South Alabama Jaguars running back Da’Marion “Fluff” Bothwell has announced his intention to enter the transfer portal after an electric freshman season. Already a superstar, Bothwell will almost certainly move up to the Power Four level and is expected to be one of the top playmakers in the portal.
Which teams could be interested? Here are five potential transfer portal landing spots for star running back Fluff Bothwell.
Where Could Fluff Bothwell Transfer?
Bothwell wasn’t highly recruited out of high school but reports came in almost immediately after his arrival on South Alabama’s campus that he would not only be in the running for the starting running back job but that he could be a potential superstar.
That played out as expected, as he ran for 832 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Jaguars. Remarkably, he only got 111 carries on the season, as South Alabama didn’t utilize him much down the stretch.
Bothwell got just 27 carries in his final four games, still running for 254 yards and five touchdowns in that span. He was a big-play machine, with 14 runs of 15+ yards accounting for nearly 52% of his total yardage on the season.
Bothwell is expected to be highly coveted in the portal. Here are some teams that make sense for the rising sophomore with three years of remaining eligibility.
Alabama Crimson Tide
You know which local team had running backs that weren’t explosive? The Alabama Crimson Tide. The Alabama running backs combined for just 25 carries of 10 yards or more on 272 carries. Bothwell had 23 such carries on his 111 attempts.
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There are rumors that the Crimson Tide could have extra attrition this season, and Bothwell was recruited partially by Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack when Wommack was the head coach of South Alabama.
South Carolina Gamecocks
I’ve heard that the Gamecocks would like another running back, but they would prefer to swing big on an alpha rather than just add a depth piece. Bothwell would qualify as the former.
The Gamecocks will be active in the portal and capable of landing high-profile transfers. The appeal for Bothwell would be to play in a run-heavy system with superstar quarterback LaNorris Sellers.
Auburn Tigers
Like the Gamecocks, the Auburn Tigers will be active in the transfer portal this offseason and have much to offer prospects. The Tigers will want to land their quarterback early this year to show future strength. Assuming they can do that, they’ll fill in gaps elsewhere.
Jarquez Hunter had a tremendous senior season, but he was the main contributor at running back this year. The Tigers will likely look outside their roster for their next starter, and Bothwell makes sense.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
The Mississippi State Bulldogs have often gone into the junior college ranks to land their running backs but could opt to go a different direction this season. The offense is up-tempo and involves a lot of one-cut runs, which could appeal to Bothwell and his similar running style.
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The Bulldogs’ Name, Image, and Likeness infrastructure and money pool lag behind the rest of the SEC, so they’ll need to be selective on which players they push for in the portal. From a pure talent and scheme fit, however, this makes sense.
Texas Longhorns
The Texas Longhorns are in the middle of a College Football Playoff push despite a complete lack of running game this season. The Longhorns finished the year 60th in total rushing, despite an easier schedule and largely positive game scripts.
I think the Longhorns will be heavily involved with the top running backs in the transfer portal. With Bothwell and his three years of eligibility sitting there, Texas would be wise to push.
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