In what was arguably the most tumultuous offseason college football has ever seen with the transfer portal, quarterbacks switching schools drew the most attention. However, plenty of other impact players at positions including defensive line, wide receiver and running back changed programs and could affect the outcome of the upcoming season.
Here are 10 non-quarterbacks expected to help College Football Playoff contenders this most:
Will Sheppard, WR: Colorado
Colorado needed another playmaker on the outside for quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Sheppard should become the Heisman Trophy contender's No. 1 target. He has ideal size for the position at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds.
The senior totaled 150 receptions, 2,067 yards and 21 touchdowns during his past three full seasons at Vanderbilt. In 2022, he earned second-team All-SEC honors with 60 catches for 776 yards and nine touchdowns.
Averaging 14.6 yards per catch last season, Sheppard should emerge as a deep threat alongside two-way star Travis Hunter and second-leading receiver Jimmy Horn Jr.
Marvin Jones Jr., Edge: Florida State
A former five-star recruit, Jones Jr. has a legacy to fulfill as the son of Marvin Jones Sr., who excelled at Florida State as a two-time first-team All-American while also winning the Lombardi Award, Butkus Award and Jack Lambert Trophy during his junior season in Tallahassee.
He only had two total sacks in his first two seasons with Georgia. Yet Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell and defensive coordinator Randy Shannon have taken edge rusher transfers and unlocked them the past two seasons. The hope is that Jones will join recent standouts including Jermaine Johnson, Jared Verse and Braden Fiske in getting after the quarterback and becoming top NFL Draft prospects.
Damien Martinez, RB: Miami
Martinez provides a major boost to the Hurricanes' rushing attack, compiling 1,185 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 6.1 yards a carry as a sophomore for Oregon State. Last season, Miami's leading rusher was Henry Parrish Jr. with 625 yards. Parrish transferred to Ole Miss in April.
The junior brings more size, strength and speed to Miami's backfield and a workload of fewer than 200 carries over his two previous seasons. He should get the majority of carries over Mark Fletcher Jr. Martinez should also benefit from a better quarterback in fellow transfer Cam Ward, whose passing production should help open up the running game.
Isaiah Bond, WR: Texas
Bond was candid about deciding to transfer from Alabama after Nick Saban retired and saw an opportunity with a Texas team that made the College Football Playoff and has a proven quarterback in Quinn Ewers. After a sophomore season in which he led the Crimson Tide with 48 receptions for 668 yards and four touchdowns, Bond is expected to be Ewers' No. 1 target.
The junior should flourish with an offense in which Xavier Worthy compiled 75 catches for 1,014 yards and turned himself into a first-round NFL pick. Adonai Mitchell caught 11 touchdowns with 885 yards under Steve Sarkisian and Kyle Flood last season. Both of those receivers have moved on, providing an opportunity for Bond to put up big numbers.
Evan Stewart, WR: Oregon
Stewart was one of the top-ranked receivers in the transfer portal after catching 91 passes for 1,163 yards and six touchdowns during the past two seasons for Texas A&M. Now he's going to play in an offensive system at Oregon that produced two receivers with 80-plus receptions and over 1,000 yards.
Catching passes from fellow transfer Dillon Gabriel, Stewart should slide right into the spot that turned Troy Franklin into an NFL Draft pick for the Denver Broncos. Last season, Franklin had 81 receptions for 1,383 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Stewart struggled with an ankle injury that limited him to eight games last year but if he stays healthy, he could put up similar numbers alongside Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden.
Quinshon Judkins, RB: Ohio State
The running game has been somewhat overlooked in recent seasons under Ryan Day. Last season, TreVeyon Henderson rushed for 926 yards and likely would've surpassed 1,000 if he had gotten more than 156 carries. However, Ohio State may have no choice but to run the ball more with Judkins and Henderson sharing carries.
Judkins rushed for 2,725 yards and 31 touchdowns in two seasons at Ole Miss, including a freshman campaign in which he compiled 1,567 yards and 16 scores. He should give the Buckeyes a more potent big-play and red-zone threat on the ground. But Judkins could also be more consistent overall, having been durable while Henderson has battled injuries.
Buckeyes fans should also love that Judkins committed to Ohio State within minutes of hated rival Michigan winning the national championship.
"I'm looking forward to being a part of a winning culture and helping do my part to beat the TUN (Michigan), bring a Big 10 Championship and National Championship to Columbus," Judkins wrote after committing to OSU. "The RB brotherhood at Ohio State is incredibly special and I am grateful to have an opportunity to be a part of that."
Nic Scourton, EDGE: Texas A&M
Scourton had an outstanding sophomore season at Purdue, notching 10 sacks and 15 tackles for loss as a linebacker. At 6-foot-4 and 280 pounds, he's expected to play defensive end for new Texas A&M coach Mike Elko and his defensive staff. But his experience as a stand-up pass rusher makes him a versatile threat for offenses to block.
The Bryan, Texas native returns home to give the Aggies a pass-rushing threat to replace Edgerrin Cooper, who moved on to the NFL. Scourton has eyes on following that path, playing in a system that produced four defenders with four or more sacks last season. With Shemar Turner (six sacks last season) returning, blockers won't be able to focus solely on Scourton either.
Kadyn Proctor, OT: Alabama
The 6-foot-7, 360-pound Proctor was one of the more curious stories of the transfer portal during this offseason. He initially transferred to Iowa after Nick Saban's retirement but opted to return to Alabama three months later, never playing a snap or even practicing for the Hawkeyes.
The call of home may have been appealing to the Des Moines, Iowa native, but familiarity with the Crimson Tide — even under new coach Kalen DeBoer — apparently won out. Spending his spring break with former Alabama teammates was presumably persuasive.
Proctor was welcomed back, installed as the starting left tackle soon after preseason practices began. That shouldn't be a surprise as Alabama would've had to replace him with redshirt sophomore Elijah Pritchett had he not returned. With Proctor, the Tide adds a veteran presence on the offensive line and can now develop depth.
Walter Nolen, DT: Ole Miss
Nolen was a five-star recruit and the centerpiece of Texas A&M's vaunted 2022 recruiting class. Accordingly, the 6-foot-2, 305-pound defensive tackle was one of the top recruits available in the transfer portal when he decided to leave College Station.
During his two seasons at Texas A&M, Nolen compiled 66 tackles, with 11 tackles for loss and five sacks. He was one of four players on the Aggies' defense that produced four or more sacks.
Nolen's ability to play inside and outside on the line gives defensive coordinator Pete Golding plenty of options to throw at opposing offenses. He should make a major impact on a unit that also added Tyler Baron and Princely Umanmielen in an impressive transfer class.
Caleb Downs, S: Ohio State
Quarterback Will Howard might draw the most attention among the huge class of transfers that Ohio State added during the offseason. But the player who could have the biggest impact for the Buckeyes may be Downs, who was viewed by many as the top player available in the transfer portal.
As a freshman for Alabama last season, Downs had 107 total tackles with two interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Some might raise an eyebrow at a safety being a defense's leading tackler, but it also demonstrates Downs' tendency to be near the ball and make plays when it comes his way. That performance earned him National Freshman of the Year, SEC Freshman of the Year and second-team All-SEC honors.
Downs, who nearly chose Ohio State as a high school recruit, elevates a safety corps that returns Lathan Ransom and saw Sonny Styles move to linebacker. And the Buckeyes already had the nation's No. 3 defense last season.
Most Popular
Comments / 0