Ranking the Top 7 FCS to FBS College Football Transfers Since 2020

Although the path to stardom tends to follow a traditional route, college football has enjoyed some incredible outliers lately.

During the 2024 season alone, two Heisman Trophy finalists and two other top-10 finishers were players who began their careers in the Football Championship Subdivision. There is necessary context in that group, yet it's a prime example of some memorable FCS-to-FBS transfers.

And because of the transfer portal, more success stories may be coming soon.

The list is subjective but focuses on a player's production at the FBS school and does not weigh NFL success.

7. Jerreth Sterns, WR

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Following the 2020 season, Western Kentucky hired Zach Kittley as the offensive coordinator. He brought along some talent from Houston Baptist, and that familiarity led to a record-setting explosion in 2021.

Jerreth Sterns not only emerged as WKU's top wideout but climbed the all-time record book along the way.

As the Hilltoppers posted a 9-5 mark, he made 150 catches for 1,902 yards—both top-five totals in FBS history—and 17 touchdowns. Sterns, an unsuspecting star at 5'9", paced the nation in each category.

Sterns garnered second-team AP All-America recognition.

6. Shedeur Sanders, QB

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Were his father not the coach at Jackson State, Shedeur Sanders could have immediately played at the FBS level. That's a fair starting point.

Nonetheless, he moved from the FCS school to Colorado in 2023.

Sanders put up quality stats in two seasons, first throwing for 3,230 yards with 27 touchdowns to three interceptions. Then in 2024, he posted an FBS-leading 74.0 completion percentage and led the Big 12 with 4,134 yards and 37 scores.

Colorado went 1-11 the year before Sanders and Co. arrived, but Shedeur left Boulder as the second-team AP All-American QB of a 9-4 team.

5. Cam Skattebo, RB

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A high-energy, relentless competitor, Cam Skattebo endeared himself to the country as part of Arizona State's stunning rise in 2024.

That moment in the spotlight came after a grind, though. Skattebo was lightly recruited and initially went to Sacramento State, where he won Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year in 2022.

Skattebo headed to ASU in 2023 and quietly surpassed 1,000 yards from scrimmage with 10 touchdowns.

And then, he became a star.

Arizona State won a Big 12 title and reached the College Football Playoff behind Skattebo, who rushed for a conference-high 1,711 yards with 21 touchdowns. He also caught 45 passes for 605 yards and three more scores, finishing as a first-team AP All-American and fifth in Heisman Trophy voting.

4. Bailey Zappe, QB

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In that Kittley-coordinated WKU offense with Sterns causing headaches for defensive backs, the conductor was Bailey Zappe.

He rewrote the record books, too.

While completing 475 passes—the sixth-most in a season—he set FBS marks with 5,967 yards and 62 touchdowns through the air. Zappe propelled WKU to a division title and runner-up finish in Conference USA, closing the year at 9-5 after setting those records in a bowl victory.

The transfer from Houston Baptist won C-USA Most Valuable Player and was a finalist for the Manning Award.

Zappe parlayed that campaign into an NFL future, landing with the New England Patriots as a fourth-round selection in the 2022 draft.

3. Jared Verse, Edge

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Jared Verse matched and surpassed his billing as a coveted transfer.

While at Albany, the pass-rusher twice earned All-CAA recognition with Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2020. Verse hit the portal following the 2021 season and landed at Florida State.

For the next two seasons, he caused a whole lot of chaos. Verse collected 48 tackles with 17 for loss (nine sacks) in 2022, then registered 41 stops with 12.5 TFLs (nine sacks) in 2023 as FSU celebrated a conference title. He secured first-team All-ACC in both seasons and second-team AP All-America status in 2023.

Verse was the 19th overall pick of the 2024 draft and rapidly became a core piece of the Los Angeles Rams defense.

2. Cam Ward, QB

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The story is well-known: Cam Ward played in a triple-option offense as a high schooler, was a 0-star recruit and went to Incarnate Word in San Antonio.

Ward won the Jerry Rice Award in 2020 and Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2021 for UIW. When his head coach accepted the Washington State job, Ward followed him (Eric Morris) to Pullman. Ward notched a pair of seasons with at least 3,200 yards and 22 touchdowns.

After flirting with the NFL draft, he transferred to Miami and provided a much-needed spark to the offense.

Ward shattered school records with 4,313 yards and 39 touchdowns, the latter of which led the nation. He guided Miami to its first 10-win season in seven years, landed first-team AP All-American honors, won the Davey O'Brien and Manning Awards and ended fourth in Heisman voting.

To cap it off, the Tennessee Titans used the No. 1 pick of the 2025 draft on Ward.

1. Travis Hunter, WR/CB

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Ward started at the FCS level by necessity, but Travis Hunter began at Jackson State by choice. He made a dramatic last-second flip, passing up a spot at Florida State in favor of playing for Deion Sanders at Jackson State.

After an injury-affected year, Hunter followed his coach to Colorado and unleashed two-way excellence on the FBS.

In 2023, he made 57 receptions for 721 yards and five touchdowns while notching 30 tackles and three interceptions. Hunter exploded in 2024, leading the Big 12 with 96 catches (for 1,258 yards) and 15 touchdowns. He added 36 tackles and four interceptions on defense.

A first-team AP All-American in both seasons at CU, Hunter won the Heisman Trophy and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2024.

Hunter followed Ward as the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL draft, heading to the Jacksonville Jaguars.