09:16 AM ET  08.26 |

Even as newly hired head coaches Lane Kiffin(Tennessee), Steve Sarkisian(Washington), Gene Chizik(Auburn), Frank Spaziani (Boston College), Dan Mullen(Mississippi State), Chip Kelly (Oregon) as well as the unexpected loss of a beloved head coach(half of Maryland's sideline guru, Ralph Friedgen who has lost 100 pounds since last October) garner headlines and scrutiny, collegiate transfers usually slip onto campus with little or no fanfare.

Because most transfers have to wait a year to regain eligibility their impact resembles the flapping of a butterfly's wings altering the course of a hurricane halfway around the world.  When all is said and done though, their subdued arrivals usually set off delayed tremors throughout the college football universe.

Whether it's the result of a former golden recruit getting buried on a deep depth chart, a new regime installing radical alterations, or a myriad of countless circumstances a transfer gives new life to downtrodden scholarship athletes.  Most transfers either reap the benefit or suffer cruel twists of fate(See: Ryan Mallet and Mitch Mustain).

Aikman & Flacco

Long before Sam Bradford and Jason White were even a twinkle in Bob Stoops' eyes, local quarterback Troy Aikman arrived in Norman, Oklahoma. Although, Aikman's 3 Super Bowl's with the Dallas Cowboys earned him a bronze bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, it was his 2 seasons as a starter for UCLA which earned him an induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.

After expecting to head, the I-formation wound up directing a modified wishbone as the starter in 1985.  Soon thereafter, an ankle injury suffered by Aikman thrust Jamelle Holieway into the limelight. 

To highlight Holieway's attributes, Oklahoma converted back to a true wishbone.  8 consecutive victories later, Holieway became the only true freshman quarterback to lead a team to the national title and the wishbone became permanent.

In hindsight, leaving Oklahoma was probably a blessing considering the Sooners have a quarterback curse on par with the Madden and Kennedy's. to my best recollection no Sooner quarterback has ever thrown an NFL pass. 

As a sophomore, Jamelle Holieway tore his ACL but at 5'11, he lacked prototypical NFL size anyways. 

Jason White's knee injuries left him with limited mobility.  Charles Thompson sold cocaine to an undercover FBI agent and Rhett Bomar, OU's most prized recruit in recent memory was banished to Sam Houston State for a brazen NCAA violation.  As a rookie, Bomar is now clinging by a thread to the Giants roster. 

Sam Bradford better watch out for any unsecured anvils.     

Before Ravens QB Joe Flacco was a highly coveted quarterback for the Delaware Blue Hens, he roamed the sideline and studied the clipboard for Tyler Palko at Pittsburgh.  In 2007, BYU's dark horse Heisman candidate, Max Hall was an unsung transfer quarterback at Arizona State, returning from a two year mission.  

The 2009 season will debut another influx of transfers who hope to find their niche in a second home.

Zach Frazer

At UConn tailback, Donald Brown's early draft entry leaves a vacuum in the Huskies offense which quarterback Zach Frazer hopes to plug.   

Frazer, UConn's expected gameday starter, transferred from Notre Dame in 2007 after it became evident Charlie Weis wanted then-freshman, Jimmy Clausen, to take the reins of the Irish offense.

Demetrius Jones, another casualty of Clausen's anointment as the Fighting Irish's 2^nd coming at QB, enrolled at Cincinnati is expected to contribute at linebacker.

While the transition from following in the tradition of Paul Hornung, Joe Theismann, Joe Montana, Tony Rice, Rick Mirer and Brady Quinn to living up to the legacy of Lions, 3^rd stringer Dan Orlovsky is a leap backwards for an ex-Irish man.  There is a silver lining at Connecticut, which is devoid of an iconic figure at the sport's most prestigious position in its meager decade of Division I-A competition.

Jevan Snead

At one time, you could count Jevan Snead among those who found themselves regretting with their Signing Day decision.  2 years ago, Ole Miss' dual threat, Jevan Snead lost a neck and neck race with Colt McCoy to toil in Vince Young's shadow as Longhorns starter. 

(In fact, prior to Tebow's official commitment to Florida, Snead was Urban Meyer's prized recruit in 2006.  However, Snead de-commited after Tim Tebow's recruitment changed the equation.)

Subsequently, after McCoy hijacked several freshman NCAA and Longhorn records, the writing was on the wall.  Snead wound up at Ole Miss, where NFL scouts predict his name will be announced at the podium ahead of McCoy's.

Mitch Mustain & Damian Williams

Mitch Mustain's decision to transfer from Arkansas to USC in 2007 seemed to be a rash decision considering Mustain won all 8 games he started as a freshman and the Trojans were set at QB with John David Booty Mark Sanchez, Aaron Corps and the pending commitment of junior phenom Matt Barkley.   Mustain was joined at USC by his high school teammate and fellow Razorback freshman Damian Williams.   

Unfortunately, getting benched and developing friction between Mustain's high school coach/offensive coordinator Gus Mahlzahn and Houston Nutt soured the pair on Fayetteville.

