Below are five of the top SEC transfers from this portal cycle, as well as their impact rating. What does an impact rating number mean? Scroll to the bottom of the article to find out.
QB Devin Leary – Kentucky (NC State)
Portal Recruiting: Leary’s first official visit was to Auburn, which was followed up with a trip to Kentucky. He committed to the Wildcats a few days later on December 20th.
At NC State: In 26 games for NC State, Leary passed for 6,807 yards and threw 62 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. His best season came in 2021 when Leary threw for 3,433 yards and 35 touchdowns with just five interceptions.
Portal Jesus’ Take: This was one of the more important portal additions of this transfer cycle and should keep Kentucky relevant in the SEC this season after Will Levis’ departure to the NFL. In Lexington, Levis has no shortage of explosive weapons at wide receiver with the duo of Barion Brown and Dane Key combining for 87 receptions, 1,147 yards and 10 touchdowns during their true freshman seasons last fall. As long as the Wildcats’ offensive line can improve from a disastrous 2022 season, which they also attempted to remedy via the portal, Leary and the Kentucky offense will make things exciting in Lexington during the 2023 season.
Impact Rating: 8.7
WR Dominic Lovett – Georgia (Missouri)
Portal Recruiting: Before committing to Georgia on December 22nd, Lovett was also considering USC, LSU and Alabama.
At Missouri: An All-SEC wide receiver in 2022, Lovett led Missouri and finished 4th in the SEC in receiving yards with 846. He also totaled 56 receptions and three touchdowns last season.
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Portal Jesus’ Take: For all of the positives that one could easily identify during Georgia’s 2022 season, the wide receiver position was actually somewhat pedestrian. The addition of Lovett and his big-play ability will change that. Teaming up with All-American tight end Brock Bowers and top returning receiver Ladd McConkey will give Lovett ample opportunity for big plays and make the Bulldogs’ offense even more dynamic.
Impact Rating: 8.6
CB Denver Harris – LSU (Texas A&M)
Portal Recruiting: Harris committed to LSU on December 22nd. No other school was seriously considered as Tigers were immediately known to be the heavy favorite after Harris entered the portal.
At Texas A&M: As a true freshman with the Aggies, Harris totaled 14 tackles and three pass breakups in five games. He was suspended for the second half of the regular season.
Portal Jesus’ Take: Having only played five games during his true freshman season, Harris’ transfer addition is more about potential than past productivity. But that potential has a good chance to bloom quickly in Baton Rouge. During the spring, Harris immediately battled for a starting job with a couple of other transfers (Zy Alexander and JK Johnson) and Laterrance Welch, who played in 13 games last season as a true freshman, but mostly on special teams. Summer camp will obviously go a long way in figuring out the pecking order at cornerback, but even if Harris doesn’t win a starting job, you can be sure that he will be a valuable part of the rotation.
Impact Rating: 7.5
QB Payton Thorne – Auburn (Michigan State)
Portal Recruiting: Thorne committed to Auburn on May 5th, less than a week after entering the portal. Auburn and Florida were the immediate contenders, but the Tigers were able to seal the deal quickly with Thorne.
At Michigan State: Thorne played in 29 games at Michigan State, including 12 starts in 2022 in which he completed 62.5% of his passes for 2,679 yards and 19 touchdowns. His best season came in 2021, as he led the Spartans to an 11-2 record while passing for 3,232 passing yards and program-record 27 touchdowns.
Portal Jesus’ Take: After striking out on both Devin Leary and Grayson McCall in December, the Tigers re-focused their transfer quarterback efforts during the spring window. The result was Thorne, who surprised many when he entered the portal on the final day of the window. Adding an experienced grad-transfer like Thorne was important for the Tigers, but will he even start this fall? He will battle returning dual-threat starter Robby Ashford during summer camp, but if new coach Hugh Freeze made it a point to add a passing quarterback like Thorne after watching Ashford throw during the spring, the addition very likely won’t be holding a clipboard this fall.
Impact Rating: 7.8
WR Dont’e Thornton – Tennessee (Oregon)
Portal Recruiting: Thornton took visits to Tennessee, Miami-Florida, Auburn and Arkansas before committing to the Vols on January 9th.
At Oregon: Thornton played in 15 games with the Ducks, totaling 26 receptions for 541 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged 20.8 yards per reception during his time in Eugene.
Portal Jesus’ Take: While Thornton did not set the college football world on fire last season with 17 receptions, at 6-foot-5 and 205-pounds, he showed the big play ability that made him a hot commodity in the portal. And with the Vols looking to fill the void of All-American wide receiver Jaylin Hyatt’s move to the NFL, Thornton’s addition was a perfect match. The Vols do return talent at the position, mainly Bru McCoy, Ramel Keyton and Squirrel White, but at his size and potential, head coach Josh Heupel will find ways to get Thornton involved early and often.
Impact Rating: 8.1
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IMPACT METER
The Transfer Portal continues to change the way college football programs recruit and manage their rosters so we here at mikefarrellsports.com continue to evolve our coverage. When a transfer of note chooses a destination, we will examine their potential impact on the college football landscape and assign an impact rating. The scale is from 1-10 and the description below explains the scoring scale.
1.1-4.0 — Not a big impact expected, likely a non-starter and down the bench depth player.
4.1- 6.0 — A solid impact can be expected in the right scenario and has the potential to battle for a starting job.
6.1-9.0 — A high impact player who won’t change a program but will certainly be a very good contributor and starter.
9.1- 9.9 — A very high impact player who should start the moment he steps on the field and will change the outlook of a program immediately.
10 — A franchise transfer who has a chance to be an All-American and one of the elite players in college football.
