With the transfer portal becoming the primary way of building a roster in the modern era of college basketball, it can be difficult to keep up with what your conference rivals are doing and what the rosters could look like entering the 2024-25 season.
In this series we will break down the transfer classes of every SEC opponent so you can see where the Gators stack up from a talent standpoint. Given the huge number of transfers entering the SEC, this will be a multi-part series, so be sure to stay locked in to Gator Country to continue to learn about the new transfers entering the SEC.
Multiple teams still have roster spots available and some transfers aren’t officially enrolled at their new school, so while this list should be nearly complete–the rosters could look slightly different by the time the season starts. However, most of the transfers added past this point won’t be particularly impactful, so the names you need to know will almost certainly be represented in this series.
If you haven’t read part one yet, you can do so here.
Here is part two:
Missouri
It’s not common for Duke players to hit the portal after two years of being in the rotation but that’s what happened with center Mark Mitchell and Missouri was able to take advantage. A top recruit coming out of high school, Mitchell was productive in two seasons at Duke and averaged 11.6 points and 6.0 rebounds last season, but he never totally felt like a fit with the Blue Devils. In Dennis Gates’ offense at Missouri he’ll have the opportunity to feel the ball a lot more and be a playmaker, and he’ll hope this opens up his game and shows some better film to NBA scouts.
Missouri is bringing in a massive high school recruiting class and will be one of the youngest teams in the SEC so they’ll be relying heavily on point guard Tony Perkins to bring leadership. It was important for Gates to bring in a veteran guard and Perkins is just that after four years at Iowa where he played a key role in some potent offenses. Last season Perkins averaged 14.0 points and 4.6 assists while also getting 1.6 steals per game on the defensive end, and he is going to be tasked with being the quarterback of the Missouri offense.
Coming from Cleveland State of the Horizon League, Dennis Gates has a lot of respect for the players in that league and he showed it by going to get Marques Warrick from Northern Kentucky. One of the most productive players entering the SEC through the portal this year, Warrick averaged 19.9 points last year after scoring 18.8, 16.8, and 15.8 the three seasons prior. Simply put, Warrick is a pure scorer who has found ways to put up points in any scenario he’s faced–though the SEC will be a new battle. Warrick is generally listed at 6’2” though you’ll find he looks much smaller, and could struggle with the size and athleticism of the SEC. However, he has always found ways to score in the past–so he’ll likely be able to light up the scoreboard again even in a more challenging league.
Rounding out the transfer class is Jacob Crews, a wing who put up 19.1 points per game at UT Martin after using a successful JUCO year to regain his footing at the D1 level. Crews is a unique player who plays a fiery style and shoots 41% from three on volume. While he’s not Ole Miss Marshall Henderson by any means, you can look for him to bring the intensity while also knocking down shots from well behind the three-point line.
Tennessee
One of the last big names in the portal to sign was North Florida’s Chaz Lanier, and with his pick of just about anyone in the country he chose Tennessee. A 6’4” guard, Lanier shot 44% from three on 7.5 attempts per game, resulting in him averaging 19.7 points per game on the season. Standing at 6’4” and without a huge frame he’s not going to impose himself physically on the SEC, but he’s there to add shooting for a team that doesn’t lack muscle and the fit makes a ton of sense.
Tennessee’s big upside play is with 6’11” Felix Okpara who comes to the Volunteers after two years at Ohio State where he showed potential but never fully settled into an important Big 10 role. While the offensive side of the game doesn’t come easy to Okpara the defensive side is a massive strength and his 2.4 blocks per game made him one of the best shot blockers in the country–something that will be perfect for the defensive-minded Vols.
Joining Okpara in the frontcourt is 6’10” Igor Milicic who comes to Knoxville from Charlotte after starting his career at Virginia. Milicic is an excellent defender who might not jump off the page athletically but is smart positionally and is very good in pick and roll coverage. Offensively he also has some touch scoring 12.8 points per game while stretching his game out to beyond the arc where he shot 38% from deep. This might not be a player with all-SEC upside, but Milicic is a versatile piece on both ends of the floor that will be extremely useful to Tennessee.
Darlinstone Dubar is the name Tennessee is the most excited about, a strong 6’6” guard coming from Hofstra who can create buckets from the perimeter or on the inside posting up smaller opponents. Tennessee has a lot of defensive infrastructure in place with their returning players and wanted to add an elite one-on-one creator and Dubar fits the bill perfectly while also having the size and strength to fit in with the Vol’s culture of toughness. This looks to be a match made in heaven and Dubar could be one of the top transfers in the league.
Ole Miss
Getting proven high-major commodities in the transfer portal can be a challenge but the Rebels did well to grab Dre Davis, a guard who averaged 15.5 points per game for Seton Hall last year proving he can not only compete but be productive against some of the best players in the country. Davis is a downhill guard, someone who wants to get a head of steam going towards the rim where he can finish layups or draw contact. The jump shot has always been a question mark but he has been able to score without a major threat of a jumper and while he’ll be working on shooting at Ole Miss, his bread will be buttered at the rim. Davis is also an excellent defender and provides some of the best rebounding and shot blocking you’ll see from a guard.
Another defensive minded piece is Davon Barnes, a 6’5” guard from Sam Houston who averaged 13.5 points last season. Barnes is what a lot of teams are looking for right now–a wing who can guard his position and hit spot up threes. He’s the kind of role player that could work in a lot of lineups, and he should find himself playing a lot of minutes for the Rebels this season.
Sean Pedulla, like Dre Davis, is another proven high-major contributor that you know what you’re going to get when they come to the SEC. A 6’1” scoring guard, Pedulla averaged 16.4 points per game last season largely coming off screens and creative offensive actions to get him clean looks. Pedulla isn’t really a point guard despite being 6’1” and might have some defensive limitations but the guy can fill it up and he’s going to have some huge scoring nights in the SEC this season.
Mikael Brown-Jones is a player that Ole Miss’ coaching staff is extremely excited about, a 6’8” forward who averaged 18.9 points per game for a quality UNC Greensboro team last year. Brown-Jones is largely a mid-post player who can use his skills to take slower bigs off the dribble and get to the rim, but he made huge strides last season with his jumper to show some stretch big ability we may see materialize with the Rebels.
Lastly, the Rebels brought in Malik Dia, yet another name that might be familiar to you after the Gators showed some interest. Dia started his career at Vanderbilt but transferred to Belmont where he was a defensive monster who also averaged 16.9 points on the offensive end. A great athlete with an SEC body at 6’9” and 240 pounds, Dia might not have been ready to contribute at this level as a freshman with Vanderbilt but now in his third season of college basketball he should be a productive player.
Keep it locked to Gator Country for part three which is coming soon.