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142 Of Top 350 NFL Draft Prospects Transferred At Least Once, 26 Of Them From The FCS
In Draft Scout‘s Top 350 prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft, 142 players transferred at least once in their college careers.
Of those 142, 26 were FCS-to-FBS transfers.
2022 FCS-to-FBS Transfers
Player: Cam Ward (QB)
Transfer: 2022 UIW to Washington State (then to Miami)
Top 350 Rank: No. 3
Player: Antwane Wells Jr. (WR)
Transfer: 2022 JMU to South Carolina (then to Ole Miss)
Top 350 Rank: No. 149
Player: Jordan Oladokun (CB)
Transfer: 2022 Samford to Bowling Green
Top 350 Rank: No. 267
2023 FCS-to-FBS Transfers
Player: Travis Hunter (CB)
Transfer: 2023 Jackson State to Colorado
Top 350 Rank: No. 1
Player: Shedeur Sanders (QB)
Transfer: 2023 Jackson State to Colorado
Top 350 Rank: No. 5
Player: Jayden Higgins (WR)
Transfer: 2023 Eastern Kentucky to Iowa State
Top 350 Rank: No. 56
Player: Bhayshul Tuten (RB)
Transfer: 2023 NC A&T to Virginia Tech
Top 350 Rank: No. 81
Player: Cam Skattebo (RB)
Transfer: 2023 Sac State to Arizona State
Top 350 Rank: No. 105
Player: Ajani Cornelius (OG)
Transfer: 2023 Rhode Island to Oregon
Top 350 Rank: No. 183
Player: Shamari Simmons (FS)
Transfer: 2023 Austin Peay to Arizona State
Top 350 Rank: No. 195
Player: Zy Alexander (CB)
Transfer: 2023 Southeastern Louisiana to LSU
Top 350 Rank: No. 197
Player: Drew Moss (OG)
Transfer: 2023 Lamar to Colorado State
Top 350 Rank: No. 201
Player: Bilhal Kone (CB)
Transfer: 2023 Indiana State to Western Michigan
Top 350 Rank: No. 224
Player: Jacob Bayer (OC)
Transfer: 2023 Lamar to Arkansas State
Top 350 Rank: No. 235
Player: Da’Quan Felton (WR)
Transfer: 2023 Norfolk State to Virginia Tech
Top 350 Rank: No. 244
Player: Jacory Croskey-Merritt (RB)
Transfer: 2023 Alabama State to New Mexico (then to Arizona)
Top 350 Rank: No. 252
Player: Marques Sigle (FS)
Transfer: 2023 NDSU to Kansas State
Top 350 Rank: No. 305
Player: Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig (FS)
Transfer: 2023 Jackson State to Colorado
Top 350 Rank: No. 323
2024 FCS-to-FBS Transfers
When tallying who counts as NFL Draft picks from the FCS, HERO Sports and other FCS media outlets like Stats Perform and FCS Football Central count players who played multiple seasons in the FCS before playing their final year in the FBS. Players who started their college careers in the FCS but then played multiple seasons in the FBS are not counted. 2024 FCS-to-FBS transfers will be counted as 2025 NFL Draft picks from the FCS.
Only one FCS-to-FBS transfer was counted in both the 2023 and 2024 NFL Drafts.
RELATED: How Many FCS Players Get Drafted Each Year?
Player: Jackson Hawes (TE)
Transfer: 2024 Yale to Georgia Tech
Top 350 Rank: No. 184
Player: Easton Kilty (OT)
Transfer: 2024 North Dakota to Kansas State
Top 350 Rank: No. 212
Player: Teddye Buchanan (ILB)
Transfer: 2024 UC Davis to Cal
Top 350 Rank: No. 230
Player: Thor Griffith (DT)
Transfer: 2024 Harvard to Louisville
Top 350 Rank: No. 272
Player: Max Brosmer (QB)
Transfer: 2024 New Hampshire to Minnesota
Top 350 Rank: No. 284
Player: Jalen Travis (OT)
Transfer: 2024 Princeton to Iowa State
Top 350 Rank: No. 294
Player: Luke Newman (OG)
Transfer: 2024 Holy Cross to Michigan State
Top 350 Rank: No. 307
Player: Anton Juncaj (DE)
Transfer: 2024 UAlbany to Arkansas
Top 350 Rank: No. 330
Does transferring from the FCS to the FBS increase a player’s draft stock? It’s probably not a simple answer and more of a case-by-case answer.
Some guys, especially those projected to be drafted high, likely improved their draft stock by dominating at the FBS level. But, for example, Travis Hunter is a first-round talent regardless of whether he played at Colorado or Jackson State in 2024.
Some prospects probably didn’t improve or worsen their draft stock by going to the FBS, but they got more money while playing in the FBS. For some, they probably solidified that they are a draftable player with their FBS film, but they would have remained a draftable talent by staying in the FCS.
For some prospects, transferring up to the FBS hurt their draft stock. An FCS standout transferring to the FBS is a risk. It can pay off, like it did for the prospects above. But it can also be a dud. For example, of the 387 FCS-to-FBS transfers for the 2024 season, only 19% played at least 600 snaps (81% played below the average number of snaps in a season). Of the FCS all-conference players who transferred to the FBS, 48% played less than 300 snaps at their new school.
For every Cam Skattebo, there is another FCS player who went from an FCS standout to becoming an FBS role player and worsening their draft stock. Some scouts/agents will tell a player they want to see what they can do in the FBS. Others will tell them to just go or stay wherever they will get the most snaps.
It’s all about perspective.
On one hand, 26 former FCS players being 2025 NFL Draft prospects from the FBS is a lot.
On the other hand, nearly 900 FCS players transferred to the FBS from 2022 to 2024. Only 26 of them are considered draftable. The list of guys going from FCS standout to FBS depth piece is much longer.
If you’re good enough to play in the NFL, you’re going to play in the NFL no matter what school you’re coming from. That’s always been true and will remain true. The difference now is that FCS standouts can make more money while in college by transferring to the FBS. But again, it’s a case-by-case scenario. Some FCS standouts have made life-changing money by transferring to the FBS. Others were sold on that idea but ended up going from FCS standout to getting paid $15K to be an FBS backup.
Past Daily Doses
FCS Oversight Committee Discusses Annual 12-Game Regular Season + 11 FCS Players In ESPN’s 7-Round Mock Draft … READ MORE
SoCon/Big Sky Set Scholarship Caps Ahead Of House Settlement + Villanova Signs 32-Year-Old Punter … READ MORE
Saint Francis Moving From D1 to D3 + Renovations To Vanderbilt’s Stadium, New Home Of The FCS Championship … READ MORE
