Every SEC team's most important transfer portal edition (so far)
The portal is officially closed.
Well, let’s clear that up. While nobody can enter the transfer portal until after spring ball, there are still guys in the portal who need a home. Anyone who already entered the portal before the window closed on Wednesday can still join a team.
Consider that my way of saying this will be a fluid discussion of “most important transfer portal additions.”
This is every SEC team’s most important transfer portal edition (so far):
Alabama — CJ Dippre, TE (Maryland)
Whoever replaces Bryce Young is going to need a safety blanket. Young had Cameron Latu and Jahmyr Gibbs in that role. Both are gone, but the good news is that Dippre can be that guy. He had 30 catches for 314 yards with 3 touchdowns as a second-year player. Of course, he also made plays like this:
CJ Dippre timed that hurdle perfectly.
— Sportsbook Review (@SBRReview) November 19, 2022
Dippre might not be getting Brock Bowers comps, but he was No. 18 in PFF receiving grade among Power 5 tight ends and he decided between Alabama and Ohio State. There was clearly a market for his skill set. He should be more than capable of replacing Latu.
Arkansas — Al Walcott, S (Baylor)
Arkansas losing Jalen Catalon was brutal in many ways. The smash-mouth safety represented the Hogs at SEC Media Days and would’ve been a lock to start as a preseason All-SEC guy, but he left for Texas after suffering his second consecutive season-ending injury. Naturally, Sam Pittman dipped into the Lone Star State to get his replacement. Walcott chose to come to Fayetteville, where he’ll spend his final year of eligibility playing for an Arkansas defense with question marks galore. The second-team All-Big 12 selection will be an upgrade in coverage from the Catalon replacements in Arkansas’ secondary. He played in Dave Aranda’s “Star” position, which meant he’d line up all over the place as a hybrid player. His snap count shows just how versatile he was:
- Slot CB: 420
- Box: 137
- D-Line: 97
- Free safety: 62
- Wide CB: 6
Walcott is a physical player who loves attacking ball-carriers. That’s why he had 10 TFLs in 2022. Arkansas needs him to stay healthy and plug a few holes for a new-look defense.
Auburn — Gunner Britton, OT (Western Kentucky)
Hugh Freeze knew that he needed major help in the trenches on both sides of the football. That was really the biggest on-field issue during Bryan Harsin’s time at Auburn. Freeze might need a couple cycles to get back to the Auburn standard in that department, but adding someone like Britton will help. The second-team All-Conference USA selection protected the nation’s leading passer, Austin Reed. In that high-powered passing attack, WKU allowed just 14 sacks all year. Britton ranked No. 15 among FBS tackles with a PFF pass-blocking grade of 84.0, and he had the 5th best win rate among FBS tackles at 87.0. The 6th-year player figures to be an immediate starter at one of the tackle spots.
Florida — Graham Mertz, QB (Wisconsin)
I said Mertz is the “most important” transfer because that Florida quarterback room was desperate for depth, and Mertz projects as a slight upgrade from Jack Miller, who was the team’s lone scholarship quarterback for the bowl game. Mind you, that was before the Jaden Rashada mess blew up. Mertz is a former U.S. Army All-American Bowl MVP. He’s also a guy who started for 3 years at Wisconsin and he never threw for more than 2,136 yards. He doesn’t add anything with his legs and for a guy who played in a conservative offense, he turned the football over too much (1 interception for every 29.7 passes). He and Miller will battle for the starting job. No matter what, Billy Napier has another project after Anthony Richardson was 1-and-done in his offense.
