I thought about calling this team “The Fightin’ Dabo Swinneys.”
That’s a bit too cheesy, which is ironic when you consider how cheesy that Swinney can …. you get it. Swinney’s refusal to embrace the transfer portal until 5 years after the fact will forever make him the face of portal resistance. At the very least, Swinney should be the mascot.
Anyway, this team, whatever it’s named, is about crowning the SEC‘s best transfers of 2025. That means they had to have been transfers for the 2025 season, so it would exclude someone like Cashius Howell or Diego Pavia, who transferred to Vanderbilt in 2024.
Fingers crossed that excluding Pavia from an honor doesn’t put me even further into the doghouse.
This is meant to focus on guys who came to SEC teams and dominated. Yes, that can include intraconference transfers like Kewan Lacy (spoiler), but the vast majority of these guys came into the SEC like they owned the place.
So with that in mind, this is the 2025 SEC All-Transfer Team:
(Also, shoutout to KATV’s Steve Sullivan for saying this should exist in this era of the sport. I need to give him credit for this idea that I told him I’d steal a few months ago.)
Mansoor Delane, LSU CB
LSU hoped that when it signed Delane from Virginia Tech that the versatile defensive back would stabilize a secondary that desperately needed it. Delane didn’t just do that. He became an All-American outside corner and a future first-round pick. Delane had a 26.7 NFL QB rating when targeted in coverage, which means quarterbacks would’ve been better off throwing in the dirt as opposed to throwing in his direction (39.6 is that QB rating). Not only did Delane not allow a single touchdown in coverage, but he picked off 2 passes and broke up 9 passes while allowing just 13 catches for 147 yards all season. To say that Delane was worth whatever LSU gave him would be an understatement.
AJ Haulcy, LSU S
Lost in the shuffle of what was a disastrous year for LSU was that this was indeed the return of “DBU.” Between Delane, Haulcy and the emergence of true freshman sensation DJ Pickett, LSU’s secondary finally got back to an elite level. A big part of that was the play of Haulcy patrolling over the top and allowing just 1 touchdown in coverage all season en route to All-America honors. Haulcy had a 58.6 NFL QB rating when targeted, and he had 3 interceptions with 4 pass break-ups. Beyond the numbers, he just always seemed to come up clutch when LSU needed it most. Haulcy was a monumental addition from Houston … even if he didn’t prevent LSU’s season from getting sideways.
Xavier Atkins, Auburn LB
Speaking of LSU’s defense, Atkins came to Auburn from Baton Rouge instead of waiting his turn behind the Weeks brothers. All he did was lead the conference with 17 tackles for loss, and he was No. 3 in the SEC with 9 sacks to go with 2 forced fumbles and an interception. On top of that, he was No. 4 in the SEC with 84 tackles for an Auburn defense that was much better than what a 5-7 record suggested. Atkins might’ve come in a bit undersized, but his production showed that he was ready to thrive in a starting role. His announcement that he’s returning for 2026 was one of the biggest possible developments for Alex Golesh in Year 1. Expect to see him all over the preseason All-American teams.
Josiah Trotter, Mizzou LB
Trotter rules. Period. That’s not just because he comes from a famous football family, though if you spend 5 seconds watching Trotter, you can tell that those instincts are there. The West Virginia transfer and former Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year had 84 tackles and 13 tackles for loss in Year 1 at Mizzou. The inside linebacker added 7 quarterback hits, and he was the best run-game defender for a Mizzou defense that was top 20 in FBS in both yards/carry allowed and rushing yards/game allowed. While you could make a case that Georgia transfer Damon Wilson II was worthy of this spot instead of Trotter, I thought the latter was the more valuable and consistent player.
Zachariah Branch, Georgia WR
How good has Branch been in Mike Bobo’s offense after a disappointing sophomore season at USC? Well, Branch entered the postseason No. 2 among Power Conference receivers and leading the SEC with 586 yards after catch (YAC). Mind you, that’s for a Georgia team that didn’t have anyone hit 400 YAC yards in 14 games last season. He’s been lethal in space with 17 missed tackles forced (No. 3 in SEC), which is essential for someone with a 3.3-yard average depth of target. On top of that, Branch has more contested catches (5) than he had in his first 2 seasons at USC combined (3). He’s been everything that Georgia hoped he’d be for a receiver room that lacked juice (but not drops) last season. It’s not far-fetched that Branch could have 256 yards in the postseason and become the second 1,000-yard receiver in program history. Even if that doesn’t happen, he’s developed into an ideal target for Gunner Stockton.
