How much has roster construction changed in the past 48 months?
In 2023, Ole Miss was the only SEC program that signed more transfers than high school recruits. In this cycle, it’s an even split, with Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri, South Carolina and the Rebels signing more transfers than prep standouts.
So, it’s no surprise nine SEC schools made The Athletic’s ranking of the top 25 transfer portal classes.
Does that mean everyone in the SEC graded out well? Not necessarily. Here’s a look at how every team in the league fared during the portal window.
Note: All portal player and snap count data is from Pro Football Focus and includes only snaps played at their offensive or defensive positions (not on special teams). Players and snaps added or lost are via the portal only (numbers do not include players lost due to exhausted eligibility or draft declarations).
Check out our portal grades in the ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten.
Alabama
2025 record: 11-4
Portal players added/lost: 17/23
Career snaps added/lost: 9,423/7,328
Top players added: WR Noah Rogers (NC State), iOL Nick Brooks (Texas), OT Ty Haywood (Michigan), DL Terrance Green (Oregon), DL Devan Thompkins (USC)
Alabama has to replace 17 starters from an 11-win team, including three lost to the portal: receiver Isaiah Horton (Texas A&M), right tackle Wilkin Formby (Texas A&M) and defensive tackle James Smith (Ohio State). Most of the replacements will likely be homegrown products. The Tide landed only six transfers who started in 2025, four from FBS schools and two from the FCS ranks. But they signed the No. 2 high school recruiting class in the country after signing the No. 3 class in 2025. As for the transfers, Rogers (33 catches for 441 yards in 2025) will assuredly be put to work as one of only two receivers on the team with more than three career starts. Six of the pickups on offense are linemen, while five of the seven additions on defense are linemen. Thompkins and Kedrick-Bingley Jones (Mississippi State) each started 12 games last season and are the only defensive linemen on the roster with more than three career starts. It’s clear that Alabama is counting on its own recruiting and player development rather than reloading through the portal.
Grade: C
Noah Rogers should provide Alabama with a nice possession receiver to help open up big plays for Ryan Williams and Lotzier Brooks downfield. Here’s a look at what the N.C. State transfer brings to the Tide ⤵️https://t.co/dOATfpfjmU pic.twitter.com/XOfybjuWZq
— Tony Tsoukalas (@Tony_Tsoukalas) February 9, 2026
Arkansas
2025 record: 2-10
Portal players added/lost: 42/41
Career snaps added/lost: 20,172/7,131
Top players added: WR Chris Marshall (Boise State), OT Bryant Williams (Louisiana), DL Hunter Osborne (Virginia), LB Khmori House (North Carolina), CB Jahiem Johnson (Tulane)
Only two starters from the SEC’s last-place team bolted for fresh starts at other places. New coach Ryan Silverfield, meanwhile, signed 11 starters off other FBS rosters, including three he brought over from Memphis. The problem for Silverfield is that Arkansas is coming off its third winless season in SEC play dating back to 2018, and the roster he’s inheriting isn’t very good. Marshall, who was part of Texas A&M’s record-setting 2022 recruiting class, is the only former five-star prospect on the team. Three of the four Power 4 transfers who were starters last season play in the secondary. Arkansas badly needed help there after finishing last in the SEC in pass efficiency and scoring defense.
Grade: C+
Auburn
2025 record: 5-7
Portal players added/lost: 39/37
Career snaps added/lost: 22,946/21,609
Top players added: QB Byrum Brown (USF), RB Bryson Washington (Baylor), iOL Cole Best (USF), edge Da’Shawn Womack (Ole Miss), DL Walter Mathis Jr. (LSU)
Ten starters left Auburn via the portal, and another nine exhausted their eligibility or entered the NFL Draft. New coach Alex Golesh brought 13 players with him from South Florida, including Brown, a dynamic dual-threat quarterback, and six other starters. The Tigers also signed seven starters from other FBS programs. Auburn loaded up at running back, with Washington (788 yards at Baylor in 2025) among three new tailbacks who ran for over 600 yards last season. It’s a bit of an odd move considering Jeremiah Cobb, who rushed for 969 yards last season, is the only Auburn offensive starter back. The Tigers, meanwhile, return only two starters from a defense that finished in the middle of the pack in several key categories. Former UCLA cornerback Andre Jordan Jr. was the only 2025 Power 4 starter added to the defense.
