This week’s “game of the year” is Texas-Georgia. The stars will be out and it will surely draw a huge TV rating. The sidelines will be packed with celebrities and standout recruits. On the field, former transfers will be center stage.
Here are 10 to keep an eye on in Austin this weekend.
MORE UGA-TEXAS: Five ranking misses that will be on display in Texas-Georgia | Big-time prospects expected at Dawgs-Horns
MORE TRANSFER PORTAL: Latest news | Transfer search | Transfer Team Ranking | Football Player Ranking | Basketball Player Ranking
Path: Oregon State to Texas
Bolden is an explosive return man who is also a proven playmaker as a receiver. He spent the first four years of his college career at Oregon State and in his final two seasons with the Beavers, Bolden amassed 77 catches, 1,048 receiving yards and nine touchdown catches.
With Texas this year, Bolden is the starting punt returner and is tied for the 10th-most punt return yards in the Power Four. As a receiver, Bolden has caught 10 passes for 77 yards and one touchdown.
The Longhorns needed to reload at receiver after last season and adding Bond to offense was a major win. The Georgia native signed with Alabama in the 2022 class showed immediate promise as a freshman, tallying 17 catches for 220 yards and one touchdown.
Bond improved on those numbers as a sophomore, becoming the Crimson Tide’s No. 1 receiver in targets and catches. Now at Texas, Bond is again the team leader in targets and receiving yards, and is tied for the lead in catches and touchdown receptions.
At Florida, Etienne was the workhorse that the Gators relied on. He rushed for more than 1,400 yards and scored 14 touchdowns while playing for Florida. Etienne’s transfer to Georgia this past offseason hasn’t gone exactly to plan. Off the field troubles forced him to sit out the first game of the season and he has yet to rush for more than 100 yards in a game for the Dawgs.
Path: Ohio State to Texas
Ewers famously reclassified up one class to enroll at Ohio State a year early but he was there for only a few months before transferring back home to Texas after the 2021 season.
Now in his third season as the starter for the Longhorns, Ewers has led Texas to the College Football Playoff once and has positioned himself as a legitimate Heisman contender and potential first overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Golden is a Texas native who was seemingly destined to remain in the Lone Star State. As a high school prospect he was committed to TCU before flipping to and signing with Houston in the 2022 class. Golden was a key player for Houston, racking up 77 catches, 1,003 receiving yards and 13 receiving touchdowns in two seasons.
That has carried over to the Texas offense, where he has fit in very well. So far this season, Golden has the second most targets and catches of any Longhorn receiver. He’s also tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns.
Path: Vanderbilt to Georgia
Vanderbilt signed Humphreys as part of its 2023 class and he paid immediate dividends in Nashville. He finished his freshman season with 21 catches for 437 yards and four touchdowns. Humphreys then decided to transfer to Georgia but only has six catches on seven targets.
Lovett can confidently call himself Georgia’s No. 1 receiver. In his second season with the Bulldogs, Lovett leads the team in targets and catches while ranking No. 2 in receiving yards. Georgia still needs him to increase his productivity as they look for increased explosiveness from their passing game.
Moore experienced plenty of success at UTSA, earning AAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, but transferred to Texas prior to this season. He stepped right into the starting lineup and his impact has been felt most in the biggest games of the season.
Of the nine quarterback pressures PFF credits Moore with, eight of them came in the Michigan and Oklahoma games. Even though he isn’t exactly filling up the stat sheet, Moore has been a very important piece of the Texas defense.
Mukuba’s impact in the Texas secondary has been impressive. After spending three years at Clemson, the Austin native transferred back home and he’s in the midst of his most productive college season.
With starts in five of the six games this season, Mukuba has 18 tackles, one interception and three pass breakups according to PFF. He currently has the third-highest coverage grade on PFF out of the Texas defensive backs with more than 15 coverage snaps.
Just like Isaiah Bond, Niblack left Tuscaloosa for Austin after last season. The tight end has not seen the field as much as he did last year for the Crimson Tide. A season ago, Niblack posted 20 catches for 327 yards and four touchdown catches. This season he caught his only target for a 7-yard gain. But the physical gifts Niblack brings to the field command attention from defenses.
