Every year there are a handful of players that make a significant impact with their new teams after making their way over as transfers. That will be the case once again this season with the focus on the quarterback position and in the Pac-12 in particular. California and Oregon both boosted their hopes of contending for a conference championship by adding star talents at the quarterback position but they aren’t the only teams that will benefit tremendously from their offseason transfer additions. Here is a look at the college football transfers that will have the biggest impact in 2016.
QB: Davis Webb
California Golden Bears
The Golden Bears finally looked respectable last season as quarterback Jared Goff – the player that ended up being selected first overall in the 2016 NFL Draft – helped guide the team to some quality wins. So the natural thought is that without him, Cal would have to go into rebuilding mode. That might not be the case thanks to a timely transfer.
Webb projects as a quarterback that could have a tremendous season at Cal after transferring from Texas Tech. New offensive coordinator Jake Spavital will want to stretch the field with a vertical passing attack and the strong-armed Webb will be the perfect fit. Webb passed for 5,557 yards and 46 touchdowns in 23 games at Texas Tech and he was a hot commodity when he decided to transfer before eventually landing with the Golden Bears. We know that head coach Sonny Dykes does a great job with his quarterbacks, which means Webb should put up big numbers in the Golden Bears’ offense. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he Webb is talked as one of the top quarterbacks in the conference at the end of the season.
QB: Dakota Prukop
Oregon Ducks
Cal isn’t the only Pac-12 school that should benefit tremendously from the addition of a transfer at the quarterback position. Dakota Prukop is set to step in following the departure of Vernon Adams Jr. Prukop already has an excellent feel for the Ducks’ offense after arriving in the spring and he is primed to put up big numbers in his senior season. That offseason time should help as you might recall that Oregon had some issues early in the season.
Prukop put up excellent numbers in two years at Montana State and now he gets the opportunity to showcase his dual-threat ability as part of an Oregon attack that is absolutely loaded with talent at the skill positions. The situation at Eugene is far more serious than it ever was at Montana State, but this is a talented player that could put up some big numbers. He’ll be one of the more important transfers of the season.
QB: Trevor Knight
Texas A&M Aggies
The Aggies lost last year’s top two quarterbacks in the offseason, so landing the former Oklahoma starter was a major steal. Knight was only so-so as a starter at Oklahoma and saw his job taken by Baker Mayfield.
Knight can be a very effective quarterback in the spread offense at A&M where he will be surrounded with a deep cast of talented wide receivers. It definitely looks like he’ll be in a better situation here as the Sooners were somewhat conservative on offense during his time. The Aggies need Knight to be an effective quarterback in order to be competitive in the SEC and based on the situation, he should have a tremendous impact at Texas A&M.
LB: Hardy Nickerson
Illinois Fighting Illini
Nickerson led Cal with 112 tackles last season but he opted to transfer to Illinois in order to follow in his father’s footsteps and play as a post-graduate transfer with the Fighting Illini. The elder Nickerson was hired by Lovie Smith to be the defensive coordinator at Illinois, so it only made sense that his son would join him. The 6’0’’, 230-pound senior is a proven leader that will be relied on to hold down the fort in the middle. Remember that Illinois has been a flat-out disaster the last couple of seasons – especially from a leadership perspective – so getting someone like Nickerson, who can lead by example and has the experience to back it up is a huge deal. He should have a tremendous impact for the Illinois defense and he’s the only non-quarterback to make this list of key transfers.
