It’s been just over 2 weeks since the transfer portal officially opened on Jan. 2, and there’s been plenty of movement across the SEC.
A few teams are gearing up for the 2026 season while others have seemingly decided to take a more patient approach to roster-building this January. While there’s still some more movement to come over the next few weeks, now is a good time to take a peak at a few of the SEC’s most interesting teams so far in the portal.
SEC transfer portal news
Here are 3 SEC-related takeaways from the first 2 weeks of the transfer portal:
Texas is all-in
Texas is gearing up for a make-or-break season under Steve Sarkisian. The 2026 campaign is expected to be the final college season for Arch Manning, who had a strong close to his first year as a starter in 2025.
Texas’s powerbrokers have rewarded Manning with an excellent supporting cast of incoming transfers in addition to the stars the Longhorns have returning in 2026.
The big name on the board is Cam Coleman, the former 5-star recruit who was Auburn’s top receiver over the past couple of seasons amid very shaky quarterback play. Manning will certainly be an upgrade for him — both players are likely to be preseason all-SEC heading into next fall.
But it’s not just Coleman. Texas also upgraded at running back, bringing in Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers. The Longhorns have also signed several other 4-star transfers, including former Pitt linebacker Rasheem Biles and ex-Rutgers cornerback Bo Mascoe.
What’s going on in Tuscaloosa?
It’s been a rough transfer portal period for Alabama so far. Perhaps Kalen DeBoer and his staff are on the cusp of some big acquisitions, but it’s been a very mixed bag in Tuscaloosa over the past couple of weeks.
Alabama has lost a lot in the portal. Here’s a list of 4-star transfers (per 247Sports) who have left Alabama for another SEC program or a top-level team such as Ohio State or Notre Dame: Jordan Renaud, Isaiah Horton, James Smith, Qua Russaw, Keon Keeley and Wilkin Formby. That should be alarming for Alabama fans. For context, Alabama’s 2025 outgoing portal class only had a few players who met that criteria.Â
As for incomings, Alabama’s efforts have produced underwhelming results. The Tide had a high-profile miss with Cam Coleman, who ended up signing with Texas. Alabama also had running back Hollywood Smothers committed for multiple days before he ended up flipping to the Longhorns as well.
Receiver Noah Rogers is a good pickup from NC State, although it would be hard to make the argument that he’s a clear upgrade over the out-going Isaiah Horton.
Alabama’s top offensive line transfer acquisitions are Nick Brooks and Ty Haywood. Brooks played a little over 200 snaps for the Longhorns last season and was by far their lowest-graded offensive lineman (17.1 pass blocking grade on PFF) in 2025. Haywood is a former top recruit with plenty of potential, but he didn’t see much action as a true freshman at Michigan.
I will point out that Alabama has had plenty of success recruiting the high school ranks, so perhaps shortcomings in the transfer portal can be patched over with some internal development. The Tide have the No. 2 high school class for 2026, per the 247Sports composite rankings, despite having only 23 commits (No. 1 USC has 35 signees). Still, this is a situation worth keeping an eye on.Â
Kentucky has a clear strategy
The Wildcats are undoubtedly spending money in the transfer portal this offseason as they build their first roster under Will Stein. Per 247Sports, Kentucky has the No. 8-ranked transfer class in the country.
Kentucky has signed almost 30 transfers as of publication. Those transfers all have varying levels of pedigree and production, but I want to focus on a specific type of transfer Kentucky has been aggressive with so far this cycle. The Wildcats have signed several former blue-chip recruits who didn’t earn much playing time at their previous programs.
Here’s a list of players who fit that bill:
- Running back CJ Baxter | 192 carries in 3 years at Texas
- Linebacker Elijah Barnes | 43 snaps in 2025 at Texas
- Offensive lineman Olaus Alinen | 44 snaps in 2025 at Alabama
- Safety Aaron Gates | 77 snaps in 2025 at Florida
- Offensive lineman Max Anderson | 76 snaps in 2025 at Tennessee
- Quarterback Kenny Minchey | 29 pass attempts in 3 years at Notre Dame
- Linebacker Tavion Wallace | 11 snaps in 2025 for Arkansas
- Wide receiver Nic Anderson | 50 receptions in 4 seasons split between Oklahoma and LSU
Kentucky also signed players like Jovantae Barnes, Jordan Castell, Tegra Tshabola and Lance Heard who were blue-chip recruits and consistent contributors for their previous programs.
While Kentucky also signed plenty of transfers with a proven track record at lower or similar levels, I view this group as the core of the class. Most if not all of the players listed above will be projected starters going into 2026 despite a lack of proven production.
Candidly, I like this strategy for Kentucky. The Wildcats are, in theory, betting on high-end athletes with untapped upside. Time will tell if they made the right evaluations, but I think the process here has been strong.Â
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
