Scan the transfer portal in 2020 when you have 30 minutes to kill, just don’t do it on the throne unless you want your legs to fall asleep. There are droves of kids looking for greener pastures. One of the NCAA’s boards (another name for bored white dudes locked up in their anti-corona mansions) decided April 30 that now is not the appropriate time to grant one-time waivers to student athletes. If past waiver eligibility decisions are an indication, some suit is flipping a coin on these waiver appeals anyway, so who gives a shit what an NCAA board recommends.
Getting off my bitch box, there are a few graduate transfers and others with immediate eligibility or pending appeals that look good on paper, but they’re bound to bust if the fit isn’t near perfect. These guys could work out, but there’s high probability they fall flat. Admittedly, these are all good players, but their circumstances may be the culprit.
D’Eriq King, QB, Miami
The King lit up the AAC at Houston in 2018, but ’19 was a disaster due to injuries. Now, he’ll be in the eye of the storm in south Florida, and that storm is the Hurricane offensive line. They were awful in 2019. Luckily, King can run, but so could Jaren Williams, who is also in the portal after getting thrown in and out of a bad Miami offense as a freshman QB. The ACC is no bastion of defense outside of Clemson, and King is a high completion percentage guy, but he’ll be tested severely in Miami’s offense. The o-line will have to improve significantly, and several playmakers will have to emerge for King to find much success.
Jamie Newman, QB, Georgia
Newman is a big-armed dude and a favorite of Pro Football Focus, having the second-highest grade on tight-window throws in 2019 behind some guy named Burrow, or Burreaux (Cajuns can’t spell). He’ll play behind a quality offensive line in Athens with a few good running backs and a ton of unproven talent at wide receiver. Newman had solid wideout play at Wake Forest and put up decent numbers, but much of it came against soft competition. Georgia will have a new offensive coordinator for the third time in five years, and only George Pickens has shown to be a playmaker downfield. If no one else develops and the Dawgs can’t pound people into submission with the run, trouble may be brewing (two regular season losses equate to trouble because Georgia’s defense is legit and will keep them in every game).
Feleipe Franks, QB, Arkansas
Franks lost his job due to injury at Florida, so no disrespect for wanting to go play, but Arkansas probably ain’t the place for a farewell tour. Under a new head coach trying to rebuild a roster, Franks is going to struggle in the SEC West. A move to an FCS school would have made more sense for Franks’ future.
Jashaun Corbin, RB, FSU
Corbin was just granted immediate eligibility after transferring from Texas A&M. This is no shot at his running ability. It’s a shot at Florida State’s ability to run block. The Seminoles front five managed to make Cam Akers look pedestrian, so the odds of Corbin having great success is limited in 2020. It may have been in his best interest to sit a year and let Mike Norvell recruit and coach … something that’s been missing in Tallahassee for a few years.
Antonio Alfano, DL, Colorado
Alfano, the top ranked strong-side defensive end out of high school in 2019, went AWOL on Alabama after signing with Nick Saban, who called Alfano a quitter. The kid transferred to the Buffs last fall, but even if he is granted eligibility (currently under appeal) for 2020, he still may not see the field at Colorado. It only took two months for head coach Karl Dorrell to suspend Alfano indefinitely after he arrived in Boulder. Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em. Alfano is as talented as they come, but he headed for Colorado to play for Mel Tucker, who is now at Michigan State, and his position coach is also gone. This one probably won’t end well.