Ranking SEC football teams having lost key starters to the Transfer Portal
There is Transfer Portal attrition that helps teams, but when SEC football teams lose key starters to the Portal, sometimes they cannot be replaced.
By Ronald Evans
- Mississippi State Bulldogs - (9) starter transfer losses; three key starters - Will Rogers (4-star QB ) to Washington; Woody Marks (4-star RB) to USC and Zavion Thomas (4-star WR) to LSU. The amount of production lost from the former Bulldogs trio is huge.
- Florida Gators - (7) starter transfer losses; two key starters - Princely Umanmielen (4-star Edge) to Ole Miss and Scooby Williams (4-star LB) to the Texas A&M Aggies. Lane Kiffin is the Portal King and he loaded up again for the 2024 season. Umanmielen might be his most important addition. He is a huge loss for Billy Napier.
- Vanderbilt Commodores - (9) starter transfer losses; two key starters - Will Johnson (4-star WR) to the Transfer Portal and Nate Clifton (4-star DL) to Southern Cal. Though not rated as transfer 4-stars, Clark Lea also lost his only two quarterbacks with starting experience.
- Tennessee Vols - (6) starter losses; two key starters - Tyler Baron (4-star Edge) to Miami and Tamarion McDonald (4-star S) to Louisville.
- Arkansas Razorbacks - (6) starter losses; one key starter - Chris Paul (4-star LB) to Ole Miss. Sam Pittman also lost the linchpin in his offense, QB KJ Jefferson to Gus Malzahn and UCF. Jefferson is rated as a 3-star transfer.