus on Street Fighter 6 for the remainder of the school year. And in turn, only Dongmin and Paolette were added to the roster, which used to have a heavy bench.
Dongmin may not be a name you recognize right away, but he truly has earned this opportunity. He worked with NTMR during their 2024 campaign, and finishing second in the FACEIT WASB Cup #1 last year.
Paolette has already had reps through the Fisher system, playing for Fisher’s third team – Fisher White – last semester.
I understand that having reserves ready to go can be a very positive thing, but I am happy that Fisher Navy have slightly downsized their bench going into this season.
No. 20 Briar Cliff University
Moves: m5ri is finally able to play, while AJMR moves to assistant coach due to academic probation.
Entering the Fall 2023 semester, there was some hype building around Briar Cliff backed by some of the best up-and-coming players from Calling All Heroes (CAH) and some members of Team Costa Rica from the Overwatch World Cup.
Shortly before the season began, it was announced that m5ri was not going to be able to play until the spring, leaving the team in an awkward spot at Tank. They still performed fine, solidifying themselves as a reliable bubble team.
And just when I thought they were going to be at full strength, the news came out that AJMR would be acting as an assistant coach for the spring due to low grades in the fall.
Don’t get me wrong, I still believe this team can – and should – be an OWCRA ranked team. But with Wedtube transitioning to support to help cover, they may need a solid result or two to prove it.
Northeastern University
Move: Shashi graduates, leaving a hole in Huskies’ DPS line.
Last but definitely not least – especially in terms of content – is Northeastern with their loss of Shashi. The Flex DPS graduated this winter, leaving quite a hole for the Huskies to fill.
The solution has been shifting ZaryaGaming over from tank to fill, and so far it has been going okay.
They have started the Esports Collegiate (ESC) season 2-0, defeating Ohio and Toledo.
I have a feeling we’ll get a clearer idea of where they stand once the Huskies face stronger competition later in the semester.
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