Welcome back to the Transfer Portal Team of the Week! Another week of exciting finishes, standout showings, and blowouts! We have another amazing lineup, built from the top performing transfers of Week 6! We’ll also highlight the best transfer performance from each aspect of the game, complete with their journey to this point. Congrats to the honorees, and let us know if there’s any transfers that you think should have made the list!
Note: For the spotlight players, we’re doing our absolute best to
avoid repeat selections. The main point of that section is to showcase the incredible, sometimes arduous journeys that these transfers took to reach the Mountain West. Therefore, picking players more than one time would defeat the purpose of the spotlights. If there’s a standout performance going forward that doesn’t receive top billing, that’s most likely why!
Offense Spotlight: Byron Cardwell Jr.
One of the most highly regarded recruits to ever come out of the San Diego area, Byron Cardwell Jr held offers from every major school you can think of. Following a storied career at St. Augustine High School, the 6 foot, 200 pound running back committed to Oregon over Florida State, Penn State, Notre Dame, and five SEC schools.
Wasting no time upon landing in Eugene, Cardwell backed up future NFL back Travis Dye, running for 417 yards, three scores, and a PAC-12 best 6.8 yards per carry as a true freshman. He lit up Colorado for a career high 127 yards to announce his presence halfway through the season, and earned conference Freshman of the Week honors for his two touchdowns against Washington State. Despite beginning his collegiate career better than anyone could have hoped, this would be Cardwell’s peak for quite some time. He played in the Ducks first two games of the 2022 campaign, but after only getting 15 touches and suffering a high-ankle sprain, he decided to sit out the remainder of the season to preserve his eligibility and enter the transfer portal. He decided to return to The Golden State and joined Cal’s 2023 roster.
The injury bug would follow Cardwell to his next stop, as he unfortunately injured his knee before the season and missed the entire 2023 season. He worked his way back onto the field for the first time in nearly two years as a junior, tallying 106 total yards across five games for the Golden Bears. With one guaranteed year of college ball remaining, Cardwell packed his bags again and entered the portal for a second time. Fittingly, he chose to return to where it all started, committing to San Diego State to the delight of many in Southern California.
Beginning the year as the Aztecs backup running back, Cardwell took four games to get rolling, but San Diego’s very own has officially arrived. In the first Mountain West game of his career, he dominated Colorado State, posting 160 total yards on 15 carries. His most impressive moment came in the fourth quarter, where he took the ball four straight times, barreling 59 yards into the end zone. No one else touched on that drive. Poetically, Cardwell finished the game with a new career high of 129 rush yards, two more than his first major outburst four years prior at Oregon. After battling injuries, expectations, and defenders for his whole life, the man that head coach Sean Lewis described as an “action figure” has finally proved to the football world that he’s every bit as talented as his high school pedigree suggested.
Honorable Mention: SO WR Danny Scudero, Sacramento State (FCS) to San Jose State — 7 catches, 151 REC yards, TD (3rd straight game w/ 130+ REC yards)
Defense Spotlight: Mumu Bin-Wahad
Hailing from Atlanta, Mumu Bin-Wahad was a consensus three star corner prospect with an offer sheet a mile long. He had offers from Michigan, Penn State, and hometown Georgia Tech, but he ultimately decided to begin his college career at West Virginia. Bin-Wahad only saw action in four games for the Mountaineers in 2022, causing him to enter the transfer portal as a redshirt freshman. He chose to head north and join UConn for the upcoming season, which seemed by all accounts to be a good decision.
With the Huskies, Bin-Wahad amassed 34 tackles, four tackles for loss, a sack, and an interception across 12 contests. He also graded out well according to PFF, which gives a rating for your ability on the field that traditional stats may not account for, labelling the corner as in the top 21% of defensive backs that season. Feeling confident that he had shown enough flashes to return to big-time college football, Bin-Wahad re-entered the transfer portal, but didn’t receive the interest he was hoping for. After being unable to find a home in the FBS for his sophomore year, he committed to Navarro Junior College in Texas to continue to rebuild his on-field reputation.
While stats are hard to come by at the JUCO level, it’s evident that Bin-Wahad was excellent at his new home. He was credited with 25 tackles and a pick six across six games, earning him official offers from Temple, North Texas, and Memphis. Ultimately, though, he would be courted by Dan Mullen to join him in Las Vegas, and the offer was too good to pass up.
One of fifty new faces to join UNLV for 2025, Bin-Wahad was still a name that players and media raved about during the preseason. His experience and leadership were invaluable to a team with no built-in chemistry, and it also helps that he has all of that under his belt as a sophomore. It took some time for him to break into the rotation, but against Wyoming, Bin-Wahad had himself a hail of a night (pun completely intended). He notched seven tackles, tying a career high, and forced his first career fumble, which he recovered. The Rebels strolled to a 31-17 victory, pushing their record to 5-0 on the year. There’s a wealth of transfer talent that Coach Mullen brought in to his secondary, some of whom have already gotten the spotlight (see Week 0 for Aamaris Brown’s story, Week 4 for Jaheem Joseph’s), but none may be more impactful down the stretch of their playoff push as Mumu is. As a feisty, dependable corner that’s as physical as he is quick, he’ll continue to work himself into the heart of UNLV and Mountain West fans everywhere.
