Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes: Life In the Transfer Portal

Brenton Cox was a huge get for the Gators in the transfer portal. Are more coming? Photo Courtesy: Brenton Cox

“It’s those changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes, nothing remains quite the same” – Jimmy Buffett

As long as there have been college sports, players have often felt the best way to adjust attitudes is to change their latitudes, but never have there been so many latitude changes as today in Division I of the NCAA where legislation that eliminates the sit out year for a first-year transfer is turning rosters upside down. The NCAA transfer portal, which is supposed to make it easier on kids who wish to opt out of their current situation, has become nothing more than a way station as more than 3,000 men’s basketball and football players are on the move.

The two biggest changes with the enactment of the new transfer legislation are (1) kids no longer feel they need a compelling reason to look for a new latitude and (2) it has changed the way coaches look at recruiting. Playing time still drives players to transfer but it is no longer the dominant reason. Some kids simply decide they would be better off somewhere else and with no one-year penalty for leaving, the floodgates have been opened. When it comes to recruiting, every coach in the country is going to hold spots that used to go to high school or junior college kids and use the scholarship to bring in someone with experience that can offer immediate help.

Earlier in the week, Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl, who has replaced four transfers with five quality players, discussed how he’s looking at recruiting. Last season the Tigers were one of the youngest teams in the country. Next year, Auburn will have experience at every position.

“So when they change the rules and now you have got the transfer portal, and you have got players that are one-time eligible immediately, you can get more experienced or older in a hurry,” Pearl said in a radio interview.

Texas State football coach Jake Spavital, whose Bobcats were 2-10 last season, didn’t sign a single high school player in his 2021 recruiting class. All the incoming Bobcats are transfers from either four-year schools or junior colleges. Since the 2020 season didn’t count against eligibility, all the freshmen Spavital signed in his first recruiting class will still be freshmen in 2021 so it’s not like he’s setting the Texas State program back. Last year’s freshmen will be experienced freshmen next season and experienced transfers will plug holes in the roster.

Spavital’s situation isn’t going to be the norm moving ahead but plugging holes with transfers is going to be part of every football and basketball coach’s strategy from here on out.

At Florida, both Dan Mullen and Mike White have been ahead of the curve when it comes to transfers. In 2021, transfers will figure prominently for both the football and basketball teams.

Here are the transfers on the Florida football roster for 2021 (15):

Jean Delance, OT (6-5, 307, GR, transferred from Texas); Stewart Reese, OC/OG (6-6, 354, GR, transferred from Mississippi State); Daquan Newkirk, DT (6-3, 318, GR, transferred from Auburn); Antonio Shelton, DT (6-3, 318, GR, transferred from Penn State); Jordan Pouncey, WR (6-1, 212, RSR, transferred from Texas); * Jace Christmann, PK (6-0, 195, GR, transferred from Mississippi State); * Dylan Meeks, LB (6-2, 236, RSR, transferred from Akron); Brenton Cox Jr., EDGE/LB (6-4, 252, RJR, transferred from Georgia); Justin Shorter, WR (6-5, 227, RJR, transferred from Penn State); Lorenzo Lingard, RB (6-0, 206, RJR, transferred from Miami); Diwun Black LB (6-4, 230, RSO, JUCO); Jadarrius Perkins, CB (6-2, 190, transferred from Missouri); * Noah Keeter, LB (6-5, 229, RSO, transferred from UCLA; Demarkcus Bowman (5-10, 187, RFR, transferred from Clemson)

* Non-Scholarship

Here are the scholarship football players who have transferred out (8):

T.J. Moore, OL (6-5, 300, GR, transferred to Charlotte); C.J. McWilliams (5-11, 164, RSR, transferred to Purdue); Quincy Lenton, S (5-11, 205, RSR); James Houston, LB (6-1, 225 RJR); Iverson Clement, RB (5-11, 199, RSO, transferred to Temple); Jesiah Pierre (6-2, 220, RFR, transferred to Texas Tech); Chester Kimbrough, DB (5-11, 170, RFR, transferred to Michigan State); Jahari Rogers, CB (6-0, 170, RFR, transferred to SMU)

As many as nine of the football transfers figure to be starters for Mullen. Delance could be starting for the third straight year at right tackle while Reese, who was the right guard last year, shifted to center in the spring. Shorter was Florida’s fourth option as a wide receiver last year but seems poised to have a breakout season. In the backfield, both Lingard and Bowman will be competing with veterans for the starting running backs job.

It’s on defense that the transfers could have their biggest impact. Coordinator Todd Grantham should be stronger against the run thanks to Shelton and Newkirk, both of whom can also collapse the pocket from the inside. Cox will find his name on every preseason All-SEC list and a good many preseason All-Americas. Black was originally signed out of Osceola High School in Kissimmee but had to go the juco route before transferring in. He will be an impact player from day one. Perkins, who was a teammate of Black at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College before signing with Missouri, could be the answer for the nickel in the secondary since he’s big enough to handle tight ends and quick enough to handle wide receivers and running backs.

