Transfers have been front and center in college football since new regulations were adopted in 2021 allowing athletes to transfer without having to sit out a year. Those transfers have won national awards and helped College Football Playoff contenders solidify their rosters.
The reigning Heisman Trophy winner is a transfer, USC's Caleb Williams, as are several of the top 2023 Heisman contenders: Washington's Michael Penix Jr. (Indiana), LSU's Jayden Daniels (Arizona State), Oregon's Bo Nix (Auburn), Oklahoma's Dillon Gabriel (UCF) and Florida State's Jordan Travis (Louisville). The team that dominated attention during the first month of the season, Deion Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes, is made up mostly of transfers.
And the transfer contributions go beyond quarterbacks. There are plenty of transfers who have made significant contributions, and the goal here is to identify them.
Here's a look at 10 under-the-radar transfers around the college football landscape. Quarterbacks were not considered, as we've covered them in depth, and I also didn't include some of the highest-profile non-quarterback transfers, such as Colorado's Travis Hunter and Florida State's Keon Coleman. Who made the list? Ten players who have been excellent additions for their teams and deserve a brighter light shined on their accomplishments.
Jump to a transfer:
Virginia's Malik Washington
Oklahoma's Walter Rouse
WVU's Beanie Bishop
Iowa's Nick Johnson
Liberty's Quinton Cooley
Oregon's Ajani Cornelius
UNC's Alijah Huzzie
Kentucky's Ray Davis
USC's Jamil Muhammad
VT's Antwaun Powell-Ryland
Malik Washington, WR, Virginia
Previous school: Northwestern
When Virginia offensive coordinator Des Kitchings saw Washington's name in the transfer portal after the 2022 season, he immediately booked a flight to Chicago. Kitchings, who had recruited Washington while at NC State, met Washington on a Friday in December, and they skipped the small talk.
"He said, 'Coach, I know No. 99, Keytaon Thompson, how you used him,'" Kitchings told me. "He said, 'I saw KT's YAC. My YAC's better than his. So if I come there, you do what you did with him, then I can produce.' So he had done his homework on us."
Washington came to Virginia with goals of 80 receptions and 1,000 yards. He surpassed the 1,000-yard mark Saturday against Georgia Tech and needs just one reception to hit 80 for the year. Washington ranks third nationally in receiving yards per game (116) and second in receptions per game (8.8).
After coming close to but never reaching 100 receiving yards in a game at Northwestern, Washington has hit the mark seven times this season, including in each of the past four games. He has nine or more receptions in six games.
"I knew that I was capable of being a big-play receiver, someone who can eclipse the 1,000-yard mark; that's just who I was," Washington told me. "I wanted to be in the conversation for the Biletnikoff [Award], I planned to do kick return, so I wanted to be in the conversation for Paul Hornung [Award]. That was kind of my expectation coming in."
Washington recorded 109 catches combined in 2021 and 2022 despite playing in a Northwestern offense that ranked 112th nationally in passing. He played mostly in the slot for the Wildcats, and while Kitchings wanted him there, the coach also saw a more expanded role with the Cavaliers.
The key for Washington has been a "more professional approach" toward understanding the position.
"I understood the timing, the spacing, different things like that, all that incorporates to make a play go, to make a play work," Washington said. "Coming in, I wanted to be that player who could turn 5-yard hitches, 5-yard slants into 20-, 40-, 60-yard gains. That's been my main focus."
Kitchings said that Washington is generously listed at 5-foot-9 but plays bigger and that he uses his quickness to create separation when he makes cuts. He also "attacks" the ball with his hands. His big-play ability has stood out to Kitchings, as Washington ranks fifth nationally in yards after the catch and has seven receptions of 40 yards or longer.
"We knew he had good speed, but he's been able to generate so many explosive plays," Kitchings said. "He thinks like a coach where he sees things, he's very communicative, and he understands the big picture. So it's very easy to motion him and do different things.
"That's been really fun to have a guy who's football intelligent and has that drive."
