We’ve been saying it all week: mining the junior college ranks for talent is crucial. Several teams at the top of the SEC have made use of finding experienced players on the JUCO circuit and have turned them into immediate contributors.

Which teams have found the most gems at the junior college level over the last several years? We take a look at the programs that do the best job of curating JUCO transfers.

Auburn

Notable JUCO transfers: Nick Fairley (2009), Cam Newton (2010), Nick Marshall (2013), Cameron Artis-Payne (2013), D’haquille Williams (2014), DaVonte Lambert (2014)

The Tigers have found their last two star quarterbacks from the junior college circuit, both of whom had spent time at SEC programs before running into off-field issues that caused their departures. Prior to getting a second chance at Auburn, both Marshall and Newton dominated at the JUCO level, putting up staggering numbers as dual-threat quarterbacks. Auburn also found the 2014 SEC rushing leader in CAP, and the Tigers hope that one of the top recruits in the 2015 class, JUCO transfer Jovon Robinson, will follow that path.

Alabama

Notable JUCO transfers: Jesse Williams (2011), Quinton Dial (2011), D.J. Pettway (2014), Jarran Reed (2014), Dominick Jackson (2014)

Alabama has mined several defensive stars from junior college in the last several years. Williams and Dial were both key contributors, pairing up along the defensive line to maul offenses. The Tide went a few years between finding major players, but Pettway, who was a member of the Alabama team before heading to JUCO, and Reed were both standouts on a 2014 defense that allowed the lowest rushing average in the country in the regular season.

LSU

Notable JUCO transfers: Zach Mettenberger (2011), Fehoko Fanaika (2013), Logan Stokes (2013)

LSU’s biggest find over the last half decade has been Mettenberger. A former Georgia Bulldog, Mettenberger came to LSU after a year at JUCO and proved himself to be the best quarterback of the Les Miles era, leading the most explosive passing offense Miles has ever had (Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry had something to do with that, too). Fanaika and Stokes were both solid contributors as well, with Stokes’ high point coming when he caught the winning touchdown against Ole Miss in 2014.

Mississippi State

Notable JUCO transfers: Vick Ballard (2010), Darius Slay (2011), Denico Autry (2012), Justin Cox (2013)

Where Dan Mullen has lagged behind the rest of the SEC in high school recruiting, he’s more than made up for it by pulling standouts from the JUCO level. Ballard, Slay and Autry all went from starring for the Bulldogs to playing int he NFL, while Cox could well follow them. Mullen went back to JUCO this winter, with receiver Donald Grey expected to make a big impact in his first season in Starkville.