Alabama Football and other SEC programs Transfer Portal needs

What Alabama Football needs from the spring Transfer Portal is pretty clear. Multiple times, Kalen DeBoer has stated the Crimson Tide's offensive line needs depth and the Bama secondary needs one or two experienced cornerbacks.

There is little doubt the Alabama Crimson Tide will fill those needs. A few more roster exits could make room for more additions. For Alabama and every other team there will be surprises.

A couple of days ago the CBS Sports group took a shot at projecting college football's 100 best players for the 2024 season. Fans can argue about another 100 or 200 more that deserved to make the top 100 list. An alternative to such debate is to consider how many, let's call them game-changers, from each SEC team, made the Top 100 list.

Twelve SEC teams had players selected. The four that did not are Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Mississippi State and Auburn. Oklahoma, Florida and Arkansas each had one player selected. Kentucky, Tennessee and Missouri fared slightly better with two players each. The best of the SEC group without many game-changers is Texas A&M with three, all either edge rushers or on the defensive line.

No attempt is made here to define the Portal needs of the 11 SEC teams in the preceding paragraph. It is too much to say that they need whatever they can get. But in a range of needing some help, to having major roster holes needing to be filled, the 11 teams will not get well through the Portal.

The SEC Football Top Dogs and the Transfer Portal

• Georgia Bulldogs - The Bulldogs roster is so loaded, that Georgia fans can claim Kirby Smart has no Portal needs. One area that would benefit from more depth is the defensive line. Five Bulldogs on the CBS Top 100 list are Carson Beck (QB), Malaki Starks (DB), Tate Rutledge (OG), Mykel Williams (Edge), and Dillon Bell (TE/WR).

• Texas Longhorns - On the CBS 100 best players list are five Longhorns; Quinn Ewers (QB), Kelvin Banks (OT), CJ Baxter (RB), Isaiah Bond (WR), and Trey Moore (Edge). More than Georgia, Texas could use defensive line help.

• Ole Miss Rebels - Lane Kiffin's team placed five players on the CBS Top 100 list. The Rebels are Tre Harris (WR), Walter Nolen (DT), Jaxson Dart (QB), Caden Prieskorn (TE) and Princely Umanmielen (Edge). What Kiffen needs most from the Portal is another running back, after losing Quinshon Judkins to Ohio State.

• LSU Bengal Tigers - The Bengal Tigers have four players in the Top 100; Will Campbell (OT), Harold Perkins (Edge), Mason Taylor (TE), and Emory Jones (OT). Other than for Perkins it could be argued LSU needs defensive help everywhere. Brian Kelly's most pressing defensive need is the defensive line.

Like Georgia, Texas, and Ole Miss, the Alabama Crimson Tide has five players on the Top 100 list; Jalen Milroe, Trey Booker, Jaeden Roberts, Malachi Moore, and Deontae Lawson.