Jace Christmann, who kicked for Mullen at Mississippi State and left as the school’s all-time leading scorer, is a non-scholarship graduate who will be Florida’s placekicker in the fall.

Mullen will have at least 14 transfers on his 2021 roster. The transfer portal continues to add names and heats up daily. Mullen has as many as two scholarships at his disposal and he has a number of transfers who have indicated they would be interested in coming to Florida.

Here are the transfers on the Florida basketball roster for 2021-22 (7):

Brandon McKissic (6-3, 195, GR, transferred from Missouri-Kansas City); Phlandrous Fleming Jr. (6-4, 210, GR, transferred from Charleston Southern); Anthony Duruji (6-7, 220, RJR, transferred from Louisiana Tech); Tyree Appleby (6-1, 170, RJR, transferred from Cleveland State); Colin Castleton (6-11, 231, RJR, transferred from Michigan); Myreon Jones (6-3, 185, RJR, transferred from Penn State); C.J. Felder (6-7, 225, RSO, transferred from Boston College)

Here are the scholarship basketball players who have transferred out:

Noah Locke (6-2, 203, RJR, transferred to Louisville); Osayi Osifo (6-7, 225, transferred to Jacksonville); Omar Payne (6-10, 230, RSO, transferred to Illinois); Ques Glover (5-11, 182, RSO, transferred to Samford)

As bizarre as it may seem, Mike White’s entire starting lineup next season could be made up of players who transferred in. The only two players White recruited straight out of high school who could start are Keyontae Johnson and incoming freshman Kowacie Reeves. Johnson will be back but it is unknown if he will be sufficiently recovered from his medical issues to play, much less at the same level he was at prior to his collapse at Florida State back in December. Reeves is a 5-star freshman but with the imported talent, there won’t be any pressure for him to start from day one.

Of the seven transfers on the roster, Castleton is the only surefire starter. Appleby started much of last season at the point and Duruji started a lot of games, but was more effective coming off the bench. No one should be shocked if the four joining Castleton in the starting lineup are McKissic at the point, Jones and Fleming on the wings and Felder at the high post.

White still has a scholarship at his disposal and it’s unclear at this time whether it will be used for another transfer or a high school big guy.

* * *

When it comes to transfers in the Southeastern Conference, Florida and Alabama have suffered the least amount of damage outgoing and have strengthened their rosters with incoming transfers. Alabama lost eight football transfers, none of which figured to crack the starting lineup, and didn’t lose a single basketball transfer while adding two potential starters. The Tide landed potential football starters in wide receiver Jameson Williams (Ohio State) and linebacker Henry To’o To’o (Tennessee) and the basketball team landed Noah Gurley (Furman) and Nimari Burnett (Texas Tech).

From a football standpoint, Tennessee was hit the hardest with 34 transferring out including stud running backs Eric Gray (Oklahoma), Ty Chandler (North Carolina), linebackers To’o To’o (Alabama), Quavarius Crouch (Michigan State) and DeAndre Johnson (Miami), offensive linemen Wanya Morris (Oklahoma) and Jahmir Johnson (Texas A&M), safety Key Lawrence (Oklahoma) and placekicker Brent Cimaglia (Georgia Tech).

In basketball, nobody was hit harder than Georgia. Among its nine transfers were the three leading scorers from last year, point guard Sahvir Wheeler (Kentucky), shooting guard K.D. Johnson (Auburn) and Toumani Camara (Dayton).

Here are the SEC teams not named Florida and how they fared in the transfer portal:

ALABAMA Football transfers out: 8 Football transfers in: 3 Basketball transfers out: 0 Basketball transfers in: 2

ARKANSAS Football transfers out: 14 Football transfers in: 6 Basketball transfers out: 4

Basketball transfers in: 3

AUBURN Football transfers out: 18 Football transfers in: 6 Basketball transfers out: 4 Basketball transfers in: 5

GEORGIA Football transfers out: 12 Football transfers in: 2 Basketball transfers out: 9

Basketball transfers in: 4

KENTUCKY Football transfers out: 10 Football transfers in: 6 Basketball transfers out: 2 Basketball transfers in: 4

LSU Football transfers out: 12 Football transfers in: 2 Basketball transfers out: 3 Basketball transfers in: 4

MISSISSIPPI STATE Football transfers out: 19 Football transfers in: 9

Basketball transfers out: 5 Basketball transfers in: 4

MISSOURI Football transfers out: 17

Football transfers in: 3

Basketball transfers out: 6 Basketball transfers in: 4

OLE MISS Football transfers out: 8 Football transfers in: 3 Basketball transfers out: 5 Basketball transfers in: 3

SOUTH CAROLINA Football transfers out: 11

Football transfers in: 7 Basketball transfers out: 6

Basketball transfers in: 4

TENNESSEE Football transfers out: 36 Football transfers in: 9 Basketball transfers out: 4 Basketball transfers in: 1

TEXAS A&M Football transfers out: 18 Football transfers in: 1

Basketball transfers out: 8

Basketball transfers in: 5

VANDERBILT Football transfers out: 20

Football transfers in: 3 Basketball transfers out: 7 Basketball transfers in: 3