With dozens of impressive performances by transfers occurring each weekend, a few always get lost in the shuffle. Here are five from Week 3 that deserve more attention:
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 3 that deserve more attention:
QB Payton Thorne – Auburn (Michigan State)
The skinny: While Auburn made Thorne a priority when he entered the transfer portal, there were plenty of questions regarding his potential in the SEC once they actually signed him. Saturday’s performance against Samford eased some of those concerns after he completed 24 of 32 passes for 282 yards and one touchdown and rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. Is this a sign of things to come or just an anomaly against a weaker opponent? The Tigers will quickly find out with games against Texas A&M and Georgia coming up this month.
RB Ray Davis – Kentucky (Vanderbilt)
The skinny: QB Devin Leary was the transfer addition that received most of the hype, and while he has also played well, Davis has proven to be invaluable on the ground and through the air in Lexington. He showcased both of those skills again on Saturday against Akron when he rushed for 72 yards and one touchdown on only seven carries and had three receptions for 97 yards and another touchdown. The schedule will obviously get much more difficult rather quickly, but with Davis’ talent and versatility, it gives the Wildcats more of an opportunity to surprise a few people in the SEC this season.
LB Jacob Roberts – Wake Forest (North Carolina A&T)
The skinny: Wake Forest has not been one of the busiest teams in the transfer portal, but they have done a good job of adding players at key positions. Last year it was defensive lineman Kobie Turner (Richmond) and this year it is Roberts. After a dominant career at North Carolina A&T, he has done the same in Winston-Salem, while helping the Demon Deacons to a 3-0 start. His best performance thus far came on Saturday against Old Dominion when he finished with a team-high 13 tackles, four tackles for a loss, three sacks and one forced fumble during the victory.
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LB Juwan Mitchell – Colorado (Tennessee)
The skinny: Mitchell has had an interesting collegiate career, which started at Butler CC, continued at Texas for two seasons, Tennessee for two more and now Colorado. On Saturday night, during a 43-35 double overtime victory over Colorado State he finished with a team-high 15 tackles, as well as one tackle for a loss. The 15 tackles was also a career-high and the most he has had in a game since finishing a game with 12 back during the 2020 season against Baylor. The Buffaloes have plenty of question marks on defense, so his experience could prove vital against the upcoming impressive offenses of the PAC 12.
LB Justin Flowe – Arizona (Oregon)
The skinny: Sometimes a change of scenery is needed to revitalize a career. That may be the case with Flowe, who never put it together at Oregon after arriving as a five-star recruit back in 2020. With the Wildcats he has impressed, which included a 11-tackle performance against UTEP on Saturday night. Now having totaled 22 tackles during his last two games, more eyes will be on Flowe to see if he can continue his high-level of play against PAC 12 opposition.
