By Mark Pszonak
Finding a top transfer running back is a priority for many schools during the winter. Some are worth the NIL money while others turn out to be busts. Here are five who busted in 2024:
Trevor Etienne, Georgia (Florida)
The skinny: Etienne’s transfer from Florida to rival Georgia created plenty of buzz and angst amongst Gators’ fans, but did he perform up to expectations in Athens? No, he didn’t. In fact, it was Etienne’s least productive collegiate season with 609 rushing yards and a 5.0 yards per carry average. While his season wasn’t a disaster, it ended up being rather disappointing considering all of the preseason hype.
Roydell Williams, Florida State (Alabama)
The skinny: Similar to the Florida State team in its entirety, Williams came in with plenty of expectations but then failed to perform in 2024. He only rushed for 53 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries (2.0 yards per carry) during the season, which only lasted six games due to an injury.
Peny Boone, UCF (Louisville/Toledo)
The skinny: After entering the transfer portal at Toledo, Boone only had a brief pitstop at Louisville before eventually ending up at UCF. Nothing came together for him with the Knights after he rushed for 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns during his final season with the Rockets. In Orlando he only rushed for 208 yards and two touchdowns in six games, which included 81 yards and one touchdown in the season opener against New Hampshire.
Dallan Hayden, Colorado (Ohio State)
The skinny: After falling down the depth chart in Columbus, Colorado was supposed to be Hayden’s opportunity to shine. Instead he only rushed for 196 yards and one touchdown, with a 3.1 yards per carry average. Hayden should be back with the Buffaloes in 2025 so he will have another opportunity to turn things around in Boulder.
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Logan Diggs, Ole Miss (LSU)
The skinny: Not much went right for Diggs at Ole Miss in 2024. He underwent offseason knee surgery in March which caused him to miss the entire regular season. He did finally play in the Gator Bowl victory over Duke, where he rushed for 15 yards on one carry and had one reception for six yards.
