2022 NCAAF Transfers: Southern Cal and LSU Among the Winners With Transfers

As the Quarterbacks Turn, Transfers Have Made an Impact From Coast to Coast

Conference Races Have Been Impacted by Key Arrivals and Departures

The transfer portal has changed the college football landscape. It is open season as the top programs get to land players they missed during the recruiting process. The 2022 NCAAF transfers class has played a key role in how the season has progressed.

Landing the right newcomers can turn a middle of the road team into a conference championship contender. Not having the people in place to absorb transfers of key players can cost a head coach his job.

When looking at the current Heisman Trophy odds according to the college football betting lines, USC’s Caleb Williams and Jordan Addison, Oregon’s Bo Nix, LSU’s Jayden Daniels and Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs are among the candidates who changed teams in the offseason.

As we head down the stretch in an unforgettable 2022 college football season, this is a perfect time to look at some of the transfer storylines.

Transfers Deliver for USC

USC had the top group of incoming transfers in the country and many of the newcomers haven’t disappointed.
Quarterback Caleb Williams arrived from Oklahoma considered to be among the best NCAAF quarterbacks in the country. No team benefited more from the 2022 NCAAF transfers class than the Trojans.

All Williams has done is throw 28 touchdown passes with just one interception as he is eighth in the country in passing efficiency. A serious contender in the Heisman Trophy race, there will be some pivotal NCAAF matchups in Weeks 12 and 13 that could impact his Heisman chances as well as USC’s Pac-12 title aspirations.

Former Oregon running back Travis Dye is closing in on a 1,000-yard season as he has 858 yards with nine scoring runs. Former Pitt receiver Jordan Addison leads USC with 39 catches and 585 yards despite missing two games.

Williams’ former Oklahoma teammate Mario Williams has 26 catches for 493 yards for the Trojans.

Daniels Leads LSU’s Surge

While other transfer quarterbacks drew more buzz during the wild offseason, it might be harder to find another transfer who made a bigger impact than former Arizona State star Jayden Daniels.

He not only leads the Sun Devils with 619 rushing yards. He isn’t asked to throw the ball as much as others, but the 14 touchdown passes and one interception only begins to tell of his value to LSU.

Missouri defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo, Oklahoma State cornerback Jarrick Bernard and Arkansas defensive back Greg Brooks Jr. are among the top eight tackles as LSU has the inside track toward winning the SEC West Division title.

Passers Thriving in Pac-12

Williams is far from the only transfer to make an impact in the Pac-12 as the top six leaders in the Pac-12 played elsewhere a season ago.

Michael Penix Jr. went from Indiana to become a revelation at Washington as he has thrown for 3,232 yards and 23 TDs.

Jayden de Laura made the rare Pac-12 to Pac-12 move as he went from Washington State to Arizona. Wins have been hard to come by for the Wildcats even as de Laura had three games with at least 400 passing yards. His replacement at Washington State has the Cougars a win away from bowl eligibility.

It could be argued that no Pac-12 QB has made a bigger impact than former Auburn star Bo Nix as he has Oregon in first place in the conference standings.

Nix has thrown for 2,495 yards and run for 457 yards as he has accounted for 35 touchdowns.

Cincinnati Star Setting the Pace

It is not all about the offensive players.

Former Miami (Ohio) star Ivan Pace joined his brother at Cincinnati and he is second in the nation with nine sacks and is the national leader with 19 tackles for loss. When it came to looking at impact football players among the 2022 NCAAF transfers, Pace flew a bit under the radar.

Jared Verse went from Football Championship Subdivision Albany to Florida State and has 12 tackles for loss.

Indiana Missing Penix

Penix had four TD passes and seven interceptions in his final season at Indiana so there were likely some fans who said have a nice day when news broke that he would heading to Washington.

Well, his replacement Connor Bazelak came in from Missouri and has the lowest passer rating among Big Ten starting quarterbacks

Indiana has lost six games in a row and needs to win out to become bowl eligible.

The story is the same at Auburn as the Tigers average the fewest passing yards in the SEC – and at Arizona State, as the Sun Devils are 3-6.

Auburn fired head coach Bryan Harsin and Herm Edwards is no longer the head coach at ASU. One has to wonder if that would have been the case had their starting quarterback remained.

Georgia Tech had one of the most talented running backs in the nation on its roster a season ago. Now Jahmyr Gibbs is a Heisman Trophy candidate for Alabama and the Yellow Jackets are looking for a new head coach as well.

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