Transfer tracker: Former Notre Dame OL Rocco Spindler thrives in Week 9 after painful injury

Former Notre Dame offensive lineman Rocco Spindler delivered a resilient performance after one of the toughest weeks of his college career.

Just days after undergoing surgery for a compound fracture in his left index finger, Spindler returned to the lineup and turned in one of his best outings of the 2025 season for Nebraska. The effort earned him an 84.8 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus — tied for third last week among 29 qualifying Big Ten guards.

Spindler’s gutsy effort highlighted the week among former Notre Dame players who transferred elsewhere ahead of the 2025 season. Here’s how the other nine performed.

QB Steve Angeli | Syracuse (3-4): Before he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury Sept. 20 vs. Clemson, Angeli threw for 1,317 yards and 10 touchdowns while completing 98-256 passes with only 2 interceptions in four games.

OL Ty Chan | Connecticut (5-3): Had his second-best pass-blocking output of the 2025 season, earning an 86.7 grade, according to Pro Football Focus, in a 37-34 loss to Rice (4-4). Chan started at right guard and played 58 of 75 snaps. He did not surrender any quarterback pressures in 40 pass-blocking reps.

WR Deion Colzie | Miami Ohio (5-3): After he did not play the previous week against Eastern Michigan, Colzie returned to the lineup and started. He was on the field for 33 of 64 offensive plays in a 26-7 win over Western Michigan (4-4). Colzie caught his only target, which went for 14 yards.

OL Pat Coogan | No. 2 Indiana (8-0): The 6-foot-5, 311-pounder continues to be a stalwart for the No. 2 team in the country. In a 56-6 victory against UCLA (3-5), PFF gave him an 80.4 grade, the best of the 2025 season. He was exceptional in pass pro, giving up 0 quarterback pressures in 35 pass-blocking snaps. Also, Hoosiers rushers registered 115 yards and 1 touchdown on 18 carries when running middle left or middle right, which Coogan was primarily responsible for.

DL Tyson Ford | California (5-2): Notched his first tackle with the Bears while playing 3 snaps on the defensive line and 3 on punt return in a 42-34 double overtime loss to Virginia Tech (3-5).

EDGE Aiden Gobaira | James Madison (6-1): The Dukes had a bye week. Entering it, Gobaira is second on the team with 5 tackles for loss and tied for first in sacks with 3. He also has 16 total tackles.

CB Jaden Mickey | Boise State (6-2): Started at slot cornerback for the second consecutive week and logged 50 of 55 defensive snaps in a 24-3 victory over Nevada (1-7). Mickey had 2 tackles, including 1 run stop. However, he also let up 3 catches for 75 yards on 4 targets. He also contributed to punt coverage, punt return and field goal block.

OL Sam Pendleton | No. 14 Tennessee (5-2): Started at center for the eighth straight game. In this one, he appeared on 46 of 61 offensive snaps in a 56-34 win over Kentucky (2-5). Pendleton gave up 2 quarterback pressures in 28 pass-blocking snaps, tied for the most in a single game this season.

OL Rocco Spindler | Nebraska (6-2): Played all 61 snaps at right guard in a 28-21 victory over Northwestern (5-3). His admirable performance included giving up 0 quarterback pressures in 26 pass blocking snaps. Also, Cornhusker rushers had 12 yards on 4 carries when running behind Spindler.

WR Jayden Thomas | No. 15 Virginia (7-1): Played 15 snaps and caught 1 of 2 targets for 6 yards in a 17-16 overtime win over North Carolina (2-5). Thomas also contributed to special teams on kick return, punt coverage and punt return.

LB Kennedy Urlacher | USC (5-2): The Trojans had a bye week. Before it, Urlacher had played 53 snaps on defense and totaled 5 tackles, including a sack.

DE Andrew Yanoshak | Dayton (6-2): The Notre Dame tight end turned defensive lineman had a tackle in a 35-19 win against Presbyterian (7-1), which was undefeated entering the game and ranked No. 16 in the FCS at the time.

K Zac Yoakam | No. 22 Houston (7-1): Continues to handle kickoff duties for the Cougars. Last Saturday, he had 5 kicks for 325 yards and 3 touchbacks in a 24-16 victory against then-No. 24 Arizona State (5-3).