Isaiah Bond transfer rumors: 5 teams who can steal portal's top player from Alabama

Isaiah Bond is going to make plays somewhere next year, but on which college football team remains to be seen. Bond was a breakout star on the 2023 SEC Champion Alabama Crimson Tide. He helped Jalen Milroe and company go 12-2 and win one last league title before Nick Saban retired after the Rose Bowl loss to Michigan in the College Football Playoff. Now it seems Bond is gone, too.

Bond quickly entered the transfer portal after former Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer was hired to replace Saban. Although I think there is at least a halfway decent chance that Bond withdraws from the portal to keep on playing for the Tide, he will be a hot commodity by anyone who is everyone in college football. Fortunately for him, he has many great connections from recruitment.

Losing Bond in the portal would be detrimental to the Alabama passing game. Although quarterback Jalen Milroe is going nowhere, he may not have Bond to throw to next season. I think Milroe staying put is wise, as he will get to assert himself as a leader playing for Coach DeBoer, a guy who made Michael Penix Jr. a college football legend at multiple spots. Too bad Bond is not a quarterback...

Assuming he does not go back to Alabama, look for Bond to transfer to one of these five teams.

5. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are in-state with a Buford HS connection

This one is an extreme dark horse, but hear me out. There were three schools that Bond took an official visit to before committing to Alabama. One of which was Miami. While Bond could go to Coral Gables, ask yourself this. Who is Miami's quarterback and do you really want to play for Mario Cristobal as a wide receiver? This is all about a Miami connection, as well as a Buford Wolves one, too.

One of the recruiters for Bond to Miami was Jess Simpson. He spent last year on Mike Elko's Duke staff after his second one-year run at Miami. Simpson is well-connected to the region, having played his college football at Auburn and having coached at places like Georgia State and the Atlanta Falcons. He is now at Georgia Tech on Brent Key's staff. Simpson also used to coach at Buford...

That was way before Bond's time, but Simpson did lead Bond's alma mater for a decade during his youth. This is not yesterday's Georgia Tech team. With Haynes King back for another year, the Jackets can make noise in the ACC. It would not shock me if they went something like 9-3 and contended for a conference championship. Adding Bond may get them to Charlotte for a CFP bid.

Going back in-state to play for a program on the rise would be huge for Bond's growing brand.