The Transfer Portal is closed to new entries, and with every day that passes, the additions for teams have started to slow down. As revenue sharing has taken a bigger role in college football, we're starting to see some of the top talent spread out even more than we saw in the NIL era. As a result we're also seeing bigger bidding wars and more spending than we have in past seasons.
The coaching carousel played a big role in the Transfer Portal cycle as everyone expected Lane Kiffin to go all in, while Will Stein has been one of the biggest players out of nowhere at Kentucky. As most of the big dominoes have fallen in the Transfer Portal, it's interesting to see how the rich have gotten richer while some of the schools no one expected to be significant players have come away with elite pieces.
Ranking the Top 25 SEC transfers as Steve Sarkisian and Lane Kiffin make splash additions
25. Bo Mascoe - Texas
Steve Sarkisian needed to go out and bring in some reinforcements to play in Will Muschamp's defense. Landing an elite cover cornerback can change a defense, and Rutgers' Bo Mascoe instantly becomes the top corner for this defense. Mascoe allowed just 29 catches on 320 pass coverage this season, and if he continues to improve, he's a potential All American.
24. Austin Simmons - Missouri
Missouri went with quarterback Beau Pribula in 2025, and after an up-and-down season, Pribula transferred to Virginia. Eli Drinkwitz needed to land a quarterback, and he landed Austin Simmons from Ole Miss. Simmons is a high upside addition as he was Lane Kiffin's starter over Trinidad Chambliss before an injury sidelined him.
23. Trell Harris - Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Sooners bring back John Mateer, but if they're going to make a deeper run in the College Football Playoff, they needed to add wide receivers. Brent Venables and his staff went out and landed Virginia star Trell Harris, coming off his breakout season where he caught 59 passes for 847 yards and 5 touchdowns. Harris will pair with Isaiah Sategna to give the Sooners an electric duo on the outside so Mateer can return to the form we saw early in the season.
22. Rickey Gibson - Texas A&M
The Tennessee Volunteers hoped to have one of the best cornerback trios with Jermod McCoy, Colton Hood, and Rickey Gibson. McCoy never returned from his torn ACL while Gibson suffered an injury in the season opener keeping him out for the rest of the season. When healthy, Gibson showed a ton of promise, and the hope will be that he can return to form for Texas A&M next season.
21. Raleek Brown - Texas
As Steve Sarkisian needed to rebuild his running back room he started by landing Arizona State star Raleek Brown. The former wide receiver was one of the breakout stars of the season, rushing for 1,141 yards as the Sun Devils starter. Raleek Brown now joins Hollywood Smothers giving Texas one of the most exciting running back duos in the Country.
20. Ty Haywood - Alabama
Kalen DeBoer needed to address the offensive line with Kadyn Proctor off to the NFL and Wilkin Formby transferring to Texas A&M. The Crimson Tide held Ty Haywood's commitment for most of his recruitment, and after his season at Michigan, finishing 2nd in the initial recruitment helped with finally getting him to Tuscaloosa. Haywood has a ton of talent, and he could step in and instantly prove to be a multi-year addition for the Crimson Tide.
19. Jayce Brown - LSU
Part of Lane Kiffin's rebuild was needing to land the elite wide receivers everyone is used to seeing at LSU. One of Kiffin's first additions was landing Kansas State star Jayce Brown after another strong season where he caught 41 passes for 712 yards and 5 touchdowns while rushing for 116 yards and a touchdown. Brown is an elite deep threat, and he's going to excel in Lane Kiffin's offense with all the shots he takes.
18. Isaiah Horton - Texas A&M
After starting his career at Miami and transferring to Alabama, Isaiah Horton made the surprising move to enter the Transfer Portal landing at Texas A&M. With KC Concepcion leaving early for the NFL Draft, Mike Elko and his staff got Marcel Reed the weapon he needed in Isaiah Horton. The Aggies are getting a wide receiver with a ton of experience and proven SEC production making for a great pairing with Mario Craver.
17. Melvin Siani - Texas
The Texas Longhorns needed to go out and land players who can protect Arch Manning after the offensive line wasn't nearly good enough in 2025. Steve Sarkisian pulled off an underrated addition, landing Wake Forest left tackle Melvin Siani. This season, Siani didn't allow a sack, and he'll become one of the best tackles in the SEC.
16. Coleton Price - Kentucky
The Kentucky Wildcats needed to rebuild the offensive line in Will Stein's first season, and he's done so with several big additions. Coleton Price has been one of the best centers in the Country over the past few seasons for Baylor. Price is great in pass protection, and if he can continue to progress in the run game, he'll be a potential All-SEC player.
15. Husan Longstreet - LSU
When it looked like LSU may miss out on Sam Leavitt, LSU fans were starting to make the case that Husan Longstreet may be a better addition giving them a long term plan at quarterback. Instead, Lane Kiffin gets Longstreet as a backup, which is important given that Sam Leavitt is coming off a serious injury. The Tigers hadn't signed a quarterback in back-to-back classes giving the team a clear plan for the future.
14. Deuce Knight - Ole Miss
Right now Trinidad Chambliss' future is uncertain as he battles the NCAA for an extra season of eligibility. As Pete Golding needed to prepare for the best and worst case scenario, he landed Auburn transfer Deuce Knight. As a True Freshman, Deuce Knight made just one start showing a ton of potential, but the Rebels would certainly love if he's the backup behind Chambliss.
