SEC Transfer Portal Tracker: Version 5.0

It is absolutely fair to say that the transfer portal has changed college basketball. The numbers are truly staggering. In 2021, 1,687 Division I men’s basketball players entered the portal. Then, in 2022, 1,649 elected to transfer. This season, we surpassed 1,800 entrants. To put those numbers in perspective, over 20% of all Division I scholarship players entered the transfer portal this offseason. The May 10th date to enter the portal has long since passed, but graduate transfers are still popping up into the month of August.

There is more talent than ever seeking a change of scenery this offseason. Hunter Dickinson is a former All-American leaving Michigan for the Kansas Jayhawks. Max Abmas scored over 2,500 points in his four-year career at Oral Roberts, but will now suit up for the Texas Longhorns. There are former McDonald’s All-Americans, conference players of the year, and national champions in the transfer portal. Will this be the final transfer portal update? Only time will tell. However, if it is, we’ve experienced yet another tumultuous and landscape-changing offseason.

Keeping up with the entrants, exits, and commitments with the transfer portal is a nearly impossible task to conquer. Here at Kentucky Sports Radio, we’ve done the legwork for you. This has served as a live document providing updates on all the transfer portal news as it pertains to the Southeastern Conference. Let’s dive into Version 5.0. For those looking for an even broader view, our friends at On3 have a complete list of the top players in the portal.

Alabama

Incoming: Aaron Estrada (Hofstra), Grant Nelson (North Dakota State), Mohamed Wague (West Virginia), Latrell Wrightsell (Cal State Fullerton)

Outgoing: Jaden Bradley (Arizona), Nimari Burnett (Michigan), Jaden Quinerly (Undecided), Jahvon Quinerly (Memphis)

Coach Oats hit a pair of home runs landing Hofstra point guard Aaron Estrada and North Dakota State forward Grant Nelson. Estrada is the two-time CAA Player of the Year after averaging 20.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.4 assists as a senior while developing into a very good shooter. He will likely take the keys to the Crimson Tide’s offense next season. Meanwhile, Nelson was one of the most coveted prizes in the transfer portal this cycle. The 6’10” versatile forward averaged 17.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game as a junior before flirting with the NBA Draft.

The Crimson Tide did have some talent walk out of the door as well. Jaden Bradley, Nimari Burnett, and Jahvon Quinerly were all primary rotation pieces a year ago. Additionally, Alabama cut ties with Jaykwon Walton from Wichita State. The athletic 6’7″ wing that made 42 of 105 three-point attempts as a junior would have fit into Coach Oats’ style of play perfectly. However, he was arrested for marijuana possession and had a firearm at the time of the arrest.

Overall, it was a net upgrade in the portal, but the roster as a whole won’t have the same top-end talent it had last season.

Arkansas

Incoming: Khalif Battle (Temple), Jeremiah Davenport (Cincinnati), El Ellis (Louisville), Chandler Lawson (Memphis), Tramon Mark (Houston), Keyon Menifield (Washington)

Outgoing: Barry Dunning (UAB), Derrian Ford (Arkansas State), Mahkel Mitchell (Little Rock)

The story of the transfer portal in Razorback country wasn’t who they got, it was about the sheer amount of contact they made. Essentially every decent player who hit the portal got some sort of interest from Coach Musselman and the Arkansas staff. They finished by making contact with around 100 players. However, fun little marketing ploys aside, Coach Musselman once again did really good things in the transfer market. Tramon Mark fits their aggressive style of play perfectly. He is an athletic, physical 6’5″ wing used to playing a defensive-minded game at Houston. He averaged 10.1 points and 4.9 rebounds as a starter last season. As for Menifield, he is a jitterbug point guard that averaged 10.0 points per game for the Huskies. He was the leading scorer on the Nike EYBL Circuit in 2021 so he knows how to put the ball in the basket.

On April 12th and April 13th, the Razorbacks landed back-to-back commitments from Khalif Battle and Jeremiah Davenport. Both are athletic wings that bring some needed shooting to the Arkansas roster. Battle averaged 17.9 points per game at Temple as a senior while shooting 35% from deep on over eight attempts per game. As for Davenport, he averaged 9.1 points while shooting 33% on over six attempts per game. Coach Musselman is once again a major winner in the transfer portal.

