Nick Saban explains how transfer portal leveled the playing field in the SEC

For the first time in a long time, the public perception of the SEC is being questioned by some as the conference that’s been perennially regarded as the best in college football may not be so far through five weeks of the 2023 football season.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart gave his take on this narrative, claiming that every SEC team should be ranked and admitting that there’s more parity across the entire college football landscape. And on his Thursday appearance on the ‘Pat McAfee Show’, Alabama head coach Nick Saban gave his take on the topic, highlighting the impact of the transfer portal on the Southeastern Conference.

“I think that it’s actually a little easier if you have, I’m gonna say an average team, because you have another way and another resource to bring players to your team,” Saban said. “So if you have an average team it’s easier to get better faster because you have a transfer portal almost like free agency in the NFL.”

There’s no question that the transfer portal has had a tremendous impact on college football, but has it been the reason why there seems to be more parity than ever across all of college football and specifically in the SEC?

Saban believes so, as coaches with good teams can elevate themselves to great with the addition of the right players through the transfer portal, and average teams like Saban mentioned are able to take their teams to a new level quickly through the transfer portal as well.

“Where before you had to build your team from the bottom up with freshman, so young guys coming into the program which might have taken them two or three years to mature. And you still have the opportunity to recruit some good young players, so they also can contribute,” Saban said. “So I just think that the transfer portal it offers an opportunity for people to improve more quickly.”

Landing the right transfer portal additions paired with success in recruitment and development can really turn a program around quickly, which has been evident in the SEC especially this season.

Only three undefeated teams remain in the conference, and two of them face off this weekend as Georgia and Kentucky face off on Saturday. But it will definitely be interesting to see how the strength of the conference is perceived moving forward this season and what impact the league’s transfer portal additions have.