SEC football transfers: New stars at Alabama, Texas ready to make an instant impact in 2024 season

SEC schools were busy in transfer portal during the winter and spring windows. Five of the conference’s 16 schools (including Oklahoma and Texas, which joined on July 1) have had at least 20 transfer prospects, more than the last three cycles combined.

The SEC placed five programs in the top 10 247Sports Team Transfer Rankings. Ole Miss, with a robust class of 24 transfers, beat Oregon for first place. Newcomer Texas had a strong performance with the No. 6 class despite fewer additions than each of the five teams above and three teams behind it in the top 10.

These efforts by each SEC team are a microcosm of the transformation happening nationally, as teams increasingly lean on the transfer portal to address specific areas of need or, in some cases, completely overhaul a roster. Of course, with so much movement, there are always big-name prospects who decide to move on to a new program, whatever the reason.

Given its status as one of the country’s leading conferences and with many College football Playoff contenders in their ranks, the SEC has gotten its fair share of additions as we move toward the 2024 season. Here are a few that will make an immediate impact.

Alabama has to replace four starting quarterbacks and a handful of key backups as it transitions to the Kalen DeBoer era, including freshman safety Caleb Downs and a pair of seniors. NFL Draft cornerback picks in Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry. This makes Sabb invaluable. He was a key piece in Michigan’s secondary rotation in 2023, starting five games at safety for a Wolverines team that went 15-0 en route to the College Football Playoff National Championship.

One of Sabb’s starts came in that national title game, where he had six total tackles and two pass breakups against an explosive Washington offense. Now a junior with plenty of Big Ten experience, Sabb comes out on Alabama’s defense as the unquestioned starter and expected leader in a group that has a long way to come together. Sabb ranked 5th safety on the portal.

Arkansas’ leading rusher last season was quarterback KJ Jefferson, who had 447 net rushing yards. Not a single running back on the Razorbacks’ roster came close to the 400-yard bar. To make matters worse, former 1,000-yard rusher Raheim Sanders entered the transfer portal after an injury-plagued 2023 that saw him limited to just six games. Jefferson is also gone. This woeful rushing attack was strange to see for an Arkansas program that has historically shut down elite running backs, and was one of the biggest catalysts behind the program’s 4-8 slump.

Jackson is the gem of a 22-player transfer class, which Arkansas coach Sam Pittman hopes to revitalize his roster ahead of a pivotal year. The quarterback-turned-running back is tailor-made for a potent running system. Jackson gives new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, who had two 1,000-yard rushers in four seasons as Arkansas head coach from 2008-11, a lethal weapon in the backfield after rushing for 797 yards and four touchdowns at Utah in 2023. Jackson made an impression in the Arkansas spring game with three total touchdowns, one of which he caught from equally important transfer quarterback Taylen Green. He will be a steady hand for an Arkansas offense that is going through waves of change and should emerge as one of the best offensive linemen in the SEC by the end of the year. Jackson ranked as the 5th RB on the portal.

Ole Miss won a program-record 11 games last season and edged Penn State in the Peach Bowl despite having a defense that, at best, performed slightly above average and, more often than not, struggled against high competition. The main issue that plagued first-year defensive coordinator Pete Golding was a lack of physicality against the run. The Rebels allowed 151.9 rushing yards per game, ranking ninth among SEC teams, and exactly 4 yards per carry. This means that, on average, opposing teams could get a first down and some turnover by running the ball three times in a row.

Enter Nolen, third place in the portal’s overall ranking This could almost single-handedly solve what ails the rebels. The 6-foot-2, 290-pound Nolen is tough to push with his strong center of gravity and solid lower body. He’s also quite disruptive, with five sacks and 11 missed tackles in two seasons at Texas A&M, and has the ability to kill a run play before it really develops. He was already one of the best interior linemen in the SEC with the Aggies. Now, it fills a significant area of ​​need for a CFP competitor.

The Texas roster is in great shape after last season’s CFP run, and the Longhorns look like a legitimate contender in their first year as an SEC program. But they entered the offseason with one glaring problem: Every one of the top five receivers from that 2023 Big 12 championship team is gone. That includes all three starting wideouts – Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell and Jordan Whittington – and tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, who combined accounted for just over 75% of Texas’ receiving yards and 19 of its 25 aerial touchdowns. in 2023. .