The rich got richer on April 17th as the Razorbacks landed another coveted transfer portal piece in Louisville’s El Ellis. A dynamic 6’3″ guard, Ellis averaged 17.7 points and 4.4 assists per game. He should fit in perfectly to Coach Musselman’s fast-paced scheme. Finally, the final domino fell as Memphis’ Chandler Lawson landed in Fayetteville. He is a 6’8″ long, athletic forward that averaged 5.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game as a part-time starter last season.

Auburn

Incoming: Denver Jones (Florida International), Chancy Johnson (Alabama-Huntsville)

Outgoing: Allen Flanigan (Ole Miss), Yohan Traore (UC-Santa Barbara), Chance Westry (Syracuse)

Coach Bruce Pearl likes having guards that can put the ball in the basket. Few in the transfer portal embodied that skill better than Denver Jones. After averaging 12.5 points per game as a freshman at Florida International, the 6’4″ bucket-getter exploded to 20.1 points per game this season. He also shot 37.1% from beyond the arc while making over two three-pointers per game. He will fit in nicely alongside incoming five-star freshman Aden Holloway.

As a former national champion head coach at the Division II level for the University of Southern Indiana, Coach Pearl knows the talent at the top of DII hoops. He went out and got one of the best in the country in Chaney Johnson from Alabama-Huntsville. The 6’6″ wing averaged 15.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game for the Chargers. He is a very good shooter with great size on the wing.

While he didn’t technically come from the traditional transfer portal, Auburn did also land Chad Baker-Mazara from the junior college ranks. Coming from Northwest Florida State, the 6’7″ lefty is a high-level shooter that previously played at Duquesne and San Diego State. He was the Mountain West Sixth Man of the Year in 2022.

Florida

Incoming: Walter Clayton Jr. (Iona), Micah Handlogten (Marshall), EJ Jarvis (Yale), Zyon Pullin (UC-Riverside), Julian Rishwain (San Francisco), Tyrese Samuel (Seton Hall)

Outgoing: Trey Bonham (Chattanooga), CJ Felder (McNeese State), Jason Jitoboh (Tennessee State), Niels Lane (Delaware), Kowacie Reeves (Georgia Tech)

It was an up-and-down first season in Gainesville for Coach Todd Golden. However, his first full offseason certainly went well. The Gators were absolutely one of the winners of the transfer portal by landing six impact players. Clayton Jr. was the MAAC Player of the Year averaging 16.8 points per game while shooting 43.1% from three for the Gaels. Handlogten, a 7’1″ center, averaged 7.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game on his way to being named Sun Belt Freshman of the Year. Jarvis earned Second Team All-Ivy League honors after averaging 11.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Samuel, a 6’10” forward, averaged 11.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game as a senior.

The final two additions came from Coach Golden’s west coast connections. Rishwain played for him at San Francisco, but it is UC-Riverside transfer Zyon Pullin that really got the attention of the college basketball scene. The 6’4″ guard scored 1,312 points in his career for the Highlanders culminating in a senior season stat line of 18.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game.

There is a real chance the Gators start three, maybe even four, transfers to begin this season.

Georgia

Incoming: Jalen Deloach (VCU), RJ Melendez (Illinois), RJ Sunahara (Nova Southeastern), Russel Tchewa (South Florida), Noah Thomasson (Niagara)

Outgoing: Jusaun Holt (Kennesaw State), KyeRon Lindsay (Texas Tech), Kario Oquendo (Oregon)

Coach Mike White improved the Bulldogs from six wins to 16 wins in his first season at the helm. However, watching Kario Oquendo walk out the door in the offseason was not a great way to transition into year two. However, there have been some solid pieces on the incoming side of the ledger for Georgia.

