Transfer Tracker: Alabama LB stays in the SEC
Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.
The transfer portal never stops grinding. Once Alabama linebacker Drew Sanders officially entered the portal, Arkansas immediately became one of the more aggressive pursuers. While the Razorbacks had to fend off Oklahoma this weekend, on Sunday they got word that Sanders had decided to continue his collegiate career in Fayetteville.
Recruiting: Sanders initially committed to Oklahoma, but flipped to Alabama after a spring official visit to Tuscaloosa.
At Alabama: While he totaled 33 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss and one sack during his two seasons with the Tide, Sanders began to see increased time in 2021 with 24 tackles, 2.5 tackles and one sack.
Farrell’s Take: He was once committed to OU so they stood out but Arkansas did a great showing him how he can fit in and defensive coordinator Barry Odom was key here. He has the ability to make a major impact as a player who was close to a fifth star out of high school and he showed flashes at Alabama here and there and you know going against elite competition in practice has sharpened his game.
Impact Meter: 8.3 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.