Familiar faces in new places: Top 7 college football transfers who will make big impact

A dominant AAC player offsets a 2021 NFL Draft opt-out in the trenches

Though we were denied something potentially spectacular down in South Florida, the Miami Hurricanes must be ecstatic about the two high-profile transfers who joined their program this past offseason. The first guy we’ll touch on is defensive end Quincy Roche. The 2019 AAC Defensive Player of the Year while with the Temple Owls has taken his talents to South Beach.

Roche had 49 total tackles (36 solo, 13 assists), 19 for a loss of yardage and 13 going for sacks. After three years in Philadelphia, Roche amassed 137 total tackles (102 solo, 35 assists), 39.5 going for a loss of yardage and 26 going for sacks. Though he won’t play alongside a certain top-10 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, as Gregory Rousseau opted out, Roche can be a star at “The U”.

Despite their offensive inconsistencies for the better part of this century, Miami has had solid defenses the last half-decade or so, initially playing under former head coach Mark Richt and now under his disciple Manny Diaz. With the ‘Canes on the precipice of getting back to Charlotte for the first time since 2017, Roche could be the key piece needed on defense to get them over the top.

While it is a step up in competition from the AAC to the ACC, it’s not as big of a leap as it would be from one Group of 5 conference to another Power 5 conference. Roche starred in the best Group of 5 conference on one of the consistently best teams in the AAC. Look for him to go out on top as one of the preeminent pass-rushers and playmakers along any defensive line in the ACC in 2020.