College Football 2024: Hottest Transfer Performances of September
The college football transfer portal is now an integral part of recruiting, especially in 2024. Using both high school football recruits and transfer portal products, coaches can mix in veteran guys with experience to add to their recruiting classes each year.
Although there are various opinions on the transfer portal itself, several players can find success going elsewhere. Some have even seen their NFL draft stocks rise at a new school.
As we move into October, it's time to run through the best transfer portal performances from the month of September. We'll focus on quarterbacks, skill players like receivers and running backs, as well as defensive guys and kickers and punters. Some transfer portal guys had impressive single-game performances, whereas others had solid months overall.
Let's run through the top transfer portal performances from the month of September, organizing the list mostly by position.
Kickers and Punters
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We had to give some special teams guys some love here, too.
Kicker Graham Nicholson, Alabama
Graham Nicholson transferred to Alabama in April 2024 after a sensational career at Miami of Ohio. In 2023, he won the Lou Groza Award, given out annually to the nation's best placekicker.
Although the Tide haven't needed to rely on him for field goals too much thanks to their high-octane offense, Nicholson is 1-for-2 on the season. He made a 29-yarder last week against Georgia, but missed a 46-yard attempt against Wisconsin earlier in the season. The Tide ended up winning 42-10 against the Badgers, so the miss ultimately didn't matter too much. So far, Nicholson is a perfect 23-for-23 on extra points.
Dominic Zvada, Michigan
Michigan Wolverines placekicker Dominic Zvada transferred to Ann Arbor after spending his first two seasons at Arkansas State. So far on the season, Zvada is a perfect 7-of-7 on field goals, having missed just one extra point on the year.
Punter Bryce McFerson, Maryland
Bryce McFerson transferred to Maryland after one season at Notre Dame. He ranks ninth nationally with an average of 46.38 yards per punt. His best game of the season came against Michigan State, when he had four punts for 194 yards, getting an average of 48.5 yards per boot.
Defensive Transfers
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Edge rusher Kyle Kennard, South Carolina
Kyle Kennard transferred to South Carolina after spending the first four years of his career at Georgia Tech. Through four games, Kennard leads the Gamecocks with 5.5 sacks and another 8.5 tackles for loss. His 5.5 sacks is tied for first in the SEC, and he has 10 total stops on the year.
Defensive lineman Nic Scourton, Texas A&M
Former Purdue defensive lineman transferred to Texas A&M this offseason, and he's been a huge addition to the Aggies' pass rush. Scourton has 14 total tackles on the season so far, including 11 solo and three sacks with two passes defended.
Against Arkansas last week, he had a strip-sack of Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green that stopped a potential game-winning drive:
As you can see above, he was named the Reese's Senior Bowl co-defensive player of the week for his efforts during TAMU's 21-17 win over Arkansas.
Defensive lineman Tyler Baron, Miami
Tyler Baron transferred to Miami from Tennessee this offseason, and he's been quite disruptive for the Canes' defense so far. Baron leads the team with 4.5 sacks—good for fourth in the ACC—on the season, and has 15 total tackles with 10 solo stops. His best game came in Week 2 against FAMU,when he finished with three sacks, five total tackles with three solo stops. As Miami starts the meat of its ACC schedule this week at Cal, Baron continuing to lead the pass rush will be big for Miami as the season goes on.
Linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Kentucky
Linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson transferred within the SEC, going from Georgia to Kentucky. So far, he's been a welcomed addition to the Wildcats' defense. He is tied for first on the team in total tackles with 20, and had an interception during Kentucky's Week 1 game against Southern Miss. Dumas-Johnson had his best game of the season during Kentucky's upset over then-No. 6 Ole Miss. He finished with seven total tackles, three of them solo with a half sack.
Linebacker Chris Paul Jr., Ole Miss
Speaking of Ole Miss, the Rebels landed Chris Paul Jr. from Arkansas last December. He leads the Rebels' defense in total tackles, with 37 so far. He has another 20 solo stops, 2.5 sacks and two passes defended. His 20 solo tackles are fifth in the SEC. If Ole Miss wants to rebound this season and earn a playoff bid, Paul will have to continue playing like he has been on defense.
Cornerback A.J. Harris, Penn State
A.J. Harris transferred from Georgia to Penn State after spending one season in Athens. Through Penn State's first four games, Harris has 11 total tackles with two passes defended. During the Nittany Lion's 21-7 win over Illinois last week, Harris had a clutch interception late in the fourth quarter. Penn State's offense was able to respond with a touchdown off the pick.
