Week 6 Transfer Portal Player Rankings: Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders reclaims the No. 1 spot

Each Thursday, we’ll update the 2023 Transfer Portal Player Rankings, looking at the Top 10 transfers — based on their impact on the field and not their preseason ranking. 

There’s a new No. 1 in Week 6, as Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders reclaimed the throne after leading the Buffs to a comeback win over Arizona State. 

There are also some new fresh faces in the rankings, with Logan Diggs and Malik Washington joining the mixing. 

While the No. 1 spot remains unchanged for the second-straight week, there’s lots of other movement inside the Top 10 this week. 

(NOTE: I’m not an OL guru and it’s hard to judge those players. That being said, it’s clear that Drake Nugent at Michigan, Matt Lee at Miami and Ajani Cornelius at Oregon have been among the most impactful transfers thus far this season. Same for defensive players like Bear Alexander at USC and linebacker Nick Jackson at Iowa. All will be represented on our Midseason All-Transfer Team released later today.)

Here’s how I landed on the Top 10 Transfer Portal Player Power Rankings after Week 6:

1. QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

After rallying the Buffs to a late win over Arizona State, Sanders flexed on the 1-5 Sun Devils by pointing to his custom, expensive watch. 

Silly? Absolutely. Fun? For sure. 

Sanders (and Colorado) remain one of the most entertaining teams in 2023, and with another comeback win — where Shedeur led the game-winning drive deserves the top spot. 

Sanders also ranks in the Top 5 nationally in yards and passing touchdowns through six games. 

2. RB Ray Davis, Kentucky

Despite being held to just 59 yards on 13 carries in a blowout loss at No. 1 Georgia, Davis still leads the SEC in rushing (and ranks 9th nationally) with 653 yards. He did catch a touchdown against the Bulldogs — his fourth receiving score on the season. The ex-Vandy tailback remains among the most valuable transfers this season after nearly breaking the SEC’s single-game rushing record with 280 yards against Florida. 

On the season, he has 12 touchdowns, which is three more than any other player in the SEC and is tied for the most nationally.

3. WR Jamari Thrash, Louisville

Thrash was among Louisville’s standouts in its upset over Notre Dame on Saturday, catching a team-high eight passes for 85 yards and a touchdown. 

The Georgia State transfer is now tied for the ACC-lead (along with Keon Coleman) with six scores, and his 17.3 yards per catch is easily the most among any wideout in the league with at least 25 receptions this season. 

4. WR Keon Coleman, Florida State

Coleman was mostly held in check in FSU’s win over Virginia Tech, hauling in just three catches for 22 yards. The Michigan State transfer did grade out as a plus run-blocker on the perimeter, per PFF, helping pave the way for Trey Benson to rush for over 200 yards. 

So far this season, Coleman, who has a 1st Round grade in most way-too-early NFL Mock Drafts, has shined the brightest in FSU’s big games against LSU and Clemson.

5. RB Logan Diggs, LSU

Somewhat quietly, the Notre Dame transfer ranks No. 2 in the SEC in rushing after his third 100+ yard performance in 2023. Against Missouri, Diggs ran for 134 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. 

One the season, Diggs is averaging over 6.0 yards per carry and is clearly the Tigers’ bellcow option.

6. Malik Washington, Virginia

Despite playing for a 1-5 team that struggles offensively, the Northwestern transfer leads the ACC in receptions (44) and yards (688) and ranks second in the conference in touchdowns (5). Washington’s five scores this season are already more than his career-total in four seasons with the Wildcats, and he’s nearly equaled last season’s yardage numbers in six games, too. 

In UVA’s first win in 2023 over William & Mary, Washington had seven catches for 112 yards and a touchdown. 

7. RB Marshawn Lloyd, USC

Once again, Lloyd deserved more carries in USC’s 43-41 triple-overtime win against Arizona, rushing for 86 yards on 15 touches and a score. 

The South Carolina transfer ranks No. 3 in the Pac-12 in yards per rush (7.75) and has steadily moved the chains for USC as the team’s No. 1 tailback in 2023.

8. RB Ismail Mahdi, Texas State

In the last three weeks, Mandi has proven his worth in the Top 10 transfer player rankings, following up a three-score performance with 188 rushing yards and a touchdown in a close 34-30 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette.

The FCS transfer now has 10 total touchdowns on the season — which is tied for the second-most among all players in 2023.

9. QB Sam Hartman, Notre Dame

Once again, Cardinal Stadium proved to be a House of Horrors for Sam Hartman, who had six turnovers at Louisville in 2021 and coughed up the football five times Saturday night in a bad loss for the Irish. 

The Wake Forest transfer had been a steadying presence for Notre Dame’s offense early in the 2023 season, but the unit has hit the skids the last three weeks. Hartman has almost as many interceptions (3) as touchdowns (4) in the last three games — where the Irish are 1-2. 

They need their transfer quarterback to play better if they hope to match points with USC this weekend.

10. RB Blake Watson, Memphis

The Old Dominion transfer tailback was idle this week, but I can’t drop one of the most productive plug-and-replace players in the country in 2023. 

On the season, Watson has 455 rushing yards — which is five yards short of the AAC lead despite playing one less game and tallying 28 fewer carries. 

He has six touchdowns and is averaging nearly 6.0 yards per carry as the bellcow of the Tigers’ offense.