Five-Star Checkups: Players that made waves by transferring
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Monday during the college football season we will check in on former five-stars to see how they are panning at out the next level. This week, we look at five-stars who transferred from their original programs and check in on how they are panning out at their new homes.
As a recruit: One of the most heralded players from the state of Tennessee in recent memory, Hurd made an early commitment to Tennessee over Ohio State, Alabama and others. At the time, Hurd was one of the first high-profile recruits to pledge to Butch Jones and played a big part helping the Vols build an impressive 2014 class. He played for the Vols for two-plus seasons before leaving the program midway through the 2016 season. He left as the sixth leading rusher in Tennessee football history.
What he did this week: Hurd landed at Baylor, where he sat out the 2017 season due to transfer rules. He used that time to drop weight and transition to wide receiver. He opened the year as a starter for the Bears and hit the ground running. In Saturday’s win over Kansas State, Hurd hauled in 11 passes for 135 yards and also moonlighted at his old position of tailback, rushing eight times for 56 yards and a touchdown. Hurd’s transition to his new position has been a smashing success, as he has 42 catches for 550 yards and three touchdowns. He also has 99 yards rushing and two additional scores.
As a recruit: Patterson’s recruitment saw its share of twists and turns as he initially committed to Arizona as an underclassman, only to eventually decommit. When he went back on the market, he took long looks at LSU and several other programs, but ended up landing at Ole Miss. He played parts of two seasons for the Rebels before transferred to Michigan following the NCAA sanctions levied against Ole Miss.
What he did this week: Patterson has quietly gotten better each week for Michigan and now has the Wolverines ranked inside the top 15 in the country. In Saturday’s win over Maryland, Patterson threw for 282 yards and three touchdowns while also adding 10 yards on the ground.
On the season, Patterson is completing a career-high 68 percent of his passes, with 10 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Patterson is on track for career-highs in completions, attempts, yards and touchdowns and is showing the promise that led to him being considered for the top overall spot in the 2016 Rivals100.
As a recruit: Cowart seemed bound for Florida for a long period of time but after Will Muschamp was fired by the Gators, the door opened for other programs to enter the mix. After Muschamp was hired as the Auburn defensive coordinator, Cowart announced for the Tigers on National Signing Day. He struggled to find his way with the Tigers and left the program at the beginning of the 2017 season before re-emerging at Maryland this year.
What he did this week: Cowart’s playing time continues to increase for the Terps as he works primarily as a pass-rush specialist. In Saturday’s loss to Michigan he had three solo stops and continues to draw extra attention from opposing defenses.
Cowart has 17 tackles and two sacks on the season. In his two-plus years at Auburn, Cowart had just 15 total tackles and no sacks. Rivals.com will still take plenty of flack for ranking Cowart No. 1 overall, but his talent is starting to flash and he finally looks comfortable at Maryland, where he’s likely to have another year of eligibility after this season.
As a recruit: Bigelow committed to USC more than a year before Signing Day in 2013 and despite some flirtations with other programs elected to stick with the Trojans. After a career filled with injuries at USC, Bigelow briefly retired from the sport before electing to transfer to West Virginia after being granted a sixth-year of eligibility.
What he did this week: Enjoying he longest stretch of health in his college career, Bigelow has had a major impact for the Mountaineers this season. In Saturday’s win over Kansas, Bigelow had two tackles and one sack. The quarterback takedown was the second of the season for Bigelow, who also has a forced fumble on the season. The 10 tackles he has through five games are one short of his career total entering the season and he needs just one more sack to equal his career total as well. Finally healthy, Bigelow is showing why he was so highly-regarded as a high school recruit.
As a recruit: Grimes committed to Ohio State over Florida, Alabama, Miami and several others at the start of his senior football season in 2016. Despite tearing his ACL that season, he worked his way back in time to play for the Buckeyes at the start of the 2017 season, but left the squad to tend to personal issues at the midway point of the season. He eventually transferred to Florida, where he was granted immediate eligibility this season.
What he did this week: Grimes caught just one pass for five yards in Florida’s upset victory over LSU but he’s already been a valuable cog in the team’s passing game. On the year he has 11 catches for 129 yards and a touchdown, good enough for third on the team in catches this season.
The Gators passing game is still a work in progress, but as just a sophomore, Grimes is showing when he’s healthy he can be a weapon for the school. It remains to be seen if he will live up to his lofty ranking, but Florida fans are happy to have him back in the Sunshine State.
