Editor’s note: Saturday Down South’s annual Top 25 preview week continues with a ranking and analysis of the best transfers on SEC rosters in 2023.

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Recruiting is the lifeblood of any college football program.

“If you want to win, you better always be recruiting,” Kirby Smart told the media ahead of the Florida-Georgia game 2 seasons ago, and the national championships Smart are your first hint he knows what he’s talking about.

Recruiting used to mean building relationships with local high schools, rolling out the red carpet for official visits, and crystal ball predictions for 17- and 18-year-old kids. In many ways, it still does. In the age of the transfer portal, however, recruiting is no longer confined to the world of Friday Night Lights. To reach the College Football Playoff mountaintop and be an elite program, you better be able to shore up your roster in the portal.

As you’d expect, the SEC has quickly established itself as the premier destination for top level transfer talent, and 2023 is no different. Just a season ago, transfers like Jayden Daniels, O’Cyrus Torrence, Zach Evans, Drew Sanders, Jahmyr Gibsbs and others made their mark on the league in 2022, and this autumn no different.

Here are 25 best transfers who will shake up the SEC in 2023.

25. John Campbell Jr., OT, Tennessee

Campbell comes to the Volunteers from Miami, where he started 18 games for The U over the past 2 seasons. His best season came a year ago, when he allowed just 2 sacks and finished with a 97.3% pass blocking efficiency, with the entirety of his action coming at left tackle. Campbell won’t replace Darnell Wright, the All-American taken by the Bears, but he will blend well with a group that already includes a great center in Cooper Mays and Gerald Mincey Jr., a mountain who started 7 games for the Vols a season ago.

24. Keyvone Lee, RB, Mississippi State

Zach Arnett added Lee, who tallied over 1,000 yards in his time at Penn State, to a backfield that already includes All-SEC candidate Jo’Quavious Marks. If the Bulldogs get the version of Lee who earned All-B1G freshman honors, they’ll quietly have one of the best 1-2 punches in the conference, making life much easier on Will Rogers as the Bulldogs transition away from the Air Raid.

23. Monty Montgomery, LB, Ole Miss

A playmaker and 2-year starter at Louisville, Montgomery tallied 70 tackles for the Cardinals a season ago and should immediately start for the Rebels. Most of his snaps came at middle linebacker for Louisville, but it’s his ability to blitz from inside or outside and make big plays (6 sacks, 4 forced fumbles last season) that excites new DC Pete Golding.

22. Josh Braun, OL, Arkansas

A 4-star recruit to Florida, Braun was a starter for Dan Mullen as both a redshirt freshman (2020) and sophomore (2021). He was injured and fell out of favor at Florida under Billy Napier, and was among the first Gators to hit the portal in a huge offseason of attrition in Gainesville. A new start, for a head coach who recruited him heavily out of high school, could work wonders for Braun, who graded out as a top 100 run blocker in the country in 2021 at guard, per Pro Football Focus.

21. Tony Grimes, DB, Texas A&M

A top-50 talent out of high school, Grimes arrives in College Station from UNC, where he started 29 games, dating to his freshman season. The Tar Heels’ defense was woeful last season, but Grimes was a bright spot, with 7 pass breakups. Grimes had a ball-hawk reputation out of high school, but has just 1 interception in college. Still, his talent is such that he’s worth watching as a potential huge impact transfer.

20. Zy Alexander, CB, LSU

It’s strange that DBU had to rebuild almost its entire secondary in the portal this offseason, but that was the need and they accomplished it beautifully. Alexander is 1 of 2 Tigers on this list at corner, though we easily could have added Duce Chestnut out of Syracuse as well. Alexander, who has tremendous size for the position at 6-2, 188, didn’t garner a great deal of attention out of tiny Loreauville in high school, but he arrives at LSU as a sought-after transfer who was an All-American at the FCS level at Southeastern Louisiana. As long as he has the speed to make the jump to the SEC, he’ll be one of the FCS steals in the portal.

19. Tre Harris, WR, Ole Miss

If this ends up being too low for Harris by season’s end, it wouldn’t be that surprising given the magic Lane Kiffin has worked with transfer wideouts in the past. Harris caught 65 passes for 935 yards and 10 touchdowns last season at Louisiana Tech, and he should be a starter when the Rebels open their campaign against Mercer. Big and physical at 6-2, 205, he’ll pile up touchdowns as a primary red-zone target in Kiffin’s offense.

18. Prince Kollie, LB, Vanderbilt

A transfer from Notre Dame, Kollie was Mr. Football in Tennessee out of high school and a prep All-American. He couldn’t crack the starting rotation in a fantastic linebacking corps at Notre Dame, but he did block 2 punts, collect 19 tackles and register 2.5 sacks while playing in all 13 games last season. Kollie’s top-end speed and agility made him a vital player chasing the edge in run defense in South Bend, and he should help a Vanderbilt run defense that ranked 96th in the country last season immensely.

