The Transfer Portal has changed the landscape of college football. So at Rivals we bring you the Transfer Tracker, where 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: Texas defensive back Anthony Cook.
AS A RECRUIT
Cook emerged early as a priority for many elite programs across the county and at one time earned five-star status in the Rivals.com Rankings. His recruitment came down to Ohio State, LSU and Texas and he chose the Longhorns following his senior season.
AT TEXAS
Cook contributed right away upon arriving in Austin, playing 323 total snaps according to Pro Football Focus, most of them on special teams. His role expanded even more in 2019 as he started six games and played 518 total snaps. Cook's role was in doubt headed into 2020, including a possible move to nickel, and that might have led to his decision to enter the portal this week. Cook will have two years of eligibility remaining at his next school.
POTENTIAL LANDING SPOTS
With several of the coaches that recruited Cook to Texas now at USC, a potential reunion might make sense. Even if that doesn't come to fruition, Cook should have several options to find a new home at the Power Five level.
FARRELL'S TAKE
"Cook was an elite talent out of Texas coming out of high school with good size and agility. He had natural instincts to play the ball well in the air and he’s shown a bit of that here and there for Texas. He was supposed to be part of an amazing defensive backs class for the Longhorns but had some trouble holding onto a starting job and was being moved to nickel corner. That in mind, he’s a tall and lengthy defensive back who can run and he will impact somewhere at the Power Five or Group of Five level." -- National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell
Impact Rating: 7.2 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.