Walter Rouse, OT, Oklahoma
Previous school: Stanford
Offensive linemen rarely stand out when they're doing their job well, much less on a defining play against an archrival. But that's exactly what happened with Rouse, who sealed off two Texas defenders to give quarterback Dillon Gabriel time on the game-winning touchdown pass to Nic Anderson.
"Until I got off the field, I didn't really know what I did," Rouse told me. "A coach on the sideline got in my face and was like, 'Did you see what you did? You blocked two dudes!' Even how the play started, I was late off the ball. Who knows? Maybe it slowed me down enough to catch the 5-tech and then getting the corner coming off the edge.
"I was really just doing my job as an O-lineman."
Rouse has done his job well since joining Oklahoma from Stanford, where he started 39 games but never played for a winning team. He entered the portal to develop his game at a winning program and chose Oklahoma, where he had known longtime offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh from high school recruiting.
Oklahoma needed help at tackle after losing Wanya Morris and Anton Harrison to the NFL and Jacob Sexton to a knee injury. Bedenbaugh recognized Rouse's talent, but wondered how he would mix with the Sooners' line.
"He's really smart, he started a bunch of games, how's he going to take coaching?" Bedenbaugh told me. "Maybe they're not the right perceptions to have, but we ain't got a bunch of dudes who are going to Stanford here. Football is very, very, very important here. Obviously, academics are as well. But how important is football to him? All those things, you just don't know, being a one-year guy.
"Everything, in all those areas, has exceeded my expectations."
Bedenbaugh has worked with Rouse on not overanalyzing -- "I tell him, this isn't biomechanical engineering; this is football" -- and using his abilities to overpower opponents. Rouse is more athletic than Bedenbaugh anticipated, and has worked on staying square in his protections, not overstepping to strike defenders and not reaching to make blocks.
At 6-6 and 323 pounds, Rouse cuts an imposing figure on the edge of the line.
"I definitely think he's an NFL player," Bedenbaugh said. "He's got all the intangibles. Like I tell these scouts when they come in here, he has started a bunch of games, but I really don't think the kid's maxed out. He can continue to get better. Whoever coaches him is going to love coaching him because he's going to do everything you ask."
Rouse has improved his aggressiveness at Oklahoma, plus how he studies details when watching film. Playing in big games for a contending team has helped his development.
"I've never been able to say I'm competing for a bowl game," Rouse said. "That alone is crazy. This is the most I've ever been challenged on the field and in meetings, but I love it, and it's making me a better player."
Beanie Bishop Jr., CB, West Virginia
Previous school: Minnesota
Bishop is no stranger to production, developing into an all-conference performer at Western Kentucky before a one-year stopover with Minnesota in 2022. The sixth-year player leads the nation in total passes defended with 21, six more than any other player. Bishop had five pass breakups Saturday against BYU and four Oct. 21 against Oklahoma State. He became the first West Virginia player to record multiple interceptions in a game when he had two against UCF on Oct. 28.
"It's very similar to what I did when I was all-conference in 2021," Bishop told me. "The same vibe, the same general aspect of how the team is, the culture and how close the guys are. The plays I'm making are the same, just at a Power 5 school."
Bishop feels more challenged by receivers in the Big 12 than he did as a rotation player for Minnesota in the Big Ten. He's a bit surprised by how often teams have targeted him, noting that his size (5-10) could contribute to it when he faces taller receivers.
"He's been really good in man coverage," WVU coach Neal Brown told me. "He's scrappy, he's really intelligent. We've got a lot of young kids in our secondary, and he's been a really calming veteran presence. That's kind of what you hope when you go into the portal, you get a productive player but also someone with experience who shows the way to some of the younger guys."
Bishop had 29 tackles and a pass breakup at Minnesota, where he was the team's third cornerback and nickel, but wanted a bigger role. West Virginia has used more man coverage this season, where most of Bishop's plays on the ball have occurred.
He's also a sound tackler, leading WVU in solo stops (36) and ranking third in total stops (36).
"As a corner, he's willing, which isn't always the case," Brown said. "He understands leverage, and he understands his fit within the defense."
