After Kansas State lost to Tulane on Sept. 17, coach Chris Klieman and offensive coordinator Collin Klein met with transfer quarterback Adrian Martinez.
Their message: Let it rip.
"I don't think there was a confidence issue," Kleiman told ESPN. "We were playing really good defense early and he didn't want to put the defense in a tough spot. It was his ability to get more comfortable with what we were doing offensively and play fast, and if he makes a mistake, he makes a mistake, but do it aggressively."
Since the Tulane game, Martinez has been the quarterback Kansas State hoped he could be after a productive but turbulent four seasons at Nebraska. He has 350 pass yards, 319 rush yards and nine touchdowns (seven rush, two pass) in wins over Oklahoma and Texas Tech, propelling Kansas State to No. 20 in the AP Poll.
Martinez is among the many transfer quarterbacks around college football impacting the first half of the 2022 season. He's also in a smaller but notable group of older players -- grown-man transfers, if you will -- who have found new programs later in their careers, hoping to end on a strong note.
"The 40-plus games he's played has shown," Klieman said. "He's gotten us into so many good calls, has done a great job of making checks at the line of scrimmage. That's helped us, going to the tempo, no-huddle stuff where Adrian feels comfortable. He sees it and he's a step ahead of people and gets us in a really good call. That's a sign of somebody very mature, who has played a ton of football."
Transfers are once again shaping the college football season, and not just at the quarterback position. ESPN spoke to coaches from every Power 5 league about 25 standout transfers who changed teams this offseason -- from opposing teams, and some on their own team. The list doesn't include every significant transfer, but I tried to identify those who have caught coaches' eyes, including a robust group of quarterbacks and some players flying under the radar.
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QUARTERBACKS
JT Daniels, West Virginia
Previous team: Georgia
2022 numbers: 1,209 pass yards, 8 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 63.7% completions, 71.5 QBR
Breakdown: West Virginia is 2-3 but Daniels has performed well after arriving from Georgia. His reunion with offensive coordinator Graham Harrell -- the two briefly worked together at USC before Daniels' ACL tear -- has been good for both. After a so-so debut against Pitt in the Backyard Brawl, Daniels has completed 65.5% of his passes with six touchdowns and one interception in WVU's last four games.
What they're saying: "We thought he was a good player, throws a really, really good deep ball," an opposing coach said. "JT Daniels could possibly be an NFL quarterback. Obviously he's got to stay healthy. He could be playing at Georgia, or the NFL, if he could stay healthy."