The transfer portal can improve a program, but how can we tell which teams have best managed to master the incredibly difficult numbers game this cycle? Not every team adds as much as it subtracts in the portal, so the math rarely matches in the ledgers. Also attempting to compare a team with seven additions via the transfer portal after losing 20 players can seem like a daunting exercise.
In an effort to simplify the problem and better evaluate teams as we enter the summer, let’s evaluate where each Power Four team stands. To do so, 247Sports takes the average rating of the players leaving each program — ratings via the 247Sports transfer rankings team — and compares it to the average rating of the players entering the program. The gross difference in players are not factored into the evaluations. Instead, the average player rating is all that matters, and we simply distill that number to reach a net gain or net loss via the 247Sports rating system.
Who are the biggest winners and losers? Having already examined the ACC and the Big Ten, 247Sports turns its attention to the SEC’s portal classes, where Texas smoked the competition while Alabama struggled to counter a mass exodus following Nick Saban’s retirement.
Departures: 25 (86.8)
Newcomers: 11 (90.73)
Net rating gain: +3.93
Texas lost its top five receivers from last season’s run to the College Football Playoff but added veteran Alabama receiver Isaiah Bond, the Iron Bowl hero who caught the game-winning touchdown against Auburn. Bond (98) was rated as 247Sports’ fourth-best player in the portal. The Longhorns also added Oregon State’s Silas Bolden (90) and Houston’s Matthew Golden to go along with Alabama tight end Amari Niblack (93), who steps in for Ja’Tavion Sanders.
What will be most interesting is how Texas counters the losses of otherworldly defensive tackles Byron Murphy and T’Vondre Sweat, who are now in the NFL. They grabbed Tiaoalli Savea (90), who followed former Arizona defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen to Austin, and Louisville’s Jermayne Lole (86), who was widely sought after in the spring. The best addition might be UTSA pass rusher Trey Moore (93). He was the AAC’s defensive player of the year and broke the school records for sacks (14) and tackles for loss (18) in a season. He boosts a Texas pass rush that will need to step up a notch to offset the losses of its interior monsters.
Departures: 19 (85.82)
Newcomers: 15 (88.93)
Net rating gain: +3.11
Missouri dramatically upgraded the roster in the transfer portal after an 11-win season. The Tigers needed help in the trenches with the departures of three interior defensive linemen and also picked up help along the offensive line, where they added blue-chip Oklahoma offensive tackle Cayden Green (95). The less-flashy additions might be the most important with Florida’s Chris McClellan and New Mexico State’s Sterling Webb on the interior of the depleted defensive line. Plus, pass rushers Darris Smith (90) of Georgia and Zion Young (89) of Michigan State will help. The additions of Michigan linebacker Jeremiah Beasley, who originally chose the Wolverines over Mizzou out of high school a year ago, and Miami linebacker Corey Flagg solidify the Tigers at linebacker, where Mizzou dealt with injuries last season.
Departures: 15 (86.69)
Newcomers: 9 (89.63)
Net rating gain: +2.94
Tennessee didn’t need too many new players from the transfer portal, but the Vols did grab blue-chips where required. The class is led by LSU offensive tackle Lance Heard, who was a freshman all-conference selection last season and is expected to protect quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s blindside. The rest of the offensive line is stacked with experience. The Vols needed help at cornerback and got just that with Oregon State’s Jermod McCoy. He was fantastic as a freshman last season for the Beavers with a team-high nine passes defended that included seven pass breakups and two interceptions.
If you’re looking for some flash and sizzle, look no further than Tulane receiver Chris Brazzell II. The big man is poised to be the Vols’ top receiver. The 6-foot-5 receiver will not be limited to one position, and it should be plenty of fun to watch him in Josh Heupel’s offense after he exploded with 711 yards on 44 catches at Tulane last season.
Most of Tennessee’s departures were backups, thus the gigantic uptick in quality score.
