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The transfer portal had 2,069 entrants for the 2022 season, which was nearly a 25 percent increase from 2021. It wasn't just the quantity, it was the quality as well. Nearly 20% of all FBS players have entered the transfer portal at some time in the last 12 months. College football free agency is much wackier than the NFL will ever be.
We will start my college football season by taking a look at the transfers who will make an immediate impact at their new schools for both our fantasy and DFS lineups from day one. There were so many skill players that I decided to break it down by position to celebrate the sheer number of talented players on the move.
We will cover the last installment, wide receivers, in this piece. The quarterbacks and running backs were already covered. Here are the top receivers that could have an impact on your favorite team!
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10. Trey Palmer, Nebraska (from LSU)
This Nebraska wide receiver room is a gaggle of unproven players, some new to the program and some not, vying to become new QB Casey Thompson's favorite. I tend to think that Omar Manning is probably the best all-around player, but Palmer is likely the most talented. LSU didn't have a quarterback that could always hit Palmer on deep routes. Thompson should be able to do that this year.
It's put up or shut up time for Nebraska. This is likely the most talented team that Scott Frost has had in Lincoln. Palmer is the kind of athlete that should flourish in Mark Whipple's system. This ranking could end up being too low when it's all said and done.
9. Jadan Blue, Virginia Tech (from Temple)
Blue might have been the most prolific recruit ever at Temple, and he proved it with a monster 2019 season in which he hauled in 95 passes for 1,067 yards and four touchdowns. Even in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Blue put together a solid season. The transfer of QB Todd Centeio sent the Temple offense into a tailspin in 2021 and Blue suffered, only scoring one touchdown all season.
Gone is Braxton Burmeister (again). In is Grant Wells from a little up the road in Huntington. Tayvion Robison also transferred out of Blacksburg, so Blue is looking at a wide-open receiver room around him. He is the elder statesman, even if it isn't in this offense. None of that talent that Blue showed in 2019 is gone. All of the offensive weapons for the Owls were though and his stats suffered for it. It's time for Blue to show he can play in the big time. I think he has no problem proving that.
8. Kobe Hudson, Central Florida (from Auburn)
Hudson had a strong season for Auburn last year, but he will take his talents down to Orlando. Maybe he just wanted to go to Disney World. Who knows? What I do know is that a lot has changed for UCF. Out are Dillon Gabriel and Jaylon Robinson. In are John Rhys Plumlee and Hudson. Plumlee doesn't have the arm that Gabriel (or Mikey Keene, for that matter) does, but the Knights still have plenty of explosive weapons on offense.
Hudson will start in Robinson's vacated spot, and while he may not quite see as many passes as Robinson did, he should still see more than he did at Auburn last season. This is still an explosive offense that will rack up a lot of points in the AAC this year. My only question is how many looks Alabama transfer Javon Baker takes from Hudson, otherwise, he would be higher on this list.
7. Tarique Milton, Texas (from Iowa State)
At first, it looked like Milton was transferring into a very crowded receiver room. Agiye Hall transferred in after being dismissed at Alabama. Isaiah Neyor transferred in from Wyoming. Xavier Worthy starred for the Longhorns as a freshman and is expected to again as a sophomore. Now Milton finds himself in a position where he may start for Texas.
Neyor was injured in practice last week and will miss the entire season. Hall was arrested for criminal mischief (Hey...it really wasn't that bad. He tried to use a tire iron to get a parking boot off his car and damaged the equipment) and has been suspended for an undisclosed amount of time. There are questions surrounding the offense, but Quinn Ewers was a heralded recruit and won the starting job. Milton could star for Texas this year alongside Worthy.
6. Jacob Cowing, Arizona (from UTEP)
Hey, UTEP won more games than Arizona last year. Cowing was a huge reason why. He racked up 69 receptions for 1,354 yards and seven touchdowns. Arizona may seem like a poor situation, but Arizona has added a lot of talent from last year. Jayden de Laura transferred in, which gives them a massive upgrade at quarterback.