The episode led to the ouster of Nutt, Mahlzahn's resignation, in addition to Williams and Mustain's decision to bolt the Little Rock State for Southern Cal.  Mustain, a redshirt junior is now nestled 3^rd on the depth chart behind a redshirt sophomore and a true freshman.

Mustain's wingman Damian Williams has found greener pastures in Los Angeles than Mustain.  Entering 2009, Williams has ascended from Arkansas also-ran to USC standout, team captain onto the fast track to becoming a 1^st round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Ryan Mallett

In his stead, Ryan Mallett, who possesses the strongest arm in college football, is set to make his Razorback debut in September.  2 years ago, Mallett was groomed as the inevitable successor to Chad Henne at Michigan.  Towards the end of his freshman campaign, Rich Rodriguez inked a 5 year contract to import his zone read, spread offense to Ann Arbor. 

Being a 6'6 sloth with an uzi for an arm in an offense which values athletes under center, Mallett was instantly rendered obsolete.  As opposed to Mitch Mustain, Mallett scoured the nation for an opening which he found at Arkansas under the tutelage of Bobby Petrino. In Petrino's debut season in Little Rock, the Razorbacks shattered eight school records in 2008, including season marks for pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards and passing yards per game.

Rich Rodriguez overhaul of the Michigan program has created a refuge camp of transfers in just one season.  Offensive linemen Justin Boren, Kurt Wermer's, Dann O'Neill, heralded freshman tailback Sam McGuffie and 2008 starter Steven Threet.  Michigan Wolverine, Boren committed the ultimate act of Michigan-Ohio border treason after bolting to the Buckeyes.

Pat Devlin

As soon as 2007 High School All-American Pat Devlin committed to the Nittany Lions, Pennsylvania's career passing yardage leader he faced the lofty expectations of leading Penn State back to championship glory.  Unfortunately, after getting edged out by training camp and watching Clark flourish in Paterno's spread HD offense Devlin's prospects in Happy Valley grew unexpectedly gloomy.

Despite possessing an Uzi for an arm,(when was the last time a QB was praised for his pinpoint accuracy, soft touch and musket-like arm strength) Devlin attempted only 48 passes and his defining moment at Penn State was routine 1 yard go ahead touchdown run against Ohio State after Darryl Clark was forced out.

Instead the towering QB, with the name of a Bond villain now has the task of conjuring up memories of Joe Flacco after transferring to the University of Delaware in January.  As a result of transferring to an FCS program from the Division formerly known as I-A, Devlin can compete immediately.                

Keith Nichol & Jarred Fayson

Former Oklahoma backup, Keith Nichol is set to outlast Kirk Cousins in the Michigan State marathon QB competition.  For Nichol, earning the starter's job would be a a complete reversal from the summer of 2007 when redshirt freshman Sam Bradford pulled ahead of Nichols in the QB race.  

Illinois head coach Ron Zook's newest addition to the Fighting Illini is wide receiver Jarred Fayson whom Zook originally recruited to play in Gainesville.  Fayson relocated to Illinois after being underutilized at Florida.

Michigan State transfer Nick Foles is engaged in an intense battle for te position once occupied by Willie Tuitiama, who exhausted his eligibility.  Washington State, which fielded a historically mediocre team in 2008 welcomes Cal transfer tailback, James Montgomery into the fold.

Baylor hopes the arrival of 6-4, 355 pound defensive tackle Phil Taylor, selected as the Big 12 preseason newcomer of the year, shores up their defensive line.

Louisville's QB controversy has been handed to N.C. State transfer Justin Burke.  Two summers ago, C.J. Spiller seriously contemplated transferring to Florida, which was a sage decision in hindsight considering Urban Meyer's offense has never produced a 1,000 yard back.

USC transfer and 2006 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, Emmanuel Moody tired of the USC logjam at running back.  However, Emmanuel Moody who was expected to excel as a power back has struggled mightily in the Gator's shotgun based spread offense.

Greg Paulus shattered transfer boundaries by going from senior starting point guard at Duke to Syracuse starting quarterback--the near equivalent to trading Kobe Bryant to the L.A. Galaxy or His Airness, Michael Jordan joining the White Sox minor league club...  Apparently that actually happened. Paulus was the #1 pro-style quarterback prospect of the 2005 class before he hung up his cleats for hardwood seakers and Cameron Crazies.

In 2010, the influx of relatively high profile transfers continue as ex-Miami Hurricanes quarterback Robert Marve becomes eligible to resume his playing career at Purdue.  On Tuesday, another pair of backup quarterback also left the Hurricanes program.  Receiver Vidal Hazelton, who transferred from USC to Cincinnati will join the Bearcats in 2010, and Michigan Wolverine quarterback, Steven Threet who started 8 games in 2008 will suit up next for Arizona State.

College football programs can't relegate transfer players to stints in D1-AA, and can't swap stars for scholarships and student athletes, etc.  However, for the purposes of this exercise here's a list of player's I'd most like to see transfer and where. Link--->