Ranking college football's top 50 newcomers at midseason

Who are college football's most impactful newcomers for 2024? We gave our best guess in the preseason. Now we have some answers.

Back in August, we attempted to identify the top 100 newcomers of the 2024 season, based on intel from coaches and staffers throughout the sport on which new transfers and true freshmen were poised to make a significant impact. It's time for a redo.

Here's our midseason assessment of the top 50 newcomers of the 2024 season. We've made a ton of changes to the top of these rankings. Some highly touted transfers and freshmen have lived up to all the hype, but many more have made big moves on the list based on impressive play and production.

It wasn't difficult to decide who deserves to be No. 1, but it was tough to cut this list off at just 50 players. Many more transfers and freshmen have stood out in the first half of the season and deserve recognition. Here's who made the list.

1. QB Cam Ward

Transfer: Washington State to Miami

When Ward declared he was entering the NFL draft on New Year's Day, there was little certainty about where he'd end up getting selected. The feedback he received suggested he might be a second- or third-round pick, but perhaps that was too optimistic. Going pro meant betting he could impress at the NFL combine. There were no guarantees.

Thank goodness he changed his mind.

"At the end of the day, I think I'm a Day 1 quarterback," Ward said on Jan. 13. "I think coming back to college can solidify myself."

Ward added a new chapter to his wild journey from Incarnate Word to Washington State to joining a Miami team that was hungry to contend. The fifth-year senior has exceeded all expectations, becoming a genuine Heisman Trophy contender and the leading passer in FBS with 2,219 passing yards, 23 total touchdowns and 5 interceptions for a 6-0 Hurricanes squad that has climbed to No. 6 in the AP poll thanks to dramatic comeback wins over Virginia Tech and Cal. He's achieving his goal of playing his way into first-round hype and will have a chance to take this team to the College Football Playoff if he can keep this up.

2. WR Jeremiah Smith

Ohio State | No. 4 in 2024 ESPN 300

Smith, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound freshman, is already one of college football's most complete wide receivers halfway through his debut season. Through six games, he leads Ohio State's primary receiving corps in yards (553), yards per reception (17.3) and touchdowns (seven). These are not empty calories, either. Smith's seven contested catches rank tied for 19th nationally, and he hasn't dropped a pass since the Buckeyes' opening drive of the season. He has added a series of one-handed grabs and had an impressive performance in a loss to Oregon Saturday night.

3. WR Ryan Williams

Alabama | No. 3 in 2024 ESPN 300

If you weren't already familiar with him before Sept. 28, Williams loudly announced himself to the nation with six catches for 177 yards -- including an electrifying, 75-yard touchdown -- against Georgia last month. Did you know Alabama's big-play freshman is only 17? With seven catches of 40-plus yards this fall, Williams is the Crimson Tide's home run threat and leads Alabama in receptions (23), receiving yards (576) and touchdowns (six). More context on Williams' playmaking: He's averaging a whopping 57.7 yards per touchdown, best among FBS pass catchers with three or more scores this fall.

4. DL Nic Scourton

Transfer: Purdue to Texas A&M

Texas A&M missed on Scourton when he was a three-star high school recruit, but first-year coach Mike Elko sure is glad the Bryan, Texas, native agreed to come home and play for the Aggies as a junior. Scourton led the Big Ten in sacks at Purdue in 2023 and has been just as disruptive in his new league. He leads all SEC defenders in pressures (20), sits second in tackles for loss (10) and has racked up 4.5 sacks plus 2 pass breakups and a forced fumble. Scourton has looked unblockable at times and has stepped up during the Aggies' 3-0 start to conference play, with a combined 6.5 TFLs over his past two games.

5. QB Kurtis Rourke

Transfer: Ohio to Indiana

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti knew he was getting a proven contributor in Rourke, a sixth-year senior who started 33 games at Ohio and earned MAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2022. The Hoosiers' new head coach was extremely confident they'd put up points and win games in Year 1. He was right about a lot of things, particularly his QB pick.

