21 for 2021 College Football Topics: 21 key transfers who should make an instant impact on the 2021 season.
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The transfer portal is the new recruiting world.
Let everyone else develop your players – all you have to do is go shopping in the portal, and boom, problems get solved.
You could come up with a list of at least 200 transfers who should be on this list, but here’s our call on 21 who should be the biggest deals. Does that mean everyone here will rock? Nah, but most of them will.
21 transfers you need to know about are …
21 for 2021 Preview Topics (so far)
21. Thoughts, Wishes, Hopes for 2021
20. Best Teams To Not Make CFP
19: Teams That Will Rebound Big
18. Teams That Will Fall Back
17: Every Power 5 Team’s Letdown Game
16. Expectations For New Head Coaches
15. Expectations For 2nd Year Head Coaches
14. Power 5 Hot Seat Coach Rankings
– CFN 2021 Preview: All 130 Team Previews
21 Key Instant Impact College Football Transfers
21. QB McKenzie Milton, Florida State from UCF
No matter who wins the Florida State starting quarterback job, Milton will be one of the best stories of the college football season. It’ll be a battle for the gig – Jordan Travis and Chubba Purdy will get every shot – but after battling back from a horrific leg injury suffered a few years ago, anything Milton does will be amazing.
– CFN 2021 Florida State Preview
20. QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee from Virginia Tech and/or Joe Milton, Tennessee from Michigan
The Vols lost a ton of talent to the transfer portal, but new head coach Josh Heupel has a slew of quarterbacks to choose from. There are already a few nice options in place, but Hooker was a rising star at Virginia Tech and Milton has all the tools – but couldn’t put them together – at Michigan. Whoever gets the gig will be a statistical star.
– CFN 2021 Tennessee Preview
19. OT Cain Madden, Notre Dame from Marshall
The Irish needed to revamp the line, and they’re hoping a few superstar young prospects can rise up right away. Madden should be much more than a veteran insurance policy, though, as an all-star blocker coming in from Marshall.
– CFN 2021 Notre Dame Preview
18. WR Charleston Rambo, Miami from Oklahoma
The Hurricanes already have a terrific receiving corps returning, and they added another big piece to potentially take over the home run hitting role. A former star recruit for Oklahoma, Rambo is a deep threat averaging over 17 yards per catch last season.
– CFN 2021 Miami Preview
17. DT Siaki Ika, Baylor from LSU
Baylor has a star defensive mind in head coach Dave Aranda, and he brought in the bulk to make his D rock. The former LSU defensive coordinator took the 350-pound Coke machine from the Tigers. Now the Bears have their anchor.
– CFN 2021 Baylor Preview
16. S Tykee Smith, Georgia from West Virginia
The Georgia defense was already going to be good, and now it has a few all-star caliber defensive backs coming in. More on the corner part of the equation in a moment. At safety, Smith was a key performer at West Virginia with 111 tackles and four interceptions and nine broken up passes in his two seasons.
– CFN 2021 Georgia Preview
15. QB Bailey Zappe, WKU from Houston Baptist
Easily one of the most exciting offenses early in the weird 2020 season, Houston Baptist gave everyone fits. WKU didn’t have an offense, so it took the top guys from the Huskies. The Hilltoppers got HBU’s offensive coordinator, a few great receivers, and the quarterback who hit Texas Tech for 572 yards and Texas for 480.
– CFN 2021 WKU Preview
14. LB Mike Jones, LSU from Clemson
The Tigers have their linebacking corps now. They got Navonteque Strong from the JUCO ranks to go along with the 6-0, 220-pound Jones, a guided missile of a defender who was great at getting into the backfield at Clemson. Now he should break out with a bigger role.
– CFN 2021 LSU Preview
13. QB Jack Coan, Notre Dame from Wisconsin
The hope is for Drew Pyne to grow into the type of baller who can do a little bit of everything for the offense, but before that happens – if it does – the Irish will hope the veteran accurate passer to take over the offense. Coan might not run, and he might not be next-level great, but he can be what this slightly-rebuilding team needs.
– CFN 2021 Notre Dame Preview
12. LB Ben Davis, Texas from Alabama
Yet another Alabama five-star recruit, Davis didn’t do too much for the Tide, and now the linebacking corps in place is otherworldly. That’s fine – Davis just followed former offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian over to the Longhorns where he should quickly be one of the leaders and statistical stars.
– CFN 2021 Texas Preview
11. WR Wan’Dale Robinson, Kentucky from Nebraska
The UK offense has always been more steady than sensational, and now it’s going to try cranking things up a few notches. Offensive coordinator Liam Coen – a former assistant for the LA Rams – has a few nice weapons to work with, and getting Robinson from Nebraska gives the attack a versatile, do-it-all playmaker who needs the ball in his hands.
– CFN 2021 Kentucky Preview