Payton Thorne (Michigan State to Auburn)
The skinny: Thorne’s entry into the portal came as a surprise to most. While he had some struggles, which included 21 interceptions over the last two seasons, he also experienced his fair share of success during his time in East Lansing. So, when he became available, there was plenty of immediate buzz about his potential landing spot. Some of the loudest buzz revolved around Auburn, who quickly made Thorne a priority after striking out on a couple of other portal possibilities. Now that the Tigers have Thorne, he will have to earn the starting job against Robby Ashford. While this is far from a forgone conclusion, adding a quarterback with two years of starting experience does make him the likely starter when the season opens in September.
Trey Amos (Louisiana to Alabama)
The skinny: While Alabama has two talented cornerbacks returning, Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold, additional experience at the position was lacking. The Tide answered this concern by adding Amos, who was a regular starter at Louisiana and finished the 2022 season with 36 tackles and eight pass break-ups. He also fits the mold of the traditional Alabama cornerback, with his physicality helping against the running game.
Jaylen Key (UAB to Alabama)
The skinny: 6-foot-2 and 210-pounds, Key committed to Alabama over Florida State, Oregon, Ohio State, North Carolina and Ole Miss. The Tide lost both of their starting safeties to the NFL but found a potential answer with this addition. Malachi Moore is likely to grab one of the starting jobs, with Key already the most likely to play next to him. He is coming off his best collegiate season with 60 tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles and three interceptions.
TE Var’Keyes Gumms (North Texas to Arkansas)
The skinny: Gumms burst onto the collegiate scene during the 2022 season with 34 receptions for 458 yards and five touchdowns, which immediately made him one of the top available portal tight ends when he entered in April. He committed to Arkansas after taking an official visit, but then decommitted a few days later. However, after taking an additional visit to Cal, he re-committed to the Razorbacks. With Arkansas making the tight end position a priority during the spring window, Gumms’ addition was vital and should make him a key part of the offense this fall.
DE Isaac Ukwu (James Madison to Ole Miss)
The skinny: Ole Miss needed to find a disruptive pass rusher in the portal and did so with the addition of Ukwu. The graduate transfer excelled during the 2022 season with 40 tackles, 7.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for a loss, while earning first-team All-Sun Belt honors. The Rebels added another defensive lineman, Stephon Wynn from Nebraska, on the same day as Ukwu, but it is the James Madison transfer who has the potential to make the bigger impact in Oxford this fall.
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