The 10 best players available in the transfer portal

The transfer portal continues to stay incredibly busy especially with so many coaching changes still happening. Here is a look at the top-10 available players in the portal now with the addition of five-star quarterback Julian Sayin from Alabama on Friday morning:

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The top-ranked safety in the 2023 class more than backed up his five-star ranking as a freshman at Alabama by leading the Crimson Tide with 107 tackles and adding two interceptions, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and much more. Downs is on the way to being a superstar in college football, if he’s not one already, and it looks like Georgia and Ohio State are the two teams to watch now. Both programs were heavily involved with Downs coming out of Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek.

The massive five-star offensive tackle finished No. 1 at his position and eighth overall in the 2023 class and then started as a true freshman at left tackle at Alabama, the first to do so since Cam Robinson. Proctor definitely struggled in pass protection but was better as a run blocker and has tons of potential. It’s expected that Iowa lands the former Pleasant Hill (Iowa) Southeast Polk standout who had been committed to the Hawkeyes early in his recruitment.

Ranked as the second-best quarterback in the 2024 class behind only Nebraska signee Dylan Raiola, Sayin entered the transfer portal Friday morning after going through bowl practices in Tuscaloosa. The five-star quarterback has shown a great deal of interest in SEC programs throughout his recruitment with LSU and Georgia also leading the way but the floodgates should open once his transfer paperwork goes through.

A late-addition five-star after he looked great at the Under Armour All-America Game, heard played in 12 games in his freshman season at LSU with one start but is now looking for a new opportunity. He didn’t join LSU for its bowl trip against Wisconsin and the rumor was that Oklahoma looked strongest but in recent days it looks like Tennessee is making a serious run at the 6-foot-6, 340-pound prospect.

Muhammad, a transfer to Washington from Oklahoma State, is back in the portal and visiting Alabama this weekend. It’s expected he ends his college career in Tuscaloosa but others are also involved. Muhammad was exceptional this year for the Huskies essentially shutting down one side of the field and totaling 46 tackles, three interceptions, 16 pass breakups and more.

There is a decent chance that Brailsford is actually still too low on this list but only time will tell. The former high three-star prospect in the 2022 class has been outstanding during his time at Washington and has some of the best Pro Football Focus grades of the entire transfer portal bunch. After coach Kalen DeBoer left Washington for Alabama, Brailsford hit the portal and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he too ends up in Tuscaloosa.

An early Ole Miss commit, Williams flipped to Arizona and the situation looked perfect: He would take over after Noah Fifita leaves, play for coach Jedd Fisch and keep building the Wildcats into a serious contender. But Fisch left to take the Washington job and now the four-star quarterback in the 2024 class is “open to everybody” once again in his recruitment. The talent is there for Williams to be a star at the college level.

When Rogers is playing in a pass-happy or Air Raid offense, he’s a star. This past season when former Mississippi State coach Zach Arnett pulled a head scratcher and moved to a more pro-style system, Rogers’ numbers plummeted. He was committed to Washington out of the portal and it looked like Rogers could take over for Michael Penix but he backed off that pledge when DeBoer left for Alabama. Still, Rogers has thrown for more than 12,000 yards with 94 touchdowns in his career so he should be a hot commodity.

A four-star prospect in the 2019 class, Kalepo really kicked it into high gear this season with the Huskies starting all games at offensive guard and being a key part of arguably the best offensive line in the country. His PFF grades are average but the word is Ole Miss is one school pursuing Kalepo very hard for one final run in college football although many others could be in the mix as well.

The Washington offensive line departures continue in full force and Hatchett will be one to watch as he’s come on strong later in his career but then backslid late this past season while dealing with injuries. His PFF scores also plummeted later in the season but he can be a crucial addition to any interior offensive line.