When the NCAA instituted the transfer portal, it seemed like college football was going to have a free agency type impact for many teams. That has been the exact case with some big-time examples such as former Alabama QB Jalen Hurts moving to Oklahoma and former Georgia Bulldog Justin Fields going to Ohio State, both helped their new teams make the College Football Playoff last year.
This coming season will feature the same type of instant impact players and today Rivals ranked the top nine transfers to watch for this coming season. It should come as no surprise to see Notre Dame’s presumed starting safety and Ohio State transfer Isaiah Pryor making the list.
Rival’s Recruiting Director Mike Farrell mentioned Pryor “fills a big need at Notre Dame and he has the talent to impact right away.” I tend to agree with him, as the Irish will be breaking in two new safety starters, but neither will lack talent. Kyle Hamilton is the other potential starter.
Pryor went to Columbus from IMG Academy in Florida with high expectations, but after three years could never crack the starting rotation. His playing time dipped from his sophomore to junior year, and with him graduating, had an opportunity to move on and play right away. Pryor committed to the Irish in November of last year and will have two years remaining to play for Brian Kelly.
Also, of note in this article, Farrell opines to have some changes for this recruiting cycle due to the impact the COVID-19 has had on making visits to campuses and contact with recruits. Yes, everything has changed with the mandated dead-period, but when everything returns to normal, so should recruiting. Making changes seems like an overreaction, just getting back to normal would be fantastic.