Rourke is currently the Big Ten's third-leading passer with 1,752 yards, 16 total touchdowns and just 2 interceptions. He ranks No. 1 among all Power 4 starters in QBR (91.9) and No. 3 in completion percentage (73.8%) and yards per attempt (11.0) while powering an offense that's producing a whopping 47.5 points per game, second most in FBS. He's going to get a much greater spotlight with tougher tests in the weeks ahead, but Rourke's outstanding play has helped the 6-0 Hoosiers emerge as a legitimate threat in the Big Ten race.

6. DT Walter Nolen

Transfer: Texas A&M to Ole Miss

Few players who hit the transfer portal this offseason were more coveted than Nolen, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2022 ESPN 300. He had clear first-round pick potential and needed to prove it by playing at a consistently high level at his next stop. So far, the 6-foot-3, 305-pound defensive tackle has been as good as advertised for the Rebels.

Nolen is playing 40-50 snaps per game for the first time in his college career (he averaged 29 per game at Texas A&M) and has held up well with a bigger workload, even playing a career-high 66 snaps against LSU. He has recorded 26 stops, 6 TFLs and 2.5 sacks and has helped Ole Miss become the No. 1 run defense in college football at 66.6 yards per game.

7. QB Dillon Gabriel

Transfer: Oklahoma to Oregon

Gabriel called spending his sixth season in college football an opportunity "he couldn't pass up." Nights like Saturday against Ohio State -- when Gabriel threw for 341 yards, accounted for three total touchdowns and inserted himself back into the Heisman Trophy conversation in his 55th career start -- are part of why. The Ducks' offense hadn't been as explosive as expected prior to their 32-31 win over the Buckeyes, ranking 81st in plays over 20 yards and 92nd in red zone efficiency entering Week 7. But Gabriel's playmaking ability and experience showed up against the Buckeyes, most prominently on his 27-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter of a win that cemented Oregon's status as a top playoff contender.

8. QB Diego Pavia

Transfer: New Mexico State to Vanderbilt

Pavia's heroics -- and postgame charm -- in the Commodores' 40-35 win over Alabama in Week 6 alone were enough to justify his place on this list. Indeed, the upset of the top-ranked Crimson Tide cemented Pavia's place in Vanderbilt football history. But the 2023 C-USA Offensive Player of the Year has found a true home in Tim Beck's offense, where Pavia ranks 27th nationally and fifth among SEC quarterbacks with 13.1 yards per completion and has the Commodores averaging 34.7 points per game, 28th among FBS offenses.

9. OL Seth McLaughlin

Transfer: Alabama to Ohio State

McLaughlin was a 24-game starter over the previous three seasons at Alabama, and he's now an integral part of one of the nation's best offensive lines. McLaughlin has played the third-most snaps within a Buckeyes blocking unit that has allowed only five sacks (10th fewest) and paved the way for a rushing attack averaging 5.9 yards per carry this fall. Ten months after his snapping struggles spilled over at the Rose Bowl, McLaughlin is putting together an All-American-caliber season in Columbus.

10. QB Will Howard

Transfer: Kansas State to Ohio State

A second-team All-Big 12 selection a year ago, Howard was the choice to replace Kyle McCord and take charge of a Buckeyes offense that has national title expectations. He has settled in through six games, sitting fourth among all Power 4 starters in completion percentage (73.3%), sixth in QBR (87.7) and 25th nationally in passing (1,574 yards). Howard's inexplicable game-ending slide in Saturday's loss to Oregon overshadowed a performance in which he completed 28 of 35 passes for 326 yards and three total touchdowns and shouldn't distract from his role driving the nation's sixth-highest scoring offense (43.5 PPG).

