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The most successful transfer ever?


MikeT14

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17 hours ago, MikeT14 said:

This is how this thread idea started for me. And then I thought well crap, Joe Burrow almost did the exact same thing. From there "well I must be missing some people" 

I mean sure those other people should be on a list  like this.

But really, the list is Cam, then Burrow, then a pretty sizable dropoff to whoever is 3rd lol. Burrow and Cam arguably had the 2 greatest CFB seasons ever witnessed. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Gotta go with OJ. 

Rickets and bow leggedness, poor grades, not a highly touted recruit until he blew up the JUCO ranks and caught the attention of a pretty good USC program where he had 2 phenomenal years and the accolades came. 

 

Both Newton and Burrow had impressive transfers, but both were highly touted recruits to begin with that fell out of favor at their initial stops for their own list of reasons. Moreover, and where I give Simpson the edge, both wound up being 1 season wonders. Newton's 1 year at Auburn was dominant, but would his 2nd year have been better? Burrow's 2019 was phenomenal, but 2018 at LSU was only meh. 

I just feel like OJ's was a bigger jump that was less likely to be successful than either Newton's or Burrow's, and his impact just feels bigger. This was well before the age of super classes and a select few schools utterly dominating the recruitment system. Further, it predated the age of top schools carefully choosing their OOC schools. 

USC went 19-2-1 with OJ being the star, defeating Texas (5), Notre Dame (5), and Indiana (4) [bowl game] in 1967, along with beating Michigan State who was coming off back to back National Championship seasons. 

In 68, USC topped Minnesota (16), Miami (13), and tied Notre Dame (9) while falling to Ohio St (1) [bowl game]. They also beat Northwestern. 

Those regular season OOC tests (notice: I disregarded the stellar in-conference slates against UCLA (1), Stanford (18), (11) California, and (13) Oregon St) are the stuff we dream about these days.  

A 3 point loss to eventual (7) Oregon St and Rose Bowl loss to (1) Ohio St were the team's only blemishes, while they played numerous top 5 teams (at the time or at season's end) and even more top 10s. Ranked opponents all over the place.

Again, LSU and Auburn's seasons under Burrow and Newton deserve all the respect in the world. But I find it doubtful that either player has a follow up season nearly has good, much less better, than their first big season. OJ did though, as he narrowly missed out on the Heisman in year 1 while nabbing it year 2. 

So yeah, I gotta go with OJ. 

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  • 1 month later...

I'm going to Cam here me out.  Yes Burrow made LSU legit and ended with a national title, but I really think if Joe Brady wasnt coaching LSU that year Burrow wouldnt have gone number 1 overall and LSU wouldnt have won the national title.  Meanwhile Cam transferred to Auburn with them coming off an 8 win season and completely transformed Auburn in 1 year in 2010. 

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  • 2 months later...
On 2/24/2021 at 12:31 PM, LinebackerGod said:

Yeah I'd agree. I think Cam Newton was always supposed to be "The Man" though. He was just too dumb to go to regular college right off rip. That's why I think Burrow edges him out. Burrow was literally buried on the depth chart at OSU and was not destined for success. Decided to transfer and go from obscure maybe 6th-7th round pick to completing the trifecta (Natty, Heisman, #1 overall).

He wasnt buried, at least not in the beginning. He was slated to be the back up to JTB heading into JTB's final season. Supposedly won the back up job in the spring over haskins but he broke his hand in fall camp and lost his back up job. haskin plays well when he got in, had that good game vs Michigan and basically secured the starting job the following season

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