By Mark Pszonak
With thousands of players transferring during the winter window, it is easy to lose track of all the movement. It is also easy for some of the transfers to slip under-the-radar. Here are five in the SEC that should have received more attention and are in line for big 2025 seasons:
LB Josiah Trotter – Missouri (West Virginia)
The skinny: Expectations have followed Trotter since his arrival in West Virginia. And if it wasn’t for an injury that ended his true freshman season before it began, he would have already been a more well-known commodity. After returning healthy last year, Trotter totaled 92 tackles and four tackles for loss with the Mountaineers in 2024. Now, it’s his time to jump onto the national spotlight with the Tigers.
LB Jaden Yates – Ole Miss (Marshall)
After head coach Charlie Huff’s move from Marshall to Southern Miss, there was a mass exodus from The Herd. Ole Miss was one of the beneficiaries of this by snagging Yates from the portal, who enjoyed a breakout 2024 season with 120 tackles and eight tackles for loss. The Rebels and Lane Kiffin were once again very aggressive in the portal, but Yates may prove to be the best and most important of the bunch.
TE Rohan Jones – Arkansas (Montana State)
Coming off an FCS All-American season in 2024, Jones has arrived in Fayetteville and immediately made a favorable impression. While he is a bit undersized, 6-foot-3 and 236-pounds, he possesses the speed, athleticism and experience that should make him an instant impact player on offense in 2025.
WR Javonnie Gibson – Oklahoma (Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
While Gibson is one of four wide receivers added through the portal by the Sooners and arrives from a weak FCS program, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, his potential has caught the attention of everyone in Norman. At 6-foot-3 and 205-pounds, Gibson brings a combination of size, athleticism of speed to the position that was lacking in Oklahoma last season, plus he proved his ability to be a bigtime producer in 2024 with 70 receptions for 1,215 yards and nine touchdowns.
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CB Jordan Shaw – Texas A&M (Washington)
One glaring weakness during the 2024 season for the Aggies was pass defense. They did a quality job during the winter window trying to remedy this, with Shaw being the addition that has quickly emerged as a difference maker. Coming off a very productive season at Washington, with 37 tackles, four tackles for loss and six pass deflections, he looks ready to take his game to an even higher level in 2025.
