College Football Sleepers - Top 10 Wide Receiver Impact Transfers Of 2023

August 26, 2023

Mike Marteny prepares you for the CFB DFS and college fantasy football season, taking a look at the top wide receiver transfers to have immediate impacts on their new teams in 2023.

The transfer portal has 2,655 entrants since December, an increase of nearly 600 players since last year despite the NCAA introducing "windows" in which players can announce a transfer. It didn't have the crazy jump that it did from 2021 to 2022, but that's still a lot of moving parts. Nearly half of all FBS players have entered the transfer portal at some time in the last 24 months with some returning to their current schools. College football free agency is much wackier than the NFL will ever be.

We will start the last great college football season (yes, the expanded playoff is going to kill the fun of the regular season, and don't even get me started on realignment) by taking a look at the transfers who will make an immediate impact at their new schools for both our fantasy and DFS lineups from day one. There were so many skill players that I decided to break it down by position to celebrate the sheer number of talented players on the move.

300 wide receivers joined the transfer portal at some time in the last year with 228 of them finding homes. That is a much worse percentage than last year. Milton Wright and Caleb Ducking still haven't decided on a landing spot yet. They could have an impact if they get on campus in time to digest the playbook.

WR Transfer Impacts Last Season

The wide receivers were troubling as well. Tarique Milton caught just two passes for the Longhorns last year. The same is true of Tyler Harrell at Alabama. Jadan Blue caught just 12 for the Hokies in 11 games. The other seven all had impacts from good to great, with Jacob Cowing racking up another 1,000-yard season at Arizona.

Looking to 2023, there seem to be more impactful guys in the portal in terms of overall numbers, but none will have quite the impact that Jordan Addison, Mario Williams, or Cowing did last season.

10. Ryan O'Keefe, Boston College (from Central Florida)

Ryan O'Keefe is a relatively new arrival, climbing Chestnut Hill only about a month ago. He is expected to take over the role vacated by Zay Flowers. The Knights used O'Keefe and his speed all over the field in the last two years. He even notched 39 carries in a loaded UCF backfield. Don't be surprised if Boston College tries to use him in the same way. O'Keefe should definitely be one of the focal points of this offense.

9. Dante Cephas, Penn State (from Kent State)

Right now, Penn State has Dante Cephas behind KeAndre Lambert-Smith instead of beside him, but I doubt that holds. Cephas had 1,240 yards and nine touchdowns in 2021 and 744 yards with three touchdowns in just over eight games last season. He won't be the alpha on this team, but Cephas provides another veteran receiver for youngster Drew Allar at quarterback. That shouldn't be overlooked.

8. Zakhari Franklin, Mississippi (from UTSA)

Zakhari Franklin notched 2,164 yards and 27 touchdowns over the last two seasons for the high-flying UTSA offense. Now, he brings the show to Oxford. Jaxson Dart has no shortage of weapons on this team, but there's no way Franklin just fades into the background. The Rebs have to replace the production of Malik Heath and Jonathan Mingo. Franklin is going to be a big part of this offense when his knee is healthy enough. Maybe in Week 1?

7. Travis Hunter, Colorado (from Jackson State)

Travis Hunter was one of the most talented recruits on anyone's board for 2022 and he chose Deion Sanders and Jackson State. It only makes sense that he would head for the mountains as well. Hunter played both receiver and cornerback at Jackson State. It remains to be seen if he will do so as well in Boulder. He racked up 188 yards in four games last season, but what will his impact be at Colorado?

I'll be honest: the transfers scare me. Jimmy Horn Jr. and Xavier Weaver both transferred in from South Florida and both are full-time receivers. Hunter will be the most talented player on the field for Colorado whenever he's on it, but I tend to think that his impact as a receiver will be hurt by the USF transfers and his time on defense. That said, he's still a top transfer and should have a huge impact for the Ralphies.

6. C.J. Williams, Wisconsin (from USC)

C.J. Williams didn't see the field much for the Trojans last year, but that can be expected. The team was loaded at wide receiver. So loaded that Williams is willing to endure Madison winters to get back on the college football map.

Kidding aside, this is a great landing spot. Tanner Mordecai took the money from Wisconsin instead of the NFL to see if the Badgers could get back into the Big Ten (14) elite. Williams should emerge as one of Mordecai's favorite targets by the end of September. I like Chimere Dike, but he had trouble with drops last year.

5. Adonai Mitchell, Texas (from Georgia)

Texas already has a stud receiver in Xavier Worthy and having Adonai Mitchell across the field from him could catapult him even further into the college football stratosphere. Mitchell will look to take away some of Jordan Whittington's production. This feels like a situation like it was at USC last year. Jordan Addison was clearly the best receiver on that team, but he didn't always put up big numbers.

The Texas receiver room may be too much of a good thing. That said, the Longhorns will likely be breaking in either true freshman CJ Baxter or redshirt sophomore Jonathan Brooks in the backfield. Quinn Ewers is a known commodity, so Texas is going to feature these receivers more than in recent years.

4. JoJo Earle, TCU (from Alabama)

JoJo Earle only has 12 receptions in each of his first two seasons playing in a crowded receiver room at Alabama. Now, he is expected to take over for star receiver Quentin Johnston, who will be playing on Sundays for the Chargers. This TCU team will look a lot different than last year, but Chandler Morris did beat out Max Duggan last year for the starting job. There is hope for the TCU passing game, led by Earle and Oklahoma State transfer John Paul Richardson at the receiver slots.

3. J. Michael Sturdivant, UCLA (from California)

J. Michael Sturdivant hauled in 65 passes for 755 yards as a freshman for a Cal team that only threw for 268 yards per game last season. Sturdivant enters a situation at UCLA where the Bruins will likely run a lot, but it's a Chip Kelly offense. There is going to be plenty to go around, especially once true freshman Dante Moore gets more comfortable at quarterback (if he wins the job).

2. Keon Coleman, Florida State (from Michigan State)

Keon Coleman racked up 798 receiving yards on a Michigan State team that struggled to throw the ball at times. There are a lot of mouths to feed in Tallahassee, but with Jordan Travis at quarterback, I tend to think they'll all get fed. Coleman provides a consistency that Johnny Wilson and Winston Wright just didn't have. 202 of Wilson's 897 yards last season came in the Cheez-It Bowl against an awful Oklahoma secondary.

1. Dont'e Thornton, Tennessee (from Oregon)

Yes, Joe Milton is not Hendon Hooker. At least not yet. I don't think he has quite the arm that Hooker does, but Milton showed that the Tennessee offense can still be formidable in the Orange Bowl. Well, so long as they can adequately replace the production of Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman. That's where Dont'e Thornton comes in.

Thornton picked up 366 yards on only 17 receptions in five games last season for the Ducks. This is the guy who torched the formidable Utah defense in the win in Autzen on November 19. The blazing speed plays well in Knoxville. I can't wait to see Thornton in a Josh Heupel offense. The sky is the limit here so long as Joe Milton continues the progression that he showed in the Orange Bowl.

Honorable Mention: Tre Harris, Mississippi (from Louisiana Tech); Dorian Singer, USC (from Arizona); Elijah Spencer, Minnesota (from Charlotte); Tyrese Chambers, Maryland (from Florida International); Traeshon Holden, Oregon (from Alabama); Keagan Johnson, Kansas State (from Iowa); Josh Fleeks, Nebraska (from Baylor); Corey Gammage, Central Florida (from Marshall).

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