19 for ’19: 19 key offseason topics: No. 13. Five of the most important transfers who are flying under the radar a bit … for now.
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
Of course Tate Martell going to Miami is a big freaking deal.
Of course you know and care about Justin Fields leaving Georgia for Ohio State, Jalen Hurts becoming an Oklahoma Sooner, and Kelly Bryant going from Clemson to Missouri. But other key transfers will make a massive impact on the 2019 college football season, too, and they aren’t quite getting as much national recognition.
Yet.
Over the next few months, these five that you probably didn’t know – or forgot about – are going to be enormous difference-makers.
5. OG/C Parker Braun, from Georgia Tech to Texas
The tough part about his transferring is that he’s exactly what the new coaching staff at Georgia Tech needs to build around.
He’s a different sort of tweener blocker, working as a smallish 6-3, 280-pound guard in the former Yellow Jacket system under Paul Johnson, but without the raw bulk to be a top prospect among the NFL Draft types – at least as a guard.
Can he work at tackle? Again, size is sort of a problem, but he has the feet, toughness and the athleticism give it a shot. However, his future – especially at the next level – is likely at center, and that’s where Texas is a possible fit.
The Longhorns lose starting guards Patrick Vahe and Elijah Rodriguez, and they also lose last year’s star transfer for the line, former Rice OT Calvin Anderson.
However, Zach Shackelford is back at center after earning All-Big 12 honors. Braun’s arrival allows for the coaching staff to play around with the interior combinations a bit.
Durable, smart, and talented, Braun was a terrific three-year all-star for Georgia Tech on the field and in the classroom, and that’s where this takes a twist. He’s a grad transfer who’s transferring to go to not only play football, but to really and truly go to graduate school.
NEXT: He’s not Darren Sproles, but …
4. RB James Gilbert, from Ball State to Kansas State
It was a bad offseason for the Ball State offensive backfield.
QB Riley Neal is a talent, and now he’s taking it all to Vanderbilt.
James Gilbert ran for over 2,800 yards in his Cardinal career with 30 touchdowns – including a terrific 1,332-yard, 12-score campaign in 2016. But he got banged up in 2017 – playing in only three games because of a hand problem – and he wasn’t used enough last season thanks to a back problem in a 659-yard, seven-touchdown year.
Kansas State needed more options at running back after 1,355-yard, 12-touchdown junior Alex Barnes left early for the next level, and with top backup Dalvin Warmack done. No other running back on the 2019 roster registered a carry last season, and that’s where Gilbert fits in.
New head coach Chris Klieman has Harry Trotter from Louisville as an interesting option, and Tyler Burns is a speed back who returned after leaving the program last year.
But the goal early on will be to get the ball in Gibert’s hands in a variety of ways. The 5-9, 200-pounder might not be all that big, but he’s tough around the goal line, and he can move.
NEXT: Like Florida needs more pass rushers
3. LB Jonathan Greenard, from Louisville to Florida
The Florida defense has the secondary, and it has the talent overall to be terrific again – it finished 28th in the nation overall helped by a killer pass rush – but it has to restock the shelves a bit on the front seven.
It got a grad transfer who’ll help do that right away.
In comes Jonathan Greenard, a big, thumping 6-4, 263-pound linebacker who turned into a terror or a pass rusher for Louisville. He started out his career as a nice reserve – coming up with 22 tackles and seven tackles for loss – before blowing up as a sophomore with seven tackles and 15.5 sacks.
The Cardinals needed missed him very, very badly last year when he was out with a wrist injury, but he’s ready to go now … in Gainesville.
He’s got the size and ability to become an SEC all-star for a defensive front seven that gets back Jabari Zuniga on the end, but has to replace Jachai Polite’s 11 sacks and loses leading tackler Vosean Joseph from his inside linebacker spot.
Greenard could play inside or out, almost perfectly suited for a hybrid position that Polite handled so well.
NEXT: He decided to go to a football school …
2. QB Hunter Johnson, from Clemson to Northwestern
If Hunter Johnson wasn’t the nation’s top quarterback recruit in 2017, he was in the discussion along with Jake Fromm (Georgia), Davis Mills (Stanford), Kellen Mond (Texas A&M), and some undersized Tua Tagovailoa guy.
A phenomenal get for Clemson, there was a legitimate shot to win the starting job right away with Deshaun Watson leaving early. Instead, Kelly Bryant won the gig, Trevor Lawrence was signed in 2008, and all of a sudden, a guy who could’ve gone anywhere became the No. 3 option on his own team.
In the initial recruiting process, the Indiana native was given the full court press mostly by Notre Dame, Penn State and Florida, and Northwestern made a little bit of a push.
Who chooses Northwestern when you could go play for, say, Alabama? Or Clemson?
When he was ready to transfer, he decided to take his talents to Evanston. Now he’s about to be, arguably, the most talented quarterback prospect Northwestern has ever had.
The Wildcats are coming off a Big Ten West title and an appearance in the Big Ten Championship, but they lose 10,731-yard, 61-touchdown passer Clayton Thorson – and they just upgraded at the position.
The receiving corps loses leading target Flynn Nagel, but the next eight top targets are back and the defense should be terrific.
If Johnson really does play like Johnny Five-Star, the Wildcats should be right back in the Big Ten title mix, and could potentially go off to the Rose Bowl to face …
NEXT: He might have to fight for the gig again, but …
1. QB Jacob Eason, from Georgia to Washington
The 2016 recruiting class of quarterbacks was just okay.
Shea Patterson was a strong get for Ole Miss, Malik Henry was supposed to be a thing for Florida State, and KJ Costello was a nice pickup for Stanford.
And there was Dwayne Haskins, a decent prospect with some upside somewhere down the road for Ohio State.
But the big, giant, massive signing was Jacob Eason by Georgia out of the Seattle area. He was set to go early in the process, kept his commitment when Kirby Smart took over for Mark Richt, and all of a sudden, the Bulldog program appeared ready to make that pivot into a true national title powerhouse.
All of the top Pac-12 schools wanted the NFL-looking passer, but he was a national prospect with everyone trying to get the main quarterback prospect in the class.
Okay right away, he completed 55% of his passes for 2,430 yards and 16 scores and eight picks, showing off a glimpse of the potential and upside to be special once he got a little more work.
Then came the 2017 recruiting class, and with it, five-star pro-style passing prospect Jake Fromm. All he did was come within a defensive stop of winning the national title as a true freshman – and Eason was relegated to the backup role.
Seeing what was ahead for the next few years, Eason transferred to Washington where he’d prep and get ready to take over the starting job once Jake Browning was done. Now it’s his turn.
He still has to work for the starting job with Colson Yankoff, Jacob Sirmon, and Jake Haener all good enough to push for the spot, but Eason is the star talent who should be ready to blow up.
The Huskies have to replace a ton on defense, but the receiving corps is going to be amazing, the line should be outstanding, and the quarterback situation is going to be fantastic.