Deloach, a 6’9″ athlete, has the ability to be an elite defender in the Southeastern Conference and is a proven offensive rebounding threat. As for Melendez, he was a rotation piece for the Illini as a sophomore, flashing some ability to stretch the floor, but he must still improve in that area. Then, on May 1st, the Bulldogs landed 7’0″ center Russel Tchewa from USF. The veteran big man is a bruising force inside that averaged 11.1 points and 8.6 rebounds last season as a senior.

The two most impactful transfers are likely to be First Team All-MAAC performer Noah Thomasson and Division II National Player of the Year RJ Sunahara. Thomasson, a 6’3″ guard, averaged 19.5 points per game as a junior last season. As for Sunahara, the 6’8″ forward led Nova Southeastern to an undefeated national championship while averaging 18.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

Kentucky

Incoming: Tre Mitchell (West Virginia)

Outgoing: Daimion Collins (LSU) CJ Fredrick (Cincinnati), Lance Ware (Villanova), Sahvir Wheeler (Washington)

For much of the offseason, Big Blue Nation, and national folks covering college basketball, thought that Coach John Calipari was asleep at the wheel. Disappointing on-court results had finally bled over into the summer and fans were struggling to see the vision. Despite having the number one recruiting class, there was general inactivity in the portal. The few prospects that the ‘Cats did zero in on, such as Hunter Dickinson and Keshad Johnson, ended up elsewhere. However, everyone learned once again to never doubt the Hall of Fame coach. One of the big dominos to fall was Kentucky opportunistically snagging Tre Mitchell from West Virginia late in the cycle.

The 6’9″ Mitchell is nothing if not well-traveled. He earned back-to-back All-A-10 honors to begin his career at Massachusetts. Then, he was a productive rotation piece as a junior at Texas. Finally, he averaged 11.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game as a starter at West Virginia for his senior year.

Bringing in the number one recruiting class in the country, retaining Antonio Reeves, Adou Thiero, and Ugonna Onyenso, and landing Tre Mitchell in the transfer portal is nothing if not a home run offseason for the Wildcats.

LSU

Incoming: Will Baker (Nevada), Daimion Collins (Kentucky), Jalen Cook (Tulane), Hunter Dean (George Washington), Carlos Stewart (Santa Clara), Jordan Wright (Vanderbilt)

Outgoing: Kendal Coleman (California Baptist), Cam Hayes (East Carolina), Justice Hill (Loyola Marymount), Adam Miller (Arizona State), Shawn Phillips (Arizona State), Corneilous Williams (Western Carolina), Justice Williams (Robert Morris)

In his first season at LSU, Coach Matt McMahon had to essentially build his roster from scratch after coming from Murray State. That offseason turnover led to a last-place finish in the Southeastern Conference. Now, the Tigers are facing a less extreme version of the same turnover. Seven players entered the portal, but they’ve also landed two very talented incoming guys. Jalen Cook from Tulane is one of the more talented pure scorers in the country. The 6’0″ guard began his career at LSU before averaging 18.0 and 19.9 points per game the last two seasons for the Green Wave. He has developed into an excellent shooter making 36.6% on threes over the last two seasons on six attempts per game. Jordan Wright is no stranger to the SEC either having scored 1,183 points in his four-year career at Vanderbilt.

The Tigers made another transfer portal splash on April 14th landing Nevada’s Will Baker. The 6’11”, former four-star recruit averaged 13.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game for the Wolf Pack as a junior. He has the ability to stretch the floor out to three-point range where he has made 48 of 128 attempts over the last two seasons. LSU continued their busy offseason by adding Santa Clara standout Carlos Stewart on April 18th. The 6’1″ guard averaged 15.2 points per game as a sophomore and shot over 40% from three-point range.

Finally, Coach McMahon rounded out the front court by adding 6’10” forward Hunter Dean from George Washington and 6’9″ forward Daimion Collins from Kentucky. Dean averaged 8.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for Colonials as a senior. Meanwhile, Collins is a high-upside, freakishly athletic forward that never found his footing in Lexington.

