By Mark Pszonak
In today’s Fact or Fiction – Portal Edition – I look at three more transfer topics and decide whether the statement is indeed FACT or FICTION.
1. DJ Uiagalelei will be able to save the season for Florida State
Mark’s take: FICTION
I guess there are different definitions of “saving the season”, but for a program that had a historic run in 2023, the bar should be pretty high in Tallahassee. And because of that, no I don’t think DJ Uiagalelei will be able to save the season for the Seminoles. Can he get them to 8-4 and a respectable bowl game? Sure. But can he right the ship after a devastating conference loss to Georgia Tech and still have them contend for an ACC title and a possible playoff berth? No chance.
2. SMU’s transfer class will not be as helpful as expected
Mark’s take: FACT
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Yes, I know it was one game, but SMU’s performance at Nevada has every right to concern Mustang fans. With who they returned and then added via the transfer portal, the overall thought (including mine) was that SMU had positioned itself very well for their first season in the ACC. Now, after their come-from-behind 29-24 victory over a Nevada team that finished 2-10 last season and was a 27.5 point underdog, it is already time to readjust expectations in 2024.
3. This transfer cycles transfer quarterbacks will reach expectations
Mark’s take: FACT
This comes up because if you look at last year’s top transfer quarterbacks, overall, they disappointed. Sam Hartman, Devin Leary, Tanner Mordecai and Brennan Armstrong all came in with high expectations, but none were able to reach them. The transfer quarterback who passed for the most yards was actually Davis Brin (Tulsa to Georgia Southern), who finished with 3,781 yards and 24 touchdowns, but also led the nation with 19 interceptions. However, I see this year’s group being closer to the one from two years ago when Caleb Williams, Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr. and Cam Ward lit up the country. I can definitely see a few disappointments in the 2024 group, but overall there is too much overall talent to see a repeat of last season.