Grade: B-
Florida
2025 record: 4-8
Portal players added/lost: 29/34
Career snaps added/lost: 13,340/11,167
Top players added: QB Aaron Philo (Georgia Tech), RB London Montgomery (East Carolina), WR Eric Singleton Jr. (Auburn), TE Luke Harpring (Georgia Tech), DL Emmanuel Oyebadejo (Jacksonville State)
New coach Jon Sumrall was able to retain some key young pieces, such as running back Jadan Baugh, receiver Dallas Wilson and edge rusher Jayden Woods, after arriving from Tulane. But not everyone hung around Gainesville. Five starters and four key rotation players transferred out. Seven other starters from last year’s team, meanwhile, exhausted their eligibility, and nine players received invitations to the NFL Scouting Combine. So, there are some holes to fill. Sumrall and new general manager Dave Caldwell signed 10 starters from FBS programs in the portal, including six from other P4 teams. Four of the additions came over with new offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner from Georgia Tech, most notably Philo, who is the likely replacement at quarterback for DJ Lagway. Better coaching should lead to better results with this roster, but I’m not as high on this class as others, especially when you take into account the players who departed.
Grade: C+
Georgia
2025 record: 12-2
Portal players added/lost: 9/15
Career snaps added/lost: 6,445/5,501
Top players added: RB Dante Dowdell (Kentucky), WR Isiah Canion (Georgia Tech), edge Amaris Williams (Auburn), S Khalil Barnes (Clemson), S Ja’Marley Riddle (East Carolina)
Kirby Smart’s program signed the fewest transfers in the SEC this cycle and only 34 over the last five cycles combined, so you have to judge what the Bulldogs do in the portal on a curve. Player retention was good. Eleven starters from last year’s SEC championship team have to be replaced, but only one was lost to the portal. As for the additions, three were FBS starters last season, and eight of the nine played 178 snaps or more. The only one who didn’t was freshman quarterback Bryson Beaver, a four-star prospect who signed with Oregon in December. Canion was a pivotal pickup considering the turnover at receiver. The Bulldogs did a good job addressing needs in the secondary. Barnes should slot in at safety for Joenel Aguero (Ole Miss).
Grade: C+
Kentucky
2025 record: 5-7
Portal players added/lost: 26/29
Career snaps added/lost: 17,539/7,403
Top players added: QB Kenny Minchey (Notre Dame), OT Lance Heard (Tennessee), iOL Coleton Price (Baylor), iOL Tegra Tshabola (Ohio State), LB Elijah Barnes (Texas)
The Wildcats have nine offensive and seven defensive starters to replace — but only one was lost to the portal on each side of the ball. New coach Will Stein and general manager Pat Biondo signed seven FBS starters, including four on the offensive line. Heard, a third-team All-SEC selection at Tennessee in 2025, is the headliner of the group. Minchey, a former four-star QB recruit, was originally headed to Nebraska before he changed course to play for Stein. Among the dozen pickups on defense, five are linemen and five play in the secondary.
Grade: B
LSU
2025 record: 7-6
Portal players added/lost: 40/38
Career snaps added/lost: 21,097/11,809
Top players added: QB Sam Leavitt (Arizona State), WR Eugene Wilson III (Florida), OT Jordan Seaton (Colorado), edge Princewill Umanmielen (Ole Miss), S Ty Benefield (Boise State)
The Tigers signed the No. 1 portal class yet again. That didn’t work out for Brian Kelly in 2025, but Lane Kiffin proved to be pretty good at identifying the right pieces while at Ole Miss. LSU signed 12 starters off other FBS rosters, including three at receiver and two each on the offensive and defensive lines. The Tigers, meanwhile, lost three starters to the portal — all on the offensive line — and return eight others from last year’s roster. The question here is how quickly Kiffin can revive an LSU offense that ranked 14th in the SEC in scoring and 15th in yards per play in 2025. Leavitt, coming off season-ending Lisfranc surgery, went 16-4 as a starter at Arizona State. He’s one of eight offensive players signed via the portal who started last season.
Grade: A
Mississippi State
2025 record: 5-8
Portal players added/lost: 24/39
Career snaps added/lost: 11,129/14,789
Top players added: WR Marquis Johnson (Missouri), DL Dealyn Evans (Texas A&M), edge Amaree Williams (Florida State), edge Jayson Jenkins (Florida State), S Jardin Gilbert (LSU)
Jeff Lebby flipped the script from Year 1 to Year 2, signing more recruits than transfers after improving the team’s win total by three. The Bulldogs lost three starters to the portal — two offensive linemen and one defensive tackle. Also gone from last year’s roster: the starting quarterback, starting running back, top receiver, top tight end, three starting offensive linemen, two linebackers and two starters in the secondary. Just six starters (five on defense) are back. The Bulldogs signed five starters from other FBS programs, headlined by Johnson at receiver. The rest? A bunch of relatively young linemen from other Power 4 schools with lots of upside. If some of those young pieces pan out, Mississippi State could push to finish better than .500 for the first time since Mike Leach’s last season in 2022.
