Transfer Tracker: TCU four-star RB enters portal
Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.
The transfer portal never stops grinding. On Thursday, TCU running back Darwin Barlow, a former four-star, entered the portal. After a promising 2020 season, he quickly grabbed the attention of numerous FBS programs.
Recruiting: Barlow took spring official visits to Arkansas, Minnesota and Oklahoma State, but then committed to TCU at the beginning of his senior season due to his close relationship with the Horned Frogs' coaching staff.
At TCU: As a true freshman, Barlow redshirted, while rushing for 99 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries in three games. In 2020 he rushed for 428 yards and four touchdown, while averaging 5.9 yards per carry.
Potential landing spots: Barlow showcased more than enough potential during the 2020 season to quickly draw the interest of several FBS programs. Some of the more aggressive in the early going have been UCF, Tennessee, USC, Louisville, Texas and Nebraska.
Farrell’s Take: Barlow can play, we have all seen that and the interest from schools should continue to grow. The usual suspects are in here like UCF, Tennessee and USC but as a Texas native a transfer to the Longhorns could be interesting. Zach Evans is clearly stepping up as the guy in the TCU offense so Barlow might want to avoid another star like Bijan Robinson at Texas. Time will tell but I like this kid's upside as a back with good size and speed.
Impact Meter: 8.2 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.