With the new transfer rule in place, college players have a little more say in where they want to play. Who has their bags packed and is moving on?
The transfer portal has seemingly become a big thing in the college football world, but truth is, it has always been around. So why all the interest now? Well, before last year, there were several rules that prevented a lot of the player moves we’re seeing now, such as NCAA rules, conference rules, and even team rules.
The NCAA rule said you could only transfer down without having to sit out a year. Some of the conferences prevented in-conference transfers. and then there were the team rules (or coach’s decision) as to where they would let you transfer. However, recently, the NCAA changed the game when they changed their rule to a one-time transfer anywhere, with no penalty. With that rule in place, players can now transfer wherever they want.
In this series of articles, I want to go over some of the top transfers of the 2021 off-season. I will break down where these players started, where they transferred to, and what that means for your IDP college teams. Any time a player transfers, there are a lot of factors to take into account, such as the change in competition level, depth charts, scheme fits, etc, and it’s not always the best move.
Let’s get started and look at some of the top transfers of this spring who have their bags packed and could be moving on?
Georgia State Panthers, Past
Jordan Strachan began his college football career in 2017 as a freshman walk-on. He’s come a long way since then — he was not only the best player for the Panthers last season, but he was one of the best players in the nation. In his first season as a full-time starter, Strachan earned Third-Team All-Sun Belt Conference honors while setting a Georgia State team record and finished tied for first in the FBS in sacks (10.5).
He set the team record for TFLs in a season with 14, which was good enough to tie for tenth nationally. Strachan was a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, which is given to the most outstanding FBS college football player who began his career as a walk-on.
Why is Strachan transferring? He answered that question himself on Twitter — “I feel like there is much more to the game that I have to offer and I need to be placed in the best hands to assist me in fulfilling my dreams.” I feel like my path has been ordained by God and that the plan for my life has already been written. With that being said, I will be committing to the University of South Carolina. Go Gamecocks!” It’s clear that Strachan already has his bags packed and is moving on.
https://twitter.com/jstrachan_7/status/1349457544826114049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1349457544826114049%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thestate.com%2Fsports%2Fcollege%2Funiversity-of-south-carolina%2Fusc-football%2Farticle248464240.html
South Carolina Gamecocks, Future
What South Carolina is getting is a former two-star recruit who the Gamecocks expect to play a key role for them this season. Strachan is a red-shirt junior and will have two years of eligibility left to play at the college level. As I mentioned above, he had 10½ sacks last season. That is almost the amount South Carolina had as a team, so you can see they desperately need Strachan to upgrade their pass rush unit.
The Gamecocks will also be transitioning to a new scheme, a 4-2-5 system, under new defensive coordinator, Clayton White. Their top returning pass rusher, Kingsley Enagbare (six sacks) is also returning. The addition of Strachan is a major needed upgrade for their defense — South Carolina also lost their top tackler in Ernest Jones to the NFL draft.
There are not many on the South Carolina depth chart that Strachan will need to beat out for a significant role. I could see him being an immediate starter opposite of Kingsley this year. Going from the Sun Belt Conference to the SEC will be a big jump in competition for Strachan, but he has the skillset and talent to make it.
Strachan will not only provide the Gamecocks with depth but quality at the position, as well. He’s tall with length but will need to bulk up and add some strength to be an SEC impact player, which shouldn’t be a problem, given his frame. Strachan gives South Carolina a top-end pass rush option that they can build their defense around.
IDP Fantasy Outlook
I don’t currently have Strachan ranked in my top 100 IDP devy rankings, but that could change real soon. I want to watch more tape on him and, more importantly, I want to see his role with South Carolina and how he responds to moving up to the SEC level. Strachan will likely be an immediate starter for the Gamecocks and, as we all know, those reps are big. He had a huge breakout season last year for Georgia State, but this is the SEC — so pump the breaks on expectations for him. With that said, he can be the impact player South Carolina desperately needs him to be.
Strachan should be a good source of sacks and TFLs for your devy teams. He will also get you a decent amount of tackles for an outside linebacker. Strachan can be picked up off of waivers everywhere and is a great buy-low option in auction leagues. He’s a relatively unknown option right now, so get him on your rosters for the cheap, before everyone takes notice and jumps on the bandwagon. This is the type of low-risk move that can pay big dividends for your IDP devy fantasy teams.
Thanks for reading my article. If you enjoyed it, you can read more of my articles on my author page at IDP Guys. I am a member of the FSWA (Fantasy Sports Writers of America). You can also follow me on social media, on Twitter at @HollywoodTitan, on Facebook on my IDPNation page, on Reddit in the fantasy football IDP sub –I’m user KingTitan1 — and you can tune in each week and listen to IDP Nation & Devy IDP Grind, the podcasts that I co-host, on several different platforms. Feel free to hit me up with any questions that you have, as I’m always glad to help fellow IDPers. #IDPNation #IDP #IDPDevy
