The transfer portal’s rise in college football has provided fans with a vastly more competitive product. Long gone are the days of slow, painstaking rebuilds; with the right coach — and willing boosters — any school can immediately become a championship contender.

Last year’s national runner-up, Washington, anchored by transfers quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and running back Dillon Johnson, was a prime example. This year’s Ole Miss (4-0) squad is another; the Rebels boast the No. 1 transfer class in the country, with 25 new players joining the team.

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A number of fans have their own issues with what has seemingly become a free agent frenzy in the sport, but for now, the portal is here to stay, and teams are continuing to reap the benefits.

USC (2-1, 0-1 Big Ten) brought in the No. 19 transfer class in the country this year, after last year’s shaky defense played a major role in the team losing five of its final six regular season games. While the Trojans finished the 2023 season ranked No. 2 in adjusted scoring offense, they closed at No. 101 in the same defensive metric. The arrival of UCLA’s D’Anton Lynn to fill the opening at defensive coordinator seems to have righted the ship; even having played two top 20 teams to kickoff the year, USC is currently No. 11 in adjusted scoring defense.

The Trojans are currently ranked No. 13 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll and expect to be in the thick of the race for the College Football Playoff. This past weekend’s loss to Michigan (3-1, 1-0) may have derailed the national media’s hype train, but this squad has taken a substantial step forward, and a good deal of the credit is owed to the team’s newest arrivals. Let’s take a look at some of the top contributors at USC and beyond, as Big Ten play launches into full swing.

USC: Running Back | Woody Marks | Redshirt Senior

Transferred from: Mississippi State

After four highly productive years in the SEC, Marks took his talents to the West Coast, and his presence has benefitted the Trojans greatly. Replacing the elite production of MarShawn Lloyd and Austin Jones was always going to be a challenge for the coaching staff, but Marks has proven to be a game-changing force on the field.

In the Vegas season opener, Marks ran for 2 touchdowns, including the game-winning score in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. Now don’t be fooled by his 5-foot-10-inch stature; the man has incredible speed and simply bounces off opposing defenders. Just watch the tape from Week 1, or his 65 yard dash at The Big House last Saturday. It’s hard to pin Marks down — there is a reason he’s averaged nearly 8 yards per game on the ground in his last two outings.

USC: Linebacker | Easton Mascarenas-Arnold | Senior

Transferred from: Oregon State

Mascarenas logged 107 tackles last season in Corvallis, which was good for third among Pacific-12 conference defenders. His move to Los Angeles seemed to fill a void at middle linebacker and his seniority is sure to provide experience to a linebacker room that looked disjointed last season. Mascarenas-Arnold may become an anchor on defense, so expect him to play a larger role as the season progresses.

USC: Safety | Kamari Ramsey | Redshirt Sophomore

Transferred from: UCLA

Ramsey transferred to USC around three weeks after Lynn was hired to run the defense. It seems the Westwood invasion has done some good because USC’s secondary is functional for the first time in years.

Ramsey is a tenacious defender and doesn’t allow big plays to happen. He can be found everywhere on the field, making tough tackles and bringing life to a defensive back room that was purely disastrous throughout 2023.

It’s not just Ramsey, though. The arrivals of redshirt senior cornerback Greedy Vance Jr. and redshirt senior safety Akili Arnold have also helped to raise the standard of the secondary dramatically through consistent play and a distinct lack of blown coverages. The entire unit is miles more cohesive, but Ramsey is still the standout.

USC: Kicker | Michael Lantz | Redshirt Senior

Transferred from: Georgia Southern

Every good analysis needs some kicker appreciation. In 2023, USC only converted 66.7% of field goals, ranking No. 94 among FBS teams. The coaching staff wanted improvement, and Lantz has provided that so far. While his longest field goal this season is 35 yards, he’s been a perfect 12 for 12 on extra points.

Now, for a quick look at other conference stars:

Indiana: Quarterback | Kurtis Rourke | Redshirt Senior

Transferred from: Ohio University

After Indiana’s (4-0, 1-0) surgical 42-13 victory over UCLA (1-2, 0-1), its starting quarterback is an essential addition to this list. Rourke’s transition from the Mid-American Conference to Power Four football has been seamless, and Indiana may have one of the best offensive attacks in the conference.

The Hoosiers have won their first four games by a combined margin of 202-37, and Rourke has racked up 1,013 yards through the air with 10 touchdowns from scrimmage to go along with it. Indiana faces its first real test against Maryland this weekend, and many expect the Hoosiers to pass with flying colors.

Ohio State: Running back | Quinshon Judkins | Junior

Transferred from: Ole Miss

Judkins was touted as the best running back in this transfer portal cycle, and it’s not hard to see why. After two monster seasons in Oxford, Judkins has settled into the Buckeye (3-0) offense perfectly, already amassing 336 yards and 5 touchdowns through three games.

While Ohio State’s schedule has been mundane so far, an average of 9.3 yards per carry is nothing to scoff at. With senior running back TreVeyon Henderson sharing reps, the Buckeyes have one of the scariest running back duos in the Big Ten, or perhaps the nation. Any path to the Big Ten Championship for the other 17 schools in the conference will run through the Buckeyes’ backfield.

Oregon: Quarterback | Dillon Gabriel | Senior

Transferred from: Oklahoma

From a statistical perspective, Dillon Gabriel is one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in NCAA history, and after his transfer to Oregon (3-0), his final year of college football could be one for the history books.

The Ducks got off to a slow start in their first weeks of Big Ten life, but they rounded back into form last week by crushing Oregon State (2-1) 49-14. Gabriel currently leads the FBS with an 84% completion percentage — the next highest is 79% — and has an incredible breadth of weapons to utilize, including another key transfer in junior wide receiver Evan Stewart (Texas A&M). If Oregon’s offense continues to gel and mesh, then Ohio State’s trip to Eugene on Oct. 12 could go down as the game of the year.