Here are the On3 transfer players of the week for Week 7.
We pick a transfer of the week in each Power 5 conference as well as an overall Group of 5 transfer of the week. It’s not just transfers from this past offseason; all players who have transferred from other four-year schools are eligible to be selected
Everything being equal, more weight is given to big performances against “good” opponents.
ACC
DL Akheem Mesidor, Miami
The buzz: The Hurricanes held Virginia Tech to 257 yards of total offense in a 20-14 win and Mesidor was a big reason. He led UM with eight tackles and had 3.5 sacks. The Hurricanes had a season-high six sacks and held the Hokies to 4-of-15 on third down. Mesidor, who transferred from West Virginia in the offseason, now leads Miami with four sacks and is second with six tackles for loss.
Big Ten
RB Chase Brown, Illinois
The buzz: Another week, another 100-yard game from Brown, who transferred from Western Michigan after the 2018 season. He rushed for 180 yards and also caught three passes for 53 yards and a touchdown in a 26-14 victory over Minnesota to push the Illini to 6-1. He has rushed for 100 yards in all seven games this season. Brown leads the nation with 1,059 yards. He is the first Illini player to have back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since Robert Holcombe in 1996 and ’97.
Big 12
QB Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma
The buzz: Gabriel missed last week’s embarrassing 49-0 loss to Oklahoma while in concussion protocol and returned with a vengeance against Kansas. He accounted for 440 yards of offense and three TDs in a 52-42 win. Gabriel threw for 403 and two TDs and rushed for 37 and another score. It was the fifth 400-yard game of his career; the other four came in 2020, when he played for Josh Heupel at UCF. The Sooners finished with 701 yards and 36 first downs.
Pac-12
QB Cameron Rising, Utah
The buzz: Rising ran for the winning two-point conversion with 48 seconds left in a 43-42 victory over USC. That capped off a magnificent night for Rising, who transferred from Texas after the 2019 season. He accounted for 475 yards and five touchdowns. He threw for a career-high 415 yards and two TDs, and rushed for 60 and three more TDs, including a 1-yarder that preceded the winning two-point conversion. It was the second time Rising threw four TD passes this season and his fourth game with at least three TD passes. Utes TE Dalton Kincaid also deserves mention here. Kincaid, who began his career at FCS San Diego, had 15 receptions for 217 yards and a TD.
SEC
QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
The buzz: Hooker, who transferred from Virginia Tech after the 2020 season, placed himself squarely in the Heisman mix with his performance in a 52-49 victory over Alabama. He threw for a career-high 385 yards and five TDs and also rushed for 56 as the Vols shredded the Tide’s defense to the tune of 567 total yards. Tennessee also averaged 8.1 yards per play. All five TD passes went to Jalin Hyatt. Hooker finished 21-of-30 and hit two huge passes to set up the game-winning field goal on the final play. He hit Ramel Keyton with an 18-yarder to put the Vols at midfield with 9 seconds left, then connected with Bru McCoy on a 27-yarder on the penultimate play of the game with 2 seconds left.
Group of 5
QB Kyle Vantrease, Georgia Southern
The buzz: Vantrease threw for a school-record 578 yards and four TDs as the Eagles upset No. 25 James Madison 45-38. Georgia Southern rushed for just 12 yards on 16 carries, leaving it all up to Vantrease. He threw for just 18 yards in the first quarter, then for 119 in the second, 264 in the third and 195 in the fourth. Vantrease, a sixth-year senior who transferred from Buffalo in the offseason, tossed one TD pass in the second quarter, two in the third and the game-winner with 1:10 left in the game. The Eagles had three receivers with 100 yards. Vantrease has thrown for 2,511 yards in seven game, a school single-season record. He now has five of the top nine single-game performances in school history. James Madison QB Todd Centeio threw for 468 yards and accounted for five TDs.
