20 for 2020 College Football Topics, No. 13: 20 key transfers who should make an instant impact on the 2020 season.
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The transfer portal is a huge part of the equation in the new college football football landscape, and it can mean everything if you get the right guy.
No, there doesn’t appear to be a Joe Burrow (Ohio State to LSU), Jalen Hurts (Alabama to Oklahoma) or Justin Fields (Georgia to Ohio State) in this year’s transfer class, but for teams that need to fill a spot right away, or need extra depth, these 20 transfers should make an instant impact.
Does it mean that these 20 are going to be superstars? Hardly.
Most of the time, there’s a reason why these guys are transferring – they’re not as good as the other options on their former teams.
For every Burrow, or Hurts, or Kyler Murray, there’s a Tate Martell or Alex Hornibrook who doesn’t turn into the answer.
There are still plenty of key transfers out there looking for a place to land, and there are several others who’ll be locked into big position battles, but for now, these 20 are eligible right away – add Auburn-to-Kentucky QB Joey Gatewood to this list if all goes well and he’s eligible to go – and should be a big deal.
20. OT Scott Lashley, Alabama to Mississippi State
The Bulldogs don’t have a bad situation at offensive tackle – Greg Eiland and Charles Cross should be fine, and there are enough options to shuffle around the line – but getting a former star recruit with great feet and a 6-7, 307-pound frame for the new offense helps. If he’s able to rise up into a starting role, all of a sudden, the Bulldog starting five that struggled last year should be a plus.
19. WR Velus Jones, USC to Tennessee
Tennessee needs more receiver help with Jauan Jennings and Marquez Callaway gone. Josh Palmer is back after finishing second on the team with 34 catches, and Brandon Johnson should be a factor after missing most of last season, but this group needs a star.
The 6-0, 190-pound Jones might not be that, but he’ll bring immediate help. The speedster was a great kick returner for USC and he caught 36 career passes for 347 yards and a score. At the very least, he’ll be a deep threat.
18. OG Ryan Johnson, Tennessee to Georgia Tech
The Yellow Jackets need more size and more experience up front. The line was a disaster for the nation’s fourth-worst offense last season, and in comes the versatile 6-6, 310-pound veteran who could be the instant leader for the front five.
17. QB Nick Starkel, Arkansas to San Jose State
It’s the last stop on the Nick Starkel World Tour, starting his career as a decent starter at Texas A&M before leaving for Arkansas. He struggled in a disastrous season for the Hogs, and now he’s off to San Jose State to try taking over for Josh Love. Don’t dismiss this just because it’s San Jose State – the passing game finished fourth in the nation.
16. RB Brittain Brown, Duke to UCLA
Someone has to replace the production of heart-and-soul RB Joshua Kelley on the Bruin offense. There are other options – second-leading rusher Demetric Felton is back – but Brown adds a good veteran presence to the mix.
Promising as a freshman, he ran for over 700 yards and seven touchdowns, and he served as a solid kick returner. Hurt at times over the last few years for the Blue Devils, now he should be a key part of the rotation.
NEXT: Top 15 Instant Impact Transfers of 2020
15. QB Lucas Johnson, Georgia Tech to San Diego State
Almost an Aztec out of high school, Johnson ended up at Georgia Tech where he saw a little bit of starting and playing time, but he got hurt and wasn’t quite the right fit under the new coaching staff. He’s a good-sized, decent passer, but it’s his mobility that new SDSU head coach Brady Hoke wants as part of the mix. Johnson will have to compete for the job, but he’s a good veteran who could be the difference for another loaded Aztec team.
14. PK Jose Borregales, FIU to Miami
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s a kicker … whatever. Don’t be shocked, though, if Borregales turns into a huge deal for a Miami offense that sputtered and coughed in close game after close game.
Hurricane kickers weren’t awful – hitting 12-of-20 field goals with freshman Camden Price nailing 6-of-7 – but Borregales hammered 50-of-66 career attempts for FIU with eight last year from beyond 40. In the win over Miami, he was 3-for-3 including two field goals from 50.