Mississippi State

Incoming: Jimmy Bell (West Virginia), Andrew Taylor (Marshall)

Outgoing: Kimani Hamilton (High Point), Will McNair Jr. (Providence), Martavious Russell (Undecided)

It took a while to get going, but Mississippi State ended up landing two transfers including a potential star in Marshall’s Andrew Taylor. The 6’3″ guard scored over 1,600 points in his career culminating in averaging 20.2 points per game as a senior. He knocked in 83 three-pointers at a 36.4% clip last season as well. Taylor will immediately be one of the premier playmakers in the Southeastern Conference.

As for Jimmy Bell, the 6’10” 270-pound big man averaged 4.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game as a full-time starter last year at West Virginia.

Missouri

Incoming: Tamar Bates (Missouri), Jesus Carralero (Campbell), Caleb Grill (Iowa State), John Tonje (Colorado State), Connor Vanover (Oral Roberts)

Outgoing: Mohamed Diarra (North Carolina State), Ronnie DeGray (Wichita State)

John Tonje was a four-year contributor at Colorado State and really blossomed into a big-time player as a senior. The strong 6’5″ guard scored 14.6 points per game while shooting 38.9% from beyond the arc this past season. He scored 1,051 career points in his four seasons for the Rams. Tamar Bates has been a solid contributor off of the bench at Indiana for the last two seasons. He vastly improved as a three-point shooter as a sophomore making 37.4% of his 99 attempts. The 6’5″ athletic lefty should fit in well with Coach Dennis Gates’ up-tempo style.

The addition of Iowa State’s Caleb Grill will help Mizzou’s shooting numbers. The 6’3″ veteran sharp-shooter has made 55, 57, and 53 three-pointers respectively each of the last three seasons. Speaking of stretching the floor, Connor Vanover can do that as well despite being 7’3″. The former Arkansas Razorback comes to CoMo via Oral Roberts where he averaged 12.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks per game as a senior.

Ole Miss

Incoming: Moussa Cisse (Oklahoma State), Allen Flanigan (Auburn), Brandon Murray (Georgetown), Jaylen Murray (Saint Peter’s) Austin Nunez (Arizona State), Jamarion Sharpe (Western Kentucky)

Outgoing: Amaree Abram (Georgia Tech), Robert Allen (North Texas), Malique Ewin (South Florida), Daeshun Ruffin (Jackson State), James White (UAB)

Coach Chris Beard is hitting the ground running in Oxford. The Rebels just might get good in a hurry. Brandon Murray is back in the SEC after putting up 13.7 points per game last season at Georgetown. As a freshman at LSU, the 6’5″ guard averaged 10.0 points per game. Allen Flanigan is another known commodity in the Southeastern Conference. The strong 6’6″ lefty scored just shy of 1,000 points in his career at Auburn and is the type of two-way presence that Coach Beard has had success with in the past. 5’11” point guard Jaylen Murray will provide some backcourt depth after averaging 12.5 points as a sophomore at Saint Peter’s. Finally, Austin Nunez was a rotation piece as a sophomore at Arizona State showcasing good three-point shooting ability.

In the frontcourt, Ole Miss really made some waves by adding former five-star prospect Moussa Cisse. The 6’10” big man has averaged a career 6.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game across three years at Memphis and Oklahoma State. He will be next to massive 7’5″ Jamarion Sharpe who joins from Western Kentucky. Sharpe regressed some in year two with the Hilltoppers, but he still averaged 4.6 and 4.1 blocks per game each of the last two seasons respectively.

South Carolina

Incoming: Stephen Clark (Citadel), Ta’Lon Cooper (Minnesota), B.J. Mack (Wofford), Myles Stute (Vanderbilt)

Outgoing: Ja’Von Benson (Western Michigan), Chicago Carter (DePaul), Ford Cooper Jr. (Hampton), Daniel Hankins-Sanford (Massachusetts), Tre-Vaughn Minott (Portland State)

Stephen Clark isn’t much of a shooter, but the 6’8″ forward is very efficient around the basket. The creative scorer averaged 16.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game at The Citadel as a senior and will now try his hand at the high-major level. Another 6’8″ forward, B.J. Mack, is a bruising presence inside that can also stretch the floor as a pick-and-pop threat. He averaged 16.6 points per game last season at Wofford and earned Second Team All-Southern honors as a junior. As for Cooper, after three years in the Morehead State backcourt, he moved on to Minnesota with averages of 9.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game. He will give the Gamecocks a veteran playmaking presence.

