Arizona DL Transfer Kyon Barrs Commits to USC
Kyon Barrs garnered plenty of interest since entering the transfer portal last week. USC offered on Friday. At that time Barrs told WeAreSC a visit was in the works.
On Monday morning Barrs informed us that he will be on campus at USC on Tuesday (12/13) for his official visit. This will be a “Big” week for recruiting per a USC source.
On Wednesday morning Barrs announced his commitment to USC. This is a big pick up at a position of great need.
“Just felt like the perfect fit! Felt like home!! See you soon! Fight On!!”
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.
The Trojans will host Ja’Kobi Lane, CJ Blocker and Sam Greene this weekend for their official visit. USC has commitments from Lane and Greene, and Blocker is trending for the Trojans.
Tennessee jumped into the mix and offered Barrs, he announced via Twitter Saturday. The Vols were the the fourth SEC team to show big interest in the former Arizona defensive lineman. The Tigers joined Auburn, LSU and Mississippi State in offering a scholarship.
Barrs has also earned offers from Miami, Indiana and Fresno State since entering the portal Dec. 5.
Barrs, who has one year of eligibility remaining, spent the last four years with Arizona and had a solid 2022 season, totaling 39 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. Last season, he had 5.0 sacks and 8.0 tackles for loss, as well.
He’s currently the No. 209-ranked transfer to hit the portal during this cycle, according to the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.
Transfer portal background information
The NCAA Transfer Portal, which covers every NCAA sport at the Division I, II and III levels, is a private database with names of student-athletes who wish to transfer. It is not accessible to the public.
The process of entering the portal is done through a school’s compliance office. Once a player provides written notification of an intent to transfer, the office enters the player’s name in the database and everything is off and running. The compliance office has 48 hours to comply with the player’s request and that request cannot be refused.
Once a player’s name shows up in the portal, other schools can contact the player. Players can change their minds at any point and withdraw from the portal. However, once a player enters the portal, the current scholarship no longer has to be honored. In other words, if a player enters the portal but decides to stay, the school is not obligated to provide a scholarship anymore.
The database is a normal database, sortable by a variety of topics, including (of course) sport and name. A player’s individual entry includes basic details such as contact info, whether the player was on scholarship and whether the player is transferring as a graduate student.
A player can ask that a “do not contact” tag be placed on the report. In those instances, the players don’t want to be contacted by schools unless they’ve initiated the communication.
The portal has been around since Oct. 15, 2018 and the new calendar cycle within the portal begins each August. For example, the 2021-22 cycle started Aug. 1. During the 2020-21 cycle, 2,626 FBS football players entered the transfer portal (including walk-ons). That comes after 1,681 entered during the 2019-20 cycle and 1,709 during the abbreviated 2018-19 cycle. In comparison, 1,833 Division I basketball players entered the portal during the 2020-21 cycle after totals of 1,020 in 2019-20 and 1,063 in 2018-19.
The Transfer Portal Windows
The NCAA Transfer Portal’s newest rules will allow 60 days per year for student-athletes to enter the portal and maintain immediate eligibility for first-time transfers. For fall sports like football, the window will be split into two periods.
The first, a 45-day period, begins December 5. A second window will be instituted from May 1-15, giving players an option to enter the transfer portal after spring camp.
The first portal window will close on January 19.
Track transfer portal activity
While the NCAA transfer portal database is private, the On3 Network has streamlined the reporting process tracking player movement.
If you find yourself asking, ‘How can I track transfer portal activity?’ our well-established network of reporters and contacts across college athletics keeps you up to speed in several ways, from articles written about players as they enter and exit the transfer portal or find their new destination, to our social media channels, to the On3 Transfer Portal.
The transfer portal wire provides a real-time feed of player activity, including basic player profile information, transfer portal ranking and original On3 Consensus recruiting ranking, as well as NIL valuation (name, image and likeness).
The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and senior national college football reporter Matt Zenitz’s Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
