Transfer portal breakdown: The On3 transfers of the week from Week 8

Here are the On3 transfer players of the week for Week Eight.

We pick a transfer of the week in each Power 5 conference as well as an overall Group of 5 transfer 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

LB Chico Bennett, Virginia
The buzz: Thursday night’s 16-9 over Georgia Tech was extra satisfying for Bennett. First, it was the Cavs’ first ACC win of the season. Second, it came against Bennett’s former team. He had seven tackles, one shy of the team lead, and two sacks as the Cavs’ defense ruled the night. Tech finished with 201 yards but on 74 plays – a staggeringly low 2.7 yards per play. Bennett had two of the Cavs’ eight sacks. It was Bennett’s second two-sack game of the season, and he leads UVa with six. Bennett played two seasons with Georgia Tech, then transferred to UVa following the 2020 season. He didn’t play last season.

Big Ten

S Tanner McCalister, Ohio State
The buzz: McCalister didn’t make any tackles. But he did have two interceptions – he is the first Buckeye with two in a game since 2009 – as Ohio State blasted Iowa 54-10. McCalister picked off Spencer Petras on the first play of the game, then had his second pick – this one of Alex Padilla – on Iowa’s first pass attempt of the second half. Ohio State forced six turnovers, including three picks. McCalister followed defensive coordinator Jim Knowles from Oklahoma State to Ohio State this offseason.

Big 12

S Marquis Waters, Texas Tech
The buzz: Texas Tech romped past West Virginia 48-10, thanks to a dominating performance on both sides of the ball. The Red Raiders outgained WVU 594-282. Waters, in his second season at Texas Tech after four seasons at Duke, tied for the team lead with seven tackles and led the way with three tackles for loss. The seven tackles were a season-high for Waters, and the three TFL were a career-high.

Pac-12

QB Bo Nix, Oregon
The buzz: Nix and the Ducks were basically unstoppable in rolling to a 45-30 win over UCLA. The Ducks scored on their first seven possessions and punted just once, on their final possession. Nix, who transferred from Auburn in the offseason, had 334 yards of total offense and accounted for five TDs – all in the air. He finished 22-of-28 for 283 yards, and also rushed for 51 yards. It was his second game this season with five TD passes and his fourth game in a row with 300 yards of total offense. Oregon finished with 545 yards of total offense, the fifth time in seven games they’ve had 500. It also was the sixth game in a row with 40-plus points. Nix now has completed at least 72 percent of his passes in five of the Ducks’ seven games after not doing that in more than three games in any season at Auburn.

SEC

QB Jayden Daniels, LSU
The buzz: Daniels put up big numbers last week, but that was against Florida’s bad defense. This week, he put up big numbers against Ole Miss, which had been playing good defense. Daniels threw for 248 yards and two TDs and rushed for 121 and three more scores in a 45-20 win. That’s 369 yards of offense and five TDs; it’s the sixth time this season he has had at least 300 yards of total offense, and the second week in a row he accounted for at least five touchdowns. Daniels had 13 rushing TDs in his three seasons at Arizona State; he has nine in eight games this season.

Group of 5

RB Dae Dae Hunter, Liberty
The buzz: Hunter, who transferred from Hawaii in the offseason, ran wild as Liberty hammered BYU 41-14. He rushed for 213 yards and a TD on 23 carries, and also had four receptions for 31 yards as the Flames outgained the Cougars 547-258. His TD came on an 80-yard run midway through the third quarter to give the Flames a 34-14 lead and ended any doubt about the outcome. Liberty trailed 14-3 entering the second quarter. It was Hunter’s third 100-yard outing of the season.