All-Transfer Offensive Team For The 2023 College Football Offseason
Lincoln Riley changed the way college football programs win. After taking the USC job last offseason, he brought in a haul of players through the transfer portal, including eventual-Heisman winner Caleb Williams and first-round NFL Draft pick Jordan Addison. That USC team went from four wins to 11 wins and Pac-12 Championship and Cotton Bowl berths.
This year, Deion Sanders overhauled the Colorado Buffaloes in the same vein. The Buffs won just a single game a year ago, and the results of this facelift are TBD, but Prime Time brought in stars from Jackson State like Travis Hunter.
Naturally, the transfer portal churned on, sending record-numbers of players to other programs.
Which players land on KillerFrogs' All-Transfer team for offense?
2023 All-Transfer Team Offense
Sam Hartman, QB
Wake Forest to Notre Dame
In his third sophomore season (yes, really), Hartman threw for over 4,200 yards at Wake Forest. The QB brought a Wake team to their first top-10 AP Poll ranking and just second-ever preseason appearance in the top 25. Last year, he tossed 38 touchdowns and racked up another 3,700 yards, bringing his career total to nearly 13,000 yards in Winston-Salem.
Hartman was the crown jewel of the transfer portal, but there was never a sweepstakes for him. He entertained the idea of heading to the NFL and, by the time he announced his decision to transfer, a landing spot had already been puzzled out – Notre Dame. Before taking a single snap, Hartman is the most accomplished ND quarterback since Brady Quinn in 2006.
Marquez Cooper, RB
Kent State to Ball State
Unless you're a tried and true Tuesday night MACtion fan, you might be learning some new names on this list. Cooper rushed for over 1,300 yards in 2022, 20th-most nationally, in Kent State's prolific offense. That total's the second-most of any transfer back this year (see below).
Cooper was one of many, many Golden Flashes to leave Kent after head coach Sean Lewis took the offensive coordinator job at Colorado. Per ESPN's Bill Connelly, Kent State returns just 19% of their offensive production – by far the least nationally. Cooper slots in at Ball State, who has a large vacancy at running back themselves.
Carson Steele, RB
Ball State to UCLA
That large vacancy is Carson Steele, who transferred to UCLA this season. Steele rushed for the second-most yards among returning backs this year at over 1,550 yards on 289 carries. Ball State's offense was Steele, particularly at the end of the year. His distinguished look of long blonde hair and iconic physical running style turned heads nationally this year.
Steele slots in as the successor to Zach Charbonnet, who left for the NFL. His downhill style that seeks contact fits in perfectly with what Charbonnet did in the Bruins offense under Chip Kelly. Expect another uber-productive year from Steele this season.
Dominic Lovett, WR
Missouri to Georgia
Lovett came to Mizzou as a highly-touted four-star prospect with offers from Alabama, Penn State, LSU, and Georgia. Despite a subpar passing attack from the Tigers, Lovett averaged 15.1 yards per reception and scored three times. He shared the field with five-star freshman Luther Burden but shone anyway.
247Sports ranks Lovett as the top receiver transfer and comes into Athens as a top target option, likely out of the slot.
Dorian Singer, WR
Arizona to USC
Singer had the second-most receiving yards in the Pac-12 at Arizona with 1,105 and six touchdowns. 247Sports ranks Singer as the fifth-best transfer receiver this cycle, but there's a real chance he's the most productive. USC brings in five-star receiver Zachariah Branch, but with Williams still at QB (rather than Branch's teammate, freshman Malachi Nelson), Singer may be the Trojans' top receiving option.
Should Mario Williams take over as the WR1, Singer presents a real threat as a No. 2 target. No matter how you dice it, the trio of Singer-Williams-Branch is one of the most dangerous receiving trios in the nation.
Dante Cephas, WR
Kent State to Penn State
Back to the MAC! Turns out, Kent State's offense was jampacked with top-end Power Five talent. Cephas racked up over 1,200 yards and nine touchdowns in 2021 before missing a few games last year. He comes to Penn State as an immediate top option for rising sophomore Drew Alar.
According to NFLDraftScout.com, Cephas posted a 40-yard dash time as low as 4.42 and his speed is shown on the field. Kent State loved stretching the field with him in their high-volume, down-the-field offense.
Jaheim Bell, TE
South Carolina to Florida State
While not super involved in South Carolina's offense over the past three seasons, Bell was the top TE transfer sought out by many schools. Teams like Texas and Alabama reportedly wanted in on the Bell sweepstakes, but he settled on Florida State.
He's a sure-handed athlete that makes up for being slightly undersized by playing larger than he is. Bell's also extremely versatile, even lining up at running back for the Gamecocks in a pinch last season. He ultimately left Columbia to seek an offense that was willing to get him the ball more often, and reported NIL opportunities.
Jeremiah Byers, OT
UTEP to Florida State
Aside from quarterback, Jeremiah Byers might have been the most-sought after transfer this offseason. He came out of high school as the 367th-ranked prospect in the state of Texas with four FCS offers; he ultimately signed with UTEP and started 30 games for the Miners in three seasons.
Per 247Sports, Byers was the second-best tackle transfer this offseason. He slots in as an immediate starter in an offensive line that should be plenty experienced and talented. The Seminoles already have a history of landing big-time transfers from smaller schools and turning them into stars (see: Jared Verse).
Ajani Cornelius, OT
Rhode Island to Oregon
Few players matched the transfer excitement Byers did; Cornelius is one of those players. From FCS' Rhode Island to Pac-12 starter, 247Sports tagged him as possibly being the "best player in the transfer portal." Cornelius visited Ohio State and Tennessee before committing to Oregon.
LaDarius Henderson, OG
Arizona State to Michigan
Death, taxes, and Michigan landing top offensive line talent in the transfer portal. They landed center Olusegun Oluwatimi last cycle and he was named a first-team All American. Enter guard LaDarius Henderson (and Drake Nugent) and the Wolverines are set to three-peat as having a top-three offensive line unit nationally.
Javion Cohen, OG
Alabama to Miami (FL)
247Sports ranks Cohen as the best interior offensive lineman transfer this cycle (guard or center). He will get the starting left guard spot for the Canes alongside another top-rated transfer (see below). Per 247Sports' John Garcia, Cohen is an NFL-level talent with room to grow and versatility desired by NFL teams. There's no doubt the Phenix City, Ala., product will be in strong consideration for an All-ACC seat.
Matt Lee, OC
UCF to Miami (FL)
Three teams really won the portal on the offensive line: Michigan, Auburn, and Miami. But only Miami has two offensive linemen on this list, the second being two-time All-AAC selection Matt Lee, who comes in from UCF. On3 rates Lee as a four-star transfer prospect. He originally came out of high school as a tackle, but moved inside and excelled immediately.
Brian Battie, AP
USF to Auburn
Battie is listed as a running back, but his dynamism in the return game is what lands him on this list. Per NFLDraftScout.com, Battie runs a blistering 4.38 40-yard dash. He showed that speed off especially in 2021, housing three kicks. In 2022, he followed that up with over 1,100 rushing yards and eight rushing TDs. Battie will likely return kicks for the Tigers, but don't be surprised to see him in an expanded backfield role, too.
Agree with the list? Think someone's missing? Let us know on Twitter!
Want to join the discussion? Click here to become a member of the Killer Frogs message board community today!
Follow KillerFrogs on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest TCU news! Follow KillerFrogs on Facebook and Instagram as well. Download the KillerFrogs app on Google Play or in the Apple App Store.
