On3 says USF has some of the most impactful transfer players in the Group of 6

With summer camp beginning soon for USF football, we're being inundated with top 10 lists of this and that. It's something to talk until we have actual football to talk about.

But a recent top 10 list by On3.com had a decidedly USF angle that got my attention -- and in a good way.

It ranked the top 10 Group of 6 transfers and which roster additions would have the most impact this season.

The list actually had 11 players because analyst Wilson Alexander lumped two USF quarterbacks together -- Michael Bennett, Jr. and Luke Kromenhoek together. Defensive end/linebacker C.J. Hicks also made the list.

It's another validation of new head coach Brian Hartline power of persuasion.

American Conference rivals North Texas and Memphis were also represented.

While Bulls fans will focus on the battle between Bennett and Kromenhoek to be QB1, Hartline has said that decision won't be made until later in camp -- perhaps in the week before USF's first game.

Alexander did note that "USF’s schedule reduces their overall impact."

Yeah, I doubt the college football nation will be too impressed even if the Bulls sweep the non-conference portion of their schedule -- FIU, Delaware State, Bowling Green, and Kent State. To be fair, the Kent State addition came only after Alabama backed out of its game with the Bulls for this season and moved it to a later date.

Of Hicks, the report said, "(Hicks) was a five-star recruit in high school who never broke through at Ohio State. In 44 games over four seasons with the Buckeyes, Hicks recorded 42 tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks. He moved from linebacker to defensive end before the 2025 season, then took a redshirt to retain an extra year of eligibility. Hicks followed Hartline from Ohio State as one of the headliners in arguably the top transfer class in the G6."

That "top transfer class" line has has a lot of validity but also puts a target on USF's back this season, no matter where the Bulls are slotted in the conference preseason polls. The American stopped doing the coach's poll last year with no plans to bring it back, but there are plenty of other rankings out there and most of them have the Bulls somewhere between fourth place and seventh.

But you can bet the other American programs know that 24 of USF's 41 transfers came from power conference programs and will consider a win over the Bulls to be a special trophy.

They also know that USF has the largest football budget of programs outside the power conferences, which can lead to some resentment -- especially by the head coaches who can't convince their schools to compete financially with USF.

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