Transfer portal awards: Handing out transfer superlatives in the Pac-12
With the winter transfer portal window now closed and the February signing day behind us, Rivals.com hands out Pac-12 superlatives for the 2023 class.
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CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals100
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TOP DOG: Travis Hunter, Colorado
Deion Sanders has been a game-changer since taking over as head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes. Included among his offseason accomplishments is his transfer portal haul is Travis Hunter, the No. 1 player in the Rivals Transfer Rankings.
In eight games played for Jackson State during his freshman season, Hunter recorded 18 catches for 188 yards and four touchdowns on offense. Defensively, he tallied 20 tackles, eight pass breakups, two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Now, Hunter will get a chance to showcase his skills consistently on the Power Five level.
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WELCOME TO THE BIG STAGE: Carson Steele, UCLA
After a stellar career with the Bruins, Zach Charbonnett is off to the NFL. Stepping into Chip Kelly's backfield will be former Ball State running back Carson Steele, who led the MAC in rushing during the 2022 season with 1,556 yards and 14 touchdowns while also adding 166 receiving yards out of the backfield.
Steele also rushed for 100-plus yards in nine of 12 games last season, with his season-high being 198 on Nov. 8 against Toledo. The Greenwood, Ind., native will see if his success in the MAC can translate to the Pac-12.
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REDEMPTION TOUR: DJ Uiagalelei, Oregon State
Uiagalelei, a former five-star prospect, lost his starting job at Clemson late last season, but he has a resume and track record that should keep momentum going for a rising Oregon State program coming off a 10-2 season.
During his time at Clemson, Uiagalelei was 22-6 as a starter. Last season, he threw for 2,521 yards at a 61.9% clip with 22 touchdowns against seven interceptions while also rushing for 545 yards and an additional seven scores.
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TOP IN-CONFERENCE TRANSFER: Dorian Singer, USC
Singer, a former walk-on, was one of the most productive wide receivers in the Pac-12 last season at Arizona, tallying 66 catches for 1,105 yards and six touchdowns for the Wildcats.
USC head coach Lincoln Riley saw Singer shred the Trojans defense for seven catches for 141 yards and three touchdowns on Oct. 29. Now, Singer will likely be the go-to option for Heisman trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams after the Trojans lost Jordan Addison to the NFL this past season.
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TOP ROAD GRADER: Junior Angilua, Oregon
Angilua was a sneaky – but significant – transfer addition for Oregon this offseason. Sneaky because he missed the 2022 season after suffering a knee injury in fall camp with Texas, but his resume is spectacular.
During his career with the Longhorns, Angilua started 34 total games. That includes 12 games in 2019 as a redshirt freshman at right guard. In 2020, he transitioned to left guard and started 10 games. In 2021, he started 12 games – six games at right guard and six at left guard. Needless to say, the Ducks bolstered their interior line in a big way.
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MR. LOCKDOWN: Jabbar Muhammad, Washington
The Huskies' offense can score, but it struggled a bit in pass defense this past season, ranking in the middle or toward the bottom in most statistical categories. The most telling stats: 10th in the conference in passing touchdowns allowed with 25 while allowing 7.8 yards per pass attempt.
Enter Oklahoma State veteran Jabbar Muhammad. In 31 games with the Cowboys, Muhammad tallied 72 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and 13 passes defended. During the 2022 season, Muhammad started 12 games (10 at corner, two at safety) while recording 48 tackles, an interception and 10 pass breakups.
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MOST UNDERRATED: Levani Damuni, Utah
Utah picked up a really solid addition to its defense on Dec. 7 in former Stanford linebacker Levani Damuni.
During his career with the Cardinal, Damuni appeared in 31 games, totaling 204 tackles. Damuni led Stanford with 76 tackles during the 2022 campaign. He also tallied 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception and two forced fumbles. He led the Cardinal in tackles during the 2021 season with 88, along with five tackles for loss and two sacks.
That's the kind of defensive production that will keep the Utes in the hunt for additional Pac-12 titles.