NCAAbbs

Not editorializing here but I just thought I'd try to add some historical reference (at least from the last 20-25 years or so) as to some of our best football D1 transfers. Off the top of my head, here are some of the really good ones I recall.

Bert Emanuel and Bobby Gray - UCLA
Sean Washington - Purdue
Tony Barker - Kansas
Brynton Goynes - Army
Benji Wood - Clemson
Jeremy Bates - Tennessee (not a huge impact player but he's done well in the NFL as a coach and was a QB at Tennessee between Helton and Manning I think?)
Voddie Baucham - Vanderbilt? (injuries and the ministry derailed his career a bit)

Any others (from the recent past or way back when)??

There was no Tennessee QB between Helton and Manning. Helton backed up Heath Schuler for a couple of years and was the starter at the beginning of Manning's freshman year; gradually Manning got more and more playing time as the year moved forward. IIRC Helton got injured at some point, Manning took over full time, and Helton focused on baseball after that.

Jeremy is actually a few months younger than Manning. I think he was actually a year behind Manning. Branndon Stewart from Stephenville was a redshirt freshman during Manning's freshmen year. They both played, along with Helton, but Manning was clearly the QB of the future. When Stewart figured out that he wasn't going to beat out Manning, he transferred to A&M. I think Jeremy was a freshman the following year, and I'm pretty sure he transferred to Rice the year after Stewart transferred to A&M.

Interestingly, Wikipedia indicates that Stewart is 3 years older than Manning, which would have made him a 20 year old true freshman in 1993 and a 21 year old redshirt freshman in 1994. Art Briles would never have suggested that a potential QB be held back a year or two to develop his skills further, would he?

If remember correctly both Manning and Stewart came into Tennessee together as true freshmen.

I also believe the starter got injured in the opener vs UCLA and Manning played in his stead for the remainder of that game.

I'm not on the list???? I have got to be in the top 100 or so. The following was the first trivia question of the season in 1984 from the HHH Metrodome. Who is the current Rice player who has played in a bowl game? Answer: Me in the 1982 California Bowl with Fresno State. Was I disqualified because I did not directly come to Rice from Fresno State? Does Fresno State even count? Or, is it because, gulp, I wasn't good? I know I didn't stand out at Rice but I'm sure that Hambone or RiceDoc can vouch for me being a space filler in practice and meetings. I think both probably remember seeing me once. I've got a Cal Bowl and Rice jersey, pristine condition for both I might add, in my closet for proof. I'm just saying that there can't be that many transfers in the last 25 years which should get me on the list by default.

There haven't been that many transfers in the last 25 years, period, so that isn't sayin' much. But I think this list is composed almost exclusively of QBs with prototypical physiques, not anti-prototypical recievers with hands of glue. Face it, you didn't qualify as a deep threat or a big target and even the kickers stole your chicken on the bus after games. Oh, the others in the thread didn't transfer from a juco to a juco to Rice either.