Grade: D+
Missouri
2025 record: 8-5
Portal players added/lost: 28/26
Career snaps added/lost: 12,494/11,173
Top players added: QB Austin Simmons (Ole Miss), WR Cayden Lee (Ole Miss), OT Luke Work (Mississippi State), LB Robert Woodyard Jr. (Auburn), S Elijah Dotson (Michigan)
Eleven starters from the SEC’s third-best scoring defense — including two lost to the portal — need to be replaced. Six starters, meanwhile, were lost on offense, including three to the portal. That’s the roster situation Eli Drinkwitz faced in December. The Tigers signed Simmons, who began last season as QB1 at Ole Miss until going down with an injury and losing his job to Trinidad Chambliss. They added six starters from FBS programs, including two of Simmons’ teammates in Oxford, Lee and cornerback Chris Graves Jr. It was a pretty good offensive haul to pair with three returning starting linemen and star running back Ahmad Hardy. The issue is on defense. The Tigers are counting on a bunch of young guys who haven’t played much to deliver on that side of the ball.
Grade: B
Oklahoma
2025 record: 10-3
Portal players added/lost: 16/27
Career snaps added/lost: 10,145/12,981
Top players added: WR Trell Harris (Virginia), WR Parker Livingstone (Texas), TE Jack Van Dorselaer (Tennessee), TE Hayden Hansen (Florida), OT E’Marion Harris (Arkansas)
Oklahoma signed a top-15 recruiting class and a top-20 transfer class and lost only two starters to the portal. The Sooners signed six starters from other FBS rosters and added depth at multiple positions. The best thing they did was add pass catchers to help senior quarterback John Mateer. Oklahoma receivers combined to drop 17 passes last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Harris, Livingstone and Hansen combined to drop eight. Where Oklahoma could have used a little more veteran help was on defense, which must replace seven players who were invited to the combine. The Sooners signed only one FBS defensive starter in the portal: former UTSA lineman Kenny Ozowalu, who produced three sacks as a redshirt freshman in 2025. Cole Sullivan, a linebacker who transferred from Michigan, was probably the best defensive pickup.
Grade: B
Here’s a look at new #Sooners wideout Trell Harris, who should be a real weapon in this offense. In 2025 at Virginia, he posted:
— 59 receptions
— 847 receiving yards
— 5 touchdowns pic.twitter.com/pAyX2o3UHA
— Brody Lusk (@BrodyLusk) January 5, 2026
Ole Miss
2025 record: 13-2
Portal players added/lost: 29/23
Career snaps added/lost: 18,125/9,886
Top players added: QB Deuce Knight (Auburn), WR Darrell Gill Jr. (Syracuse), OT Carius Curne (LSU), CB Jay Crawford (Auburn), S Edwin Joseph (Florida State)
You can make the argument that no program did a better job loading up on defense through the portal. The Rebels signed four Power 4 starters in the secondary, two at linebacker and one nose tackle — plus five other defensive rotation players from P4 programs. That doesn’t include former Nevada edge rusher Jonathan Maldonado, who recorded five sacks in 2025. The 16 pickups on offense packed a little less punch. Two important ones were Gill and his former Syracuse teammate Johntay Cook, also a receiver, as the Rebels look to replace four of their top five pass catchers. Four starters were lost to the portal, and as many as 10 could end up on NFL rosters. But this was a legitimate top-10 transfer class that probably could’ve been ranked in the top five.
Grade: A
South Carolina
2025 record: 4-8
Portal players added/lost: 25/23
Career snaps added/lost: 15,900/10,356
Top players added: RB Christian Clark (Texas), OT Jacarrius Peak (NC State), iOL Emmanuel Poku (East Carolina), DL Tomiwa Durojaiye (Illinois), edge Caleb Herring (Tennessee)
Three offensive starters left via the portal. Two others on offense and six on defense exhausted their eligibility or entered the draft early following Shane Beamer’s second losing season in the past three years. More importantly, quarterback LaNorris Sellers, left tackle Josiah Thompson and elite edge rusher Dylan Stewart stayed put. The offensive line was an area of emphasis. Six starters from FBS programs, including three from Power 4 schools, were signed to address a unit that contributed to South Carolina ranking 14th in the SEC in rushing and 15th in sacks allowed in 2025. Beamer also picked up two starting receivers from other P4 schools in Nitro Tuggle (Purdue) and DJ Black (UCF). Four of the five additions on defense were linemen. It was a pretty good talent haul for a program badly needing some upgrades.