17. RJ Moten, S, Florida

Moten started 10 games for Big Ten champion Michigan last season,  collecting 31 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 2 pass breakups and an interception. It’s Moten’s intelligence that impresses Florida defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong, who says the 2-time All-Academic B1G safety is “an extension of the staff” on the playing field. Moten’s big brain and his big-game experience should help improve a Florida pass defense that ranked 12th of 14 in the SEC (Tennessee, Arkansas) in explosive pass plays allowed a season ago.

16. Dont’e Thornton, WR, Tennessee

Replacing stalwarts like Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman won’t be easy for Josh Heupel, but Thornton is the guy who most fits the Hyatt mold. With outstanding speed and an NFL frame (7-foot wingspan!), Thornton averaged 21.5 yards per reception a season ago at Oregon.

A former 4-star recruit, Thornton is now in his 3rd-year of college football, a season in which many future pros make their largest leap. He’ll have every opportunity to do that in Hepuel’s innovative offense.

15. Cam Jackson, DT, Florida

Jackson arrives from Memphis, where he garnered All-AAC conference honors last season with 41 tackles, a sack, a pass breakup and 4.5 tackles for loss last autumn. At 370 pounds, Jackson gives bulk plus production to a Florida front that now features two hog-mollie space-eaters in Desmond Watson (400 pounds) and Jackson. Jackson, who ranked among the nation’s best run-stoppers last season, will start and make an immediate impact on a Florida defense looking to escape 3 years of futility and bottom 50 rankings against the run.

14. Trajan Jeffcoat, DE, Arkansas

Jeffcoat stays within the SEC, bringing his NFL bloodlines from Missouri to Arkansas. A season ago, Jeffcoat started 11 games, registering 21 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. He played much of the year hurt and was unable to replicate the production of the 2 previous seasons, when he registered 10 sacks, including 6 in the COVID-shortened, SEC-only 2020 campaign. A super senior, this is Jeffcoat’s final run, and he’s out to show NFL scouts he’s healthy again and capable of playing on Sundays, which never seemed in doubt early in his career.

13. Avery Jones, OL, Auburn

The Tigers landed one of the nation’s top offensive linemen in the portal in Jones, who has started at center and guard in a college career that included all-conference honors at East Carolina. Jones will provide flexibility and veteran savvy to a youthful group whose development will be the key to Hugh Freeze’s first season on The Plains.

12. Isaac Ukwu, DE, Ole Miss

A FCS All-American at James Madison, Ukwu had 40 tackles and 7.5 sacks a season ago for the Dukes. He takes his talents to the SEC to prove that elite edge rushers are just that — elite edge rushers, even when they take a step up in competition. FSU’s Jared Verse showed that a season ago, earning All-ACC honors a season after being an FCS All-American. Ukwu, a super senior, lacks Verse’s burst but is still physical and fast, and he should be impactful in Pete Golding’s rebuilt defense at Ole Miss.

11. Justin Rogers, DT, Auburn

Rogers, like Jeffcoat, stays in the SEC, moving from a bowl eligible Kentucky team to a 5-win Auburn team with a new head coach. Strange? Perhaps, especially after Rogers had his most productive season yet in 2022, collecting 36 tackles and grading out as a top 100 defensive tackle, per Pro Football Focus. A top-100 recruit out of high school, Auburn hopes that Rogers was just beginning to figure out how good he can be last season, as he’ll anchor a 3-man defensive line full of upperclassmen.

10. Denver Harris, CB, LSU

The highest-rated SEC transfer in the portal and No. 2 transfer overall according to 247, Harris is the crown jewel of LSU’s rebuilt secondary haul in the portal. Harris had 14 tackles as a freshman at Texas A&M, where he broke up 3 passes and had a reasonably solid 55% completion percentage against. That number is expected to improve with more experience, as Harris has the size and speed of a future NFL corner– he just needs to play.

9. Brian Battie, RB, Auburn

Hugh Freeze couldn’t ask for a better playmaker for his offense than Battie, who averaged an eye-opening 8 yards a touch in 3 seasons at USF. Last season, Battie gained 1,186 yards rushing on 6.8 yards a carry, including 150 yards and a touchdown in a thriller against Florida in The Swamp. Battie is also a hard runner despite his diminutive 5-8, 170-pound frame.

Battie is also an electric return man, posting over 1,000 yards in kick returns in his career with 3 kickoffs returned for touchdowns.

8. Ray Davis, RB, Kentucky

A super senior transfer, Davis broke the 1,000 yard barrier a season ago at Vanderbilt, with 1,042 yards for a vastly improved Commodores team. Davis also caught 29 passes, including 5 in games against bowl teams Tennessee and Wake Forest. A powerful runner with getaway speed on the second level, Davis should carry the load for the Wildcats’ run game, which hopes to recapture the magic of the Big Blue Wall seasons’ past, which backs like Chris Rodriguez and Benny Snell have parlayed into NFL roster spots.

