The Transfer Portal has changed the landscape of college football. So we have created the Transfer Tracker, in which we analyze players entering the portal and rate them on what kind of impact they could make at their new home.
Next up in the tracker: Arkansas running back Chase Hayden.
AS A RECRUIT
One of the most prolific high school athletes in Tennessee over the past decade, Hayden won both the state's Mr. Basketball and Mr. Football awards. The son of former Tennessee running back Aaron Hayden chose the running back-friendly system by then Razorbacks coach Bret Bielema over the Vols. He committed to the Hogs during the summer prior to his senior year.
AT ARKANSAS
Hayden stepped into the lineup and immediately made an impact as a true freshman in 2017. He played in seven games and rushed for 326 yards with four scores before suffering a season-ending injury. After Chad Morris took over the head coaching job in 2018, Hayden shifted to more of an all-purpose role and had success, rushing for 251 yards and a score while catching 11 passes for 61 yards.
Much like the Arkansas team as a whole, 2019 was a forgettable season for Hayden as he played in just three games, rushing for 39 yards and score while catching four passes for 12 yards. Rather than go through a third coach in four years, Hayden elected to enter the transfer portal this week.
As a graduate transfer, he will have two years of eligibility remaining and be eligible to play in 2020.
POTENTIAL LANDING SPOTS
The obvious choice here is Tennessee, especially given Hayden's family ties to the program. The Vols have made a push for five-star running back Zach Evans, who still hasn't committed, so it remains to be seen if they will make a run at Hayden. Given his ability, Hayden will have plenty of options and sources indicate that several Power Five schools have already been in touch. Landing at a program such as Memphis, where Hayden is from, would also make sense.
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FARRELL'S TAKE
"Hayden is an attractive running back on the transfer market because he can catch the ball out of the backfield and can make opponents miss in space. Out of high school we liked his feet and burst which is why he was a Rivals250 prospect but he also had solid size for an all-purpose back. He showed flashes at Arkansas of his ability and he can be a very solid contributor for a Power Five program.." -- National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell
Impact Rating: 6.6 out of 10
IMPACT METER
The Transfer Portal continues to change the way college football programs recruit and mange their rosters so we here at Rivals.com continue to evolve our coverage. Each time a player of note enters the portal, we will examine their potential impact on the college football landscape and assign an impact rating, both when they enter the portal and when they choose a destination. The scale is from 1-10 and the description below explains the scoring scale.
1.1-4.0 — Not a big impact expected, likely a non-starter and down the bench depth player.
4.1- 6.0 — A solid impact can be expected in the right scenario and has the potential to battle for a starting job.
6.1-9.0. — A high impact player who won’t change a program but will certainly be a very good contributor and starter.
9.1- 9.9 — A very high impact player who should start the moment he steps on the field and will change the outlook of a program immediately.
10 — A franchise transfer who has a chance to be an All American and one of the elite players in college football.
