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

1. Texas Longhorns are the presumptive favorite to land the star WR

This is pretty straightforward. If not Alabama, it has to be Texas. The Longhorns are expected to play very well once they join the SEC. Steve Sarkisian has Texas all the way back. His offense is fun as hell. It will return Quinn Ewers next year for one last ride with Arch Manning taking over the reins of it in 2025. Also, Texas needs to replace Xavier Worthy and AD Mitchell after they declared for the draft.

Bond could form a fast bond with Ewers playing for Sarkisian. While Sarkisian had already been at Texas for a year before Bond was even a freshman, he is one of Saban's greatest disciples. I mean, so is Kirby Smart, as is Lane Kiffin over at Ole Miss. Regardless, Texas should field a fantastic team next year, but has a glaring need that Bond could seamlessly fill. This fit makes too much sense for both.

Of course, Austin is pretty far from Tuscaloosa, which is even further than his home in Gwinnett County, Georgia. However, there are few programs I would trust to sustain excellence in the SEC in the post-Saban world more than Texas. Again, it is a logical fit, one with an offensive-minded head coach with an obvious Alabama connection and a place with a glaring need at Bond's position group.

At this point, anything other than Bond transferring to Texas should be seen as a complete shocker.