2023 College Football: Hottest Transfer Players of September
Recruiting and developing young players is no longer the only roadmap to college football success.
The transfer portal, CFB's hottest offseason destination, allows teams to add potential difference-makers in an instant. And in 2023, we've seen a deluge of transfer portal additions provide immediate, sizable impact at new schools.
Some we expected to see. In fact, a handful of names included will come as no surprise. Others have broken out in a hurry, and many have done so while playing positions we simply don't talk about enough.
Regardless of the expectations that were attached before the season began, the influence from many has been robust.
With September behind us, it's time to take inventory of the biggest impact transfers.
Sam Hartman, Notre Dame
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Hartman's arrival to Notre Dame felt like the most significant addition during the offseason, and it's hard to argue that anything has changed more than a month into the campaign.
The 24-year-old, formerly of Wake Forest, has been as advertised for the Irish, accounting for 16 touchdowns and zero interceptions in six games. He's not only been the key cog of an offense in desperate need, but he's also become the heart and soul for a program that needed him.
Outside of the loss to Ohio State—a game he played well in—he's been pretty much perfect. And his performance deep in the game against Duke on Saturday was truly spectacular down the stretch.
The hype has been realized in every sense. Hartman's impact has been everything we expected and more.
Travis Hunter, Colorado
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He's a unicorn. It's that simple.
It's been a few weeks since he's seen the field, but Hunter's impact at Colorado has been robust.
An elite cornerback and a superb wide receiver, he was playing his way into Heisman consideration before he was sidelined with a lacerated liver. He excelled at both positions with the Buffaloes, hauling in 16 catches and intercepting a pass in only three games.
His ability to play a large number of snaps at high level made him an instant star, and his absence has undoubtedly hurt Colorado in recent weeks.
Hunter followed Deion Sanders from Jackson State, and the decision looks to be a brilliant one for all parties. And he's not the only player who transferred that has made an instant impact at Colorado. (More on that in a moment.)
Keon Coleman, Florida State
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Coleman's decision to depart Michigan State for Florida State was a brilliant business decision on so many fronts.
The wideout left a program and offense that were struggling, and he became one of the fixtures of a team currently competing for a spot in the College Football Playoff in about 60 minutes.
In a short period of time, Coleman has put together a spectacular highlight reel of plays. And against Clemson and LSU, the Seminoles' biggest games of the year, the wideout accounted for five combined touchdowns.
In four games, he's caught 17 passes. Six of those catches have gone for scores. Goodness.
At 6'4", Coleman is an enormous presence at wide receiver. If he stays healthy, he could well guide his team to the playoff and himself to the first round of the NFL draft.
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Ray Davis, Kentucky
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At Vanderbilt last year, Davis made a sizable impact. The running back ran for more than 1,000 yards and scored eight touchdowns.
In the offseason, he made the decision to transfer to Kentucky. In only five games, he's scored 11 touchdowns and rushed for nearly 600 yards. He's also added 146 yards receiving.
Davis ran for 280 yards in the Wildcats' dominating win over Florida on Saturday. Perhaps most importantly, Kentucky is unbeaten. This week, he'll get a crack at Georgia in one of the more intriguing games of Week 6.
Regardless of the outcome, he looks like one of the best backs in the nation. This was a name drawing significant buzz before the season began, and he is worthy of the attention given his performance.
Matt Lee, Miami
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While quarterbacks and skill position players normally dominate the spotlight, we're seeing just what a difference an elite center can make at Miami.
Lee was a star at Central Florida, earning all-American Athletic Conference honors as a freshman and sophomore. His move to Miami, at least thus far, has helped transform an offense that struggled mightily in 2022.
The Hurricanes currently rank No. 10 nationally in rushing yardage per carry and No. 3 in average yards per carry. They are also No. 21 in passing yards per game as well.
Tyler Van Dyke's drastic improvement over last year has been a key element to this change, although Lee has been a major part of the turnaround.
As the schedule picks up, Lee's presence will continue to loom large.
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
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The performance of Shedeur Sanders, son of Deion, has been one of the more thrilling developments this season.
While Colorado is coming off its second loss—a thrilling 48-41 defeat to USC—Shedeur was superb. He threw for 371 yards and scored five touchdowns. Despite playing four Power Five teams, he's scored 17 touchdowns and only two interceptions for the season.
He made the decision to follow his father from Jackson State, and it's certainly worked out well. Only a junior, the QB has quickly emerged as one of the best players at his position in the entire country.
That theme is expected to translate throughout the entirety of the season and perhaps beyond. Maybe more than any element at the program—including the head coach—Shedeur's play has made Colorado's resurgence possible.
Jabbar Muhammad, Washington
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We've spent ample time talking about Washington's superb offense, and we've done so for good reason. But an emerging defense, currently ranked a respectable No. 29 in scoring, really helps complete the picture.
Muhammad's emergence at cornerback has been a significant part of that improvement. The former Oklahoma State player spent three years with the Pokes before joining the Huskies this offseason, and he's delivered out of the gate.
To date, Muhammad has intercepted a pass, tallied a sack and delivered two tackles for loss. He's accumulated these statistics all while blanketing opposing wideouts.
For Washington to keep its Pac-12 and College Football Playoff hopes alive, it needs this kind of support. What a start.
Khyree Jackson, Oregon
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We stay in the Pac-12, and we stay at cornerback.
Jackson, who came over from Alabama, has delivered a handful of moments in a short period of time. In the Ducks' blowout over Colorado, he was everywhere. And at 6'3" and 195 pounds, he's got the size and range to be an elite corner.
In five games, he has looked the part. He accumulated two interceptions and broke up four passes. He also added a sack and two tackles for loss.
The Ducks currently own the nation's No. 8 scoring defense, and Jackson has been a big part of that success.
It's worth noting, however, that he appeared to suffer a hip injury last week against Stanford. Hopefully it's nothing overly serious and he'll be back on the field soon. With a game against Washington approaching, he'll likely be a key piece to that story.
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