Transfer Portal Is Feast or Famine for SEC Football Powers This Offseason
The transfer portal has completely overhauled the way rosters are built in college football. That much was clear in 2023, when a host of veteran former transfers like LSU Heisman winner Jayden Daniels, Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix lit up the scoreboard on a weekly basis.
Powerhouse programs obviously have their pick of many of the top transfers, but they aren’t immune to losing their own stars. The departure of other players down the depth chart can also create serious issues for teams.
The current state of transfers in the SEC is fascinating. Some teams, like Ole Miss, Texas A&M and new member Texas have added some significant talent. Most teams have a fair number of departures, but Alabama has been affected in particular, with a wave of transfers since the retirement of Nick Saban. New coach Kalen DeBoer has only been on the job for a few days, and he’ll have a chance to restock on talent, especially once the spring transfer portal opens in April.
The complete story of this year’s transfer portal moves won’t be told for at least a year if not longer, but as of now the numbers (via 247Sports) are pretty stark:
| Program | No. of Transfers In | No. of Transfers Out | Notable Addition | Notable Departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Texas A&M | 23 | 23 | Nic Scourton (edge, Purdue) | Walter Nolen (OT, Ole Miss) |
South Carolina | 20 | 22 | Raheim Sanders (RB, Arkansas) | Antwane Wells (WR, Ole Miss) |
Mississippi State | 15 | 15 | Cameron Ball (TE, Buffalo) | Will Rogers (QB, Washington) |
Ole Miss | 14 | 16 | Walter Nolen (OT, Texas A&M) | Quinshon Judkins (RB, Ohio State) |
Arkansas | 13 | 21 | Raheim Sanders (RB, South Carolina) | Anton Juncaj (DL, Albany) |
Vanderbilt | 11 | 18 | Nate Johnson (QB, Utah) | London Humphreys (WR, Georgia) |
Missouri | 10 | 12 | Cayden Green (OT, Oklahoma) | Gabarri Johnson (QB, Oregon State) |
Kentucky | 10 | 13 | Brock Vandagriff (QB, Kentucky) | Keaten Wade (edge, Colorado) |
Oklahoma | 10 | 18 | Deion Burks (WR, Purdue) | Cayden Green (OT, Missouri) |
Florida | 9 | 23 | Trikweze Bridges (CB, Oregon) | Trevor Etienne (RB, Georgia) |
Auburn | 8 | 14 | Rico Walker (TE, Maryland) | Robby Ashford (QB, South Carolina) |
Tennessee | 6 | 12 | Holden Staes (TE, Notre Dame) | Tyler Baron (edge, Louisville) |
Texas | 6 | 13 | Isaiah Bond (WR, Alabama) | Maalik Murphy (QB, Duke) |
LSU | 6 | 17 | CJ Daniel (WR, Liberty) | Lance Heard (OT, uncommitted) |
Georgia | 6 | 20 | London Humphreys (WR, Vanderbilt) | A,J. Harris (CB, Penn State) |
Alabama | 3 | 28 | LT Overton (DL, Texas A&M) | Caleb Downs (S, uncommitted) |
Texas A&M and Ole Miss are currently atop 247’s transfer portal team rankings, with South Carolina and Texas appearing in the top 10. On3, which uses a different methodology for its rankings, have Ole Miss, South Carolina and Missouri in its top 10.
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The conference’s schools haven’t been shy about poaching from each other’s rosters, either. Only Oklahoma has failed to land a transfer from another SEC program, while Ole Miss and Kentucky have taken six each. The Rebels have been particularly aggressive, grabbing perhaps the top transfer in college football this season, offensive tackle Walter Nolen from Texas A&M.
There is still plenty of time until camp opens this summer, and player movement likely won’t slow down much, especially once spring football winds down.