13. Jordan Ross - LSU
Blake Baker and the LSU defensive staff needed to refill the edge rush room after taking 3 Seniors in the Transfer Portal last offseason. The Tigers took a high upside bet landing former 5-star Jordan Ross from Tennessee. Ross still needs to continue developing, but he took a massive leap this season and should develop nicely under Kevin Peoples.
12. Eric Singleton Jr - Florida
When Florida hired Georgia Tech OC Buster Faulkner, everyone knew that the Gators would get some of his former players. What no one saw coming was Auburn star Eric Singleton Jr withdrawing from the NFL Draft and transferring to Florida. Singleton was the top wide receiver in the Transfer Portal last offseason, and he gives the Gators an elite speed threat.
11. Carius Curne - Ole Miss
Among the many needs for Pete Golding was to address the offensive line with several key pieces graduating. The Rebels used their ties to LSU to land freshman Carius Curne to step right into the starting lineup. As a Freshman, Curne impressed while gaining experience at both tackle positions making him such a valuable piece for a team like Ole Miss with several holes to fill.
10. Lance Heard - Kentucky
During his time at Oregon, Will Stein certainly saw the impact that a star offensive tackle could have on an offense. The Wildcats made a pivotal addition landing Tennessee offensive tackle Lance Heard to bolster their offensive line. Heard has been a staple for Tennessee the last two seasons, allowing just 2 sacks and 12 pressures on 479 pass blocking snaps this season.
9. Rasheem Biles - Texas
Will Muschamp returns to Austin as Steve Sarkisian's defensive coordinator with some great pieces to work with. The biggest setback is the loss of star middle linebacker Anthony Hill Jr to the NFL Draft as he was a great do-it-all player for the Texas defense. The Longhorns plugged the hole with the top linebacker in the Transfer Portal Rasheem Biles giving the team a star in the middle once again.
8. Princewill Umanmielen - LSU
The LSU Tigers had a ton to replace this offseason as edge rushers Jack Pyburn, Patrick Payton, and Jimari Butler were all out of eligibility. When Princewill Umanmielen announced he'd be transferring late in the cycle, it signaled a reunion Kiffin needed to make. Umanmielen is coming off a 9 sack season including 3 in the College Football Playoff giving the Tigers an elite pass rusher.
7. Kenny Minchey - Kentucky
When the Transfer Portal opened, Kentucky showed just how aggressive they were going to be hosting top transfers on visits. Will Stein and his staff was able to overcome missing out on Sam Leavitt as they flipped Kenny Minchey from Nebraska. The Notre Dame transfer has a ton of talent after battling CJ Carr for the starting job, and he should instantly give this team a high-upside signal caller that Stein can develop.
6. Hollywood Smothers - Texas
The Texas Longhorns didn't help out Arch Manning early in the season as they struggled to run the ball. Sarkisian cleared out the running backs room, and after signing Arizona State star Raleek Brown, he double dipped flipping Hollywood Smothers away from Alabama. Smothers was electric for NC State rushing for 939 yards and 6 touchdowns averaging 5.9 yards per carry.
5. Jacarrius Peak - South Carolina
South Carolina's entire offense struggled last season, but the offensive line was truly the biggest flaw with the team. An elite Left Tackle can transform an entire unit, and that's what the Gamecocks are getting in Jacarrius Peak. The NC State star allowed just 13 pressures and a pair of sacks on 486 pass blocking snaps as he'll help keep LaNorris Sellers upright.
4. Chaz Coleman - Tennessee
When Josh Heupel made the move to hire Jim Knowles, the hope was that he'd improve the group on the field while hopefully bringing some reinforcements with him. Bringing Chaz Coleman over from Penn State was one of the biggest additions of the offseason. Coleman flashed as an elite pass rusher as a true freshman making him a multi-year addition for the Vols.
3. Byrum Brown - Auburn
The biggest issue for the Auburn Tigers under Hugh Freeze was that he couldn't get the quarterback position right as the team was talented everywhere else. While the roster may be less talented in Alex Golesh's first season, bringing Byrum Brown with him gives Auburn a much greater chance in 2026. In his two seasons as a full-time starter, Brown has passed for an average of 3,225 yards and 27 touchdowns.
2. Cam Coleman - Texas
When Steve Sarkisian started to lose weapons, everyone started to panic, but the Longhorns clearly had a plan. Texas went out and landed Auburn transfer Cam Coleman, giving Arch Manning one of the most talented wide receivers in the Country. While Auburn didn't have the best quarterback play, Coleman's talent was always evident as he caught 93 passes for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns in his two seasons.
1. Sam Leavitt - LSU
Lane Kiffin needed to land a quarterback, and he went out and brought in arguably the best quarterback in the Transfer Portal in Sam Leavitt. In 2024, Sam Leavitt emerged as one of the biggest stars in the sport, leading Arizona State to a Big 12 Championship and a trip to the College Football Playoff. This season, Leavitt was injured, but he was on his way to another great season before his injury. Leavitt gets to run Lane Kiffin's offense this season, which will help his draft stock while giving the Tigers an elite signal caller.