Transfer portal breakdown: 10 less-hyped transfers you should know in the Pac-12

Let’s dive back into the transfer portal. We’ve already looked at the key incoming and outgoing transfers for each team in the Pac-12; today, we’re going to highlight 10 Pac-12 transfers who have been overlooked.

Fan of these teams know about these players. Chances are, everyone else will know more about them at the end of the season.

Arizona EDGE Hunter Echols

The particulars: Transfer from USC
The buzz: Arizona made some splashy transfer portal additions on offense with QB Jayden de Laura (from Washington State) and big-play WR Jacob Cowing (UTEP). The Wildcats’ additions on defense were more under the radar, as with Hunter Echols. He played for new Arizona defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen at USC in 2018-19, when Nansen was a Trojans assistant. Echols played in 28 career games with USC, including four starts; he had 50 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss. Echols is expected to open the season as a starter, and the hope is he can provide some juice off the edge.

Arizona State OT Emmit Bohle

The particulars: Transfer from Northern State
The buzz: Emmit Bohle was a high school tight end (playing nine-man football) who moved to the offensive line while at Northern State, a Division II school in Aberdeen, S.D. Bohle (6 feet 7, 300 pounds) became a two-year starter at left tackle at offense-minded Northern State. He had a strong spring for a guy moving up from Division II and could end up starting for the Sun Devils; at the least, he will be a key reserve along a rebuilt line.

Arizona State WR Cam Johnson

The particulars: Transfer from Vanderbilt
The buzz: Arizona State had two wide receivers with more than 13 receptions last season and both transferred. That means Cam Johnson, a former four-star recruit, will have ample opportunity this fall to make an impact. He was a fulltime starter at Vanderbilt for two seasons, including in 2021, and a part-time starter for another season. Last season, he had 34 receptions for 327 yards and four TDs for a Vandy team that struggled to move the ball. Johnson led Vandy with 56 receptions in 2020 and had 120 catches in the past three seasons for the Commodores.

Colorado WR R.J. Sneed

The particulars: Transfer from Baylor
The buzz: The Buffs lost two of their top three wide receivers in Brenden Rice (now at USC) and Dimitri Stanley (Iowa State). That makes R.J. Sneed a vital addition. He somewhat surprisingly entered the transfer portal after starting each of the past three seasons for the Bears. Sneed was second on the team with 46 receptions last season, and he led Baylor with 39 catches in 2020. He had 133 receptions (and eight touchdowns) in his Bears career. Sneed had 100-plus catches in each of his final three high school seasons at Cypress (Texas) Ranch.

UCLA CB Azizi Hearn

The particulars: Transfer from Wyoming
The buzz: Azizi Hearn is expected to be a starter in a Bruins secondary that was shredded at times last season. Just one starter returns in the defensive backfield, which might be a good thing. Hearn, from the San Diego area, is a one-time walk-on at Arizona who transferred after the 2018 season and became a three-year starter for Wyoming. He had 30 tackles and five pass breakups in 2021.

UCLA DT Gary Smith III

The particulars: Transfer from Duke
The buzz: UCLA was stout against the run last season (truthfully, one reason was that it was so easy to throw on the Bruins), and Gary Smith III will help in that regard this season. He was a nine-game starter for Duke who had 24 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss last season. Smith was a backup as a true freshman in 2020, then became a starter in 2021. UCLA has rebuilt its defensive front with transfers, and edge rushers Gabriel and Grayson Murphy – twins from North Texas – have received a ton of attention. But Smith’s work in the middle will be important, either as a starter or a key rotation piece.

USC CB Mekhi Blackmon

The particulars: Transfer from Colorado
The buzz: All the transfer attention at USC has been on the offensive additions. But Mekhi Blackmon was a two-year starter for Colorado and will play a key role in a revamped USC secondary; the Trojans need four new starters in the secondary, and Blackmon has the ability to be an all-conference player. He had two interceptions and 10 pass breakups in the past two seasons. Blackmon began his career at a junior college in 2017, then moved on to Colorado in 2018. He started five games in his first two seasons with the Buffs before becoming a fulltime starter the past two seasons.

Utah S Clayton Isbell

The particulars: Transfer from Illinois State
The buzz: Utah has one of the best safeties in the Pac-12 in Cole Bishop, but the Utes need a second starter at the position. It might be Clayton Isbell. Isbell was a three-year starter at FCS Illinois State; he played nickelback in 2019, then moved to safety, where he started the past two seasons. In the past three seasons, Isbell had 101 tackles, five interceptions and eight pass breakups. If Isbell doesn’t start, he still will be an important part of a safety rotation that lost Kamo’i Latu to Wisconsin via the transfer portal.

Washington CB Jordan Perryman

The particulars: Transfer from UC Davis
The buzz: Both of Washington’s starting corners last season now are in the NFL, and Jordan Perryman – who earned some FCS All-America acclaim in 2021 – seems likely to nab one of the starting spots. Perryman, who will be a sixth-year senior this season, was a three-year starter at UCD, playing for former Boise State and Colorado coach Dan Hawkins. He had 63 tackles, one interception, 12 pass breakups and two fumble recoveries last season, when the Aggies lost in the first round of the FCS playoffs.

Washington State LB Daiyan Henley

The particulars: Transfer from Nevada
The buzz: Daiyan Henley was the Wolf Pack’s leading tackler in 2021, and his 103 stops were sixth-most in the Mountain West. He earned second-team all-conference honors for his performance. He played wide receiver in his first two seasons at Nevada before switching to linebacker in 2019. Henley was third on the team with 49 tackles in 2020. Washington State runs a base 4-2-5 defense and lost both starting linebackers from last season, including leading tackler Jahad Woods. Henley will fill one of the starting roles.