13. OG Terrance Davis, Maryland to Wake Forest
The Demon Deacon offensive line was terrific last season for the nation’s 15th-most productive offense, but three starters are gone. The 6-3, 317-pound Davis was one of the best blockers on the Maryland line, but he was banged up last year with a knee injury. Now he should be an anchor on a reworked Wake Forest offensive front.
12. DE Xavier Kelly, Clemson to Arkansas
New head coach Sam Pittman and defensive coordinator Barry Odom need more options for the Hog defensive front. Three starters are gone off the line including the two top defensive tackles, and now there’s a home for a former Clemson superstar recruit. Versatile, the 6-4, 305-pound Kelly can play anywhere up front, but expect him to start right away on the inside.
11. QB Chase Brice, Clemson to Duke
It’s a bit much to suggest that Brice saved Clemson’s 2018 national championship season, but it would’ve been interesting had he not been able to rise up in place of an injured Trevor Lawrence to save the day in a 27-23 win over Syracuse.
Can a Clemson transfer quarterback rise up and rock for someone else? Kelly Bryant was fine with Missouri last year before getting hurt, and Hunter Johnson struggled with Northwestern, but the 6-2, 230-pound Brice has the tools to be the right fit for David Cutcliffe’s Blue Devil offense. First, he has to beat out Chris Katrenick and Gunner Holmberg for the job.
NEXT: Top 10 Instant Impact Transfers of 2020
10. DE Scott Patchan, Miami to Colorado State
Miami might need as many options as possible for the defensive front rotation, but Patchan is out of the mix after a decent run as part of a rotation. The 6-6, 255-pounder was able to come up with 62 tackles with 3.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss in his two years, and now he should be a fantastic addition for new head coach Steve Addazio’s D and a Ram pass rush that was a killer last year.
9. RB Jerome Ford, Alabama to Cincinnati
Cincinnati lost 1,265-yard, 14-touchdown starter Michael Warren to the NFL, but it gets back a good veteran in Gerrid Doaks. The senior-to-be ran for 526 yards and five touchdowns, but the offense needs a star.
The 5-11, 212-pound Ford wasn’t quite the normal superstar running back recruit for Alabama, but he would’ve been a star in just about anyone else’s class. His issue was the traffic – Najee Harris and Brian Robinson are back for the Tide, and the program signed on five-star prospects Roydell Williams and Jase McClellan in the latest class.
7. QB Feleipe Franks, Florida to Arkansas
KJ Jefferson got his feet wet for three games in last year’s mess, but he still has four years of eligibility and still could turn out to be the franchise quarterback under new head coach Sam Pittman.
However, Franks and senior Jack Lindsay have to hold off Franks, the former Florida starter who has all the tools and a ton of high-end experience.
Franks had his ups-and-downs with the Gators, but with Kyle Trask and Emory Jones in place, he needed a fresh start. As long as his broken leg is 100% healthy, he could be the veteran difference-maker the program needs to get going again.
8. RB Khalil Herbert, Kansas & Raheem Blackshear, Rutgers to Virginia Tech
Let’s just combine the two as a potentially dangerous 1-2 rushing punch to work behind rising star QB Hendon Hooker.
Herbert is a 5-9, 205-pound speedster who averaged over five yards per carrie with 1,734 yards and 14 scores in his Kansas career. He was off the team four games as he maintained a year of eligibility, and now he joins Blackshear in a lightning and lightning tandem. Herbert is a flash, and so is the Rutgers transfer.
It was hard to get room to do much of anything for the Scarlet Knights, but the 5-9, 192-pound Blackshear is a do-it-all playmaker who should thrive as a receiver as well as a key part of the ground game.
6. S Isaiah Pryor, Ohio State to Notre Dame
Notre Dame has a really, really good team returning in 2020. However, safety is a bit of an issue losing Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliott to the NFL. Throw in the loss of CB Troy Pride, and the secondary needs a top new playmaker.