11. QB Kyle McCord

Transfer: Ohio State to Syracuse

If McCord fell short of expectations in his lone season starting at Ohio State, he's exceeding them in his debut campaign with Syracuse. McCord became the first Orange quarterback to throw for 300 yards in six consecutive games when he had 346 yards passing with a pair of touchdowns in Syracuse's 24-17 win on Saturday. Through six games, McCord has thrown for more first downs (112) than any FBS passer nationally and his 360 yards passing per game ranks second only to Miami's Cam Ward. McCord has the Orange at 5-1, and he's on pace to set a series of career highs this fall.

12. DL Derrick Harmon

Transfer: Michigan State to Oregon

The Ducks managed to add the talented 6-foot-5, 310-pound junior as a post-spring pickup in May, and he has been everything they wanted and more as a disruptive force for their defensive front. Harmon has recorded 22 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, 3 sacks, 3 pass breakups and 2 forced fumbles. He shined against Ohio State, delivering a critical takeaway on a strip of Judkins that set up the Ducks' first score of the day.

13. Edge Kyle Kennard

Transfer: Georgia Tech to South Carolina

Kennard notched 12.5 career sacks in 42 career games at Georgia Tech and hit the portal this past offseason as one of the sport's most experienced transfer pass rushers. He has hit the ground running at South Carolina, closing Week 7 with 7.5 sacks to lead the SEC and more pressures than any SEC pass rusher outside of Scourton at Texas A&M. At 7.5 sacks, Kennard already has a career high and the most of any South Carolina pass rusher since 2017, in range of Jadeveon Clowney's single-season record of 13 sacks with six regular-season games remaining.

14. S Caleb Downs

Transfer: Alabama to Ohio State

Prior to Week 6, only one defense across the country had yet to allow a completion over 30 yards this fall, and it was the one that has Downs, the dominant sophomore, starting at free safety. The reigning Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year winner after a prolific debut season at Alabama, Downs has transitioned seamlessly into Jim Knowles' secondary, logging 25 tackles and a half sack across six games in which he has been targeted just twice. Perhaps the most coveted portal defender last offseason, Downs is living up to the hype with the Buckeyes.

15. WR Isaiah Bond

Transfer: Alabama to Texas

Bond, one of college football's fastest receivers, has lived up to elite expectations in Steve Sarkisian's passing attack. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound junior has 21 catches for 369 yards and three touchdowns and has also turned two carries into 51 yards and another TD. He's picking up 18.3 yards per touch while playing on a loaded receiving corps and has an opportunity to play his way into first-round draft pick status. Texas' efforts to reload at receiver have paid off with strong production from Bond, Houston transfer Matthew Golden and five-star freshman Ryan Wingo.

16. RB Quinshon Judkins

Transfer: Ole Miss to Ohio State

Joining TreVeyon Henderson this fall, Judkins now makes up half of one of the nation's best running back tandems. A two-time 1,000-plus rusher at Ole Miss, Judkins ranks 46th in total yardage (491 yards) among FBS rushers while splitting carries with Henderson, but his 6.9 yards per attempt ranks 20th nationally. With 269 rushing yards after contact this fall, Judkins' physical running style looks Big Ten-ready and prepared for the long haul of a deep Buckeyes playoff run.

17. CB Jermod McCoy

Transfer: Oregon State to Tennessee

McCoy started five games as a true freshman for Oregon State before making his move to the SEC. The 6-foot, 193-pound corner is still young and growing but is off to a terrific start for the Vols, allowing just nine catches for 107 yards in pass coverage, according to TruMedia, with four pass breakups plus an interception in their road win at Oklahoma.

18. CB A.J. Harris

Transfer: Georgia to Penn State

ESPN's No. 37 prospect in 2023, Harris hit the portal after one season at Georgia and landed with a school that recruited him out of high school. At Penn State this fall, Harris has found a home as the Nittany Lions' sixth-leading tackler (19 total tackles) with a pair of picks and a pass deflection to his name. Ahead of the Nittany Lions' Week 7 win over USC, Harris' defensive completion percentage of 23.1% led the Big Ten and landed him fifth among cornerbacks nationally this fall.

