By: Ryan Moreland (@ryanmoreland)
This season’s transfer class was one of the smallest we have ever seen. However, it still had plenty of talent. So much so, we must do a top 20 transfers in the class. Not only will we rank them, but we will also show you where they all ended up.
Everyone will have their own opinion of how to rank these players, but I decided to do a mix of their overall and production deciding where they should be ranked.
#20 FS Douglas Laurent
Former Team: Michigan State
Current Team: Colorado
Laurent enters his junior season by leaving Michigan State and heading toward the Rockies. Colorado lands a solid safety who is one tackle away from hitting 50 in his career. Laurent had a solid season as a freshman but saw his production dip last season with less playing time. That drop in playing time could be the reason he is headed elsewhere. Either way, he is now with the Buffaloes, looking to help them repeat as conference champs.
#19 CB Benjamin Starks
Former Team: Penn State
Current Team: Georgia
Benjamin Starks has been a contributor on a talented Penn State secondary for the past two seasons, but now he is playing ball for the Bulldogs. Starks has 62 tackles in two seasons and has also added three pass breakups. Georgia landed a solid tackler at CB who isn’t afraid to make an impact in the run game. This is an underrated quality in a corner and something they will love to have when they play the great HBs in the SEC.
#18 TE Buck Hunter
Former Team: Tennessee
Current Team: Georgia
Buck Hunter will stay in the SEC as he leaves Tennessee to join rival Georgia. Hunter is going into his senior season and this will be the third team he has played with (he spent his first two seasons with Clemson). Hunter saw a drop in production last season with the Volunteers but has still amassed 913 receiving yards and seven touchdowns so far in his career. He is currently the only TE on the Georgia roster. If that stays the same, he could be in for a big season.
#17 DE Nora Hill
Former Team: Florida
Current Team: Florida State
The Gator faithful were not happy to see Nora Hill leave the team. They hated it even more when she stayed in state to play for rival Florida State. Hill, who started her career with Pittsburgh, had her best seasons with the Gators. She has proven she can be an active contributor on the defensive line with 14 career TFLs and eight career sacks. Florida State is hoping that will change in her final season in the CFSL.
#16 SS Jaylon Pemberton
Former Team: Tennessee
Current Team: Colorado
Just like Nora Hill, Jaylon Pemberton started his career in Season 19 with Pittsburgh. He left for Tennessee before Season 20, which is where he was until last week. The versatile DB has 17 career TFLs and four career interceptions. Pemberton has shown he can make plays at every level and that is exactly why Colorado was excited to land him. All you have to do is watch the tape of his last game against Kentucky to see why. He had 10 tackles and a pick in a game in which Tennessee nearly upset the Wildcats.
#15 DT Jack Hetherton
Former Team: Oregon
Current Team: North Carolina
Senior Jack Hetherton spent three seasons with the Ducks but decided to leave this offseason. He moved across the county to play for Daniel Gunn and the North Carolina Tar Heels. Hetherton had his best season as a freshman, but he has been a productive
#14 CB Carter Smart
Former Team: Oregon
Current Team: Colorado
Yet another player on this list will be suiting up for AD Skyler Shearer in Colorado. Carter Smart started his career at Washington for a single season before leaving for Oregon. Last season, he had the best season of his career, with 49 tackles, four TFLs, two interceptions, and two pass breakups. Now he will join Jaylon Pemberton and Douglas Laurent as part of this Colorado transfer class.
#13 HB Ryan Greenfield
Former Team: Penn State
Current Team: Texas A&M
Ryan Greenfield has been a solid backup halfback for Penn State for the past two seasons. However, he did see a drop in his usage this past season. This might have been a factor in him leaving the Nittany Lions. Greenfield will now compete for the starting spot at Texas A&M with incumbent Sophmore Felisa Sneed. Greenfield could be a name to watch in the Comeback Player of the Year race if he does secure the starting spot.
#12 FS Kane Hargrave
Former Team: Ohio State
Current Team: Auburn
Kane Hargrave has been a staple in the Ohio State DB room for the past two seasons. However, he has now left and has joined the Auburn Tigers. Hargrave, who has four interceptions and eight pass breakups in his career, has proven his ability to play around the ball. He will now play in a secondary that features big names like reigning Defensive Player of the Year Chuy Baca and the best CB in the Season 22 recruiting class Maverick Berlin.