The 6-2, 202-pound Pryor was a big-time get for Ohio State, but he never quite turned into a star in an elite defensive backfield. Just when it looked like it would be his time to become a factor, he remained a backup early last year. It’s not a given that he’ll be another Gilman, but if he’s good, he’ll instantly fill a massive need.
5. QB Jamie Newman, Wake Forest to Georgia
Newman was never going to be in the Heisman race, but he played as well as any quarterback in the country over the first half of the season. He led Wake Forest to a 5-0 start with 14 touchdown passes with close to 300 rushing yards and three scores. Things changed when he got banged up, the schedule got harder, and the receiving corps took a hit.
Even so, he’s a 6-4, 230-pound NFL-looking passer with a great arm, excellent mobility, and the skills to add a different dimension to the Georgia attack missing with Jake Fromm under center.
Newman is hardly a lock for the gig – D’Wan Mathis is going to be a major factor now that he’s okay after having a cyst successfully removed from his brain – but for now, the former Demon Deacon has the inside track to be one of the biggest keys to the SEC season.
NEXT: If he’s eligible to volunteer …
4. OT/OG Cade Mays, Georgia to Tennessee
Okay, so this is a bit of an outlier to this list – Mays isn’t eligible quite yet.
The former superstar of superstar recruits for the Georgia offensive line is still waiting for a transfer waiver that will let him play right away. As is, Tennessee has a rising line that should be among the most effective in the SEC if everyone stays in one piece, but if Mays is able to go – it’s the NCAA so all bets are off – the front five will be outstanding.
Able to work just about anywhere, the coaching staff can play around with the rotation. He’s an NFL talent at guard, but he could move out to tackle if needed.
NEXT: The ACC’s new pass rushing terror
3. DE Quincy Roche, Temple to Miami
Miami just got itself a pass rushing superstar.
The versatile 6-4, 235-pound Roche can be used as a defensive end, a hybrid outside linebacker, or anything that allows him to be one of the ACC’s most disruptive forces.
He started out his career at Temple with seven sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss, and three years later he’s moving on after coming up with 26 sacks, 39.5 tackles for loss, 137 tackles, three spots on the All-AAC team, and the 2019 American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year honor.
He’ll be on one side, 15.5-sack, 19.5 tackle for loss sophomore Greg Rousseau will be on the other … look out.
NEXT: The most talented quarterback in his head coaching era?
2. QB KJ Costello, Stanford to Mississippi State
Asking for another Joe Burrow is too much, but if the 6-5, 222-pound Costello can stay healthy, he might be the big national breakout star of 2020. No matter who gets the starting quarterback job under Mike Leach will put up massive numbers, and Costello has the skills to be the perfect option.
He would’ve been a great fit at LSU, and he would’ve been an interesting option at Alabama, but Mississippi State got him.
So what’s the problem? He’s not going to be around until the summer, and he has to regain his 2018 form after spending last year hurt.
Costello still has to win the job over Garrett Shrader and Keytaon Thompson, but he could end up being the best pro prospect quarterback Leach has ever had as a head coach.
NEXT: Miami’s quarterback upgrade
1. QB D’Eriq King, Houston to Miami
Let’s try this again.
Miami had a quarterback issue going into last year, and Ohio State transfer Tate Martell was supposed to be the one to rally the mediocre offense around.
Instead, Jarren Williams won the job, Martell only attempted and completed one pass, and the Cane O was miserable. Williams has transferred, but Martell and N’Kosi Perry are still around for now.
In comes King, a former Houston statistical superstar who played in four games last year, but sat out the rest of the way to preserve his eligibility.
In his time with the Cougars, he completed 62% of his passes for 4,925 yards and 50 touchdowns with just ten picks, and he ran for 1.421 yards and 28 scores.
For a Miami offense that needs a spark and a signature star – to go along with what should be a terrific defense – he should make a night-and-day difference.