19. S Kamari Ramsey

Transfer: UCLA to USC

Ramsey broke out as an 11-game starter at UCLA in 2023, then followed defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn across town to join the Trojans during the offseason. Six games in, Ramsey has become a linchpin to a much-improved USC pass defense that ranked 13th nationally prior to Week 7. Ramsey's three pass breakups lead all Trojans defensive backs this fall, and he ranks third in tackles among USC defenders (30).

20. DL Tyler Baron

Transfer: Tennessee to Louisville to Miami

Baron, a fifth-year senior who spent four years at Tennessee, went back in the transfer portal in April after spending the spring at Louisville. Miami wisely went after him, bringing in even more blue-chip talent to its defensive line. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound edge rusher has been as disruptive as expected with 16 pressures, 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks (tied for fourth most in the ACC) through six games for the No. 6-ranked Hurricanes.

21. WR Elijah Sarratt

Transfer: James Madison to Indiana

Cignetti and his staff found Sarratt via the portal after a breakout freshman season at FCS Saint Francis, developed him into an All-Sun Belt wideout and managed to get him to join the Hoosiers. Moving up to face tougher competition yet again hasn't slowed down the 6-foot-2, 209-pound wideout one bit. Sarratt ranks fourth in the Big Ten in receiving yards per game, turning 29 catches into 513 yards and two touchdowns with three 100-yard performances for the undefeated Hoosiers.

22. LB Chris Paul Jr.

Transfer: Arkansas to Ole Miss

"Pooh" Paul is playing at an All-SEC level in Pete Golding's defense this season. The 6-foot-1, 235-pound junior came in with plenty of valuable experience in the league after playing two seasons with the Razorbacks and has leveled up in Oxford, recording 46 tackles, 7 TFLs, 2.5 sacks and 3 pass breakups. Paul has been extremely effective as a blitzer, ranking near the top of the SEC all season when it comes to pressures.

23. CB Domani Jackson

Transfer: USC to Alabama

With 18 games of experience, Jackson arrived at Alabama in the offseason as one of the most seasoned members of an overhauled Crimson Tide cornerbacks room. The junior defender earned a starting role out of fall camp and has now played more coverage snaps than any Alabama cornerback in 2024. Jackson logged his first Alabama interception against Georgia on Sept. 28, and his second interception, which sealed a narrow win over South Carolina in Week 7, was critical.

24. CB Trey Amos

Transfer: Alabama to Ole Miss

Amos transferred from Louisiana to Alabama last year and transferred again to take on a starting role for the Rebels. He wowed his new coaches in practice this offseason and has played up to their high expectations through six games in Oxford. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior has broken up nine passes, grabbed three interceptions and hasn't allowed 50 or more receiving yards in any game this season.

25. DL Princely Umanmielen

Transfer: Florida to Ole Miss

Umanmielen said he felt like he was "actually getting developed" in his first offseason at Ole Miss after spending four years at Florida. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound senior has missed some time with an injury but has been efficient as a pass rusher with 15 edge pressures, 13 tackles, 6 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. The Rebels' efforts to upgrade their D-line are paying off with a defense that ranks No. 1 nationally in TFLs (63) and sacks (24).

26. QB Taylen Green

Transfer: Boise State to Arkansas

Green showed serious dual-threat ability as a two-year starter at Boise State who led the Broncos to a Mountain West title in 2023, but he has taken his game to another level in the SEC under offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound junior ranks No. 4 in the conference in total offense, putting up 1,828 yards with nine total touchdowns and five interceptions. Green's 17 rushes of 10-plus yards are tied with Pavia for most among SEC starters, and he's picking them up on both designed runs and scrambles. He's a big reason for the Razorbacks' surprising 4-2 start.

27. QB Eli Holstein

Transfer: Alabama to Pitt

ESPN's fifth-ranked pocket passer in the 2023 class, Holstein has electrified the Pitt offense and charged one of the most surprising unbeaten starts in 2024. The former Alabama quarterback is leading the nation's 14th highest-scoring offense (40.8 PPG) with 15 touchdowns to five interceptions across the Panthers' 6-0 start. Only 10 FBS passers have completed more than Holstein's 25 passes of 20-plus yards through six games.