Coach Steve Sarkisian hit the transfer portal hard to bring some experience and upside. No addition means more than Bond, who is primed for a breakout after a strong close to the 2023 campaign. He gained national acclaim with his heroic touchdown catch to save Alabama in its last-second game-winner against Auburn and followed it up with nine receptions for 128 yards in the postseason. A great playmaker, Bond should flourish with Texans quarterback Quinn Ewers delivering the ball. Bond ranked as the 4th player overall on the portal.

After leading the Big Ten in sacks last fall, Scourton — a product of Bryan, Texas — decided to return closer to home after two years at Purdue. He got to the quarterback 10 times in just 11 games, getting at least half a sack in eight of those games. Scourton, the best rated EDGE in this class of portalalso had 42 total quarterback pressures and wreaked havoc against strong competitors like Michigan and Ohio State, with three total sacks in those contests.

With Shemar Turner, who had six sacks last season, back on the other side, Texas A&M should field one of the fiercest pass rushes in the SEC. That will be a huge advantage as former Aggies defensive coordinator Mike Elko looks to make a good impression in his first year as head coach.

Top transfers to remaining SEC teams

Auburn WR Robert Lewis: Penn State wide receiver transfer KeAndre Lambert-Smith also deserves a nod here as he likely has more upside, but there is some concern about his lack of spark heading into the 2023 season. Lewis provides more consistency and will give the Tigers the necessary play out of the slot, where he had 877 yards and seven touchdowns at Georgia State in 2023.

Florida WR Elijhah Badger: Badger has flown under the radar despite leading Arizona State in receiving in consecutive seasons with 1,579 yards and 10 receiving touchdowns in that span. He should emerge as a target for Florida’s equally underrated quarterback Graham Mertz in an offense in dire need of dynamic options outside of Eugene Wilson III.

Georgia WR Colbie Young: Georgia is incredibly deep at wide receiver, thanks in part to a loaded transfer that brings three new options into the room. Young is the most impressive. At 6-foot-3, he has the speed to stretch the field and gives the Bulldogs length at the wide position.

Kentucky QB Brock Vandagriff: The Georgia transfer becomes Kentucky’s unquestioned starter and seems like a good fit for what the Wildcats like to do offensively. His lack of experience — he had 21 pass attempts in three years with the Bulldogs — makes this a tough projection, but Vandagriff will have plenty of help thanks to Kentucky’s wealth of talent.

LSU DB Jardin Gilbert: LSU needs all the help it can get on defense after a dismal 2023 that resulted in the firing of coordinator Matt House. Gilbert gives Blake Baker, House’s replacement, an effective safety with plenty of high-level SEC experience after starting 10 games at Texas A&M a year ago.

Mississippi State QB Blake Shapen: He’s not the type of quarterback who will compete for postseason honors, but Shapen is a solid veteran presence for first-year coach Jeff Lebby, who threw for more than 5,500 yards in three years at Baylor. He also impressed with 312 yards and three touchdowns in State’s spring game, which is a testament to his understanding of Lebby’s fast-paced offensive scheme.

Missouri OL Cayden Green: Any time a program like Missouri, which is building off an 11-win year, can lure a former top-100 prospect from the state from the transfer portal, it’s a win. The fact that Green played significant snaps as a freshman at Oklahoma, with the versatility to excel at both guard and tackle, takes this addition to another level.

Oklahoma WR Deion Burks: Oklahoma has overhauled its offensive line with multiple transfers and filled some holes on defense, but Burks has immense star potential. A strong season with QB Jackson Arnold feeding him the ball could see him become a Day 2 NFL Draft prospect at the very least.

South Carolina EDGE Kyle Kennard: South Carolina had 21 sacks as a team last season. Kennard had six of his own while starring at Georgia Tech. That would have easily taken the Gamecocks, who need to do much better catching the passer.

Tennessee OL Lance heard: Heard, a former five-star prospect and the No. 3 offensive tackle in 247Sports’ Transfer Rankings, played a few snaps at right tackle as a freshman at LSU but entered the transfer portal due to some experienced options ahead of him. He will protect the blind side of former five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava at Tennessee, arguably the most important position on the offense outside of the QB himself.

Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia: Vanderbilt has a quarterback impasse after making three transfers. Pavia, the 2023 Conference USA Player of the Year, is the obvious choice to start after recording 2,973 passing yards and 33 touchdowns as a junior at New Mexico State. It helps Pavia’s case that former NMSU offensive coordinator Tim Beck joined the Vanderbilt staff in December.