The college football transfer portal was thought to re-open on May 1st by many of us, mostly due to the hectic spring football schedule that has taken over every CFB writer’s life since late March. Well, here’s some confirmation from Patrick Conn of College Sports Wire, confirming what we all should have been paying attention to back in October of last year when the Division 1 Council met in accordance with scheduling the spring portal date, set to open on Saturday, April 15th.
For Texas A&M, depth is sorely needed at linebacker, defensive back, and offensive tackle, while the wide receiver unit is also looking somewhat thin outside of the starting unit. As mentioned by Conn, former USC wide receiver Gary Bryant Jr. is currently ranked as the top remaining uncommitted portal member according to 247Sports. Bryant took an official visit to College Station on March 24th, obviously a very good sign going forward.
After losing MLB Andre White Jr. to Georgia Tech, freshman Ish Harris (Houston) and sophomore Tarian Lee Jr. (Georgia Southern) followed suit, leaving Edgerrin Cooper and Chris Russell Sr. lefts as the only starting options, and second-year pass rusher Martrell Harris Jr. as one of the only truly dependable reserve options. While freshmen Taurean York and Daymion Sanford will surely compete for snaps, plenty of talented and productive linebackers are still looking for a new program, including LSU transplant Antoine Sampah.
The remaining offensive tackle transfer market is getting thinner by the day, but some intriguing big men such as former Boston College tackle Finn Dirstine, and former Tennessee tackle William Parker are just some of the best available options.
Lastly, the defensive back group isn’t short of talent, and while the Aggies did sign former North Carolina cornerback Tony Grimes and former Florida State cornerback Sam McCall, injuries and the loss of both Antonio Johnson and Jaylon Jones to the NFL Draft have left a ton of holes. As of today, Jimbo Fisher should be calling the following players ASAP as soon as April 15 arrives:
- CB Juan Powell (East Carolina, 2019-2022). Stats: 122 tackles, 3 pass deflections, 2 interceptions
- CB Jayden Williams (USC, 2019-2022). Stats: 15 tackles, 1 interception
- CB Demorie Tate (Florida State, 2020-2022)
- CB Marquis Wilson (Penn State, 2019-2022). Stats: 56 tackles, 3 pass deflections, 4 forced fumbles, and 2 interceptions.
The players are there, and the portal will be open in a little over a week, so it’s time to get to work, Jimbo.
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