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: UCLA quarterback Austin Burton.
*****
CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
*****
AS A RECRUIT
Burton started his career in the Northeast and initially made a commitment to nearby Boston College during the summer following his junior year. But that pledge didn't last for long as he flipped to UCLA a little more than a month later. Burton finished up his high school career in Florida, playing his senior season in the Orlando area.
AT UCLA
Burton spent his first two seasons with the Bruins as a backup and didn't appear in a game. That changed in 2019, when he saw time in six games, including a start against Oregon State.
Burton was effective as a replacement for Dorian Thompson-Robinson, throwing for 365 yards and a touchdown while also completing nearly 69 percent of his passes. He also rushed 23 times for 100 yards and a touchdown.
POTENTIAL LANDING SPOTS
It's tough to say where Burton might end up, especially because the coaches that recruited him to UCLA are no longer in college football. Burton's effective play in 2019 might make him an attractive candidate to a number of schools in need of a quarterback.
FARRELL'S TAKE
"Burton was a solid prospect out of high school who wasn’t heavily recruited because he wasn’t in a high talent area but he was accurate and efficient. At UCLA he was solid and showed signs of potential and the ability to move around a bit. I’m not sure if he’s a Power Five kid or not but he could be a solid Group of Five addition for someone. He’s a smart kid and picks things up quickly." – National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell
Impact Rating: 5.3 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.