Quarterbacks
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Cam Ward, Miami
Miami has fully jumped into the College Football Playoff conversation, sitting at 5-0 on the year. A huge reason for that is the play of signal-caller Cam Ward. The former Washington State product has been lighting up defenses all season, having thrown for 1,782 yards—which ranks second nationally—with 18 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He completed 70.2 percent of his passes, as well. He's rushed for 146 yards and two scores. If Ward keeps playing like this, a Heisman invitation could be in his future.
Will Howard, Ohio State
With as much talent the Buckeyes have on offense, Ohio State didn't need a quarterback to come in and break passing records. Through four games, former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard is leading this high-octane OSU offense with ease. He's thrown for 1,039 yards with eight touchdowns and just two interceptions, rushing for another three scores on the ground. The Buckeyes are tied for third nationally in scoring offense, averaging 48.8 points per game.
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
Former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback is hoping to lead Oregon to a first-ever playoff bid. Over his first four games, he's accounted for 1,192 yards passing with nine touchdowns and just one interception. His 81.5 percent completion percentage leads the country, as well. The Ducks enter the toughest stretch of its schedule over the next six weeks, including games against No. 3 Ohio State on Oct. 12, vs. Illinois on Oct. 26 and at No. 10 Michigan on Nov. 2.
Brock Vandagriff, Kentucky
Former Georgia quarterback Brock Vandagriff had the best performance of his career when it mattered most—upsetting then-No. 6 Ole Miss on the road. Vandagriff, who spent the first three seasons of his career as a backup at Georgia, threw for 243 yards and a touchdown with zero interceptions in the win.
The Wildcats' touchdown drive that gave them a 20-17 lead late in the fourth quarter was kept alive by a clutch fourth-down conversion by Vandagriff. On 4th-and-7, he hit his receiver Barion Brown on a 63-yard bomb that put UK in the red zone:
We'll see if Vandagriff and the Wildcats can knock off another ranked opponent the rest of the season.
Kyle McCord, Syracuse
After spending the last three seasons at Ohio State, Kyle McCord is putting up some of the best numbers of his collegiate career at Syracuse. Over five games, he's thrown for 1,459 yards with 14 touchdowns and five interceptions. He leads the nation in yards per game, averaging 364.8 per contest. One of his best games came during a Week 2 win over Georgia Tech, when he threw for 381 yards and four touchdowns.
Running Backs
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Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State
One of the more surprising transfer portal announcements was Quinshon Judkins' heading to Ohio State after two 1,000-yard seasons at Ole Miss. Through the Buckeyes' first four games, Judkins leads the team in rushing yards with 390 yards on 47 carries with five touchdowns. He's averaging 8.3 yards per carry, and has had two outings with over 100 yards and two touchdowns against Western Michigan and Marshall. Judkins could get the rock even more as the Buckeyes enter the heart of their Big Ten schedule, featuring at games vs. Iowa, at No. 6 Oregon and No. 7 Penn State and against No. 23 Indiana and No. 10 Michigan.
Raheim Sanders, South Carolina
Raheim "Rocket" Sanders transferred within his own conference, going from Arkansas to South Carolina last offseason. On the year so far, he has rushed for 286 yards with four touchdowns, averaging five yards per carry. His best game came against LSU, when he had 143 yards with two scores, including a 66-yard touchdown that gave the Gamecocks a lead. South Carolina ended up losing 36-33, but it was an impressive performance from Sanders.
Ja'Quinden Jackson, Arkansas
To replace Raheim Sanders, Arkansas picked up Utah transfer Ja'Quinden Jackson. He's had quite the productive season so far, getting 509 yards on 79 carries with nine touchdowns. He's added an average of 10.6 yards receiving on the season, too. In Arkansas' first three games against Arkansas Pine-Bluff, Oklahoma State and UAB, Jackson had over 100 yards rushing in each, along with a combined six touchdowns.
Wide Receivers
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Ja'Corey Brooks, Louisville
Ja'Corey Brooks transferred to Louisville after spending three seasons at Alabama under Nick Saban. He dealt with a number of injuries last season, including an upper body injury that ultimately ended his season in early November. Now that he's fully healthy, Brooks is flourishing in the Cardinals' offense, leading the team with 22 receptions for 368 yards and four touchdowns. He's averaging 16.7 yards per reception, too. Brooks leads the ACC in yards per game, getting 92 per contest.
Evan Stewart, Oregon
Former Texas A&M wideout Evan Stewart had the best game of his new Oregon career against Boise State. In a critical 37-34 win, Stewart notched five receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown, averaging 22.4 yards per catch. He's currently fourth on the team in receptions, with 14 for 162 yards.
Noah Rogers, NC State
Noah Rogers, from Raleigh, North Carolina, transferred to NC State after taking a redshirt season at Ohio State in 2023. The redshirt freshman hasn't caught a touchdown pass just yet, but he's accounted for 10 receptions for 148 yards through four games. He is averaging 14.8 yards per catch, too.
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