Transfer portal impact players of Week 3

The transfer portal has taken center stage this college football season.

Florida State relied heavily on the portal this offseason after winning the ACC but dropped to 0-3 over the weekend. Other programs like Ohio State and Miami are starting transfer quarterbacks and are ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll entering Week 4. The portal has become a major piece of roster construction.

On3 is breaking down the top transfer portal impact players based on weekly performances. Here are the top portal players from Week 3:

1. South Carolina RB Rocket Sanders 

Former Arkansas running back Rocket Sanders is flashing signs of his 2022 season. He’s shed nearly 20 pounds since arriving in South Carolina. Sanders rushed for 143 yards on 19 carries with two touchdowns in the Gamecocks’ loss Saturday to LSU. The running back averaged 7.5 yards per carry, too. He’s already passed his total rushing yards from last season in three games.

2. Alabama DL LT Overton

LT Overton delivered in Alabama’s blowout win at Wisconsin, notching a strip sack in the first quarter against the Badgers. The former Texas A&M transfer blindsided quarterback Braedyn Locke and stripped the ball for a fumble. The 6-foot-5 defensive lineman finished the game with six tackles.

3. Pitt QB Eli Holstein

Alabama transfer quarterback Eli Holstein led Pitt to a comeback win on Saturday for the second time in eight days. The quarterback guided two touchdown drives down 10 late in the fourth quarter, capped off by a 77-yard drive over six plays that ended with a touchdown with 32 seconds remaining. Pitt knocked off rival West Virginia 38-34 as Holstein threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns and added another 59 yards on the ground.

4. UNLV QB Matthew Sluka

Despite completing just 7 of 18 passes for 86 yards and a touchdown, UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka came up big on the ground with 113 yards on 19 carries. The Holy Cross transfer helped the Rebels knockoff Kansas and improved to 3-0 on the season. UNLV remains a contender for the Group of Five bid in the 12-team College Football Playoff race.

5. Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt

Michigan State transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt has impressed in three starts at Arizona State. He completed 19 of 30 passes for a touchdown and interception in Thursday night’s win at Texas State. A former On3 top-100 recruit, he also rushed for 40 yards and a score.

6. Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke

Indiana won 42-13 at the Rose Bowl against UCLA on Saturday, improving to 3-0 on the season. Former Ohio quarterback Kurtis Rourke was 25 of 33 for 307 yards and four touchdowns in the win, completing 75.8 percent of his passes. Through three games, he’s yet to throw an interception.

7. Ole Miss RB Henry Parrish Jr.

Henry Parrish Jr. has found success returning to Ole Miss. The former Miami transfer started his career with the Rebels and transferred back to Oxford this past offseason. In Saturday’s 40-6 win at Wake Forest, he carried the ball 22 times for 133 yards and two touchdowns. He added four catches for 21 yards in the passing game. Parrish enters Week 4 with 338 rushing yards.

8. Texas WR Isaiah Bond

Former Alabama wide receiver Isaiah Bond had his best game to date in Week 3, posting five catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns in the win. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound receiver’s best play touchdown in the third quarter from Arch Manning, catching the ball on a screen pass and taking it 51 yards for the score.

9. Cal LB Teddye Buchanan

The UC Davis transfer linebacker has emerged as a star in the Cal defense through three games. Teddye Buchanan has posted 31 tackles with 2.5 sacks this season with a forced fumble. He posted 11 tackles with .5 sacks in Saturday’s win over San Diego State.

10. UCF QB KJ Jefferson

KJ Jefferson had his best game of the season so far in Week 3. The former Arkansas quarterback was 13 of 22 for 230 yards in a comeback win over TCU. Jefferson threw a 20-yard touchdown to Kobe Hudson with 36 seconds left to win 35-34 at TCU. He also rushed for 46 yards on nine carries for the Knights. UCF is on the bye before hosting Colorado on Sept. 28.