ACC: Ten transfers who will make biggest impact in 2023
The winter transfer portal window for FBS football closed last week. While there will still be some movement between now and when the NCAA transfer portal window reopens on April 15, most impact transfers have already found new homes.
This week, we look at ten transfers that will we believe will have the biggest impact heading into the 2023 season for teams in the ACC.
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QB Sam Hartman - Notre Dame
Hartman threw for 12,967 yards and an ACC-record 110 touchdowns during five seasons at Wake Forest. The Fighting Irish ended the season with a Gator Bowl victory over South Carolina and landed a game-changer at the most important position on the field.
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CB Fentrell Cypress - Florida State
Cypress was the No. 4-ranked defensive back in the transfer portal when he committed to FSU. Pro Football Focus graded Cypress at 87.8 for the 2022 season (No. 8 among FBS cornerbacks) with a coverage grade of 87.6. Cypress earned All-ACC second-team honors this season after posting 39 tackles and 15 pass break-ups in nine games.
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TE Jaheim Bell - Florida State
Bell is a versatile playmaker who South Carolina used as a traditional tight end, split wide and in the backfield (the Gamecocks used Bell at RB when two players went down with injuries). Mike Norvell can line Bell up in so many places. Good things tended to happen for South Carolina when the ball was in Bell’s hands. Expect him to get more touches at Florida State.
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OL Javion Cohen - Miami
Cohen, who earned second-team All-SEC honors following the 2022 season, is the No.4-ranked OL and No. 27 ranked overall player in the Rivals Transfer Portal Rankings. Expect to see him in the Miami starting lineup on day one. He adds experience (25 starts and over 1,500 snaps at Alabama) and hopefully production (posted 17 knockdown blocks and allowed just 1.5 sacks this season). Cohen has two seasons of eligibility remaining, so his impact will be felt for a while in the ACC.
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DL Braden Fiske - Florida State
Fiske comes to the Seminoles with plenty of experience – five seasons at Western Michigan, three of them as a starter. Fiske played primarily inside with some edge versatility. He posted 58 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, six sacks, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He is ranked as the No. 11 defensive lineman in the Rivals Transfer Portal Rankings.
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WR Kevin Coleman - Louisville
Jeff Brohm needed receivers and he landed a deep-threat playmaker from the SWAC. Coleman caught 32 passes for 475 yards and three touchdowns to go along with 16 kick returns for 373 yards as he earned SWAC Freshman of the Year honors. He capped his freshman season with seven catches for 137 yards and one touchdown in the Celebration Bowl.
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QB Brennan Armstrong - North Carolina State
Virginia’s all-time record holder for total offense, passing yards and passing touchdowns reunites with former Cavaliers offensive coordinator Robert Anae in Raleigh. After a down season in Charlottesville, we think Anae will get Armstrong back to form, which will be huge for the Wolfpack.
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EDGE Gilber Edmond - Florida State
Edmond was an impact defender in a conference - the SEC - which prides itself on its defense. Edmond led the Gamecocks with nine tackles for loss and ranked second with nine quarterback hurries this past season. He started 10 of the Gamecocks’ 12 games, posting 39 total tackles and two sacks.
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RB Caziah Holmes - Florida State
Holmes might look out of place on this list, but bear with me. Holmes entered the transfer portal after the May 1, 2022 deadline, so he did not receive immediate eligibility for the 2022 season. As such, he spent this season on the Seminoles scout team. With Treshuan Ward transferring to Kansas State, we expect Holmes to play a bigger role for the Seminoles next season than was initially anticipated when he arrived in Tallahassee.
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QB Phil Jurkovec - Pittsburgh
Pitt needed a starting quarterback and they got one. Jurkovec will play his final season at Pitt after spending time with Boston College and Notre Dame. He threw for 5,183 yards and 35 TDs against 17 interceptions during his time at BC. The move reunites Jurkovec with former BC offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti Jr., who coached Jurkovec to his most successful years while the two were at BC.