Offseason Transfers That Will Make Biggest Impacts on 2016 Season
Roster turnover is a major part of college football, but programs can plan for most of it. A team knows it will be losing a fraction of its lineup to graduation, as well as a few players who opt to turn pro early, but those losses are usually accounted for through recruiting.
It's the unexpected transfers that throw teams for a loop.
This offseason has seen its fair share of movement, with players who would have either started or been key backups at one school choosing to go elsewhere for a better opportunity. Most of these transfers won't make a major impact on the 2016 season, since many require players to sit out a year, though thanks to college football's graduate transfer rule, some players get to participate right away.
Here's our look at the players who have transferred since the end of the 2015 season who will have the biggest influence on 2016.
TCU WR John Diarse
1 of 10
LSU's struggles at quarterback have contributed to unimpressive numbers for its wide receivers over the last two seasons, with no wideout catching more than 43 passes in either 2014 or 2015. John Diarse only managed 28 receptions in those two years, unable to secure many targets in an offense that ran the ball so frequently.
He shouldn't have any problem topping his career tally before the 2016 season is complete, as TCU figures to be throwing the ball quite often this fall. The Horned Frogs attempted 39.8 passes per game in 2015, tied for 11th most in FBS, resulting in four players catching at least 30 passes.
TCU lost two of its top three targets in school career receiving leader Josh Doctson and Kolby Listenbee, which gives Diarse an opening to contribute right away. He has two years of eligibility after completing his LSU degree during the winter.
Diarse is one of three receivers to leave LSU since last season, along with Trey Quinn and Kevin Spears. The Tigers still have their top two returning targets, senior Travin Dural and junior Malachi Dupre.
Alabama WR Gehrig Dieter
2 of 10
Alabama has one of the best young wide receivers in the country in Calvin Ridley, who as a true freshman had the numbers (89 catches, 1,045 yards, seven touchdowns) to suggest he'll finish as one of the Crimson Tide's all-time greats.
Just as key for the Tide in 2015, though, was having a veteran receiver whom the quarterbacks could turn to on a regular basis, which they had in Oregon State transfer Richard Mullaney.
Mullaney has graduated, but potentially taking his spot is former Bowling Green standout Gehrig Dieter. The 6'3”, 207-pound Dieter had 94 catches for 1,033 yards and 10 TDs last season but was the Falcons' No. 2 receiver behind Roger Lewis.
Originally with SMU, Dieter's experience as a possession receiver makes it possible for him to "step in as a chain-mover," per Sports On Earth's Matt Brown, and provide Alabama's latest new starting QB with a valuable target.
Houston QB Chris Johnson
3 of 10
Baylor's roster attrition in the wake of the school's sexual assault scandal has mostly been contained to incoming freshmen and other signees from its 2016 recruiting class (as well as its head coach).
Then Chris Johnson announced his transfer from the program, thinning out an already tenuous quarterback position.
Johnson, who is set to graduate this summer, is reportedly headed to Houston. According to SicEmSports, Johnson has two years of eligibility remaining and is likely to play receiver and tight end.
The 6'5”, 235-pound Johnson was converted to receiver in 2015, registering three catches, but when Baylor lost both Seth Russell and Jarrett Stidham to injury, he was forced to start two games at QB (before also getting hurt). Johnson ended up starting the Bears' Russell Athletic Bowl win, throwing for 82 yards and rushing for 36 in the 49-38 win.
With Russell and Stidham both healthy again, Johnson was back at receiver this spring. He might have been called on again if those guys suffered further injuries, but at Houston, he'll have a chance to contribute for a receiving corps that lost top target DeMarcus Ayers to the NFL draft.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Texas A&M QB Trevor Knight
4 of 10
Trevor Knight's time at Oklahoma included a major victory but mostly disappointment. He and Texas A&M hope there's only the former on tap for this fall.
His 348-yard, four-touchdown performance in the Sooners' Sugar Bowl win over Alabama at the end of his freshman year in 2013 set the stage for a much-hyped 2014 season that included plenty of Heisman chatter. He ended up struggling all year and missed several games because of injury, eventually losing his starting job to Baker Mayfield this past fall.
With A&M, Knight is the unquestioned leader of the offense. He was named the starter just days after spring practice ended, with coach Kevin Sumlin saying "his on-field performance this spring along with his leadership earned him the starting job," per the Dallas Morning News.
The Aggies were in desperate need of a quarterback after both Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray transferred this winter. Murray ended up at Oklahoma, effectively creating a QB trade between A&M and the Sooners.
Ole Miss LB Rommel Mageo
5 of 10
After a breakout season with Oregon State in 2015, Rommel Mageo decided he wanted to finish his career with a winner. The Beavers went 2-10 last year, despite Mageo's team-high 87 tackles and two interceptions as a junior.
OSU's loss is a big gain for Ole Miss, which is replacing more than half of its defensive starters, including veteran linebackers C.J. Johnson and Denzel Nkemdiche. The 6'2”, 233-pound Mageo can step right in and prevent the Rebels from having two much of a drop-off.