Departures: 25 (86.04)
Newcomers: 24 (88.78)
Net rating gain: +2.74
Ole Miss is all-in to win a championship this fall. The Rebels have the nation’s No. 1 portal class to complement an already-talented roster that won 11 games last season. Lane Kiffin landed eight blue-chip transfers to upgrade an elite offense, and most importantly plug holes on a defense that struggled against more physical teams in the trenches. Defensive lineman Walter Nolen (99) is the jewel of the portal class that should be remembered for the big-time additions on defense. Nolen was the nation’s third-best player in the portal after he was part of the best high school recruiting class in history at Texas A&M in 2022. He had four sacks last season and has everything a player needs to be an all-SEC pass rusher for Ole Miss. He’s joined by Florida pass rusher Princely Umanmielen (94), Arkansas linebacker Chris Paul Jr. (92), Alabama cornerback Trey Amos (92) and South Alabama safety Yam Banks (90) to help the defense.
Departures: 24 (88.52)
Newcomers: 10 (91.25)
Net rating gain: +2.73
Everything is coming up Georgia in the rivalry against Florida. In one of the biggest rivalry moves of the offseason, running back Trevor Etienne (93) left Florida to join Georgia and is likely poised to be an All-SEC selection.
“I can stay Running Back 2 on a losing team or go somewhere and possibly be Running Back 1 and win a natty,” Etienne said on the Real Talk podcast. Oof, Gators.
Meanwhile, former Florida commitment Jaden Rashada signed with Georgia after a year at Arizona State. In the spring he filed a lawsuit against Florida and coach Billy Napier, who he says promised him $1 million to sign with Florida. He’ll sit behind Carson Beck as the Bulldogs’ backup quarterback to learn and possibly be in line to start in a year or two if he waits his turn.
All-Pac-12 tight end Benjamin Yurosek (90) will be fascinating to watch in the offense, which also adds Miami receiver Colbie Young (93) and Vanderbilt receiver London Humphreys (94).
How good and deep is Georgia? Twenty of the 24 departures in the portal landed at power programs and yet the Bulldogs’ quality actually jumped in the ratings department with 10 additions.
Departures: 22 (86.6)
Newcomers: 13 (88.42)
Net rating gain: +1.82
Kentucky picked up its next quarterback and several starters in the portal by raiding SEC rivals and national champion Michigan. The class is led by Georgia quarterback Brock Vandagriff (93), the Bulldogs’ projected starter this fall. “His ball placement is really good. I’d say in each coverage snap that I’m in, the ball is always somewhere where I can’t get to it,” Kentucky cornerback Jantzen Dunn said this spring.
Veteran running back Chip Trayanum transferred from Ohio State and is competing to replace All-SEC running back Ray Davis after starting his career at Arizona State. He will be one of the oldest players on the roster. Michigan defensive back DJ Waller appeared on track to be a starter in Ann Arbor in the spring but opted to leave for Kentucky after practices. Ja’Mori Maclin, North Texas’ best receiver last season, is also on campus after catching 57 passes for 1,004 yards and 11 touchdowns. Add former starters in Georgia linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson and Tennessee left tackle Gerald Mincey, and the Wildcats have one of the best hauls in the SEC.
Departures: 27 (86.32)
Newcomers: 22 (87.95)
Net rating gain: +1.63
South Carolina added a trio of great pass catchers, a successful ACC pass rusher and perhaps the best running back on the market. Rocket Sanders was one of the SEC’s best running backs in 2022 while at Arkansas and should fit in nicely as the Gamecocks break in a new starting quarterback after the Spencer Rattler era. LaNorris Sellers battled Auburn transfer Robby Ashford, another portal addition, and should be the starter in the fall. He gets help from receiver Gage Larvadain, Miami of Ohio’s top receiver last season, and former Coastal Carolina receiver Jared Brown, who caught 58 passes a year ago. Georgia Tech pass rusher Kyle Kennard had a career-high six sacks and 11 tackles for loss last season.
