Alabama Football: Ranking 2022 roster upgrades of SEC West teams

No. 3 – Arkansas Razorbacks

Sam Pittman has 16 players that have transferred or are in the Portal. The major loss that cannot be replaced is the SEC’s most talented receiver, Treylon Burks to the NFL. Other roster hits were CB Montaric Brown and LB, Grant Morgan. Transfer exits that will be hard to replace are cornerback, Greg Brown and safety Joe Foucha. Despite losing those key players, Sam Pittman has improved his roster.

• The Razorbacks signed the No. 25, 2021 class, followed by the No. 28 class in 2022.
• Incoming transfers give the Hogs a reason for excitement. From Georgia, Pittman added safety, Latavious Brini, who along with CB, Dwight McGlothern from LSU will fill needs in the secondary. Former 5-Star recruit and Alabama Football linebacker, Drew Sanders will be an immediate starter. Another strong pickup is edge rusher, Landon Jackson from LSU. On offense, Oklahoma wide receiver, Jadon Haselwood will help fill the gap left by the loss of Treylon Burks to the NFL.
• Along with most of the offensive line returning and QB, KJ Jefferson putting off the NFL for another college season, the Arkansas offense will be strong.

No. 2 – Ole Miss Rebels

Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin may not consistently win recruiting wars for the nation’s top talent, but Kiffin is adept at building a roster. No team in the SEC has made better use of the Portal than Ole Miss.

• The Rebels had the No. 17, 2021 class and followed that up in the 2022 cycle with the No. 24 class.
• 14 Ole Miss players have transferred or are seeking teams in the Portal. None are significant losses.
• The key transfers Kiffin has landed are: QB, Jaxson Dart from USC ; RB, Zach Evans from TCU; DL/TR JJ Pegues from Auburn; TE, Michael Trigg from USC; Edge, Jared Ivey from Georgia Tech; LB, Troy Brown from Central Michigan and Safety, Ladarius Tennison from Auburn.

No. 1 – Alabama Football

Crimson Tide fans know the roster details well so a complete rehash is not needed. Outstanding recruiting classes have become supplemented with impact transfers. Nick Saban was adept with transfers before the Portal and he has mastered the new challenge of bringing in, not only starters but game-changing players.

Counting non-scholarship guys, 17 Crimson Tide players have transferred or are seeking new teams. Even with losses of former 5-Stars, Drew Sanders and Camar Wheaton, the Tide roster is not weakened. Many of the others are very good players but moving to programs that offer more playing time was best for all involved.

Note: Team recruiting rankings in this post are from the 247Sports Composite.