Georgia — Dominic Lovett, WR (Mizzou)
I don’t think people outside of Mizzou realize how good Lovett was. Here are the nuts and bolts:
- PFF’s No. 1 receiver in SEC
- PFF’s No. 3 receiver in Power 5
- T-No. 3 in SEC in 30-yard catches (9)
- No. 5 in SEC in receiving yards (846)
- No. 7 in SEC in receptions/game (4.7)
Lovett operated primarily out of the slot (84.8%) and proved to be the most consistent pass-catcher for a Mizzou team that often struggled to move the chains through the air. That wasn’t the case with Lovett’s new team, Georgia. Lovett will get to operate alongside fellow SEC transfer Rara Thomas, Ladd McConkey and Brock Bowers. Todd Monken didn’t really operate with a primary slot receiver in 2022. It was more of a job by committee among the wideouts with McConkey (177 slot snaps), Kearis Jackson (203 slot snaps) and Dominick Blaylock (129 slot snaps) sharing those duties. Of course, Bowers played twice as many slot snaps (410) as any UGA receiver, but Jackson is out of eligibility and Blaylock hit the portal, which means Lovett will step into that role immediately. The rich get richer? Absolutely.
Kentucky — Devin Leary, QB (NC State)
For my money, Leary was the No. 2 quarterback in the transfer portal behind only Sam Hartman. Hence, why I have Leary as my No. 2 quarterback in the SEC entering 2023. In other words, yes, I believe in the NC State transfer. The preseason ACC Player of the Year had his 2022 come short because of a season-ending injury, but this is someone who had 35 touchdown passes and just 5 picks in his last full season.
Wow! The new QB for the Kentucky Wildcats is Devin Leary. Massive pick up for Kentucky and Mark Stoops. pic.twitter.com/sg5a5vCGTd
— Barstool SEC (@SECBarstool) December 20, 2022
Leary might actually be a better fit to operate behind a subpar offensive line than Will Levis, who had a pro-style skill set but would hold onto the ball too long. With Liam Coen back in Lexington, Leary has 3 established pass-catchers, along with 1,000-yard rusher Ray Davis, who transferred from Vandy. UK’s offense should take a step forward after a disappointing 2022.
LSU — Omar Speights, ILB (Oregon State)
LSU got some huge news Thursday night when it landed a commitment from the All-Pac 12 linebacker. Welcome to the new age of the portal, wherein an all-conference Power 5 player can transfer to a bigger, more established program (never mind the fact that Oregon State just finished ahead of LSU in the final AP Poll and it had its best season since the Chad Johnson days). Speights was a 4-year starter for the Beavers, and he’ll have a chance to step right into LSU’s defense and presumably work alongside freshman sensation Harold Perkins. Speights had a team-high 83 tackles, 8 TFLs and 4 hurries. He’ll give LSU a key presence against the run while Perkins and Maason Smith give the Tigers an elite pass-rushing duo.
Mizzou — Theo Wease, WR (Oklahoma)
After losing the aforementioned Lovett to Georgia, Mizzou desperately needed an experienced outside weapon. Wease should check that box. Lining up almost exclusively out wide, he had over 1,000 career receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in his 3 years of action at Oklahoma. Wease should fit in well as the big-bodied target to complement the electric Luther Burden and Cooper, who had career highs in snaps (67), catches (7) and receiving yards (72) in the bowl game. Lovett, however, was really the only deep threat. Wease, who had more catches of 40 yards (3) than Mizzou’s entire returning receiving room combined, should give Brady Cook a much-needed downfield threat.
MSU — Kobi Albert, DB (Kentucky)
The former 4-star defensive back left Kentucky after 1 season to provide some needed help in Zach Arnett’s secondary, which will undergo a significant facelift in 2023. Albert appeared in 10 games in a reserve role, though he had just 3 tackles and 1 tackle for loss. Albert was the No. 20 athlete in the 2022 class, and he had a bunch of SEC offers both as a recruit and as a transfer. The Fairfield, Ala., native will have a chance to earn a regular role for an MSU defense that ranked No. 34 nationally in yards/play allowed.
Ole Miss — Spencer Sanders, QB (Oklahoma State)
Talk about a portal 1-2 punch. We got news in the middle of this past week that Lane Kiffin added 2 coveted Power 5 transfers at quarterback to compete with Jaxson Dart. Yes, Dart was the lone scholarship quarterback on the roster and it was assumed that Ole Miss would need to add some depth at the position. Ergo, adding Walker Howard, who spent 1 year as a redshirt as a highly touted young signal-caller at LSU. But adding Sanders was telling. Sanders was a 4-year starter at Oklahoma State, and he was an All-Big 12 quarterback in 2021. He’s got 1 year of eligibility left, and one would think he didn’t go to a place where he thought he’d lose the job. Go figure that he transferred to a place with an incumbent starter in Dart and a promising second-year player in Howard. Ole Miss has the most interesting quarterback battle in America this spring, though the versatile, experienced Sanders has a leg up on the competition.