7. Trey Knox, TE, South Carolina

A preseason Mackey Award candidate, Knox arrives at South Carolina from Arkansas, where he caught 81 passes for 892 yards and 9 touchdowns in 45 games with 29 starts. Knox’s most productive season was a year ago, when he had 26 catches on 35 targets and scored 5 touchdowns. He’s also a good blocker, grading out 2nd among SEC tight ends in run blocking, per PFF.. A complete tight end, he should challenge Mason Taylor of LSU for second-team All-SEC tight end honors behind Georgia’s Brock Bowers

6. Omar Speights, LB, LSU

The Tigers landed a monster in Speights, who collected 170 tackles, 2 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries, and 2 pass breakups while starting 22 games the past two seasons at Oregon State. A first-team All-Pac 12 collection, he adds to the embarrassment of riches LSU has at linebacker, a position room that includes Harold Perkins and rising star Greg Penn Jr. No longer than guy opposing offensive coordinators circle on the scouting report, Speights has an opportunity to put up monster numbers playing off Perkins.

5. Logan Diggs, RB, LSU

Joining his former coach in Baton Rouge, Logan Diggs piled up 820 yards and 4 touchdowns in his sophomore season at Notre Dame. He scored 6 touchdowns (4 rushing, 2 receiving), and saved his best football for late in the year, including 88 yards and a touchdown in Notre Dame’s Gator Bowl win over South Carolina and 114 yards on 6.7 a pop in the Fighting Irish’s upset of Clemson. A powerful runner who gets stronger as the game progresses, Diggs will immediately be the best back on the roster in Baton Rouge and, playing back at home in Louisiana, could become the latest in a long line of special Tigers running backs.

4. Zakhari Franklin, WR, Ole Miss

One of the nation’s most productive receivers over the past 2 seasons, Franklin caught a staggering 174 passes for UT-San Antonio during that span, eclipsing 1,000 yards receiving each season. He brings 37 career touchdowns to Ole Miss, where Kiffin has worked wonders offensively, fielding a top 20 S&P+ offense in each of the past 3 seasons. Franklin will now benefit from 1-on-1s as defenses load up to stop Quinshon Judkins and the powerful run game, and that should mean plenty of time for the silky senior receiver to eat.

3. Ovie Oghoufo, DE, LSU

The rich get richer as LSU adds Oghoufu to a defensive line that already features All-American Mekhi Wingo and returns Maason Smith from injury. Oghoufu undoubtedly saw the season that BJ Olujari put together last year in Baton Rouge and bolted Texas for a shot at that type of glory and a reunion with his first college coach, Brian Kelly. A fast edge rusher with dynamic athleticism, Oghoufu brings 16.5 career tackles for loss and 13 sacks to Baton Rouge, as well as College Football Playoff experience he earned at Notre Dame. An All-SEC caliber campaign is not out of the question for Oghoufu.

2. Dominic Lovett, WR, Georgia

If anyone understands just how good Dominic Lovett is, it’s Kirby Smart. His defense couldn’t cover him in last year’s nip and tuck win at Missouri, as Lovett lit up the Dawgs for 84 yards on 6 catches, including 3 on 3rd down to keep Missouri drives alive. All that production came in one half, as Lovett left the game early in the 3rd quarter.

“I’m not sure we win that game if he doesn’t get banged up,” Smart recalled at SEC Media Days, before adding, “We’re sure glad to not have to worry about that anymore.”

Lovett finished last year with 846 yards receiving, averaging 15.4 per reception. In a better receiver room, the ceiling is much higher in Athens.

1. Devin Leary, QB, Kentucky

A former All-ACC quarterback and 2022 preseason ACC Player of the Year, Leary transferred to Kentucky after an injury short-circuited his final campaign in Raleigh. He’ll look to recapture the magic of the 2021 season, when he threw for 3,433 yards and program-record 35 touchdowns against a measly 5 interceptions, leading NC State to 9 wins, including a thrilling victory over Clemson where Leary passed for 238 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Leary’s touch is NFL ready, and his accuracy, showcased by a career accuracy of 60%, is remarkable when you consider he’s never had an offensive line grade out among the top 50 in college football, per PFF. If Kentucky blocks for him, the ceiling is special. Even if the Kentucky offensive line is again hit-or-miss, Leary is used to that, and his history suggests his production will exceed that of Will Levis, who despite his tremendous arm talent was too careless with the football in 2022 tossing 10 interceptions. Leary has never thrown more than 5 picks in a single season, and his high football IQ, coupled with an improved Kentucky run game, could make the Wildcats a surprise in the SEC East.