Arguably the biggest transfer portal win for the Gamecocks came by adding Southeastern Conference veteran Myles Stute. A 6’7″ pick-and-pop 4-man, Stute has made 79 and 74 three-pointers in the last two seasons respectively. His obvious experience within the league should allow him to step in right away as a go-to guy for South Carolina.

Tennessee

Incoming: Jordan Gainey (South Carolina Upstate), Dalton Knecht (Northern Colorado)

Outgoing: Kidd Brizek (Undecided), BJ Edwards (SMU), Kent Gilbert (Undecided), Alec Kegler (Undecided), Olivier Nkamhoua (Michigan)

The biggest piece of news as it pertains to Tennessee and the transfer portal is their loss of Chris Ledlum. The 6’6″ All-Ivy League forward averaged 18.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game as a senior last season but spurred the Volunteers to go play for St. John’s and Coach Rick Pitino. However, it wasn’t all lost for Coach Rick Barnes. Northern Colorado’s Dalton Knecht was a prized portal addition. The 6’6″ shooter is fresh off averaging 20.2 points per game while knocking in 77 three-pointers at a 38.1% clip. Meanwhile, Jordan Gainey is a two-time All-Big South performer who averaged 15.2 points last season and can also really shoot the basketball.

Texas A&M

Incoming: Jace Carter (Illinois-Chicago), Eli Lawrence (Middle Tennessee State), Wildens Leveque (Massachusetts)

Outgoing: Javonte Brown-Ferguson (Western Michigan), Erik Pratt (Wisconsin Milwaukee), KK Robinson (Little Rock), Ashton Smith (Oral Roberts)

The Aggies landed their first transfer portal commitment from Jace Carter on April 19th. An Illinois-Chicago standout, Carter averaged 16.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore. He is a bigger, physical wing at 6’6″ that knows how to put the ball in the basket. Then, on May 3rd they added 6’5″ wing Eli Lawrence from Middle Tennessee State. He improved as a three-point shooter, both in terms of percentage and volume, in each of his four seasons at MTSU. Lawrence capped off a 1,075-point career by averaging 12.2 points per game last year.

Coach Buzz Williams continued shopping in the portal into the summer. In early July, Texas A&M landed 6’11” center Wildens Leveque from UMass. If that name sounds familiar, it is because he played three seasons at South Carolina to begin his career. Through 108 games and 76 starts at the college level, Leveque has averaged 5.1 points and 4.1 rebounds.

Vanderbilt

Incoming: Tasos Kamateros (South Dakota), Ven-Allen Lubin (Notre Dame), Evan Taylor (Leigh)

Outgoing: Malik Dia (Belmont), Quentin Millora-Brown (The Citadel), Noah Shelby (Rice), Myles Stute (South Carolina), Trey Thomas (Bowling Green), Jordan Wright (LSU)

It was not a good start to the offseason for Coach Jerry Stackhouse despite coming off of his best season at Vanderbilt. Five primary rotation players hit the transfer portal along with a pair of promising freshmen. It looked to be back to the drawing board in year five for Coach Stack. However, a piece of good news did come along as 6’4″ guard Tyrin Lawrence withdrew his name from the portal and will return to Nashville. That is a significant win as he broke out to average 13.1 points per game last season.

Evan Taylor from Leigh is a two-time All-Patriot League performer that averaged 14.2 points as a senior and finished his four-year career with 1,188 points. He is a career 40.8% three-point shooter. As for Ven-Allen Lubin, the 6’8″ forward performed well as a freshman at Notre Dame, averaging 6.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game primarily in a reserve role.

Tasos Kamateros will help solidify the frontcourt and he can stretch the floor as well. The 6’8″ forward has developed into an excellent catch-and-shoot threat from deep going 57-142 (40.1%) from three-point range last season at South Dakota. Kamateros averaged 12.5 points and 6.4 rebounds as a senior. It still has been a bad offseason for the ‘Dores, but it at least was salvaged from being a total disaster.