Nick Jackson, LB, Iowa
Previous school: Virginia
After losing NFL first-round draft picks Jack Campbell and Lukas Van Ness and others from the nation's No. 2 defense in 2022, Iowa needed experience, especially at linebacker. Jackson was an obvious choice for middle linebacker, a second-team All-ACC selection at Virginia with 33 starts, 354 career tackles and an ACC-best 10.4 tackles per game in 2022. Plus, Iowa had recruited him a bit out of high school.
But Jackson isn't playing in the middle for Iowa, instead occupying the weakside position, where he has produced as expected. Jackson ranks second on the team in tackles (72) and tackles for loss (5.5), while leading Iowa in forced fumbles (2).
"I don't know that there's many other transfer portal stories like this, but I don't know that there's many other kids like Nick," Iowa linebackers coach and assistant defensive coordinator Seth Wallace told me. "The idea was for Nick to be the middle linebacker and for us to figure out what the other pieces are with our personnel."
Jackson finished his degree at Virginia and didn't join Iowa until after spring practice. By then, Jay Higgins had emerged at middle linebacker and continued to advance throughout the summer. Higgins leads the Big Ten and ranks second nationally in tackles per game (12.6).
He and Jackson live together and have become close. Their 185 combined tackles marks the most for a Power 5 tandem.
"They're best friends, they're always around each other, it's really been very unique," Wallace said. "Nick came in here, and he accepted his role. It wasn't at the middle linebacker position. He never came in here with any sense of entitlement. He came in here, went to work, found a way to develop relationships with most of the team. We're the ones who are receiving the fruits of the labor."
Jackson recorded consecutive games of 10 or more tackles, giving him 22 such performances in his career. Wallace praised his ability to anticipate and diagnose plays as they develop.
"I shared this with some NFL scouts the other day: You see his level of play increase with each week," Wallace said. "It has not decreased, it has not tapered off. What he's dealt with over his college career, where he's had to be in multiple systems, he's settled down into ours, and it just seems like each week, he gets his feet closer to the ground."
Quinton Cooley, RB, Liberty
Previous school: Wake Forest
There must be something about Wake Forest transfer running backs hitting big with their new teams. Although Cooley might not win the Doak Walker Award like Kenneth Walker III did after transferring from Wake Forest to Michigan State in 2021, his impact on Liberty's undefeated season has been profound. Cooley ranks ninth nationally in rushing average (109 YPG) with six 100-yard games.
He has seven rushing touchdowns in his past four games and is tied for 17th nationally in carries despite playing with a separated shoulder for most of the season.
"He'll come out for like two plays and then go right back in; his toughness has been just unbelievable," Liberty coach Jamey Chadwell told me. "The last three, four weeks, he's carried the ball a bunch and just keeps getting stronger. Sometimes when you have to read this and RPO that, the quarterback sometimes can melt down. We've been able to turn around and hand the ball off to him, and he's averaging 5, 6 yards a carry. "
When Chadwell landed the Liberty job, he inherited two productive backs in Dae Dae Hunter and Shedro Louis, but both entered the portal, leaving a significant void. Chadwell called Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson about Cooley, who had 96 carries during his first three seasons at the school but had not elevated into a starting role.
"We studied enough to think he could help us. It was more of, 'How does he handle hard coaching? How does he handle it if he's not playing as much?'" Chadwell said. "Coach Clawson said last year, he was tremendous in the role that he had and that he was a great teammate, and that's shown up for us. That's what we needed to hear. Coach Clawson gave him good reviews."
Ajani Cornelius, OT, Oregon
Previous school: Rhode Island
Despite coming from the Coastal Athletic Association, Cornelius had transfer offers from Ohio State and other top programs. He went with Oregon, a program that has amplified its offensive line play in recent years, and has shown why he received so much attention in December.
He has started each of Oregon's first nine games at right tackle and ranks second on the team with 19 knockdowns. Pro Football Focus gives Cornelius an 82.1 pass blocking grade, allowing just five pressures in 331 opportunities.
