The Top Five Transfers in the AAC

The American boasts an impressive list of transfers in 2019, reflecting the growing respect for the conference among the powers that be in college football. Big time players are increasingly seeing our league as a legitimate transfer location.

Here are the top 5 new transfer faces in the AAC:

5. Jacob Pugh, Jr., DT, SMU (Formerly of Tulsa): Sonny Dykes and the SMU Mustangs made quite a haul in the transfer portal. Among their best friends was junior defensive tackle Jacob Pugh, who didn’t see the field much at Tulsa, but appears to have matured into an interior terror in the trenches. Pugh has a squat 6’0, 300 pound frame, which will enable him to clog things up between the tackles. In limited action at Tulsa, Pugh displayed an admirable mean streak, which is often lacking in young defensive linemen.

4. Eddie McDoom, Sr., WR, USF (Formerly of Michigan): Mr. McDoom never saw much action in Ann Arbor but this 6’0, 180 pound receiver is a firecracker waiting to go off. He has elite speed, which will serve him well against some of the more athletically deficient secondaries in the AAC.

3. Christian Montano, Grad, OL, Tulane (Formerly of Brown): Christian Montano is a versatile offensive lineman who earned a reputation as a road grader in the Ivy League and earned All-Conference honors during his junior year. A broken foot brought his senior season to an end in week 1. As Montano pursues an MBA, he will add a set of brass knuckles to Tulane’s already improved offensive line. Look for Montano to be key to Tulane’s jump to the top tier of the AAC this season.

2. Shane Buechele, Grad, QB, SMU (Formerly of Texas): Shane Buechele is an elite talent, a classic, pro-style quarterback who will thrive in Sonny Dykes’ pass-happy offense. This guy has a big arm and is tough as nails. He has won more big games that many of the teams in the AAC have even played in. If he turns in a season like his freshman year in 2016, Buechele will be in the conversation for conference player of the year.

1. Brandon Wimbush, QB, UCF (Formerly of Notre Dame): Brandon Wimbush is one of the most explosive players in college football. He completed a highlight-reel worthy career at Notre Dame, spending the 2017 as starter for a 10-win Fighting Irish team. Wimbush made questionable in-game decisions throughout his tenure at Notre Dame, leading to his benching in favor of Ian Book. But Wimbush ran for more than 800 yards in his season as Notre Dame’s starter. He is a dangerous weapon to add to UCF’s already explosive offense and a more than adequate replacement for the injured MacKenzie Milton.