28. DL Mikail Kamara

Transfer: James Madison to Indiana

The 6-foot-1, 265-pound edge defender came to James Madison as a zero-star recruit and developed into a difference-maker. Now he's a force in the Big Ten and tied for the conference lead in sacks (5). He has at least one TFL in five of his first six games at the Power 4 level. Kamara is one of five starters on Indiana's defense -- along with DL James Carpenter, LBs Aiden Fisher and Jailin Walker and CB D'Angelo Ponds -- who followed defensive coordinator Bryant Haines from JMU to help lead a top-15 scoring defense in Bloomington.

29. DL Fadil Diggs

Transfer: Texas A&M to Syracuse

Diggs, a New Jersey native, moved closer to home for his senior season by teaming up with his D-line coach Elijah Robinson at Syracuse. The 6-foot-5, 261-pound edge rusher was a two-time captain and 20-game starter at Texas A&M and has brought invaluable leadership for this new coaching staff. Diggs has also been extremely versatile and productive for Syracuse's defensive front with 28 tackles, 8 tackles for loss (tied for fourth most in the ACC) and 4 sacks.

30. LB Shaun Dolac

Transfer: Buffalo to Utah State to Buffalo

Dolac, a former walk-on, missed most of last season with a leg injury and transferred to Utah State in the offseason. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound senior decided to rejoin the Bulls this summer and is thriving under their new coaching staff, breaking out as the nation's leading tackler with 87 stops through six games, 11.5 tackles for loss (second most in FBS), 3 sacks and 2 interceptions. Dolac has double-digit tackles in every game, including a career-high 19 against Northern Illinois. If he can keep this up, that's All-America-caliber production.

31. RB Ja'Quinden Jackson

Transfer: Utah to Arkansas

The former top-100 recruit has had a fascinating college career, going from a backup quarterback at Texas to a rising star at running back for Utah. Jackson is now healthy and playing his best football yet in Fayetteville with 566 rushing yards, 118 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He has scored in all six of his games with the Razorbacks, forced 30 missed tackles on 99 carries and put up a career-best 149 rushing yards against Oklahoma State.

32. RB Desmond Reid

Transfer: Western Carolina to Pitt

Reid, an All-America performer at the FCS level, followed his offensive coordinator, Kade Bell, to Pitt and quickly proved he's one of the ACC's best all-purpose playmakers. The 5-foot-8, 175-pound back has put up 494 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Reid leads all Power 4 backs in receiving yards with 341 and four TDs on 25 receptions. He also took his only punt return of the year back for a 78-yard touchdown against Kent State. Reid is averaging 8.8 yards per touch for the 6-0 Panthers.

33. QB Tyler Shough

Transfer: Texas Tech to Louisville

Injuries hampered Shough's time at Texas Tech, but there was little doubt about his talent when he landed at Louisville in the offseason. Through six games, Shough is the ACC's fourth-leading passer with 1,674 passing yards with 14 touchdowns to three interceptions, and he sits fifth among ACC passers and 24th nationally in QBR. With two more starts, Shough will set a career high for starts in a six-year career that began at Oregon in 2019.

34. QB Dylan Raiola

Nebraska | No. 11 in 2024 ESPN 300

Raiola's late flip from Georgia was one of the stories of the 2024 recruiting cycle, and the five-star quarterback has been everything that was promised across Nebraska's best start since 2016. With 19 throws of 20-plus yards, Raiola has flashed downfield ability. But he also ranks 26th nationally in completion percentage (66.9%) and closed Week 7 with 1,538 yards and nine touchdowns to three interceptions. There's new life in Lincoln in Year 2 under Matt Rhule, and Raiola one of the key reasons.