The Wildcats lacked a big-play receiver last year. The closest thing they had was Stanley Berryhill, who is now trying to catch on in the NFL. Cowing will see plenty of targets come his way. He may not quite put up the same numbers as last year, but he's going to be on a lot more DFS slates playing for Arizona. He's going to make me some cash on late-night slates. I can feel it!
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5. Tyler Harrell, Alabama (from Louisville)
Harrell was a big-play threat for Louisville last year. He averaged an astonishing 29.1 yards per reception last year on 18 catches. A full third of those went for touchdowns!
Alabama lost John Metchie III, Slade Bolden, and Jameson Williams (not to mention Brian Robinson) to the NFL after last season. Instead of plugging and playing from their monster recruiting classes, the Tide leaned heavily on the transfer portal this year. Harrell is a threat to score any time that he's not on the sidelines. We will see him win (and lose) some DFS slates this year.
4. Jadon Haselwood, Arkansas (from Oklahoma)
The Razorbacks lost Treylon Burks to the NFL. They looked to the portal and their neighboring state to the west to grab their next NFL receiver. Haselwood has great hands, and I don't always think last year's coaching staff at Oklahoma did the best at maximizing the strengths of their players, especially on offense.
Haselwood heads to Fayetteville for a new start and should become the favorite target of KJ Jefferson. Arkansas isn't a prolific passing team, but I could easily see Haselwood doubling last year's total of 39 receptions and 399 yards. There isn't as much competition for Haselwood in the Arkansas receiver room.
3. Mario Williams, USC (from Oklahoma)
Williams isn't even the best receiver to transfer to USC, but he is the only one that has previously played for Lincoln Riley. Williams was solid as a freshman behind Marvin Mims last season and many think he will have a leg-up on the competition since he is familiar with the offense. That may be true, but I can just as easily see Brenden Rice (son of NFL Hall-of-Famer Jerry) taking his job.
It doesn't hurt that quarterback Caleb Williams is also on page with Mario thanks to last year in Norman. Addison is going to be the guy that commands coverage, but that just leaves more single-coverage for both Williams and Rice. I could see both of them having big seasons, but I'm leaning a little more towards Williams thanks to his knowledge of the offense already.
2. Jermaine Burton, Alabama (from Georgia)
Burton pulls a reverse Kevin Durant, going from the team that beat the Tide in the National Championship to the Tide. Alabama is the odds-on favorite to win the championship (again), but it will largely depend on all of these high-profile transfers.
As previously mentioned, Alabama lost a lot from last year's team to the NFL. Harrell is the burner, but Burton is the guy that could put up massive numbers in this offense. He averaged 19.1 yards per reception last year for the Bulldogs, but only caught five passes in two games against the Tide. That was playing across from another first-round pick in George Pickens.
Burton should be THE guy for the Tide this year. We have seen the massive numbers put up in this offense from DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, Amari Cooper, Metchie, Williams, and Henry Ruggs just in the last five years. Burton looks to be the next in line.
1. Jordan Addison, USC (from Pitt)
Addison has toiled away in relative obscurity for Pitt over the last two seasons, but he has racked up 160 catches for 2,259 yards and 21 touchdowns in two seasons catching passes from Kenny Pickett. He has done all of that in just 24 games. I could convincingly argue that Addison is the main reason Pickett was a first-round pick in April. He has great hands and catches passes that most can't.
That will undoubtedly help Caleb Williams as well. If the hype is to be believed, Williams is much better than Pickett. Sure, there is more competition for the Trojans, but this is still going to be a team that likes to throw the ball. Last year I thought Addison was in the top 5 wide receivers in the entire country. He'll get to show it on a national stage this year.
Honorable Mention: Konata Mumpfield, Pitt (from Akron); Nick Mardner, Cincinnati (from Hawaii); LV Bunkley-Shelton, Oklahoma (from Arizona State); Brenden Rice, USC (from Colorado); Kyren Lacy, LSU (from Louisiana); Taj Harris, Rutgers (from Syracuse); Jacob Copeland, Maryland (from Florida)
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