A big discussion topic during the 2020 FCS offseason has been the number of players transferring to the FBS level. By our count, more than 100 FCS players have transferred and found a new home in the FBS. We didn’t track this number last offseason as it was happening, but a rough count recently found 32 players transferred from the FCS to the FBS in 2019.
Not only has the number gone up this year, but more standout talent has left. Multiple All-Americans and several All-Conference players have transferred. Depending on what the college season looks like, we plan to do midseason and postseason looks at how these former FCS players perform at the FBS level.
Today, we look back at how the roughly 32 FCS-to-FBS transfers did in 2019:
QB Gage Gubrud — EWU to Washington State
Appeared in two games, went 10-for-13 for 89 yards and one touchdown.
QB Henry Van Dellen — NDSU to Liberty
Sat out due to transfer rules. No longer on the roster.
QB Tom Stewart — Harvard to Rice
Played in 10 games, starting the last half of the season. Threw for a team-high 1,054 yards and eight TDs along with two interceptions.
RB Charlie Booker — Harvard to Rice
Played in 10 games with two starts. Was second on the team with 272 rushing yards on 88 attempts. Rushed for one touchdown.
WR Justice Shelton-Mosley — Harvard to Vanderbilt
Played in 11 games with three starts. Had 14 receptions for 119 yards and 16 punt returns for 145 yards. Signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Kansas City Chiefs in April.
WR Kendall Catalon — Southern U to Arkansas
Sat out due to transfer rules.
WR Cam Burnette — Furman to East Carolina
Sat out due to transfer rules.
WR Dejon Brissett — Richmond to Virginia
Played in 12 games with two starts. Had two catches for 18 yards on the season.
WR Zach Farrar – Youngstown State to Auburn
Played in four games. Totaled three catches for 41 yards and two TDs.
TE Nick Muse — W&M to South Carolina
Played in eight games with one start. Caught 17 passes for 158 yards.
OL Obinna Nwankwo — FAMU to FIU
Redshirted
OL Charlie Flores — Columbia to SMU
Played in 11 games.
OL Eliki Tanuvasa — Eastern Illinois to Hawaii
Played in three games before redshirting.
OL Dwayne Scott — Rhode Island to Boston College
Played in seven games.
LB Jason Harris — Illinois State to UCLA
Played in all 12 games. Totaled 21 tackles, 3.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks.
DL Mike Hinton — Columbia to Tulane
Played in all 13 games with one start. Recorded 11 tackles, two TFLs and one sack.
DL Eddie Zinn-Turner — Marist to Vanderbilt
Did not see any game action due to injury.
DL Dante Sparaco — Montana State to Colorado
Sat out due to transfer rules.
LB Ben Hawk Schrider — Chattanooga to Cal
Played in 12 games with two starts. Totaled 21 tackles, two TFLs and one sack.
LB Parker Dennis — Austin Peay to UAB
Sat out due to transfer rules.
LB Armando Fitz — Drake to SMU
Played in 10 games, primarily on special teams. Registered one tackle.
LB T.J. Holl — Colgate to Louisville
Played in eight games and recorded five tackles.
DB Shamon Willis — Weber State to BYU
Played in 11 games with two starts. Recorded 12 tackles, one TFL and five pass breakups.
DB Tank Scott — Hampton to Old Dominion
Played in all 12 games. Totaled eight tackles and one TFL.
DB Alonzo Addae — UNH to West Virginia
Sat out due to transfer rules.
DB Khafari Buffalo — The Citadel to Boise State
Played in all 14 games. Recorded 23 tackles, one TFL, one interception and two pass breakups.
DB Tre Caine — Colgate to UNLV
Sat out due to transfer rules.
DB Willie Edwards — Illinois State to App State
Missed the first nine games with an injury. Played in four of the last five games and recorded three tackles and one interception. A game captain on Senior Day.
DB Nikholi Jaghai — Northern Iowa to FIU
Played in three games, mostly on special teams.
DB Donald Rutledge Jr. — Savannah State to Georgia Southern
Played in 12 games with nine starts. Recorded 50 tackles, five pass breakups and one interception, which he returned 42 yards for a TD.
DB Samari Springs — Richmond to Arizona
Played in 12 games. Recorded two tackles.
LS Trey Harper — Duquesne to Michigan
Appeared in one game and snapped on one extra point.
