Transfer Bio Blast: Ja'Mori Maclin

The first transfer portal window of the offseason officially opens up on Monday, Dec. 4 after conference championship games wrap up this weekend. For 45 days, the entire college football landscape will ride the portal wave as teams prepare for bowl games with some being very limited as coaching changes and portal subtractions are made. The silly season has arrived.

Monday should be absolutely bonkers, but the transfer portal’s soft launch is well underway. Over at KSR, we’ve been taking a closer look at Kentucky targets as they emerge. A big one popped up on the surface on Thursday afternoon.

Those at KSBoard knew about North Texas wide receiver Ja’Mori Maclin on Wednesday night. Things got real with the American Athletic Conference transfer when he announced that Kentucky issued an offer on Thursday.

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KSR’s Transfer Bio Blast is here to tell you more about the latest transfer target who has two years of eligibility remaining.

Former Missouri WR with strong family background

Ja’Mori Maclin was a high three-star recruit in the class of 2020 out of Kirkwood (Mo.) High in the St. Louis suburbs. Maclin had some big shoes to fill in Columbia.

Jeremy Maclin, Ja’Mori’s cousin, was an All-American for Missouri who was one of the best return specialists in college football and twice a 1,000-yard receiver. Head coach Gary Pinkel even used Maclin some in the traditional run game. The multi-purpose athlete was one of the best weapons in college football from 2007-08. Maclin would spend nine years in professional football after being a first-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.

The younger Maclin followed his older cousin’s footsteps at Missouri but decided to leave the program after two seasons. Originally a Barry Odom recruit, the Tigers made a coaching change before Maclin arrived on campus with Eliah Drinkwitz taking over in Columbia.

Maclin stepped out of his cousin’s shadow with a transfer and found almost immediate success in the Group of Five.

All-conference performer at North Texas

Ja’Mori Maclin transferred to North Texas after the 2021 season and played for Seth Littrell as a redshirt sophomore in 2022. The former SEC wideout played 363 offensive snaps for a Mean Green team that reached the C-USA Championship Game. Maclin recorded 16 receptions for 380 yards emerging as a true deep threat, but he had to go through another coaching change.

Littrell was fired after the season and was replaced by Washington State offensive coordinator Eric Morris. However, Maclin was able to thrive as North Texas made the transition to the American Athletic Conference.

The wideout led the team in receptions (57), targets (100), receiving yards (1,004), and receiving touchdowns (11). Maclin was a second-team all-conference performer. The former SEC wide receiver quickly became one of the best wideouts in the best Group of Five conference in college football.

Vertical playmaker

Ja’Mori Maclin (5-11, 183) has slot receiver size, but that is not how he was used at North Texas. The speedy wideout was used on the outside as a vertical field stretcher. Maclin’s catch rate (57%) was not great in 2022 but most of that was due to 34 of his targets coming on air passes of 20-plus yards, according to PFF data. Maclin was excellent on those shot play swings recording 12 receptions for 507 yards and six touchdowns.

This is a big-play threat.

Only seven receivers in college football last season had more receptions of 30-plus yards than Maclin. His value in his next offense will be in the vertical passing game.

Popular transfer recruitment

Kentucky was one of the first Power Five programs to enter the chat for Ja’Mori Maclin. The transfer could be contacted immediately due to his graduate status. Offers have not stopped rolling in for the former Missouri wideout.

Penn State, Ole Miss, Michigan State, Cincinnati, South Carolina, California, Texas A&M, Colorado, UCF, and LSU have all issued verbal scholarship offers to the transfer wideout. Expect more to come for Maclin in the coming days.

The former North Texas transfer will have a ton of options.