Transfer players to watch in 2020
Over recent years, the NCAA's transfer portal has made it easier for players to leave a school for another. Players will transfer for a variety of reasons like not getting enough playing time or changes in coaching staffs. Whatever the individual reasons, these players have been making an impact with their new teams. Joe Burrow did it just last year after transferring from Ohio State to LSU. Here are some players that could make waves as transfers this fall.
I tried to keep the lists to immediately eligible players or pending appeals only.
Quarterbacks
I don't expect anyone to be Joe Burrow, but plenty of talent is on the move at QB. Former Wake Forest star Jamie Newman will be the new guy at Georgia. He's a dual threat guy, who could fly up NFL Draft boards with a good year in the SEC. Houston's D'Eriq King, one of the most electrifying at the position, is now at Miami. Mississippi State welcomes K.J. Costello from Stanford. I think he's a great fit for new head coach Mike Leach's Air Raid system, but he will be challenged in such a deep conference. Feleipe Franks will try to prove that he's better than just average at Arkansas. Former Boston College QB Anthony Brown looks to replace Justin Herbert at Oregon. The Ducks love dual threat guys, but Brown is not as good of a passer as most players they've had in Eugene. Chase Brice was buried behind Trevor Lawrence at Clemson and will now look to help out the Duke Blue Devils. Honorable mention: Jake Bentley (South Carolina to Utah), Peyton Ramsey (Indiana to Northwestern)
Running Backs
There aren't many notable RB transfers this year. Trey Sermon will head to Ohio State and form a great tandem with Master Teague. Sermon had a couple great seasons at Oklahoma before injuries and will look to get back on track while replacing J.K. Dobbins in Columbus. Khalil Herbert joins Virginia Tech from Kansas. Former 4-star recruit Jashaun Corbin is leaving Texas A&M to join Florida State. Martell Pettaway will transfer to Middle Tennessee State after a rough 2019 at West Virginia. He should be able to dominate the competition in the Sunbelt.
Wide Receivers
A few receivers you can expect to contribute in 2020. Damon Hazleton joins Missouri from Virginia Tech. He had 16 touchdowns the past 2 years, and at 6'2" will be a welcome addition for the Tigers. Jayden Reed is eligible at Michigan State after sitting out last season. The team has a lot of question marks at receiver and will rely on the former Freshman All-American to help shoulder the load. T.J Chase was highly recruited at Clemson but buried in a deep position group. He will get his chance to be THE guy at Florida Atlantic. The same goes for former LSU Tiger Dee Anderson at Oklahoma State.
Honorable mention: Theo Howard (UCLA to Oklahoma), Mykel Jones (Oklahoma to Tulane)
Tight ends
Kenny Yeboah is joining Ole Miss from Temple. Yeboah was never dominant at Temple but has all the tools to be a great receiving tight end. He also outplayed all the Ole Miss receivers last season. With Lane Kiffin now as his head coach, Yeboah could become a force. There are few other transfer tight ends that may see the field thgis year, but none have the experience and importance of Yeboah.
Offensive Line
The offensive line tends to get overlooked when it comes to impacting a game. Fans want more flash and play making ability. This year, there are a few NFL prospects transferring schools along the o-line. At guard, Josh Sills is heading from West Virginia to Oklahoma State, and Terrence Davis is heading from Maryland to Wake Forest. Both players are considered mid-round prospects. At tackle, Coy Cronk is going from Iowa to Indiana, and Cade Mays is going to Tennessee from Georgia. Cronk is a late round prospect. Mays is a possible first rounder and is waiting on an eligibility ruling.
Honorable mention: Stewart Reese (Mississippi State to Florida), Issiah Walker Jr (Florida to Miami), Devery Hamilton (Stanford to Duke),
Defensive Line
Several good transfers on the d-line. Miami adds 2 impactful pass rushers in Quincy Roche and Jaelan Phillips. Roche is a grad transfer from Temple, who had a monstrous 13 sacks last year. Phillips sat out a year after leaving UCLA. He is more of a high potential, athletic player than production so far,but if he puts it together, Miami could have one of the best pass rushes in the country. Also watch for William Bradley-King ( Arkansas St to Baylor) and Isaiah Chambers (Houston to McNeese St) at defensive end.
On the interior defensive line, the big transfer is Xavier Kelly. The former 4-star recruit saw his playing time diminish at Clemson and will join the Arkansas Razorbacks. He can make a huge impact on a team that needs star players. SMU landed former Stanford DT Mike Williams, who started 25 games for the Cardinal. Also keep an eye on former Mississippi State DT Fabien Lovett at Florida State.
Honorable mention: Antonio Alfano (Alabama to Colorado), Michael Dwumfour (Michigan to Rutgers)
Linebackers
The biggest star transfer to keep an eye on is LSU's Jabril Cox. He has spent the past 3 years as the best defensive player in FCS at North Dakota State. Cox has won a myriad of awards and championships, and he is definitely an NFL prospect, but his performance at LSU will dictate how high he rises. A few other LBs may emerge, but all eyes are on Cox.
Secondary
Like many players i n this article, Isaiah Pryor was buried in a deep Ohio State secondary. Now at Notre Dame, Pryor will get a chance to show what he can do. The Irish lost both starting safeties, Jalen Elliot and Alohi Gilman, to the NFL. At corner, the player to watch is Nigel Knott at East Carolina. He also found himself as an odd man out at Alabama. It is not often the Pirates land such a big fish, so expect Knott to be a leader for their defense.