Transfer portal breakdown: The On3 transfers of the week from Week 2

Here are the On3 transfer players of the week for Week 2 of the season.

Each week, we pick a transfer of the week in each Power 5 conference as well as an overall Group of 5 player of the week. It’s not just transfers from this past offseason; all players who have transferred from other four-year schools are eligible to be selected

Everything being equal, more weight is given to big performances against “good” opponents.

ACC

S Kenderick Duncan, Louisville
The buzz: Duncan, a sixth-year senior, is in his second season with the Cardinals after transferring from Georgia Southern. He had a career-high 13 tackles as Louisville shut down what is expected to be a potent UCF offense in a 20-14 upset Friday night. It was the sixth double-digit tackle game of his career for Duncan (6 feet 3, 219 pounds). Duncan was physical and productive in run support, and was part of a solid effort by the Cardinals’ secondary that limited UCF QB John Rhys Plumlee to a 16-of-34, 131-yard performance.

Big Ten

RB Chase Brown, Illinois
The buzz: Brown continues to put up impressive numbers as the focal point of the Illini offense. Truthfully, he is the Illini offense. He ran for 146 yards on 20 carries as Illinois beat Virginia 24-3; his play was a big reason the Illini enjoyed an almost eight-minute time-of-possession advantage. Brown, who began his career at Western Michigan before transferring to Illinois after the 2018 season, leads the nation in rushing at 168.0 yards per game.

Big 12

QB Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma
The buzz: It took a while, but Gabriel and the Sooners finally heated up and beat Kent State 33-3. OU’s first TD didn’t come until the final seconds of the first half, on a 36-yard pass from Gabriel to Marvin Mims. Gabriel, who transferred from UCF after last season, finished 21-of-28 for 296 yards and three TDs.

Pac-12

WR Jordan Addison, USC
The buzz: Addison won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best receiver last season at Pitt, and has started the 2022 season strong. He had seven receptions for 172 yards and two TDs as the Trojans eased past Stanford 41-28; USC led 41-14 before the Cardinal scored two garbage-time TDs in the fourth period. Through two games, Addison has 12 receptions for 226 yards (18.8 per catch) and four TDs.

SEC

LB Drew Sanders, Arkansas
The buzz: Sanders, a third-year sophomore who transferred from Alabama following the 2021 season, had the best game of his career in the Hogs’ 44-30 win over South Carolina. Sanders was an edge rusher at Alabama, but Arkansas defensive coordinator Barry Odom has moved him to middle linebacker; still, Odom moves Sanders around and uses him as both a blitzer and an outside ’backer. Sanders had two forced fumbles, 11 tackles, two sacks (matching his career total), another tackle for loss, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry.

Group of 5

RB Khalan Laborn, Marshall
The buzz: Laborn was an On3 Consensus five-star recruit in the 2017 signing class and signed with Florida State. But a series of injuries, including a torn ACL, seemingly derailed his career, to the point that he didn’t play anywhere last season. He signed with Marshall out of the transfer portal in the offseason to be a backup to returning 1,400-yard rusher Rasheen Ali. But with Ali out for at least the first month, Laborn has seized the opportunity. He ran for 163 yards and a TD on 31 carries as the Thundering Herd stunned Notre Dame 26-21. He had rushed for 297 yards in his career when he arrived at Marshall, and now has 265 in the first two games of the season.