Five-Star Checkup: Transfers making waves in new programs
Every Monday during the college football season, we will check in on five former five-star prospects to see how they’re performing and if they are living up to the lofty billing that led them to be ranked at the top of the Rivals100.
For Week 3, we take a look at five former five-stars that transferred schools during their college careers and see how things are panning out for the group.
As a recruit: Isaac’s recruitment came down to a trio of schools: Michigan, Notre Dame and USC. Despite his Midwest ties, Isaac fell in love with the Trojans and committed to Lane Kiffin and company during the spring following his junior season. He saw the field quickly in Los Angeles, rushing for 236 yards as a true freshman, but missed home and transferred to Michigan and sat out the 2014 season.
What he did this week: Isaac’s career in Michigan has seen its share of ups and downs since he joined the team, but it appears as if he’s line for a big senior season. On Saturday he had some key runs in Michigan’s surprisingly close win over Air Force, finishing the game with 89 yards rushing before leaving with an injury. Isaac is less than 100 yards from eclipsing his rushing total from all of last season, and while he might not ever truly live up to his ranking, he’s finally showing the playmaking ability that made him such a special talent in high school.
As a recruit: The No. 1 quarterback in the class of 2014, Allen fell in love with the idea of Texas A&M and being the heir apparent to Johnny Manziel, committing to the Aggies over a long list of offers including Alabama and Ohio State. But his career with the Aggies didn’t go as planned despite showing flashes of promise, and he ultimately transferred to Houston following a season of quarterback controversy in 2015. He sat out the 2016 season with the Cougars before winning the starting job for the 2017 season.
What he did this week: Allen had one of the best games in his career in Houston’s blowout victory over Rice, completing 31-of-33 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns. Allen is finally starting to look like the elite high school prospect that earned such a high ranking, competing 86 percent of his passes on the year. He still has two years of eligibility remaining, and the Cougars are hoping his fast start is just the beginning of his career resurrection.
As a recruit: Like most elite players from Louisiana, Johnson dreamed of playing for LSU, but he still entertained schools from all over the country, eventually committing to the Tigers about a month before Signing Day in 2015. His first year on campus with the Tigers he saw the field quite a bit for a freshman, catching two touchdowns during the 2015 season. But his time in Baton Rouge would be short lived, as Johnson decided he wanted to play in a more pass-friendly offense and elected to transfer to Oklahoma State, where he sat out 2016 season.
What he did this week: In a week where Oklahoma State put up some gaudy passing numbers, one would expect that Johnson got in on the fun. The only problem? He didn’t make the trip with the rest of the Cowboys to Pittsburgh, serving what appeared to be a one-game suspension for a violation of team rules. It’s clear Johnson still has elite talent - he already has a touchdown and had been returning kicks for Oklahoma State during the first two weeks of the season - but he will have to stay on the right side of the rules to fulfill his immense potential in Stillwater.
As a recruit: A Washington native, Browne was wooed by schools from all over the country, but ultimately elected to commit to USC over offers from Alabama and Clemson. After waiting patiently behind a talented stable of quarterbacks, he earned the starting job in 2016, but struggled and was eventually replaced by Sam Darnold. After graduating, he transferred to Pittsburgh for the 2017 season.
What he did this week: In light of the result of Pitt’s lopsided loss to Oklahoma State, it was his opponent Mason Rudolph that looked like the five-star quarterback, not Browne. His career with the Panthers is off to an inauspicious start, and he was replaced by backup Ben DiNucci during the first half of Saturday’s loss to the Cowboys. Browne finished the game with just 70 yards passing and has just one touchdown pass through three games. Despite a new school and a fresh start, Browne could once again see himself being replaced in the starting lineup by a younger quarterback.
As a recruit: One of the top running backs in the class of 2013, Tyner elected to stay in state and play for Oregon despite an impressive list of national offers. He played a major role in the Ducks’ run to the National Championship in 2014, but after suffering what was deemed a career-ending injury, Tyner medically retired and sat out the 2015 and 2016 seasons. After deciding to return to football and being ineligible to play for the Ducks, Tyner transferred to rival Oregon State for his senior season.
What he did this week: Tyner missed his second consecutive game with an injury for the struggling Beavers and has just 18 yards on six carries on the season. Coming back from two years away from the sport is a tough proposition, especially given his injury history. Beavers fans will hope to get Tyner back and healthy for the meat of the Pac-12 schedule, which awaits the Beavers following a bye next week.