#11 WR Cory Smith
Former Team: Auburn
Current Team: USC
Cory Smith joined Auburn in Season 19 and played two seasons with the Tigers. However, he took last season off. Now he is back, and after moving across the country, will be playing with the Trojans. Smith saw most of his yardage production as a freshman but has been a touchdown threat anytime he is near the endzone. This is something that USC is happy to have after losing a lot of WR talent to graduation this past season.
#10 WR Houston Begley
Former Team: Syracuse
Current Team: None
We break into the top 10 with another wideout that didn’t play in Season 21. Begley was last seen posting back-to-back 700-yard seasons with the Syracuse Orange. Now his name has been entered into the draft. Based on his production and the need at WR across the league, I would expect Begley will not have to wait very long on draft night to hear his name called. After all, whoever lands him will be getting a top-10 transfer.
#9 DE Kaleb Allen
Former Team: LSU
Current Team: Oklahoma
Kaleb Allen spent the last two seasons with LSU, where he put up 18 TFLs and eight sacks. Now he will be rushing passers for a different team in the Big XII. Oklahoma made a point to bolster the defense this season and Allen will help them do that. He has proven himself to be a talented pass rusher and a guy who will make plays against the run, as well. Now he will be playing across from #1 DE recruit JJ Stout. This will be a much improved defensive line for the Sooners.
#8 CB Percy King
Former Team: Auburn
Current Team: Clemson
Percy King started his first season at Texas, where he had an immediate impact. He then left for Auburn. While he has never quite reproduced his freshman numbers, he has been a consistently great presence at corner. Now he is headed to play for his former coach and current AD Logan Wetzel in Clemson. King will be CB1 for the Tigers, which is perhaps why he made the move.
#7 OLB King DeMoura
Former Team: Kentucky
Current Team: Auburn
King DeMoura has been making offenses lives a living hell in the SEC the last two seasons. Now, he will be doing more of the same at Auburn. He has 167 tackles and 20 TFLs in his career so far, including 92 tackles last season. This was a big get for the Tiger defense, who are looking to get back to dominating the SEC.
#6 HB Dash Delano
Former Team: Florida State
Current Team: USC
Dash Delano has had back-to-back seasons with at least 560 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Last season, he also broke 31 tackles and had the most broken tackles per game of any halfback. This offseason he made the move from Florida State to USC. The Trojans replace Messiah Bishop, who was one of the best HBs to ever play at USC, with a running back who is just as talented. This was a huge get for the Trojans.
#5 OLB Akuma Hunter
Former Team: LSU
Current Team: Oklahoma
Akuma Hunter joined LSU in Season 20 and has been putting up numbers with them the last two seasons. In those two seasons, he has put up 152 tackles, 22 TFLs, two sacks, and two interceptions. The talented linebacker is joining Kaleb Allen as another player leaving LSU for Oklahoma. Hunter is another big get for the Sooner defensive front 7.
#4 QB Tavon Moss
Former Team: Clemson
Current Team: LSU
Tavon Moss had an up-and-down freshman season but showed plenty of promise. Many believe Moss could be a runaway pick for the Comeback Player of the Year. Moss left the Tigers to become a Tiger, this time with LSU. Time will tell if the move helps him secure that award or not. But the one thing we do know if LSU landed a talented young QB.
#3 HB Jett Sims
Former Team: Michigan State
Current Team: Texas
Jett Sims spent the first two seasons of his career with Michigan State. In that time he has put up 2,176 total yards and 20 total touchdowns. Now the productive halfback is headed to Texas to become a Longhorn. It has been a while since Texas had a running back that is the caliber of Jett Sims and it will be interesting to see how they use him this season. Either way, they landed a big-time playmaker.
#2 CB Benjamin Carter
Former Team: Penn State
Current Team: Ohio State
Benjamin Carter has consistently been one of the best safeties in the league in his career. He started his career with USC in Season 19. However, he made a name for himself with Penn State in Seasons 20 and 21. In fact, he won an All-American Award in Season 20 after a six interception and 80 tackle season. However, he is no longer a Nittany Lion. Now he is playing for the Big10 rival Ohio State Buckeyes. This was a massive transfer to land for the Buckeyes. We will see if that is enough to propel them to back-to-back conference championships.
#1 WR Malachi Cobb
Former Team: Kentucky
Current Team: Oklahoma
While Oklahoma’s focus was definitely on the defense, they still landed a huge weapon on their offense. Malachi Cobb spent the past three seasons with the Wildcats where he amassed 2,584 receiving yards, 21 touchdowns, and 227 pancakes. Simply put, Cobb is one of the best wideouts in the league. And now he will be catching passes from Season 21 Freshman of the Year Himoteo Del Este. This was another big transfer for the Sooners.