South Carolina — Trey Knox, TE (Arkansas)
Once upon a time, Knox and Treylon Burks were expected to be Arkansas’ elite 1-2 punch at receiver. Burks took off, but Knox had issues getting on the field, and ultimately, he made the switch into a valuable tight end. He elected to reunite with former Arkansas receivers coach Justin Stepp at South Carolina, who just lost Jaheim Bell to the transfer portal and would love if Knox could fill that void. I don’t think that means Knox will be asked to fill in as an emergency tailback, but you get the point. He’ll have a chance to become a threat between the hashes for Spencer Rattler coming off a 5-touchdown season.
Tennessee — Dont’e Thornton, WR (Oregon)
Tennessee has some nice weapons returning with Bru McCoy and Squirrel White, but considering what they have to replace in Biletnikoff Award winner Jalin Hyatt and the invaluable Cedric Tillman, it was fair to assume that Josh Heupel would look to the portal for some more help at receiver. He got that in Thornton. He didn’t become a primary weapon during his 2 seasons at Oregon, though one would think the 6-5 wideout should have more opportunities to be a downfield threat in Knoxville. He had 4 grabs of 40 yards, which was tied for 6th in the Pac-12. He can line up in the slot and out wide, which is a plus in the Heupel scheme. Joe Milton is going to put plenty of air under his targets to Thornton.
Texas A&M — Tony Grimes, CB (UNC)
The former 5-star recruit should provide an immediate impact for an A&M secondary that had 4 players hit the portal, including former 5-star corner Denver Harris. Grimes was an honorable mention All-ACC player in 2021, and he started all 13 games this past season in Gene Chizik’s defense. Grimes will step in and be a starting outside corner for DJ Durkin’s defense, which needs some help in the secondary after losing those 4 transfers, the versatile Antonio Johnson and top outside corner Jaylon Jones, who declared early for the NFL Draft. Grimes and Tyreek Chappell should be put in some better spots with an improved A&M pass rush in 2023.
Vanderbilt — Aeneas DiCosmo, LB (Stanford)
Well, as of this writing, DiCosmo won this by default. Vandy has only added 1 player via the transfer portal so far. Fittingly, it’s a Stanford linebacker. DiCosmo broke into the regular rotation in his 4th year, which saw him record 13 tackles and 1.5 sacks on 401 defensive snaps. The Commodores desperately need some help getting to the quarterback. They didn’t have a single player record more than 3 sacks, and they finished 120th in FBS with just 17 sacks on the season. A veteran like DiCosmo should be able to provide some sort of pass-rushing presence for Clark Lea’s defense.
Addition*, O’Gara… I hope you’re not getting paid for this gig.
You beat me to it. I mean, come on, dude, you’re a professional writer.
I’d use the term “professional” loosely. What’s hilarious is that not only did he do it in the title, he did it in the body of the story as well.
There was no one to edit this edition
You mean there was no one to edit this addition.
I was thinking the same thing.
OTOH, spelling it like he did really has a ‘down South’ feel.
He probably meant it as later editions coming but I would be giving him a pass he doesn’t deserve.
Mertz……..Seriously??? Of all the QBs out there. Is this all the Florida gators can get?????
I’m betting they are watching Georgia very closely. Hopefully for no reason!!!!!!
WANT A QB???… Offer Manning or Nico half that Rashada money, and you’ll have them I bet!!!!!! LOL
WHY DOESN’T FLORIDA USE RUNNING BACK TREVOR MORE OFTEN???
PS. He’s one of the best in the country!!!!
