With the transfer portal playing such a huge role in how college basketball rosters are built these days it is more difficult than ever to know the different rosters in your league. For that reason we will be breaking down the transfer portal classes of every single team in the SEC with a multiple part series. If you haven’t yet read part one, you can do so here. Here is part two:

LSU

 

Pablo Tamba (UC Davis)
PJ Carter (Memphis)
Michael Nwoko (Mississippi State)
Marquel Sutton (Omaha)
Max Mackinnon (Portland)
Rashad King (Northeastern)
Dedan Thomas (UNLV)

 

Things haven’t been great at LSU the last couple of seasons and they were looking for a hard reset this season with 7 incoming transfers, all of whom should be in the regular rotation. It’s also a group that looks a lot like the early days of the transfer portal with really productive low-major players making the leap up to the highest level, so it will be fascinating to see who all translates.

Pablo Tamba is a Spanish wing who spent two years plus a transfer season figuring things out at Idaho State and UC Davis, but really flashed last season in his redshirt junior year where his IQ and feel were on display.

PJ Carter will spend his sixth year of college basketball at LSU after stops at Campbell, UTSA, and Memphis, and while he has never been more than a reserve defender at 6’5”, he’s got loads of experience.

Michael Nwoko started his career at Miami before going to Mississippi State, and while it seems he hasn’t yet found the perfect fit, he is a monster at 6’10” and 245 pounds with the perfect body for SEC basketball and it seems like at some point everything is going to click and he could be a tremendous player. LSU hopes that it happens in Baton Rouge.

Marquel Sutton was a pivotal player on one of the best mid-major stories of the 2024-25 season when Omaha, a team without a lot of college basketball history, went on a dominant run in the Summit League and made the NCAA Tournament. At 6’7” and 205 pounds he’s a bit undersized for a player who is really best at power forward, but LSU will bank on his skill and feel to win out.

Max Mackinnon is an interesting combo guard from Portland who has good passing ability at 6’5” to augment some nice touch around the rim and with the jumper. He averaged 14.5 points and 3.2 assists last season, while increasing his three-point percentage to 40%.

Rashad King is your low-major bucket getter going to the highest level where it will be fascinating to see how things work. Last year he averaged 18.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, and he will be leaned on to bring some wing scoring to LSU. Standing at 6’6” and 200 pounds he won’t be bullied at the high-major level, and LSU is banking on that helping the transition.

Dedan Thomas will be yet another name that Florida basketball diehards remember fully, as there was a lot of interest from the Gator staff recruiting wise when Thomas was coming out of high school. Thomas chose to play at UNLV where his dad played, but now he’s looking to prove his game at the highest level after averaging 15.6 points per game.

 

Texas A&M

Jamie Vinson (Texas)
Rashaun Agee (USC)
Federiko Federiko (Texas Tech)
Josh Holloway (Samford)
Rylan Griffen (Kansas)
Zach Clemence (Kansas)
Jacari Lane (North Alabama)
Pop Isaacs (Creighton)
Marcus Hill (NC State)
Mackenzie Mgbako (Indiana)

Okay everyone, you better be taking notes–there will be a test.

With former head coach Buzz Williams leaving for Maryland and the Aggies already set to lose a number of players there was always going to be a lot of roster turnover and that’s what new head coach Bucky McMillan had to deal with. And deal with it he did, bringing in 10 new players through the transfer portal.

Jamie Vinson was a heralded recruit and brings elite size at 6’11” and 225 pounds, though he didn’t see the floor much as a freshman at Texas.

Rashaun Agee brings some pace and physicality from the forward spot and was productive at USC, Bowling Green, and New Mexico State, and his experience will be leaned on.

Federiko Federiko is an interesting big man that has always seemed to command attention from top programs (including Florida) even going back to his high school days. He wasn’t able to make much of an impact at Pittsburgh or Texas Tech, but coaches continue to be tantalized by his 6’11” frame.

Josh Holloway is the single player that Bucky McMillan brought with him from Samford. A 6’2”, 160 pound guard who averaged single digits in scoring, he probably will be leaned on as more of a bringer of culture who can help his teammates learn what McMillan needs.

Rylan Griffen is back in the SEC after leaving Alabama for Kansas. His best basketball was played at Alabama where he was a double digit scorer as a 6’7” wing, and he’s the kind of player a lot of SEC teams would like to help out their wing depth.

Also from Kansas comes Zach Clemence, a 6’10” center who has been content playing single digit minutes when called upon for three seasons but is hoping to get a bit more run now in his fourth year.

Jacari Lane is the most electric scorer McMillan has brought in. The 6’0” guard has been extremely productive at North Alabama for three seasons and scored 17.3 points per game last season, and he’ll be leaned on to help the scoring in College Station.

Pop Isaacs is probably Texas A&M’s biggest pickup after he scored 16.3 points per game last season at Creighton before having his season ended due to injury. Prior to Creighton he was a consistent scorer at Texas Tech, so he has proven he can get things done against high-major competition.

Two years ago Marcus Hill was one of the biggest-name transfers after scoring 20 points per game at Bowling Green, and he proved he could keep up the production at NC State where he averaged 11.5 points last year.

Finally, there is Mackenzie Mgbako, an elite recruit out of high school who was decently productive for two seasons at Indiana before ultimately falling out of favor with the coaching staff, media, and fans for his lack of physicality at the forward spot. He is a talented player who needed a fresh start and he could be a huge piece of Texas A&M this season.

 

Arkansas

Malique Ewin (Florida State)
Nick Pringle (Arkansas)

On the opposite end of the spectrum we’ve got Arkansas who took less transfers than anyone else in the SEC. It’s still difficult to get frontcourt players through the high school ranks, so Calipari chose to get two veterans with size.

Malique Ewin averaged 14.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game last season and knows his role, staying on the inside and playing with physicality and athleticism in the mold of traditional Florida State bigs.

Nick Pringle enters his sixth year of college basketball (including a redshirt year) and fourth in the SEC after spending time at Arkansas, Alabama, and Wofford. Pringle doesn’t have elite size at 6’9” and 220 pounds but he has good foot speed and length, and he’s turned into a consistent player in the SEC.