Every Friday, the Friday Five will rank something in the world of college football -- anything and everything from the logical to the illogical. This week, we rank the five transfers who will have the greatest impact on their new teams in 2016.
While college players have been transferring to new schools for years, it seems like they're having a much larger impact on the college football landscape than ever before. A large reason for this is the graduate transfer rule that allows players to transfer to a new school after receiving their degree and not have to sit out for a season.
With this being such a common occurrence these days that it's reaching the point where even I, somebody who follows college football for a living, sometimes forget guys have even transferred to begin with.
I'm sure there will be a few guys who show up in new uniforms this season that elicit an "oh yeah" from my lips as I watch the game.
So, for this week's Friday Five I've decided to rank the five transfers I believe will have the greatest impact on their new teams in 2016. I chose this topic not just to keep you informed about who to look out for, and where, but also to force myself to do some research on transfer players to remind myself just who has gone where.
So, in essence, we're both learning here today. Hooray for knowledge and its acquisition.
5. Duke Catalon, RB, Houston: Catalon originally committed to Texas out of high school. He was a four-star member of Texas' 2014 recruiting class, but he never really gained traction in Austin. He redshirted his first season on campus, then, for whatever reason, he decided to transfer and moved on to Houston where he sat out last season.
Now Catalon is in a position where he could play a large role in an offense that was very dangerous last season. Houston QB Greg Ward Jr. was the show for the Cougars last season -- and he will be again in 2016 -- but he could certainly use some help. Ward was also Houston's leading rusher last year, and with Houston's second-leading rusher Kenneth Farrow now serving as a San Diego Charger, the door is wide open for Catalon to step in and have a major impact in Tom Herman's offense.
4. Hardy Nickerson Jr., LB, Illinois: Cal hasn't exactly been known for its defense in recent years, but when the Bears did make a tackle, odds are it was Hardy Nickerson dragging the ball carrier to the ground. Nickerson had 112 tackles for the Bears last season, and 245 in his Cal career.
Now Nickerson has transferred to Illinois, where his father, former Tampa Bay Buccaneer linebacker Hardy Nickerson, is now the team's defensive coordinator under Lovie Smith. He steps into a situation where he'll be sorely needed following as Illinois lost its three leading tacklers from last season, including two linebackers.
Illinois will need Nickerson to continue being the tackles machine he was at Cal, and odds are he'll continue to post impressive numbers.
3. Kenny Hill, QB, TCU: Remember when Kenny Trill was going to win the Heisman? He showed up at Texas A&M as a four-star recruit in 2013, and saw a little bit of time as a true freshman behind Johnny Manziel. He then began the 2014 season as the Aggies starter, and threw for 511 yards and three touchdowns in A&M's opener against South Carolina.
Hill went on to have a fantastic September, and his name was bandied about as a Heisman candidate, but then October came. And with October came the losses, and eventually Hill lost his starting gig after a 59-0 stomping against Alabama.
Hill transferred following the season, and after sitting out last year, he seems to be the heir apparent to Trevone Boykin at TCU. He'll have large shoes to fill, but if Kenny Trill shows up for the Horned Frogs, they'll once again be a major factor in the Big 12.
2. Dakota Prukop, QB, Oregon: I don't think going the graduate transfer from FCS route is the best way to approach your quarterback position, but that's what Oregon is doing for the second season in a row. Last season it was Vernon Adams making his way to Eugene from Eastern Washington, and this year Dakota Prukop comes from Montana State.
In his two seasons as a starter at Montana State, Prukop threw for 5,584 yards and 46 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,743 yards and 24 touchdowns. So, you know, he was pretty productive.
And Oregon will need him to continue being productive if the Ducks want to compete for a Pac-12 title and College Football Playoff berth this season. Now, as I said, going the grad transfer route every season isn't the best plan for sustained success, but one major difference between Prukop and Vernon Adams is that Adams wasn't able to enroll at Oregon last year until mid-August. That gave him less than a month to get himself acquainted to his new team and the offense.
Prukop has been at Oregon since January, so he'll have gone through spring and fall camp before the season begins.
1. Trevor Knight, QB, Texas A&M: It looked like Trevor Knight was on his way to becoming another star quarterback for the Sooners a couple of years ago. In Oklahoma's 45-31 win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl following the 2013 season, Knight threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns.
Things never improved from there, however.
Knight struggled a bit in 2014, throwing for 2,300 yards, 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in nine games before suffering a scary neck injury. That injury cost Knight the rest of the season, and he couldn't wrestle the starting job away from Baker Mayfield last season, as Moxie Mayfield led Oklahoma to a Big 12 title and a CFP berth.
Knight then transferred to Texas A&M after both Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray left the Aggies last season, and he's now poised to take over the Aggies offense. He'll have plenty of explosive weapons surrounding him, and if Knight can limit the turnovers that plagued him in 2014, the Aggies offense could become a major force in 2016.
Honorable Mention: Gehrig Dieter, WR, Alabama; Geno Lewis, WR, Oklahoma; Barry J. Sanders, RB, Oklahoma State; Patrick Towles, QB, Boston College; Davis Webb, QB, Cal;