Negan
Meeeeeeeeeeertz!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No Gator fan, me included, is particularly excited about Mertz, the characteristic MrTruth humor to the contrary notwithstanding. But here is an interesting analysis that might offer the faintest glimmer of optimism with him changing scenery:
big10central.com/school/wisconsin/how-wisconsin-football-and-former-quarterback-graham-mertz-failed-each-other/article_c12bde9f-2e86-5bf1-9370-d04a2888c44a.html
Interesting read. Thanks for the link. We’ll have to hope one of these guys pans out. Not sure the optics were real great for Napier that while other SEC coaches went out and landed top prospects he set his sights on a turnover prone reject not too many people wanted. What does that suggest about how he sees himself and this program?
In any case, it is what it is.
Do you think he’ll be a team player-type who will contribute to a positive locker room atmosphere, or someone with more of a Mertzenary attitude?
A ruthless Mertzenary but he leads the Gators to a national title as he makes himself the #1 draft pick!
Very interesting read. Thanks for the link Nash.
I don’t know what Napier saw in Mertz. Nor do I hold out much hope of his performing any better than Feleipe Franks did, and for the same exact reasons.
I just hope that it will become evident to the coaches in spring practice and they hand the starting job to Miller. Then, I’ll pray Miller stays healthy all of next season.
For humor to work, it requires at least a grain of truth to its theme. In Mertz’s UW performance, MrTruth has leveraged enough grains of truth to fill Veritas Beach!
Meeeeeeeeeeertz!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Mertzinator
Meeeeeeeeeeertz!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mertzatron
Meeeeeeeeeeertz!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LMAO! Gotta laugh. Otherwise, I may cry.
I find myself wondering if he is related to the infamous Fred and Ethel. Fred looked like more of the hand on the ground body type.
Oh Lucy…you got some ‘xplaining to do…
Truth……… STOP BRAGGING!!!!!
” Meeeeeeeeeeertz!!!!!!!!!!!!! ”
It takes class to have it, but not flaunt it!!!!! Meeeeeeeeeeertz!!!!!!!!!!!!! Truly the rich do get richer!!!! LOL
PS. But do you have to flaunt it??? SEC BEWARE, because Meeeeeeeeeeertz is coming!!!!!!! LOL
Negan
Meeeeeeeeeeertz!!!!!!!!!!!!!
START THE MOVE
Edition????
I wonder how Connor spells subtraction.
Unbelievable
President Lyndon B. Johnson once said, “If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.”
Gamecock fans must cringe when Psy cho Willybob uses their logo. He is an ignorant ra cist who has never had a girlfriend. Only the family sheep knows him Intimately and he says Willybobs pec ker is Baaaaad.
i LOVE that you are thinking about WILLYBOB’S WILLY!!!!!! you want is BAAAAAAAAAD in that loose sph!ncter but alas, i dont want A!DS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Willybob is a vulgar pig.
Wilybob, If your goal is to unite every other fan base in the SEC against SC, you are doing a GREAT JOB! If that is not your goal, you should best just SHUT UP!
Fight racism with racism ehh Billy bob?
It doesn’t work very well regardless of your color. Mind boggling how many apparently think it does.
you MUST a proud(ly) (g@y)boy. Sucks that you have to take out your anger on women….not their fault you are SO unattractive. CORCH said HE FOLLOWED YOU AND YOUR TEETH (THE FEW LEFT!!!) ARE LIKE BLACK TIC TACS??? ILL SEND YOU A TOOTHBRUSH LET ME KNOW WHICH TRAILER PARK TO SEND IT TO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m really trying to understand the rationale for repeatedly using this entirely out-of-context post on random SDS stories. So far, I don’t get it.
Dude! You need to find another quote to write because this one was played out before you ever put it on here. Also, Gamecock Nation would appreciate it if you posted under another team’s symbol.
Unfunny autistic man throws unfunny autistic fit on a sports website
That’s a pretty embarrassing typo to have blaring at the top of the front page. Guess Siri didn’t hear you very well…
“Saturday Down South: We don’t care, and it shows.”
Oh no, there was a typo in the headline so now all of the information in this article is meaningless to me. How will I ever recover from having to read a typo? Connor pushes out endless material via articles here and through the podcast, y’all are uppity and ungrateful. The Facebook page is mainly more civil than this comment section. I imagine it has a lot to do with the lack of anonymity there as opposed to here.
