Transfer Tracker: Tennessee four-star WR enters portal
Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.
The transfer portal never stops grinding. On Wednesday, 2020 four-star wide receiver Malachi Wideman officially entered the portal after playing in six games during his true freshman season with Tennessee.
Recruiting: Wideman initially committed to Florida State during the spring after his junior season, but began to seriously look at other schools in the weeks leading up to National Signing Day. He focused on the Seminoles, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Oregon, with an official visit going to the Rebels during the weekend before National Signing Day, but surprised some with a commitment to the Vols.
At Tennessee: Wideman finished his true freshman season at Tennessee with one reception for 24 yards in six games. He did not participate during the 2021 spring game.
Potential landing spots: Considering his strong relationships during his high school recruiting process with the Florida State, Ole Miss and Oregon coaching staffs, all three schools are once again in play. Other schools to keep an eye on are Louisville, West Virginia and Nebraska.
Farrell’s Take: Wideman has excellent size and is a superior athlete who was also a basketball standout. He has good downfield speed as well and is a big red zone target for someone. He's a clear Power Five prospect and you can bet he will be interested in schools like Florida State and Ole Miss with his previous connections but watch for Louisville here as well.
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.