2023 Midseason All-Transfer Team: Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Kentucky tailback Ray Davis lead the way

Each week, I outline the Top 10 transfer portal player rankings for the 2023 season. 

But now we’ve reached the midway point in the college football calendar, so it’s the optimal time to take stock of the entire board of last year’s transfers and put together a Midseason 2023 All-Transfer Portal Team. 

With an absurd amount of movement in the last cycle, there were all sorts of tough omissions and last-minute cuts, but here’s how I settled on the midseason 2023 squad:

ALL-TRANSFER OFFENSE TEAM

QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

Sanders has been one of the Top 5-7 quarterbacks in the country so far this fall — independent of his transfer leap from FCS to Power 5. He spearheaded the upset over TCU, and led a pair of comeback wins against Colorado State and Arizona State. 

Coach Prime’s son ranks in the Top 5 nationally in yards and passing touchdowns through six games. 

RB Ray Davis, Kentucky

The ex-Vandy tailback remains among the most valuable transfers this season after nearly breaking the SEC’s single-game rushing record with 280 yards against Florida. He’s been a game-changer as both a rusher and receiver, and his 12 total touchdowns is tied for the most nationally.

Wide Receivers and Tight End

WR Jamari Thrash, Louisville
WR Keon Coleman, Florida State
WR Malik Washington, Virginia
TE Dallin Holker, Colorado State

With all due apologies to AD Mitchell and Tre Harris, the ACC’s triumvirate tops my WR trio thus far in 2023. Thrash and Coleman are tied for the league lead with six touchdowns — both of whom have come up clutch in marquee matchups. Washington plays for a bad UVA offense, but the Northwestern transfer leads the ACC in receptions (44) and yards (688) and he ranks second in the conference in touchdowns (5). 

As for Holker, the BYU transfer has 32 catches and five touchdown receptions — the latter of which tops all tight ends nationally, even Georgia’s Brock Bowers. 

All-Purpose: Ismail Mahdi, Texas State

Mahdi, a former FCS transfer, has done a little bit of everything for the Bobcats, stuffing the stat sheet as a rusher, receiver and returner. 

He has 10 total touchdowns on the season — which is tied for the second-most among all players in 2023. 

Offensive Line

OL LaDarius Henderson, Michigan
OL Javion Cohen, Miami
OL Matt Lee, Miami
OL Drake Nugent, Michigan
OL Ajani Cornelius, Oregon

I am not qualified to be some OL tape grinder, so this group was picked from talking to folks who know more than me + leaning on analytics from PFF and the others. 

Michigan is on its way to winning the Joe Moore Award again in 2023, with both Hugent and Henderson, who is now the established starter at LT, performing well in the first six weeks of the season. Lee and Cohen have spearheaded Miami’s improved OL play (averaging nearly a yard better per rush). 

Oklahoma’s Walter Rouse but Cornelius is part of an Oregon OL that may push Michigan for the top unit in the country in 2023. 

ALL-TRANSFER DEFENSE TEAM

Defensive Line

EDGE Andre Carter, Indiana
EDGE Josaiah Stewart, Michigan

Stewart has emerged as a key cog on a Wolverines defense that ranks in the Top 5 in a slew of categories. The Coastal Carolina pass rusher leads the team with three sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss. 

Carter has been one of the lone bright spots for Indiana this season, as the ex-Western Michigan edge rusher is No. 4 in the Big Ten in pressures (20), and tops on his team in TFLs (6.5). He’s also been a solid run defender for the Hoosiers, racking up 13 stops, per PFF.

DL Bear Alexander, USC
DL Trajan Jeffcoat, Arkansas

The former 5-star transfer from Georgia has provided the expected interior pass rush for the Trojans, leading all Pac-12 defensive tackles with 20 pressures and 11 hurries. 

Jeffcoat has been very effective for the Razorbacks’ rebuilt DL this season, almost single-handedly providing any sort of pressure. The Missouri transfer is the only player on the Hogs’ defense with double-digit hurries (12), and he leads the team with three sacks and seven tackles for loss. 

Linebackers

LB Nick Jackson, Iowa
LB Francisco Mauigoa, Miami

Both Jackson and Mauigoa have stuffed the stat sheets on Top 20 defenses in 2023. Jackson, who came over from Virginia, has seamlessly stepped into Jack Campbell’s role for Phil Parker, currently second on the team in tackles (53), TFLs (4.5) and PBUs (two). He’s also forced two fumbles. 

Playing opposite his brother 5-star ‘Canes freshman OL Francis Mauigoa, the ex-Oregon State linebacker has fit in well in Lance Guidry’s aggressive defense at Miami. Mauigoa had an interception and forced fumble in the loss to Georgia Tech last weekend, and for the season has three takeaways and 5.0 TFLs.

Defensive Backs

DB Khyree Jackson, Oregon
DB Devin Neal, Louisville
DB Davison Igbinosun, Ohio State
DB John Saunders Jr., Ole Miss
DB Shilo Sanders, Colorado

Jackson headlines an Oregon pass defense that is one of the best in the country, and the Alabama transfer (who has a team-high two picks and four PBUs) will be tested against Washington’s stud receivers this weekend. 

Neal was a star in Louisville’s upset over Notre Dame, picking off Sam Hartman twice while adding eight tackles, one for a loss, and a pass breakup. The Baylor transfer has three interceptions on the season. 

Saunders doesn’t have the stat profile of some other DBs, but the Miami (OH) transfer has been an effective star/free safety for the Rebels. Through six games, he’s graded out as a Top 10 defensive back in the SEC — mainly due to his stingy coverage rate (56.3%). Igbinosun who transferred to Ohio State from Ole Miss, has actually struggled some in coverage this season, but he’s slowly becoming more and more comfortable in Jim Knowles’ defense. He has been fantastic in run support for the Buckeyes, though, helping stymie Notre Dame’s prolific rushing with a team-high three stops.

Deion’s other son missed the loss to USC, but otherwise, has been a solid player for a Buffs defense that’s been up and down in 2023. Sanders had a key 80-yard pick-six in the win over Colorado State, he’s yet to allow a touchdown this season and he’s tied for the team lead in tackles with 32.

Flex Travis Hunter, Colorado

The former No. 1 overall recruit has played in just over two games this season but could return to action this weekend against Stanford. In limited action, Hunter has been a true transcendent two-way star. He was incredible in the upset over TCU, allowing just three short catches on nine targets while adding an INT, three PBUs and over 100 yards receiving. The next week against Nebraska, he didn’t allow a single catch and had 73 yards at wideout.