Or maybe slack-jawed mouth breathers just don’t care about such obvious grammatical errors. Don’t whine about anonymity unless your given name is actually Bananabread93, hypocrite.
Well, now we know which screen name O’Gara posts under …
That is exactly right. Go back and look.
Regular spell check might not pickup the ‘edition’ error, but I’m fairly certain even the free version of Grammarly will point out those types of issues. In Mr. O’Gara’s defense, he might have another full-time job plus a family, which would probably greatly impact the amount of time he has to focus on articles.
I can’t wait for the second edition to come out.
Or would that be addition??
Hope Georgia enjoys Lovett. He’s a good kid and extremely funny. And yea overlooked by no fault of his own. It’s painful to read them listing off his Mizzou stats like this is some feather in Georgia’s cap.
Mizzou and its fans legitimately cared about the kid – developed him, helped his family. We know what it’s like coming from the east side and how hard it is to escape, so nobody is going to begrudge the kid for finding compensation or a ready-made offense. But it sucks to watch a program just swoop in and snap up a pre-packaged, fully-developed first round pick and claim his story and accomplishments in black and gold as their own.
Georgia better take care of the kid and not recruit over him. He’s worked way too hard for that.
I don’t think anyone likes the way the game is currently evolving. UGA lost its best returning WR two years in a row as well, and I’m sure OK doesn’t like losing Wease.
Nope, I don’t really care for it either. UK lost one it’s best D-linemen, Justin Rogers, to Auburn. It wasn’t an issue of playing time as he started last year and has played in 33 games.
I had a second part of my message that I left off cause it was getting too long – I dont judge Georgia or anyone for doing that. Shoot, if my team was looking for a wideout and Lovett went on the board, it would be malpractice to not try to get him. It’s just… sad and frustrating. Not the same thing anymore, is it? Just root for him the same as we do
There was no one to edit this edition?
Well, it wouldn’t be SDS without some sort of mistake. “We don’t need no stinking spellchecker. We don’t need no stinking fact checker.”
Brady Cook won’t be the one throwing deep to Wease, probably the most important portal pickup will be.
Agreed. Jake Garcia
I’m very happy that Kiffin has brought in some extra QB’s to battle Dart for the starter position. I was not really satisfied with his abilities to lead the offense successfully last season.
Do these portal guys get to work out with their current team while they’re in the portal? It would be awkward I would think, and if they can’t it puts them at a disadvantage with training, diet, etc. while they wait.
For the Vols, I think the bigger addition is Keenan Pili at LB. We lost 2 LB’s that played a lot in the middle for us, and this was a key need. Dont’e Thornton may end up being a lot more productive at Tennessee than he was at Oregon, but we have other options to try. I’m not sure if we have an incoming recruits that can be an SEC day 1 starter at LB.
“Many questions remain unanswered, however. Foremost among them: Why were two university employees out with two student-athletes at such a late hour, riding in a rented vehicle like those the football program uses to transport potential recruits?”
Quoted from AJC article in today’s front page
Offensive coordinators are supposed to teach every receiver to get open. The less you do this the more Lovetts you have and lower your chances of winning a game. Shake your cover on time, everyone.
are you implying Lovett is the reason Mizzou had no throwing game? I think his numbers spoke for themselves
Mississippi State’s biggest transfer was Arnett from DC to HC.
Exactly.
Feels like Jake Garcia the QB transfer from Miami will ultimately be the most important portal addition for Missouri.
What is the first letter of the word “addition”?
“E”. It’s always “E”.
It’s a post by banana bread back earlier
“edition”, “addition”….pssh, forget it Jake, it’s SDS.
Spelling Down South.
It just memes more.
Mertz……..Seriously??? Of all the QBs out there. Is this all the Florida gators can get?????
I’m betting they are watching Georgia very closely. Hopefully for no reason!!!!!!
PS. Offer Manning or Nico half that Rashada money and you’ll have them I bet!!! LOL
Negan