35. Edge Colin Simmons

Texas | No. 12 in 2024 ESPN 300

ESPN's No. 2 defensive end in the 2024 cycle, Simmons has immediately asserted himself as a playmaker on the Longhorns' defense. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound edge rusher has appeared in all six games this fall and leads the Longhorns with 11 pressures, ranking 94th among all FBS pass rushers. He sits second on the team with four sacks. Initially projected as a situational pass-rushing option this fall, Simmons has now played the ninth-most snaps among Texas' front seven over the first half of his freshman season.

36. S Jalen Catalon

Transfer: Texas to UNLV

The sixth-year senior was an All-SEC performer early in his career at Arkansas and is back to playing at a high level at UNLV after overcoming several years of injury setbacks. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound playmaker has grabbed four interceptions, including a 36-yard pick-six against Houston, and added 45 tackles and three pass breakups to help the Rebels roll to their first top-25 ranking in school history and emerge as a serious contender for a CFP bid.

37. RB Brashard Smith

Transfer: Miami to SMU

Rhett Lashlee and his coaching staff have a great track record of turning Miami transfers into impact players at SMU, and they found another gem in Smith. The 5-foot-10, 196-pound senior was a productive slot receiver for the Hurricanes but is thriving since making the switch to running back, producing 825 all-purpose yards (second most in the ACC) and eight total TDs through six games. Smith's eight rushes of 20-plus yards are tied for third most in FBS.

38. LB Teddye Buchanan

Transfer: UC Davis to Cal

The FCS grad transfer stayed close to home and has impressed as a sideline-to-sideline playmaker for the Bears. Buchanan is tied for No. 2 in the ACC in tackles with 56 plus six TFLs and four sacks and has teamed with Cade Uluave to give Cal one of the best linebacker duos in college football. The Bears did an excellent job of finding under-the-radar talent in the portal this offseason, adding nine transfers who've started games this season.

39. Edge Dylan Stewart

South Carolina | No. 14 in 2024 ESPN 300

At 6-foot-6, 248 pounds, the former five-star prospect doesn't quite look like a freshman, and his production this fall doesn't match that of a first-year player, either. Stewart has 3.5 sacks and 12 total tackles through the first half of his debut season, creating pressure on 13.5% of his pass rush attempts prior to Week 7, landing him 35th among FBS pass rushers. Outside of a regrettable unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Ole Miss, Stewart is already playing beyond his years with the Gamecocks.

40. OL Jordan Seaton

Colorado | No. 19 in 2024 ESPN 300

Seaton was ESPN's No. 1 offensive tackle prospect when he committed to the Buffaloes two weeks before the early signing period last December. Colorado turned to the 6-foot-5, 285-pound blocker for immediate answers on its struggling offensive line this fall, and while there have been growing pains, Seaton has settled in well. Prior to Week 7, Seaton had 328 snaps, 35th most among offensive tackles across the country, and was allowing pressures on just 3.9% of his snaps, looking very much the part of the elite offensive tackle Deion Sanders thought he was getting in the 2024 cycle.

41. WR Ja'Corey Brooks

Transfer: Alabama to Louisville

After struggling with a shoulder issue and catching just three passes for 30 yards last season, Brooks has bounced back in a big way as the No. 1 target in Jeff Brohm's offense. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound senior has emerged as the ACC's second-leading receiver with 572 yards and has been prolific since the start of conference play, turning 17 catches into 400 yards and five TDs over his past four games.

42. WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith

Transfer: Penn State to Auburn

Lambert-Smith was one of the more proven and coveted players to hit the portal in the spring, and he's well on his way to a career-best year with the Tigers. The 6-foot-1, 182-pound senior ranks fourth in the SEC in receiving yards, turning 24 receptions into 510 yards and six scores. Lambert-Smith had five catches of 50-plus yards during his four years at Penn State and already has four this season in Hugh Freeze's offense.

