Ex-jacket Gibbs among those who could tip power balance

Transfer portal opens up all kinds of opportunities for players and their teams.

Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams isn’t a typical transfer.

Rather than adapting to a new coach and an entirely new system, Williams followed Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma to USC. So he’s playing for the same coach, albeit at a different school.

Williams believes that should help him build off the momentum he established last year, when he took over as the Sooners’ starting quarterback midway through the season and threw for the most yards and touchdowns of any true freshman in school history.

“I didn’t want to feel like a freshman again, having to go to a new place and learn a whole new offense,” Williams said. “I for sure didn’t want to go to a new school and be in that position and kind of feel how I felt last year. I wanted to keep progressing and really feel more free, be (with) Coach Riley Part 2 out there and enjoy playing more because I know more.”

Williams’ status as a quarterback transfer isn’t unusual at all, even if his circumstances are rare. The NCAA rule changes allowing players to transfer without sitting out a full season have led to dramatic changes at the game’s most important position.

The top two quarterbacks in the 2021 class according to composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports already have left the schools that initially signed them. Williams was ranked second. The top-ranked quarterback was Quinn Ewers, who transferred from Ohio State to Texas.

Ewers committed to Texas out of high school but changed his mind and enrolled at Ohio State. Ewers made just one appearance for the Buckeyes last season before heading home.

Five of the top 13 quarterbacks in the 2020 class according to the 247Sports Composite also have changed schools: Utah’s Ja’quinden Jackson (formerly at Texas), UNLV’S Harrison Bailey (Tennessee), UCLA’S Ethan Garbers (Washington), Nevada’s Shane Illingworth (Oklahoma State) and Nebraska’s Chubba Purdy (Florida State).

But there also are plenty of transfers at other positions who should have big seasons at their new schools. Here’s a look at six of those transfers:

LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS 2022 When coach Lincoln Riley (center) left Oklahoma to take over the football program at Southern California, then-sooners quarterback Caleb Williams (right) decided he didn’t want to lose what he’d established with Riley, so he transferred to become a Trojan.