Welcome to Before The Snap, For The Win’s college football show where we’ll break down the sport’s trending storylines, examine each week’s biggest matchups and track the College Football Playoff and Heisman Trophy races.
Between true freshmen starters and transfers to new programs, several players made their debuts with a new team during Week 1 of the 2019 college football season.
Auburn true freshman quarterback Bo Nix led his team to a thrilling comeback victory over Oregon, Notre Dame transfer Brandon Wimbush impressed in his first game with UCF and true freshman Hank Bachmeier stunned in Boise State’s victory over Florida State.
But two transfer players who dominated and even exceeded expectations were Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts and Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields.
After transferring from Alabama, Hurts seemed like he’d fit well in Oklahoma’s system, which favored last year’s Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray, a similarly dynamic quarterback. Nothing was for sure, however, but after Hurts came up with six total touchdowns and finished with more than 500 total yards in the Sooners’ victory over Houston on Sunday, it looks like he’s fitting in just fine in Norman.
Our other top performer from Week 1 is Fields, who was responsible for all four of Ohio State’s first quarter touchdowns. He and the Buckeye came out like a wrecking ball against Florida Atlantic, and even though the offensive intensity fell off a little, Fields proved he has a lot of potential, finishing with five total touchdowns and 295 total yards.
