Week 9 Transfer Performances That Slid Under-the-Radar

By Mark Pszonak

With the high number of transfers making an immediate impact at the college football level on a weekly basis, it is easy for a few performances to slide under-the-radar. Below are five from Week 9 that deserve more attention:

DB Jabbar Muhammad – Washington (Oklahoma State)

The skinny: In what was a more difficult than expected victory over Stanford, Muhammad continued to shine with tackles, one tackle for a loss, one sack and one pass breakup. The Huskies’ offense has gotten most of the attention nationally, but the defense has come up big when needed. And Muhammad’s play, especially in recent weeks, has proven to be vital.

DB Beanie Bishop – West Virginia (Minnesota)

The skinny: Saturday was another impressive performance by Bishop, who deserves more attention for the season he has had. In a 41-28 victory over UCF he finished with four tackles, two interceptions and one pass breakup, in what has been a surprise season for the Mountaineers. A huge part of this has been Bishop, who has anchored the secondary while being amongst the national leaders in both interceptions and pass breakups.

RB Blake Watson – Memphis (Old Dominion)

The skinny: Watson is another player that deserves more attention for his overall performance this season. And Saturday was another example of this as he rushed for 169 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries and had five receptions for 100 yards during a 45-42 victory at North Texas. He has established himself as one of the most explosive and versatile players in the AAC and one of the top transfer running backs from the 2022/2023 cycle.

LB Francisco Mauigoa – Miami-Florida (Washington State)

The skinny: When Mauigoa committed to the Canes not much fanfare emerged. However, through the course of the season he has become of the top overall transfers in this cycle. That continued again on Saturday night against Virginia when he finished with six tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks. His brother, true freshman starting offensive lineman Francis, may have been receiving more attention for his solid play, but Francisco has made an equally important impact.

WR Leon Johnson – Oklahoma State (DIII George Fox)

The skinny: It is not often that a DIII transfer can find a home at a P5 school and it is even less likely that he will make an impact. Johnson accomplished this on Saturday when he had five receptions for 139 yards during a 45-13 victory over Cincinnati. The Cowboys are suddenly one of the hotter teams in the country, with Johnson becoming an important part of the offense.