"I've gotten past most of the adjustment," Cornelius told ESPN. "Obviously, there's been a rise in competition moving to the FBS, but the talent on my team that I have defensively to go against in practice has prepared me enough for any situation that I'll see in the game. I feel like I got past that barrier in the spring and summer."
Cornelius credited defensive linemen such as Jordan Burch, a South Carolina transfer who leads Oregon in tackles for loss (seven), as well as Brandon Dorlus, Matayo Uiagalelei and Jaeden Moore for helping him prepare for the season. He also said Oregon's offensive linemen and coaches -- led by line coach A'lique Terry -- have made the program "feel like home," after he logged 22 starts and 1,410 snaps at right tackle for Rhode Island.
Six-foot-5, 308-pound Cornelius has impressed the Oregon staff. One person said he has been the line's most consistent performer, along with center Jackson Powers-Johnson. The Reese's Senior Bowl named him to its midseason All-America team.
"It feels amazing," Cornelius said. "I couldn't be happier to be here and a part of this."
Alijah Huzzie, DB, North Carolina
Previous school: East Tennessee State
While playing for East Tennessee, Huzzie and his roommate would watch ACC and SEC games and envision themselves playing in them. After earning FCS All-America honors in 2022, when he led the nation with 22 passes defended and ranked second with six interceptions, Huzzie achieved his vision.
He hasn't merely suited up for North Carolina but has become a standout, leading the team with three interceptions and ranking second with five pass breakups. Huzzie, who recorded two picks against Pitt, also is fifth on the team in tackles with 37.
"Alijah's a ball hawk," North Carolina coach Mack Brown told me. "He's got very good instincts. He's got good hands. He was a basketball player that was offered some college basketball scholarships, and obviously his height [5-10] was a detriment at that point. But he has been a huge addition to our defense."
Huzzie was pegged to play cornerback for the Tar Heels, but he switched spots after DeAndre Boykins, who started at the "star" position, sustained a torn ACL in preseason camp. The 210-pound player has thrived in UNC's dime package against heavy receiver sets.
"I like the way they trusted me to go in," Huzzie told me. "It gives me the ability to guard the best receiver they have in the slot. More balls, more opportunities come my way. There are more opportunities to get in the backfield, sacks, TFLs. I've been learning my position, and everyone's around me."
He credits teammates such as Tez Walker and Kobe Paysour with preparing him to face top FBS wide receivers, and has enjoyed competing against No. 1 receivers such as Miami's Xavier Restrepo and Virginia's Washington. In selecting a transfer destination, he didn't want to sit out, and he saw North Carolina as a team with an obvious need at cornerback.
Huzzie has relished the opportunity to prove himself and hopes he can inspire other FCS stars.
"Just don't doubt yourself, always keep that confidence," he said.
Ray Davis, RB, Kentucky
Previous school: Vanderbilt
Davis certainly was a known commodity after eclipsing 1,000 rushing yards in 2022 with Vanderbilt, a team that leaned on its run game after finishing 111th in passing. He also started games earlier in his career at Temple, but he sought out an offense -- and a coordinator in Liam Coen, who returned to Kentucky after a year with the Los Angeles Rams -- where he could maximize his talents.
"It was about trying to put myself in the best position to transition to the NFL," Davis told me. "Once I heard Coach Coen was coming back, I knew his offensive scheme and where his mindset was and what he liked to do with the running backs. It was a perfect fit to come into a well-established team."
Although Kentucky's offense has fluttered a bit this season, Davis has been an excellent fit for the run game, rushing for 903 yards on 148 carries with nine touchdowns. He's second in the SEC and ranks 15th nationally in rushing average.
Davis' experience stood out to Coen, who knew Kentucky had a rushing void with Chris Rodriguez Jr. moving on to the NFL. In spring practice, Coen saw a back with excellent vision who would set up his blocks nicely on runs and wanted to learn all the blocking schemes in Kentucky's run schemes to better understand his own role.
"He understands the blocking assignments, he wants to know the why behind, ultimately, what we're trying to get accomplished," Coen told me. "In a few games, he's really been able to make people miss at the second and third levels and break a couple big ones for us."
