Top 10 transfer portal impact players of Week 5

In the new era of college football, the transfer portal has become a significant component of roster construction. Throughout the 2026 college football season, On3 is breaking down the top 10 transfer portal impact players based on weekly performances. Here are the most impactful transfer portal players from Week 5:

1. Missouri QB Austin Simmons

Austin Simmons delivered the best performance of his college career on Saturday. The Ole Miss transfer completed 23 of 30 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns in a 45-17 rout of No. 10 Florida. Simmons was nearly perfect, with no interceptions and helped Missouri pick up its first home win over a top-10 team since joining the SEC. Simmons started the 2025 season at Ole Miss, but was injured and later lost the starting job to Trinidad Chambliss.

2. Oregon State QB Braden Atkinson

The Mercer transfer hasn’t missed a beat making the jump from FCS to FBS. Braden Atkinson was 31 of 34 for 427 yards and five touchdowns in a dominant 56-26 win at Colorado State. He opened the game with 16 consecutive completions to break the school record. He currently leads the country with 1,848 passing yards.

3. UNLV QB Jackson Arnold

Dan Mullen is finding success in Las Vegas with Jackson Arnold. The former Oklahoma and Auburn transfer threw for 177 yards and three touchdowns on 11 of 22 passes while rushing for 110 yards and two scores on 15 carries in a 39-31 win over Cal. UNLV fell 44-6 to North Texas earlier this season, but Mullen and Arnold have bounced back with a Power Four win.

4. Wake Forest QB Gio Lopez

Last year at North Carolina, Gio Lopez did not look like himself. Now at Wake Forest with Jake Dickert, the quarterback is starting to get back to what he did successfully at South Alabama. He was 20 of 27 for 265 yards along with 88 rushing yards and five total touchdowns in a 57-3 blowout win over Stanford. He did it in just three quarters, too, and his three rushing scores matched his total at North Carolina last season.

5. Indiana RB Turbo Richard

A week after leaving the Northwestern game with an ankle sprain, Turbo Richard was back and did not look limited. The Boston College transfer rushed for 204 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, averaging 15.7 yards per rush. Richard’s performance came up big as No. 6 Indiana cruised to a 47-15 win at Rutgers.

6. Kentucky QB Kenny Minchey

Down 17-0 on the road at South Carolina, Kenny Minchey led Kentucky to an overtime win in the biggest comeback road win in program history. The Notre Dame transfer threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns, along with a pass to Willie Rodriguez for the two-point conversion to escape with a 35-34 win.

7. Colorado DL Santana Hopper

On a night where Colorado’s offense could not produce, the Buffaloes had a bright spot on the defensive line. Tulane transfer Santana Hopper finished with 10 tackles, including five of Colorado’s 11 tackles for loss. He was a huge reason why Colorado was competitive up front against the Red Raiders.

8. Tennessee S Dejuan Lane

On a day when the Tennessee offense needed its defense to keep it in the game, Dejuan Lane delivered. The Penn State transfer finished with nine tackles and two sacks. His third-quarter interception of Byrum Brown went 32 yards and set up running back DeSean Bishop’s 44-yard touchdown run. Per Tennessee, he is just the third SEC player since 2005 to post at least nine tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception in one game.

9. Miami EDGE Damon Wilson

Damon Wilson’s transfer from Missouri to Miami was circled as one of the offseason’s biggest acquisitions. He showed why on Saturday night in Death Valley. Wilson posted three sacks in the Hurricanes’ dominant 41-13 road win. He now has four sacks in five games this season.

10. Alabama LB Caleb Woodson

One of Alabama’s top transfer pickups on the defensive side of the ball this winter was Caleb Woodson. Through five games, he has 21 tackles and two tackles for loss, and he added an interception to his stat line in Saturday’s win at Mississippi State.