Incoming transfers don’t count as returning starters but in some cases they can have a similar, if not more impactful, effect on their new teams. Case in point, Texas A&M is currently reaping the benefits of accepting an experienced transfer, who is capable of unifying the offense – something Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray never did in College Station in 2015.
In his latest Top 10 list, Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports ranked the best transfers heading into the season and included two SEC players on his list – both of which are graduate transfers:
Alabama: receiver Gehrig Dieter
As if the Tide needed more options at receiver, Nick Saban got one of the most productive receivers in the country in the Bowling Green grad transfer, who caught 94 passes for 1,033 yards and 10 touchdowns last year. Dieter, a sturdy 213-pounder with good speed and toughness should be a terrific compliment to Calvin Ridley and O.J. Howard.
If you haven’t seen Dieter’s highlight reel, he was more than a stat machine for Bowling Green last season, he made one ridiculous play after another in 2015:
Texas A&M: quarterback Trevor Knight
The early returns on Knight have been exceedingly positive from folks inside the Aggies program. Knight, a former OU captain, has been a great addition to a locker room that needed more stability. Knight also is a good dual-threat talent who beat Alabama in a bowl game a few years back, throwing four TDs and for 348 yards. He inherits a very potent group of wideouts. “He’s a confident leader at quarterback,” said A&M DE Myles Garrett. “He’s what we needed. He’s beaten the best.”
One other former SEC player made Feldman’s list, as former Gator defensive back J.C. Jackson is expected to start at Maryland after playing in junior college last season.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