43. CB Will Lee III

Transfer: Kansas State to Texas A&M

From Iowa Western Community College to Kansas State to five starts in five games at Texas A&M, Lee's college football journey has continued in College Station this fall. The 6-foot-3 defender broke up four passes in Texas A&M's Sept. 28 win over Arkansas and has asserted himself as the Aggies' top cornerback opposite San Diego State transfer Marcus Ratcliffe, logging a team-high 179 coverage snaps this fall with a defensive completion percentage of 31.8%.

44. CB Jabbar Muhammad

Transfer: Washington to Oregon

A 27-game starter at Washington, Muhammad stood among the top portal defensive backs this past offseason. The 5-foot-10 corner has 19 total tackles with six pass deflections operating in an Oregon secondary limiting opponents to 189.3 passing yards per game (35th nationally). If Muhammad hasn't been quite the same ball magnet he was a year ago when he logged three interceptions for the national runner-up, it's at least in part because opposing offenses are staying away from Muhammad in 2024, targeting him on just 13% of his snaps prior to Week 7.

45. RB Jonah Coleman

Transfer: Arizona to Washington

Coleman's decision to follow Jedd Fisch and his coaches from Tucson to Seattle is certainly paying off. The 5-foot-9, 229-pound junior ranks second in the Big Ten in yards from scrimmage with 805 and also has five touchdowns. He has three 100-yard rushing performances on the year and has been one of the toughest backs to tackle in the Big Ten with 36 missed tackles forced.

46. WR Josh Kelly

Transfer: Washington State to Texas Tech

After four years at Fresno State and one at Washington State last fall, Kelly has emerged immediately as one of the Big 12's top pass catchers with the Red Raiders in 2024. Kelly's 44 receptions rank second among Big 12 wide receivers, including nine catches for 95 yards against his former team in Texas Tech's Week 2 loss to Washington State. Kelly has dropped four passes, but his five contested catches land him eighth in the Big 12.

47. RB Henry Parrish Jr.

Transfer: Miami to Ole Miss

After losing Judkins to the portal, the Rebels brought back a familiar face in Parrish. He played at Ole Miss in 2020 and 2021 before his two-season stint at Miami. Now he's off to a career-best start in his comeback season in Oxford. Parrish has rushed for 612 yards and nine touchdowns on 5.8 yards per carry and brought great balance to a Rebels offense that ranks No. 4 in the country in yards per play.

48. CB Jordan Clark

Transfer: Arizona State to Notre Dame

Clark has been an excellent addition for Notre Dame's defense as its nickel cornerback. The sixth-year senior and son of NFL great Ryan Clark has allowed just 38 passing yards and no touchdowns on 136 snaps in coverage and has proved to be a great tackler in space with 10 stops. His instincts and leadership have boosted an Irish unit that ranks among the top 10 in FBS in scoring defense and passing yards per attempt.

49. TE Eli Stowers

Transfer: New Mexico State to Vanderbilt

A once-promising Texas A&M quarterback signee, Stowers converted to tight end last fall and then became one of the New Mexico State transfers who followed Jerry Kill to Vanderbilt in 2024. Only nine tight ends across the country have been targeted more than Stowers (38) this fall, and he was a handful for the Crimson Tide, hauling in six passes for 113 yards in the Commodores' upset of Alabama. Altogether, Stowers' 333 receiving yards are ninth most among FBS tight ends.

50. WR Evan Stewart

Transfer: Texas A&M to Oregon

After recording 91 catches in two seasons at Texas A&M, the former Freshman All-American found a new home in a Ducks receiving room that had to replace three of its top four pass catchers from a year ago. It had been a disappointing start for Stewart this fall with just 16 catches for 182 yards across Oregon's initial five games, but he saved his best for Ohio State on Saturday with a seven-catch, 149-yard explosion against the Buckeyes and cornerback Denzel Burke, one of the top NFL draft prospects at the position. It was Burke who Stewart beat on his 10-yard, second-quarter touchdown in the 32-31 win, highlighting a performance that showed everything Stewart can offer the Ducks when he's at his best.