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Transfer Tracker: Alabama DB is a top target

Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.

The transfer portal never stops grinding. Occasionally when a player enters the portal a buzz quickly emerges. That happened when defensive back Marcus Banks of Alabama surprisingly made himself available earlier this week.

Banks started one game this fall at Alabama
Banks started one game this fall at Alabama (rolltide.com)
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Recruiting: Banks took spring official visits to Texas A&M and LSU, which resulted in his commitment to the Tigers. However, he re-opened his process during his senior season and quickly became a priority for Alabama. He took an official visit to Tuscaloosa, as well as Florida, before committing to the Tide during the All-American Bowl. He also considered Florida State before committing to Alabama.

At Alabama: Banks played in seven games as a true freshman, saw mostly time on special teams in 2020, including in the National Semifinal and Championship games and then mainly served as a back-up this season. This fall he did get his first career start, a game that he finished with four tackles and an interception.

Potential landing spots: There has been no lack of interest in Banks since he became available, with Oklahoma, Kentucky, Baylor, Oregon, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Michigan State, Texas, Missouri and Minnesota some of the most aggressive at this point. After seriously considering Texas A&M and Florida State coming out of high school, both are also in the picture again.

Farrell’s Take: As a 2019 near five star, Banks will be very popular but could want to head back home and play for the Aggies, Longhorns or close to home at Baylor or Oklahoma. It's doubtful he remains in the Southeast although more and more teams will show interest from the SEC and ACC. He's a long, angular corner and those are hard to find and I think A&M has the edge if they push.

Impact Meter: 8.4 out of 10

IMPACT METER

The Transfer Portal continues to change the way college football programs recruit and manage their rosters so we here at Rivals.com continue to evolve our coverage. Each time a player of note enters the portal, we will examine their potential impact on the college football landscape and assign an impact rating, both when they enter the portal and when they choose a destination. The scale is from 1-10 and the description below explains the scoring scale.

1.1-4.0 — Not a big impact expected, likely a non-starter and down the bench depth player.

4.1- 6.0 — A solid impact can be expected in the right scenario and has the potential to battle for a starting job.

6.1-9.0. — A high impact player who won’t change a program but will certainly be a very good contributor and starter.

9.1- 9.9 — A very high impact player who should start the moment he steps on the field and will change the outlook of a program immediately.

10 — A franchise transfer who has a chance to be an All American and one of the elite players in college football.

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