KC Concepcion, Texas A&M WR
Branch and Concepcion were in the same class entering the 2025 season. Both came into the SEC in hopes of becoming complete receivers in their pre-draft seasons after they were electric true freshmen, but subjected to subpar quarterback play as sophomores. Well, both were even better than advertised. Concepcion might’ve started into fellow transfer Mario Craver’s shadow, but he finished 2025 as the most dynamic player in Texas A&M‘s offense. The NC State transfer racked up 1,450 all-purpose yards, 919 of which came in the passing game. Concepcion racked up 440 YAC yards (No. 9 among Power Conference WRs), which is no small feat for someone with a 12.2-yard average depth of target. Yes, he dealt with some drops issues (7 total), but he was still a play-making star who’ll be missed in College Station when he’s playing on Sundays in 2026.
Keagen Trost, Mizzou OL
The well-traveled Trost got to Mizzou by way of Morgan State, Indiana State and most recently, Wake Forest. The former Class of 2019 recruit saved his best for last. Ahmad Hardy and Jamal Roberts led one of the nation’s top ground attacks thanks in part to the help they had in the trenches from Trost, who stepped in for Armand Membou at right tackle and didn’t skip a beat. Take PFF grades for what they are, but he easily had the highest overall grade of any FBS offensive lineman. Trost also allowed just 9 pressures on 386 pass-blocking snaps for a Mizzou offense that still averaged 32.2 points per contest even though it was down to its third-string quarterback. He’ll be 25 years old by the time he’s selected in the NFL Draft, but he’s certainly made himself some money for his year in Columbia.
Ahmad Hardy, Mizzou RB
All this guy did was become a Doak Walker Award finalist and lead Power Conference players with 1,111 yards after first contact. No big deal. Never mind the fact that he’s closing in on 3,000 rushing yards at the FBS level and he’s not even draft-eligible yet. After he wasn’t recruited at the Power Conference level, Hardy’s emergence as an underclassman has been a revelation. He showed that his 1,300-yard season at Louisiana-Monroe wasn’t just the byproduct of facing Sun Belt competition. The yards after contact should debunk the notion that he’s only the byproduct of that Eli Drinkwitz zone run game, though he’s clearly been an ideal fit. After announcing his return to Mizzou for his pre-draft season, the SEC Newcomer of the Year will be a preseason All-American entering 2026.
Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss RB
If you haven’t been paying attention to the invaluable season that Lacy has had, here’s all you need to know. In addition to smashing the Ole Miss single-season rushing touchdown record and leading Power Conference backs with 87 missed tackles forced, the Mizzou transfer has had 94 carries when Ole Miss has been leading by 1-7 points. That’s 18 more carries in those spots than any FBS player, and it’s 24 more carries than any Power Conference back. The only Power Conference players with more such carries in the last decade are 2022 Chase Brown (Illinois) and 2019 Jonathan Taylor (Wisconsin). Mind you, Lacy did that for an Ole Miss team that had 5 1-score wins en route to its first Playoff berth (and victory) in program history. That was a year removed from never finding a go-to backfield option. Through 13 games, Lacy has a Power Conference-high 273 carries, which is 244 more than the next-closest Ole Miss running back. If that’s not a valuable transfer, I don’t know what is.
Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss QB
I’m not sure if you heard, but yes, Division II Ferris State produced one of the best transfers of the 2025 season. You could argue that Chambliss is the captain of this team after he finished 8th in the Heisman Trophy voting. Chambliss was unheard of entering the season as the backup to Austin Simmons, but ball security issues and injuries opened the door for Chambliss. All he did was plow right through it en route to the program’s first Playoff berth. Chambliss had an All-SEC season that included 3,804 yards of total offense (and counting) with the No. 2 quarterback rating in the SEC. He also added 506 rushing yards and 8 scores with his legs for a top-10 Ole Miss offense. After a strange start with Simmons, Chambliss provided instant stability to Lane Kiffin‘s offense. Go figure that in Kiffin’s absence, it’s Chambliss who’s been leaned on to keep Ole Miss’ national championship dreams alive.
And I know Tate Sandell struggled in the Playoff, but …
The dude won the Lou Groza Award and was a huge piece of Oklahoma‘s Playoff run. He’s a worthy inclusion, even if his season ended in baffling fashion.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Down South. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.