Grade: B-
Tennessee
2025 record: 8-5
Portal players added/lost: 21/28
Career snaps added/lost: 14,840/6,765
Top players added: Edge Chaz Coleman (Penn State), DL Xavier Gilliam (Penn State), LB Amare Campbell (Penn State), CB Kayin Lee (Auburn), S TJ Metcalf (Michigan)
Tennessee pursued Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt, but he ended up at LSU, leaving the Vols without a proven starting quarterback now that Joey Aguilar’s career is over. So, right off the bat, you’ve got to dock them a few points. In the end, though, only one starter — left tackle Lance Heard (Kentucky) — exited via the portal. The other 11 starters lost were to eligibility or early entry into the NFL Draft. In the end, Tennessee signed six starters from other FBS programs out of the portal, including four on defense. That’s where the Vols needed the most help after falling from third in the SEC in scoring defense in 2024 to 14th last season. A leaky secondary was the biggest issue. The staff addressed that by picking up three players who played 290 snaps or more last season, notably Lee and Metcalf. The Vols still lack proven experience on the defensive line. It felt as though Tennessee could have used at least one elite edge rusher. Coleman could end up becoming that. But that’s only a bet right now.
Grade: C+
Texas
2025 record: 10-3
Portal players added/lost: 19/25
Career snaps added/lost: 13,399/6,448
Top players added: RB Hollywood Smothers (NC State), WR Cam Coleman (Auburn), OT Melvin Siani (Wake Forest), DL Ian Geffrard (Arkansas), LB Rasheem Biles (Pittsburgh)
The Longhorns said goodbye to a dozen starters off last year’s roster, including three who exited via the portal: running back Quintrevion Wisner (Florida State), receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. (Colorado) and linebacker Liona Lefau (Colorado). But they upgraded at several spots, most notably running back and receiver. Texas reeled in seven offensive starters from other FBS programs and four more on defense. Coleman, arguably the best available player, provides quarterback Arch Manning with a true No. 1 receiving option. With the additions of Siani (Wake Forest) and guard Laurence Seymore (Western Kentucky), the Longhorns have four offensive linemen who started 13 games last season. Smothers and Raleek Brown (Arizona State) combined for over 2,000 rushing yards last season. Texas should undoubtedly have one of the top offenses in the country.
Grade: A
Texas A&M
2025 record: 11-2
Portal players added/lost: 18/19
Career snaps added/lost: 15,654/2,566
Top players added: WR Isaiah Horton (Alabama), OT Wilkin Formby (Alabama), DL Angelo McCullom (Illinois), edge Anto Saka (Northwestern), CB Rickey Gibson III (Tennessee)
There’s no denying that Texas A&M put together a top-10 portal class. The Aggies signed 11 starters from other FBS rosters, including nine from Power 4 schools. That includes four starting SEC offensive linemen to replace the four starters lost to exhausted eligibility. Three of the five starters added to the defense are linemen from P4 programs, which will help replace the six starters lost on that side of the ball. Tight end Theo Melin Ohrstrom (SMU) is the only starter lost to the portal. The Aggies also picked up two highly productive pass-catching options for returning quarterback Marcel Reed in Horton and tight end Richie Anderson (Fresno State). Bottom line: A&M did a good job filling holes and retaining top talent from a CFP team.
Grade: A
Vanderbilt
2025 record: 10-3
Portal players added/lost: 17/18
Career snaps added/lost: 9,008/4,683
Top players added: WR Ja’Cory Thomas (Old Dominion), TE Jayvontay Conner (East Carolina), iOL Micah DeBose (Alabama), edge Brian Allen (Iowa), S Ricardo Jones (Clemson)
The Diego Pavia era ended, and Jared Curtis, the No. 2 high school quarterback in the country, will attempt to fill the shoes of the Heisman runner-up. But there were plenty of other holes to fill, and the Commodores reeled in seven starters from other FBS programs, an FCS All-American left tackle in Beau Johnson (North Dakota State) and a couple of other rotation players from Power 4 programs. Will it be enough for the Commodores to be a Playoff contender again without Pavia? That’s unlikely. But their roster retention efforts went well for the most part. Only two of the possible 11 returning starters from last year’s roster exited via the portal. That’s a much better ratio than previous years.
Grade: B