Diving into the portal: 5 key transfers into the Pac-12

There will be another spate of transfers after spring practices are over, but for now the transfer portal is relatively quiet, which gives us an opportunity to look at key transfers into each Power 5 league.

Today, it’s five key transfers in the Pac-12. “Key” is a relative term, but you can expect each of these players to make an appreciable impact this fall for their new teams.

(We looked at the Big Ten on Monday, the Big 12 on Tuesday, the SEC on Wednesday and the ACC on Thursday, and will look at independents and the Group of 5 on Saturday.)

Arizona QB Jayden de Laura

The buzz: de Laura threw for 2,789 yards and 23 TDs in 2021 while leading Washington State to a 7-6 record; he also started in 2020 as a true freshman. Thus, not only is Arizona — whose quarterbacks were bad in 2021 — getting an experienced quarterback, it is getting a quarterback who has had success in the Pac-12. de Laura’s arrival gives Arizona coach Jedd Fisch, a former NFL offensive coordinator and quarterback coach, a nice offensive building block. Fisch and his staff did nice work in the portal and on the recruiting trail in an attempt to turn around a Wildcats program that has won a combined five games in the past three seasons. de Laura’s go-to receiver should be UTEP transfer Jacob Cowing, who was ninth nationally in 2021 in receiving yards with 1,367; he had 69 receptions and averaged 19.81 yards per catch. In his three-year UTEP career, Cowing had 141 catches for 2,608 yards (18.5 yards per reception) and 13 TDs.

Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez

The buzz: Gonzalez started every game the past two seasons for Colorado, and as with de Laura and Arizona, the Ducks are getting an experienced player who has had success in the Pac-12. Gonzalez earned honorable mention all-league honors in 2021, when he had 53 tackles and five pass breakups. Oregon needed corners, as both starters from 2021 are gone, and Gonzalez figures to fill one of the spots. Oregon’s new cornerbacks coach is Demetrice Martin, who had held the same role at Colorado; thus, Gonzalez has great familiarity with his position coach. Gonzalez had 10 pass breakups in his two seasons at Colorado.

UCLA LB Darius Muasau

The buzz: Muasau was a highly productive two-time first-team All-Mountain West Conference selection at Hawaii and should slide into a starting spot for the Bruins, who need linebackers. Muasau was a spot starter as a true freshman in 2019, then a fulltime starter for the Rainbow Warriors the past two seasons. He was fifth in the league with 109 tackles in 2021 and led the conference with 104 tackles (in nine games) in 2020. Muasau also had 23.5 tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hurries and five forced fumbles the past two seasons. One other Bruins transfer to keep an eye on is OLB Laiatu Latu, from Washington. He showed immense promise as a true freshman in 2019, but a neck injury in 2020 eventually forced him to give up football. He’s been cleared, and if he can regain his 2019 form, he will contend for All-Pac-12 honors.

Washington State QB Cameron Ward

The buzz: So why did de Laura leave Washington State? Ward’s arrival had everything to do with that. Ward starred last season for FCS program Incarnate Word, in San Antonio. He threw for 4,648 yards and 46 TDs in 2021 for Incarnate Ward, which went 10-3 and lost in the second round of the FCS playoffs to top-seeded Sam Houston State. Ward threw 70 TD passes in 19 games with the Cardinals. He did all that with Eric Morris as coach. Well, Morris now is Washington State’s offensive coordinator, and the coach/quarterback relationship should continue to flourish.

USC QB Caleb Williams

The buzz: Williams, who started for Oklahoma in the second half of the 2021 season, was the prize in the transfer portal, and to no one’s surprise, he joined former Sooners coach Lincoln Riley in L.A. Williams struggled against the better defenses he faced down the stretch, but perhaps that shouldn’t have been a surprise, considering he didn’t have a senior season because COVID canceled it. Williams, who was the No. 1 recruit for On3 in the 2021 class, has a strong arm, big-time mobility, innate big-play ability and a working knowledge of Riley’s offense. It’s not as if having a talented quarterback is anything new for USC. The difference now: There’s much better coaching in place. Williams also will have some good weapons, thanks to Riley’s work in the portal; USC also has brought in running backs Travis Dye (Oregon) and Austin Jones (Stanford), and wide receivers Terrell Bynum (Washington), Brenden Rice (Colorado) and Mario Williams (Oklahoma). Like Williams, Dye has a shot at first-team All-Pac-12 honors.