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Mark Stoops highlights ‘impact’ SEC transfer on Kentucky defense
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Mark Stoops, like the rest of his peers, was asked about transfer portal additions during SEC Media Days in Dallas.
During Stoops’ tenure, the Wildcats have been known for their defensive toughness. Nine defensive starters return from the 2023 squad, but Stoops made sure to shout out a transfer.
“We have a transfer in Georgia with Pop Johnson,” Stoops told reporters. “Pop is an impact guy. He’s a big, physical dude, and we needed that.”
Pop is the nickname of Jamon Dumas-Johnson. After three seasons at Georgia, Dumas-Johnson hopped in the transfer portal and landed at Kentucky.
Dumas-Johnson adds more SEC experience to a veteran Kentucky defense. Helping the Bulldogs win back-to-back national championships (2021, ’22), Dumas-Johnson made 38 appearances, including 24 starts during his time at UGA.
As a junior, Dumas-Johnson started the first nine games before missing the final four due to injury. In limited action, he posted impressive numbers: 34 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, 2 pass breakups and 1 quarterback hurry.
Dumas-Johnson was a 15-game starter as a sophomore. A Butkus Award finalist, Dumas-Johnson led the team with 9 TFLs and 4 sacks as part of his 70 total tackles (second on the team).
Out of the prominent St. Frances Academy in Maryland, Dumas-Johnson was a 4-star recruit. He was a freshman contributor at Georgia, appearing in 14 games.
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Stoops’ approach to transfer portal
Approaches to the transfer portal vary around college football. Some programs are eager to bring in transfer players on a yearly basis. Others are choosy in the portal, relying on developing prospects signed out of high school.
Stoops says Kentucky takes a look at most positions, but tries not to overload the roster with transfers.
“I want to say maybe 12, 14, and over the two years we have 26 transfers,” Stoops said at SEC Media Days. “It’s been a good mixture for us. We haven’t had to dive into it too heavy, but certainly supplemented our roster, and it’s helped us in this past year. Like I said, we’ve dipped into the portal for every position, with the exception of tight end.”
When it comes to supplemental pieces, Dumas-Johnson figures to be a home-run addition.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
