Transfers are the hidden cornerstone of a legendary recruiting class. Stanford’s 2013 class, for instance, was one of the nation’s best in regards to incoming freshmen. It featured national team veterans Stephanie Amack, Maddie Bauer and Jane Campbell, and at eight players strong, it had depth to boot.
But the addition of transfer Taylor Uhl from Minnesota pushed it to another level entirely. The nation’s leading scorer from 2012 added extra emphasis on top of the incoming freshman class and made the haul that much more impressive. Later that year, Stanford qualified for the NCAA tournament and won two games before being stopped by eventual champion UCLA.
Needless to say, a handful of programs looked to do the same this offseason by netting an impact transfer who can contribute immediately. Here’s a selection of the best.
M Morgan Andrews, USC
There are few stories in college soccer more bizarre than what’s become of Morgan Andrews’ career. Last summer, Andrews was left off the final roster for the U20 World Cup in Canada, where the U.S. was bounced in the first knockout round. As one of the most integral and talented parts of the team up to that point, the choice made little sense to the outside world. Now this. In mid-January, USC announced Andrews was transferring from Notre Dame, where she led the team in points as a sophomore in 2014 and was one of just three players to start every game.
