Jordan Addison: Why Alabama, not USC or Texas, is the best transfer fit

Make no mistake, Jordan Addison has no bad options. The Biletnikoff Award winner sent shockwaves throughout college football last week when word leaked he planned to enter the transfer portal. The former Pitt receiver made the news official on Tuesday, with Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans the rumored eventual destination for the top uncommitted prospect in On3’s transfer rankings. 

Perhaps that happens, and Addison, a Maryland native, reunites with fellow DMV buddy Caleb Williams in Southern California, looking to top a 2021 season where he caught 100 passes and 17 touchdowns. Texas is another intriguing option for Addison, where the smooth 6-foot, 180-pound playmaker would rejoin his former Panthers receiving coach Brennan Marion and get to play in a Steve Sarkisian offense that has excelled at featuring top wideout talents. 

Wherever Addison ultimately lands, he’s going to get a phat NIL deal, but in terms of his future earning potential, it’s hard to argue against Alabama as the best destination for the future 1st Round pick. 

Barring injury, if Jordan Addison stays at Pitt, he will get drafted on Day 1 in 2023. Same if he goes to USC, Texas or Alabama. Yet only one program can truly offer the complete package of development, competition and a championship ceiling. And that’s the Crimson Tide.

All three programs vying for Addison have added multiple receivers via the portal this offseason, but none are as gifted or productive as Jordan Addison. At quarterback, Caleb Williams might be awesome. Quinn Ewers could be a stud, too. 

Bryce Young is already a bonafide dude though, and we’ve seen what the reigning Heisman Trophy winner can do paired with a 1st Round talent on the perimeter (Jameson Williams caught 79 balls for 1,600 yards and 15 touchdowns). Addison and Young were spotted working out together in California earlier this week, per The Athletic.

Are we splitting hairs here? Maybe. But if Addison leaves Pitt, he’s doing so to maximize his value and potential. Even the smallest margins should matter. 

Lincoln Riley is an offensive genius who produced 1,000+ yard receiving seasons from 2015-2019, but his receiver well has dried up a bit the last two years. Marvin Mims was the only Oklahoma wideout with more than 700 yards in 2021. Marquise Brown and CeeDee Lamb were both 1st Round picks in back-to-back drafts (2019, 2020), but Michael Woods, a sixth-pound pick last week, is the only other OU wideout drafted in the last two years. 

Conversely, Alabama has become a 1st Round factory for receivers since 2015 — whether Lane Kiffin, Brian Daboll, Mike Locksley or Sarkisan was calling plays. Nick Saban clearly isn’t crazy about Alabama’s current receiver room, which is why the Tide swiped Jermaine Burton (Georgia) and Tyler Harrell (Louisville) from the portal, but Addison is a star already.

Since Amari Cooper went No. 4 overall in 2015, Alabama has produced seven 1st Round picks at receiver, six of whom were drafted inside the Top 15 picks (Williams at No. 12, Jaylen Waddle at No. 6, DeVonta Smith at No. 10, Henry Ruggs at No. 12, Jerry Jeudy at No. 15 and Cooper). 

Calvin Ridley was the lowest draftee at No. 26 overall. 

For reference: Lamb went No. 17 to Dallas and Brown was selected No. 25 overall. 

That’s not nothing. 

History does not predict the future, but it does at least offer interesting indicators. 

At Alabama, Addison would have a strong chance of becoming a Top-10 pick by playing in an ecosystem that would likely maximize his immense talent. Sure the rich would get richer, but he’d have a ready-made quarterback, and he’d get to compete against some of the best cornerbacks in the country. Everyday in practice, Addison would go up against former five-star transfer Eli Ricks, a fellow projected 2023 1st Round pick. He’d have the chance to showcase his skills against LSU’s remade secondary and Texas A&M’s defense, too.

Before getting injured in the title game, Williams made himself some money going up against Georgia’s defensive backs, including Kelee Ringo, who is a projected Top 10 pick in multiple Way-Too-Early mocks. Addison could have that same opportunity in the SEC Championship or beyond this fall. 

However it all shakes out, Jordan Addison is going to come out a winner wherever he decides is the best fit, but when you add it all up, Alabama sure seems like the safest and smartest landing spot for the top transfer on the market.