Transfers have long been a part of college football, but it wasn’t until Russell Wilson’s “graduate” transfer from NC State to Wisconsin that the dynamic changed. Since Wilson had already graduated from NC State, he would be able to transfer and gain immediate eligibility at the school of his choice provided he enrolled in one of the school’s graduate program.
With players now realizing they didn’t have to sit out a year and no longer needed a waiver to gain immediate eligibility, it completely changed the landscape of college football. More and more players began to graduate transfer — and for some quarterbacks, they skipped over the graduate part — making major impacts at their new schools.