One game stands out from the rest. Davis set career highs in rushing yards (280) and rushing touchdowns (3) in a win over Florida, falling just 19 yards shy of the team record and 7 yards shy of the most by an opposing player against the Gators. He also had a touchdown reception to tie Kentucky's single-game TD record and had a career-long run of 75 yards.
"Truthfully, I thought I had maybe 110 yards, by the end of the game I didn't know I was anywhere near 280," Davis said. "In that game, I just kept running. My mantra going into that game was, 'I've just gotta get us 4 or 5 yards, get us ahead of the sticks, put us in great field position.' It was about just being consistent."
Davis enjoys watching film of NFL games with Coen and seeing how Kentucky's play installs come directly from the Rams. He has learned why quarterbacks check to certain players and how they read safety rotations and blitzes. The experience has made "my IQ jump," as he prepares for the next level.
After just five receiving touchdowns in his first four college seasons combined, Davis has caught touchdown passes in five games this fall.
"He's got a really good feel for the pass game in terms of being in the right place at the right time and then also some improvisations," Coen said. "He's been a great addition to our pass game."
Jamil Muhammad, rush end, USC
Previous school: Georgia State
Muhammad wasn't the most talked-about transfer in USC's defense, or even in the Trojans' defensive line, which also added Bear Alexander from Georgia. But the former Georgia State player has brought his pass-rushing prowess to USC and been a bright spot for a defense that has struggled for most of the season.
Six-foot-1, 250-pound Muhammad has been an explosive player off the edge, leading USC in sacks (6) and tackles for loss (10), while adding two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and four quarterback hurries. He has sacks in five games and had three tackles for loss against Arizona State.
"With my IQ, really just how I react to certain things on the field faster, I've definitely taken a huge step in that area," Muhammad told me. "My pass-rushing ability, just being able to play in a smarter way, just continuing to elevate my game in run defense too."
Muhammad forced fumbles in two of his first three games as a Trojan and had a midseason surge, recording four sacks and eight tackles for loss during a three-game stretch against Arizona State, Colorado and Arizona.
He had similar stretches at Georgia State, where he recorded six sacks in 2021 and had a 72-yard fumble return for a touchdown. Muhammad began his career as a quarterback at Vanderbilt, before transferring to Georgia State after his first spring practice in 2019.
"It's been unprecedented, that's the word to describe it," he said. "Going from quarterback to the guy who chases the quarterback, I guess that was just written in my story. I'm accepting it, and I'm loving it, to be honest."
Antwaun Powell-Ryland, DE, Virginia Tech
Previous school: Florida
Powell-Ryland was highlighted in my recent story on college football's luxury players, but he merits a place here as one of the sport's most impactful transfers. Virginia Tech liked his pass-rush ability at Florida, where he had 3 sacks, 6 tackles for loss, 3 forced fumbles and 4 quarterback hurries in five starts last season.
The Hokies ranked 74th nationally in sacks per game (2.09) in 2022. They are tied for fifth this season at 3.44 sacks per game, largely thanks to Powell-Ryland, who has nine sacks, which ranks fifth among all players.
"I'm basically the rusher out of the four, so me being able to rush almost every play, that's my strong suit," Powell-Ryland told me. "Being able to go get the quarterback every play, I have to watch out for everything that he does. On third-and-long, I'm definitely the guy to be rushing."
Powell-Ryland had two sacks and a forced fumble in his Virginia Tech debut against Old Dominion, but then was fairly quiet until a recent stretch. He had 4 sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery Oct. 16 against Wake Forest, then followed with two more sacks Oct. 26 against Syracuse.
Six-foot-3, 244-pound Powell-Ryland has 7.5 tackles for loss in his past three games and 12.5 for the season to go with three forced fumbles and two fumbles recovered.
"Even though he's not an overly large guy, he's got a lot of strength, a lot of pop, a natural pass-rusher," Virginia Tech defensive line coach J.C. Price told me. "As far as being disruptive, that's what you look for when you try to recruit defensive ends.
"He's been around the quarterback in every game."