Departures: 27 (87.42)
Newcomers: 9 (89)
Net rating gain: +1.58
LSU seems content to lean on high school recruiting and development to counter portal departures. The Tigers countered 27 defections with nine portal additions, including Texas A&M safety Jardin Gilbert (93) and Liberty receiver CJ Daniels (92). Daniels was electric last season, with 55 catches for 1,067 yards and 10 touchdowns, and enters his fifth season with seven 100-yard games in his career. LSU needed help in the defensive backfield and added three players, including Gilbert, to help bolster the defense.
Departures: 22 (86.38)
Newcomers: 14 (87.93)
Net rating gain: +1.55
The star ratings of Auburn’s 22 portal additions will not blow you away (only receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith is a bluechip), but dive deeper into the analytics and it’s clear the Tigers found immediate help at several key spots where they struggled last season in Hugh Freeze’s first year. Lambert-Smith is the jewel of the haul, and alongside freshman Cam Coleman and Georgia State’s Robert Lewis (70 catches for 877 yards in 2023), immediately upgrades the sub-par pass offense from last season. The former Penn State star was the lone explosive threat for the Nittany Lions last season, catching several 80-yard passes as he finished with 53 catches for 674 yards and four touchdowns.
Elsewhere, the Tigers found a starting left tackle in Mississippi State’s Percy Lewis and added two pieces to the defensive line with experienced Big Ten starter Trill Carter (31 starts at Minnesota), former Texas and USC tackle Isaiah Raikes, who appeared ready to assume a starting role at Texas A&M, and Indiana’s Philip Blidi has 46 appearances in a career that started at Texas Tech. Clearly, the Tigers wanted to complement a young roster with veterans from the portal.
Departures: 24 (87.81)
Newcomers: 15 (89.27)
Net rating gain: +1.46
Things were actually pretty good in the portal for Florida despite all the negativity around the program and BIlly Napier, and the departures of two starting offensive linemen, elite edge pass rusher Princely Umanmielen (Ole Miss) and running back Trevor Etienne (Georgia). Yes, that’s quite the mouthful to swallow, but perhaps the Gators actually improved the roster via the portal this offseason? Six of the 15 additions are blue-chips, though USC offensive tackle Jason Zandamela is likely a year away from development. Colorado transfer Cormani McClain will grab headlines, and if he can come close to the hype out of high school he’ll be worth the risk.
The players we love in the haul include Arizona State receiver Elijhah Badger, who caught 135 passes for more than 1,500 yards over the last two seasons, and Penn defensive lineman Joey Slackman, the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year. Slackman recorded 12 tackles for loss as a tackle last season.
Departures: 30 (86.32)
Newcomers: 22 (86.95)
Net rating gain: +0.63
Arkansas will lean heavily on transfers this fall in an effort to rebound from a disappointing 2023 season. It all starts with former Boise State quarterback Taylen Green, who offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino handpicked out of the portal to be the Hogs’ replacement for KJ Jefferson. Green led the Broncos to the MWC title last season and is the prototypical quarterback for Petrino’s system. He leads an offense that is expected to include eight starters who began their careers elsewhere, including Utah running back Ja’Quinden Jackson and four offensive linemen.
Departures: 31 (88.25)
Newcomers: 28 (88.72)
Net rating gain: +0.47
Texas A&M was churning and burning in the portal after Jimbo Fisher was shown the door, but Mike Elko pulled 28 new players and convinced two more to withdraw from the portal to secure the nation’s No. 4 portal class. The focus was clearly on the defensive backfield with eight additions led by former five-star cornerback Dezz Ricks, who played last season at Alabama.
Among the notable additions are the Big Ten’s sacks leader (Purdue’s Nic Scourton), Bowling Green edge rusher Cashius Howell (92), Kansas State cornerback Will Lee III (90), Cal Poly cornerback Donovan Saunders (90), San Diego State safety Marcus Ratcliffe (90) and Florida linebacker Scooby Williams (90). Offensively, Troy receiver Jabre Barber and Louisiana Tech’s Cyrus Allen combined for more than 1,700 yards last season.
