Best fits for five-star Alabama transfer QB Julian Sayin - ESPN

While the winter transfer portal in college football has officially been closed for almost two weeks, the rule allowing players to enter the transfer portal if a coaching change has been made has rocked the roster of the Alabama Crimson Tide and new coach Kalen DeBoer.

The most recent departure is the No. 1-ranked QB in the 2024 ESPN 300, Julian Sayin (Carlsbad, California). To say the least, this shakes up the portal but also might shape future 2025 QB recruiting decisions as well.

Sayin enrolled early at Alabama and began classes this month, coinciding with the announcement of coach Nick Saban's retirement.

While most top-level prospects both from the 2024 recruiting class and the portal have signed, this leaves Sayin with a decision that needs to be carefully thought out — not only in terms of comfort and fit, but also opportunity.

There is a lot that makes sense here. First, new offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien was the first to offer and recruit Sayin when he was at Alabama from 2021-22. It's now clear after the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic that Devin Brown and Lincoln Kienholz are not the answers for the Buckeyes, who also recruited Sayin during the process. Transfer Will Howard comes over from Kansas State as a bridge player in 2024 and Air Noland, a four-star, joins the Buckeyes from this cycle. By the end of spring football, the QB room in Columbus could clear out quickly. This would leave Ohio State with a veteran in Howard and two young players, Noland and potentially Sayin, competing for the starting job in 2025.

O'Brien did an excellent job adapting to Bryce Young's talent while at Alabama, so we know he isn't stubborn about how to move the football. Sayin seems he could fit into any scheme because he's