Transfer Tracker: Kaufman commits to Auburn

Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.

The transfer portal never stops grinding. When Vanderbilt defensive back Donovan Kaufman entered the portal, Auburn immediately became the favorite due to his connection to current Tigers' defensive coordinator Derek Mason. Earlier this week he ended any debate with a commitment to the Tigers.

Recruiting: Kaufman committed to Vanderbilt during the summer leading up to his senior season, but after a dominant performance that fall, late offers rolled in from Florida State, Baylor and Ole Miss. He waited until the late Signing Day to make his decision, and rumors of a flip persisted, but at the end he signed with the Commodores.

At Vanderbilt: Kaufman was limited to only two games during his true freshman season due to an injury, but he managed to total 15 tackles during this time.

Farrell’s Take: Kaufman was a popular player in the portal as a versatile defensive back who can tackle and is very physical. He was a huge get for Vanderbilt and many big Power Five schools wanted him out of Louisiana as a high school prospect. He can hit and showed so during limited time last season and Auburn is a natural fit here with Derek Mason as the defensive coordinator for the Tigers. For the new look defense this is a talented piece of the puzzle.

Impact Meter: 7.9 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.