Honorable Mention: GR DE Niles King, Grand Valley State (D2) to San Diego State — 4 tackles, 2 sacks, PFF grade of 89.9
Special Teams Spotlight: Abraham Williams
BODY
Honorable Mention: SR K Isaiah Hankins, Baylor to Colorado State — 1/1 on FGs (30 yards), 1/1 on XPs
Team of the Week
Offense
Quarterback
Jayden Denegal, Michigan to San Diego State, Junior || W, 45-24 vs Colorado State || 13/16, 256 pass yards (career high), 2 TDs (career high)
Running Back (2)
Byron Cardwell Jr, Cal to San Diego State, Graduate || W, 45-24 vs Colorado State || 15 carries, 129 rush yards (career high), TD
Rayshon “Speedy” Luke, Arizona to Fresno State, Junior || W, 20-17 vs Nevada || 8 carries, 83 rush yards; 3 catches, 8 REC yards
Wide Receiver (3)
Danny Scudero, Sacramento State (FCS) to San Jose State, Sophomore || W, 35-38 vs New Mexico || 7 catches, 151 REC yards, TD (3rd straight game w/ 130+ REC yards)
Keagan Johnson, Kansas State to New Mexico, Graduate || L, 35-28 @ San Jose State || 11 catches, 145 REC yards (both career highs)
Leland Smith, Purdue to San Jose State, Junior || W, 35-28 vs New Mexico || 6 catches (T-career high), 61 REC yards, TD
Tight End
Dorian Thomas, Arizona to New Mexico, Sophomore || L, 35-28 @ San Jose State || 4 catches, 40 REC yards
Offensive Tackle (2)
Zach Cochnauer, Central Arkansas (FCS) to Nevada, Junior || L, 20-17 @ Fresno State || PFF grade of 71.7
Tyler Lawrence, Air Force to New Mexico, Sophomore || L, 35-28 @ San Jose State || PFF grade of 67.6
Offensive Guard (2)
Israel Mukwiza, Mercer (FCS) to New Mexico, Graduate || L, 35-28 @ San Jose State || PFF grade of 70.6
Alani Makihele, UCLA to UNLV, Graduate || W, 31-17 @ Wyoming || PFF grade of 60.1
Center
Kaden Robnett, Idaho (FCS) to New Mexico, Freshman || L, 35-28 @ San Jose State || PFF grade of 60
Defense
Defensive End (2)
Niles King, Grand Valley State (D2) to San Diego State, Graduate || W, 45-24 vs Colorado State || 4 tackles, 2 sacks, PFF grade of 89.9
Keyshawn James-Newby, Idaho (FCS) to New Mexico, Graduate || L, 35-28 @ San Jose State || 6 tackles, PFF grade of 83.6
Defensive Tackle (2)
Logologo Va’a, UTEP to Nevada, Junior || L, 20-17 @ Fresno State || 3 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, 0.5 sack, deflection, PFF grade of 77
Aneesh Vyas, Bucknell (FCS) to Wyoming, Graduate || L, 31-17 vs UNLV || 2 tackles, PFF grade of 68.3
Linebacker (3)
Jadon Pearson, Utah State to Fresno State, Graduate || W, 20-17 vs Nevada || 11 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, PFF grade of 74.6
K’Vion Thunderbird, Arizona State to Fresno State, Sophomore || W, 20-17 vs Nevada || 5 tackles, 0.5 TFL, INT, PFF grade of 76.9
EJ Smith, Cerritos College (JUCO) to Nevada, Junior || L, 20-17 @ Fresno State || 8 tackles, 0.5 TFL, PFF grade of 66.3
Cornerback (2)
Quandarius Keyes, Pearl River CC (JUCO) to UNLV, Junior || W, 31-17 @ Wyoming || 5 tackles, deflection, INT, PFF grade of 81.4
Frankie Edwards III, Weber State (FCS) to New Mexico, Sophomore || L, 35-28 @ San Jose State || 7 tackles, PFF grade of 55
Safety (2)
Mumu Bin-Wahad, Navarro College (JUCO) to UNLV, Sophomore || W, 31-17 @ Wyoming || 7 tackles, FR, PFF grade of 82.6
Jake Jarmolowich, Holy Cross (FCS) to Colorado State, Graduate || L, 45-24 @ San Diego State || 9 tackles, PFF grade of 57
Special Teams
Kicker
Isaiah Hankins, Baylor to Colorado State, Senior || L, 45-24 @ San Diego State || 1/1 on FGs (30 yards), 1/1 on XPs
Punter
Hunter Green, Northern Colorado (FCS) to San Diego State, Junior || W, 45-24 vs Colorado State || 2 punts for 78 yards (average of 39), both downed inside 20 yard line
Returner
Abraham Williams, CB, Idaho (FCS) to New Mexico, Graduate || L, 35-28 @ San Jose State || 2 tackles, PFF grade of 58.1; 1 KR for 25 yards