The Aggies’ losses included elite pass rusher Walter Nolen (Ole Miss) and receiver Evan Stewart (Oregon).
Departures: 25 (88)
Newcomers: 16 (88.46)
Net rating gain: +0.46
Oklahoma is building its roster by balancing high school recruiting with the portal, and it’s clear the approach is to complement the roster with portal additions rather than leaning on free agency to revamp the roster. Brent Venables’ additions in Year 3 were a who’s who of all-conference players and our favorite of the bunch might be All-AAC center Branson Hickman (89), a late addition from SMU. Hickman has allowed his quarterback to be hit only twice since 2022 and owns an incredible run-blocking grade of 81.7, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Sooners also added former freshman All-American defensive tackle Damonic Williams (91), who started in TCU’s run to the national championship game two years ago, Purdue’s top receiver (Deion Burks) and perhaps the best edge rusher in the MAC, Caiden Woullard (93), who had 9.5 sacks last season.
Departures: 25 (86.13)
Newcomers: 19 (86.56)
Net rating gain: +0.43
Jeff Lebby’s charge in Year 1 is to upgrade an offense that was utterly and incomprehensibly abysmal last season. He should do that despite signing the SEC’s worst-rated transfer class (45th nationally), which still outweighed the departures in the net rating.
Among the key departures in the portal, the Bulldogs lost their record-breaking quarterback (Will Rogers to Washington), starting left tackle Percy Lewis (Auburn) and running back Woody Marks (USC). The Bulldogs added Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen, who shined in the spring at MSU after throwing for more than 5,574 yards in three seasons with the Bears of the Big 12. A pair of Memphis cornerbacks (DeAgo Brumfield and Traveon Wright) followed defensive coordinator Matt Barnes to Mississippi State.
Departures: 25 (86.84)
Newcomers: 22 (87.05)
Net rating gain: +0.21
The most interesting quarterback battle in the SEC might actually be at Vanderbilt. Former New Mexico State quarterback Diego Pavia and Utah’s Nate Johnson were electric at times last season at their former schools. Pavia led New Mexico State to an upset of Auburn on the road and Johnson came off the bench to spark the Utes in critical games, including a comeback at Baylor.
Vanderbilt also had to rebuild the offensive line with Mississippi Sate center Steven Losoya and UTEP’s Steven Hubbard, who will start at one of the guard spots and is one of the most experienced players in the sport (2018 recruit).
Vandy lost several stars in the portal, including leading receiver Will Sheppard (Colorado).
Departures: 40 (90.55)
Newcomers: 15 (90.07)
Net rating loss: -0.48
No SEC school experienced more attrition in the portal than Alabama, and that wasn’t a surprise after Nick Saban’s shocking retirement. The Tide countered 40 portal departures with 15 newcomers, and though Kalen DeBoer owns the SEC’s only negative net rating in the portal, he added several stars that will immediately help in the secondary – and also lost and regained the second-best player in the portal, Kadyn Proctor.
The Tide’s class ranks third nationally, but the elite departures outweighed the additions, with 15 blue chips departing Tuscaloosa and eight blue chips arriving via the portal. The hits were especially wicked in the secondary, Saban’s pet project, with 11 departures via the portal, including the nation’s No. 1 player, defensive back Caleb Downs (Ohio State). DeBoer countered with Michigan safety Keon Sabb and USC cornerback Domani Jackson, who are expected to assume starting roles.
The Tide also lost four of their top six receivers, including No. 1 receiver Isaiah Bond, who led three former Tide receivers in 247Sports’ top 20 receivers in the portal. Washington receiver Germie Bernard followed DeBoer to Tuscaloosa after catching 34 passes for 419 yards last season.
The biggest addition, however, was Alabama regaining the services of Proctor. The freshman All-American departed for Iowa, his home state program, but opted to return to Alabama after spring practices. He’ll reassume his role as the starting left tackle this fall.
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