The second week of the college football season is over and dozens of players who have transferred at least once in their college career made a huge impact on the field. Here are the transfer standouts from week two.
FACT OR FICTION: Dabo Swinney should embrace the transfer portal
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QUARTERBACK: Kyle McCord
This week: 32-for-46 with 381 passing yards, 4 TD
The Fran Brown era at Syracuse is off to a 2-0 start and just took down a top-25 Georgia Tech team thanks to McCord’s prolific performance. The former Ohio State quarterback threw three touchdowns in the first half and added one more in the second half. McCord is up to eight touchdown passes on the year and is completing 69-percent of his passes with just one interception. Syracuse has another conference game on Saturday when it hosts Stanford followed by games against Holy Cross and at UNLV.
Other standouts: Cam Ward, Joe Fagnano, Will Rogers, Kurtis Rourke, Dillon Gabriel, Jaxson Dart
RUNNING BACK: Desmond Reid
This week: 19 carries for 148 yards; 6 catches for 106 receiving yards, TD
Pitt beat Cincinnati in thrilling fashion on Saturday to improve to 2-0 on the season. Reid tallied 148 rushing yards in the game but the former Western Carolina standout’s biggest play was a 56-yard touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter. He ended the game with over 250 total yards and one touchdown, earning an offensive grade of 81.3 from PFF.
Other standouts: Quinshon Judkins, Henry Parrish Jr., Cameron Skattebo, Dean Connors, Ja’Quinden Jackson
RECEIVER: Andrew Armstrong
This week: 10 catches for 164 yards
In his second season at Arkansas, Armstrong was Taylen Green’s favorite target in the Razorbacks' overtime game against Oklahoma State. After missing the first game of the season, Armstrong is on pace to once again lead the Razorbacks receiving corps this year. This was just his second game with 100 receiving yards as a Razorback but it looks like there will be plenty more in this Bobby Petrino-led offense.
Other standouts: Tre Harris, Elijah Sarratt, Theo Wease, Mario Williams, Kisean Johnson, Elijah Badger, Konata Mumpfield, Evan Stewart
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: Chris Adams
Adams is in his first season at Memphis but the Old Dominion transfer hasn’t had trouble acclimating to his new team. Memphis beat Troy this weekend 38-17 to get their second win of the season and every phase of their offense was clicking. Adams helped pave the way for the Tigers to rush for more than 200 yards. He also did not allow a sack or quarterback pressure of any kind, according to PFF.
Other standouts: Logan Brown, Jesse Ramil, Cooper Lovelace, Melvin Priestly, Willie Lampkin, Emmanuel Pregnon
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: Taylor Baron
This week: 5 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 QB hurries
Baron transferred from Tennessee after spending four years in Knoxville. At various points this offseason he was committed to Ole Miss and Louisville but it was Miami that ended up with him and he has hit the ground running. Baron racked up three more sacks over the weekend, bringing his total to four on the season. Expect Baron to draw a lot more attention from opponents as the season rolls on.
Other standouts: Mike Green, Mikail Kamara, Kameron Olds
LINEBACKER: Teddye Buchanan
This week: 11 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 TFL, QB hurry, forced fumble
Cal beating Auburn as a road underdog was one of the biggest wins of the weekend. Buchanan was a huge reason why the Bears were able to pull out the win. The former UC-Davis standout was a constant presence behind the line of scrimmage against Auburn. In addition to his multiple sacks and tackles for a loss, Buchanan was also credited with a forced fumble.
Other standouts: Jack Kelly, Landyn Watson, Alex Howard, Branson Combs, Elijah Herring, Xavian Sorey Jr.
DEFENSIVE BACK: Andrew Mukuba
This week: 3 tackles, INT, 2 pass breakups
Mukuba transferred from Clemson to Texas this offseason and is already making an impact. Texas beat Michigan handily on Saturday and Mukuba graded out as one of the best defenders on the field. The Longhorns have a deep secondary but Mukuba could be in for a larger role going forward if he keeps performing at a high level.
Other standouts: Dylan Lawrence, Jeremiah Wilson, Khari Johnson, Tommi Hill
