Carrollton, Georgia As new head coach Kalen DeBoer, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, and staff settle into
Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Monday extended an invitation to High 2025 quarterback Julian Lewis again. Lewis, a USC
commit, has grown up around the Crimson Tide team and has closely followed it.
He’s eager to see DeBoer and Grubb immediately.
The quarterback dominoes in the class of 2025 are starting to fall. The top quarterback in the country, Bryce
Underwood, has committed to LSU. Tennessee was recently selected by George MacIntyre, the nation’s second-best
signal-caller. Tavien St. Clair, dubbed “QB3,” has already committed to Ohio State. Julian Lewis, a signal-caller
committed to USC, is ranked fourth in the country.
And after that, where are some of the boys going to play college ball? We are aware of the most recent four names.
Chris Hummer reports that Paki Finau, an offensive tackle for Washington, has logged into the transfer portal. As an
early enrollee in the 2024 cycle, Finau entered the school ranked as the 18th overall interior offensive lineman. Finau
was scheduled to play early because of the influx of linemen through the portal. Rather, he will consider his
possibilities.
The decision by former head coach Kalen DeBoer to take the Alabama position created by Nick Saban’s retirement
has resulted in a major exodus from Washington. Finau was one of DeBoer’s recruitment successes at Washington.
After signing his national letter of intent (NLI) a little more than a month ago, he is back on the market and held
multiple Power Five offers.
According to Biggins’ assessment of Finau’s player profile, “Finau is a versatile lineman who could play just about
anywhere on the offensive line but probably projects best as an offensive guard right now.” He is a defensive end and
tackle in high school, but we believe he goes inside in terms of build.
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“He is an innately strong young man who possesses the agility and footwork to effortlessly advance to the next level,
even against stronger linemen.” Despite being very raw and still learning the position, he improved significantly
throughout the previous off-season. He doesn’t freak out in pass-pro, is far more at ease there, and his technique has
also significantly improved. He has the requisite nastiness and is a fierce competitor who can succeed in the
trenches.
If players choose to pursue a transfer, they will enter their name into an online database called the portal. When
players want to add their name to the portal, they tell the compliance office at their present institution; usually, this
happens within 48 hours. Coaches can get in touch with any player who has registered by accessing the database.
In theory, users can access the site whenever they want. But they will miss a season if they don’t do it inside the
designated “windows” of their sport.
There are two windows for college football: one after spring practice and one after the regular season. One day
following the conference championship games, on December 3, the autumn gateway window opens. It will be open
for thirty days before closing the same day on January 2, 2024. After their last game, players who participate in a
postseason event (such as a bowl game or the CFB Playoff) will have an extra five days to transfer.
Before this academic year, after the regular season concluded, players had 45 days to put their name in the portal.
This autumn, the NCAA changed that regulation, reducing the time frame to 30 days.
No. Actually, players occasionally decide to stick with their own programs and remove their names from the site.
But more often than not, the choice to open the portal is accompanied by some degree of resentment on the part of
the player or the program. The majority of athletes that use the portal don’t go back to their old school, and they’re
frequently kicked from the team right away.
