Transfer portal rankings: Alabama QB Julian Sayin shifts 10 best-available players after Caleb Downs news
Alabama’s big changes shook up the transfer portal.
Sayin, the top signal caller in the 2024 class, is the most recent player to leave the Alabama and Washington programs in large numbers following Nick Saban’s resignation last week, which caused a domino effect for a number of college football schools. All players have a 30-day window during which they are free to use the transfer site following the departure of a coach.
Following this week’s rankings update, half of the top 10 players currently available on the transfer portal are from Alabama or Washington
Here are the 10 best-available uncommitted players on the market as of Saturday, Jan. 20:
Transfer ranking: No. 6 overall, No. 1 QB
Sayin, who scored first among quarterbacks in the 2024 recruiting class, is allegedly considering a future at Ohio State or USC, per Tom Loy.Georgia, LSU, and Texas A&M are also contenders. Sayin considered all of this when Kalen DeBoer arrived at Alabama after Nick Saban retired, and he submitted his portal paperwork following the Crimson Tide’s recent acquisition of Washington QB transfer Austin Mack. Sayin was formerly thought to be Alabama’s quarterback of the future.
Transfer ranking: No. 19 overall
Given that Lance Heard is listed in Tennessee’s student directory, it is anticipated that he will sign with the Vols. Matt Zenitz claims that after first telling the LSU coaches on Christmas that he intended to use the transfer portal, the former five-star signee chose not to travel for the Tigers’ game versus Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl. He later told the staff, though, that he would wait to make a choice until after the bowl game to meet with the coaches.He’s currently in high demand at an upfront position.
Transfer ranking: No. 24
After DeBoer moved to Alabama, a number of Washington players, including Jabbar Muhammad, who transferred from Oklahoma State, joined the portal and became a dependable backup in the secondary for the Huskies.Muhammad was frequently forced to cover the greatest player on the other team. He concluded the season with 46 tackles, two sacks, and three interceptions. Texas and Oregon are two teams who are interested in hiring him.
Transfer ranking: No. 26
Parker Brailsford joined a substantial group of Washington players to enter the transfer portal and instantly moves up the pecking order as one of the best-available offensive linemen given his experience level. Washington lost more players to the portal since DeBoer’s departure to Alabama than the Crimson Tide did after losing Saban.
Transfer ranking: No. 88 overall
The former four-star South Carolina signee who left the Gamecocks after three seasons for greener pastures with Miami University is on the market again after rushing for 1,075 yards and 10 touchdowns. He is one of the top ballcarriers available and should command Power Five offers given his production in a starring role this season for the first time in his career. Amos averaged 5.5 yards per carry as a freshman in the SEC in 2020, but played minimal snaps during Will Muschamp’s final year at South Carolina.
Transfer ranking: No. 95
Despite being a four-star recruit and a part of Alabama’s 2024 signing class, Jameer Grimsley will not play for the revamped Crimson Tide.This is the first early enrollee from Alabama after the coaching change to access the portal: Grimsley.As a top-200 talent, he signed with the Tide. The 6’3″, 185-pound native of Florida was ranked by 247Sports Composite as the 17th best overall cornerback recruit in the nation.
Transfer ranking: No. 96 overall
Rogers returned to the transfer portal when DeBoer left for Alabama.Even though there are fewer alternatives than when he first arrived in November, Rogers can still find plenty of interesting landing locations.Rogers was a member of Mike Leach’s Air Raid team. In the last two seasons under Leach’s coaching, he passed for 8,713 yards and 71 touchdowns. Under the now-sacked coach Zach Arnett, his stats declined as he completed eight games with 1,626 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns, and four interceptions.
Transfer ranking: No. 107
Texas is set to host Benjamin Yurosek after caught 108 passes for 1,342 yards and five touchdowns during his career at Stanford in the Pac-12. He garnered First Team All-Pac-12 mention ahead of the 2023 season and is a plug-and-play talent. Per Horns247, the 6-foot-4, 242-pounder ranked as the No. 19 tight end and the No. 453 overall player in the country, per the 247Sports Composite Rankings, in the class of 2020. Yurosek was a four-star recruit, rated as the nation’s No. 13 tight end. Yurosek held offers from other programs like Washington, UCLA, Colorado and Nebraska.
Transfer ranking: No. 147
Per Geaux247’s Bryce Koon, the former Texas A&M Aggie arrived in Baton Rouge was poised to be a big piece to LSU’s secondary puzzle. One of the biggest needs was thought to be addressed when Harris arrived to campus. While the former Aggie was involved in some of the field issues while in College Station, Brian Kelly and the Tigers’ staff felt that they had vetted Harris properly before taking his commitment out of the portal.
Transfer ranking: No. 163
Following coach Jedd Fisch’s departure to take a position in Washington, Demond Williams made his debut for the Wildcats. He is currently paying a visit to his previous coach with the Huskies.Prior to Fisch’s decision to leave, the four-star quarterback from Chandler, Arizona, Basha had only been in Arizona for a week, according to Blair Angulo of 247Sports.
