CFB transfer portal rumors: Predicting where the 10 best remaining players sign
By John Buhler
6. James Madison Dukes QB Jordan McCloud
Where is Jordan McCloud going to end up? That is the question. The former starting quarterback of the James Madison Dukes is the best-remaining signal-caller in the transfer portal, and he's been in there a while. One by one, quarterback-desperate teams like Miami, Ohio State and Washington gobbled up quarterbacks in the portal, leading us to believe that it is Power Four or bust for McCloud.
The one team I keep going back to is Auburn. This is a very important year for Hugh Freeze in season two down on The Plains. While his former Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter briefly entered the portal, he withdrew only shortly thereafter. The other team I could see McCloud going to is Michigan, but even then, that is way too much pressure for a quarterback who shined recently in the Sun Belt.
Prediction: Auburn Tigers
5. Washington Huskies OT Paki Finau
With Kalen DeBoer leaving Washington for Alabama, more and more guys are inevitably going to follow him to Tuscaloosa. He may be a savvy offensive-minded coach, but what happens if Ryan Grubb books a cross-country flight back to the West Coast to be Mike Macdonald's new offensive coordinator on the Seattle Seahawks? That might change the game for someone like Paki Finau.
To me, it is hard to see a true freshman from California commit to play for Washington and then go across the country to play at Alabama. Geographically, it doesn't make sense. However, players commit to coaches more than they do programs now. While I think Finau would do very well playing for Jedd Fisch in Seattle, DeBoer's staff is who recruited him. If Grubb stays put, the Finau will follow.
Prediction: Alabama Crimson Tide