Mageo and DeMarquis Gates, who was Ole Miss' leading tackler last season at 76, will make for a strong duo in the middle of the Landsharks' 4-2-5 alignment.
"Expect Gates to slide over to outside linebacker when Mageo proves he’s capable of handling the important position of middle linebacker," Daniel Paulling of the Clarion-Ledger wrote.
North Texas QB Alec Morris
6 of 10
Buried deep on Alabama's quarterback depth chart, Alec Morris appeared in eight games in four seasons but collected more national championship rings (two) than pass attempts (one).
With North Texas, he has a chance to help the Mean Green orchestrate a major turnaround after bottoming out last season.
North Texas went 1-11 in 2015, firing coach Dan McCarney midway through the season. New coach Seth Littrell, previously offensive coordinator at Arizona, Indiana and North Carolina, brings an uptempo attack to Denton, which will require the quarterback to throw early and often.
Morris went 17-of-35 for 261 yards and three touchdowns in North Texas' spring game. He's competing with junior Quinn Shanbour for the starting job.
Illinois LB Hardy Nickerson Jr.
7 of 10
The surprise coaching change at Illinois in March also resulted in the school picking up a key graduate transfer, compliments of some strong family connections.
It started when new Fighting Illini coach Lovie Smith hired former NFL star Hardy Nickerson as his defensive coordinator, which led to Hardy Nickerson Jr. coming over from California a month later.
Nickerson Jr. started 27 games for the Golden Bears, including all 13 last season at middle linebacker. In three seasons he had 246 tackles, with a team-high 111 in 2015.
"We hate to lose Hardy for next season but wish him, his father and their entire family the best," Cal coach Sonny Dykes said in a statement. "This is a unique situation where Hardy has an opportunity to play his final season of college football for his father."
At Illinois, Nickerson Jr. will be asked to provide leadership and experience for a defense that returns only four starters from 2015. The Illini had lost their top linebacker, T.J. Neal, to a transfer to Auburn earlier this offseason.
Oregon QB Dakota Prukop
8 of 10Another year, another graduate transfer quarterback in line to start for Oregon.
But will Dakota Prukop be able to make the same impact that Vernon Adams Jr. did before him, and will his extra time getting acclimated to the program help his chances?
Prukop threw for 5,584 yards and ran for another 1,763 yards with 70 total touchdowns in three seasons at FCS Montana State. He joined Oregon in January and was able to participate in spring practice, unlike Adams, who didn't arrive from Eastern Washington until August last season.
Adams managed to overcome that accelerated learning curve to throw for 2,643 yards and 26 TDs, overcoming a hand injury that shelved him for several games midway through the season.
Prukop hasn't been named Oregon's starter yet but figures to be the favorite over redshirt freshman Travis Jonsen. Meanwhile, passers Jeff Lockie and Taylor Alie worked out at receiver this spring.
"We won't decide on the quarterback position until I don't know when, but that will play out in fall camp," Oregon coach Mark Helfrich said, per Tyson Alger of the Oregonian.
Oklahoma State RB Barry J. Sanders
9 of 10
If the name sounds familiar, it should.
Barry J. Sanders is the son of Barry Sanders, the greatest player in Oklahoma State history and one of the best college football standouts ever. He spent the past four seasons at Stanford, backing up Christian McCaffrey last year, but as a graduate transfer, he now gets a chance to shine in the same place his dad starred during the 1980s.
Sanders ran for 672 yards and five touchdowns in his Stanford career, including 315 yards and four TDs in 2015. That's the same number of TDs scored by Oklahoma State's leading rusher last year, Chris Carson, who had 517 yards but averaged only 3.95 yards per carry.
The Cowboys' lack of a potent run game—quarterback J.W. Walsh was their most effective rusher—has been a concern of coach Mike Gundy. This spring, the emphasis was put on shoring up the offensive line, and Sanders' arrival this summer will put the focus on finding the right guy to hand the ball.
California QB Davis Webb
10 of 10
Most transfers only have an impact on two schools, but Davis Webb managed to affect the outlook of three teams thanks to his offseason movement.
His decision to leave Texas Tech as a graduate transfer robs the Red Raiders of an experienced backup if something were to happen to starter Patrick Mahomes II this fall, while his choice to back off a pledge to attend Colorado could keep the Buffaloes from being able to break through in 2016.
Webb initially committed to Colorado in January, following Buffs co-offensive coordinator Darrin Chiaverini from Texas Tech to Boulder. In March he told the Denver Post, "I love the Buffaloes and I want to be the quarterback for the 2016 season."
But as the spring went on, Webb wavered on that commitment, ultimately choosing California over Colorado. According to ESPN, "Webb began to have a change of heart in February, around the time that Cal coach Sonny Dykes hired Jake Spavital as the team's new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach."
Spavital was previously offensive coordinator at Texas A&M and runs the Air Raid, similar to what Webb operated at Tech, where he threw for 5,557 yards and 46 touchdowns in three seasons. With the Golden Bears, he has a chance to replace No. 1 draft pick Jared Goff, now with the Los Angeles Rams.
All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports, unless otherwise noted. All statistics provided by CFBStats, unless otherwise noted.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
