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The Big 12 Conference has added eight new teams to the league over the past two years, hoping for strength in numbers. After losing Texas and Oklahoma to the Southeastern Conference, the Big 12 is counting on its new members to create parody and intrigue.
Accompanying these new teams to the Big 12 are new additions via the transfer portal. Below, we will look at some of those new transfers who will make major impacts this fall.
5. OL Bryce Foster (Texas A&M to Kansas)
Highly touted coming out of high school in Katy, Texas, Foster is a 6-foot-5, 325-pound redshirt junior. He likely will start at center for the Jayhawks this upcoming season. Foster started 28 games at Texas A&M over the past three seasons, being named a freshman All-American in 2021. Foster's sophomore season was cut short due to a torn ACL, but he bounced back in 2023 to once again start every game for the Aggies.
Foster will join a Kansas offensive line that is full of older, experienced players. The Jayhawks hope to rely on this depth to make a run at a Big 12 championship. A two-sport star while at Texas A&M, Foster was a member of the Aggies' track and field team, competing in shot put and discus. Foster is named by Matt Miller as one of the top center prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft.
4. EDGE Samuel Okunlola (Pittsburgh to Colorado)
The 6-foot-4 redshirt freshman made the most out of his limited opportunities at Pittsburgh last season. He was tied for the team lead with 5 sacks while playing only in 11 games. Undersized for an edge rusher coming out of high school, Okunlola put on 20 pounds of muscle this past offseason. It showed as he flashed in some big moments for the Panthers.
Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders and the Buffaloes need all the help they can get along the lines of scrimmage. Okunlola figures to be a disruptive piece on the defensive side of the ball. Okunlola hails from Thayer Academy in Brockton, Mass., and has a younger brother, Samson, who just signed with the Miami Hurricanes as a five-star offensive lineman.
3. WR Dorian Singer (USC to Utah)
After an outstanding 2022 campaign at Arizona that saw him selected first-team all-conference, Singer decided last offseason to transfer to USC. This let him play in a Lincoln Riley/Caleb Williams offense. The production declined drastically as he was held to less than 300 yards receiving and 3 TDs.
Singer is a 6-foot, 180-pound former three-star prospect from St. Paul, Minn., who hopes to return to his 2022 form. He is projected to be the Utes' primary weapon on the outside for QB Cam Rising, who is also looking for a bounce-back season after dealing with an injury that saw him miss the entire 2023 season. Utah is a popular pick to make the Big 12 championship game in their first season in the league.
2. RB Dylan Edwards (Colorado to Kansas State)
A former Buffalo, Edwards is taking his talents back home to the Sunflower State to play for the Big 12 favorite Wildcats. Edwards stood out in his first college game where he scored 4 TDs to go along with over 150 combined rushing and receiving yards. One of "Coach Prime's" biggest commitments in the 2023 class, Edwards was a four-star prospect from Derby, Kan., who flipped to Colorado from Notre Dame.
Edwards will be joining a backfield that features RB DJ Giddens, who led the Wildcats in rushing in 2023. He also will be alongside dual-threat QB Avery Johnson, who ran for almost 300 yards and added 7 TDs in only eight games last season. With these three players, the Wildcats should have one of the more potent rushing attacks in the Big 12.
1. QB KJ Jefferson (Arkansas to UCF)
A three-year starter for the Razorbacks, Jefferson is transferring to UCF for his sixth year in college football. Knights coach Gus Malzahn has to be ecstatic with adding the 6-foot-3, 245-pound mobile QB to an offense already primed to run the ball effectively. Along with RB RJ Harvey and fellow transfer RB Peny Boone, Jefferson will look to lead the Knights' offense as a potential dark-horse to win the Big 12 championship.
Jefferson is an experienced dual-threat QB originally from Mississippi who was very productive playing in the SEC for the past three seasons. From 2021 to 2023, Jefferson averaged almost 2,500 yards passing per season, while accounting for 81 total TDs and racking up over 1,700 yards rushing in that span. He is extremely difficult to bring down inside the pocket and has the ability to both elude and run over defenders.
Big 12 Transfer Portal Honorable Mention
When the league includes teams like Colorado, it is impossible to list every notable transfer portal addition in one article. So here are some other notable players to watch out of the portal this season in the Big 12. The Houston Cougars took quite a haul in the portal as well, adding 27 total transfers in Willie Fritz's first year at the helm. Included in that group is speedy receiver and kick returner Mekhi Mews, who transferred after three seasons from Georgia.
TE Carsen Ryan is a big body with sneaky athleticism who joins Kyle Wittingham's Utes via UCLA. Down in Fort Worth, TCU added Braylon James, a physical former four-star recruit out of Notre Dame who has the size and tools to be an elite pass catcher. James appeared in four games with the Irish and is transferring back home to the Lone Star State. If we missed any big impact transfers in the Big 12, let us know in the comments below.
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