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 yet read part four, you can do so here.
Here is part five:
LSU
After a couple of rough seasons to start the Matt McMahon era at LSU he went to the portal looking for some reinforcements. That started with Dji Bailey, a 6’5” guard who averaged 10.2 points and 2.2 points for Richmond last season. With respects to Bailey, this is probably not a guy that can be impactful at the SEC level and this could speak to some player acquisition issues at LSU. Bailey just had a decent season at Richmond with 10.0 points per game, but that followed three seasons where it was difficult for him to get on the floor. We wish Bailey the best, but this could be a difficult transition for him to the SEC.
A more proven high-major player is Cam Carter who comes to LSU after stints at Mississippi State and most recently Kansas State where he had an excellent 2023-24 season averaging 14.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Carter is a guard that stands at 6’3” but he plays much, much bigger than his frame. Carter loves to get in on the glass and fight for rebounds with bigger players, and he will fearlessly attack the rim even when he knows he is going to be contested by bigger, more athletic players. The Big 12 was an incredible league last year and Carter was productive, so he should be someone LSU leans on heavily to provide both offensive production and defensive intensity. The Tigers might go as far as Carter is able to take them this season.
LSU is also bringing in one of the most fun players in college basketball, UT Martin’s Jordan Sears. Last year Sears was one of the highest scorers in college basketball averaging 21.6 points and adding in 4.5 assists per game, and his ability to stuff the stat sheet made him must-watch basketball. Not only was he productive, but he did in style with a lot of flashy players with the dribble on the perimeter and around the rim with finishes. Another element that makes the Jordan Sears experience so fun? The fact that he stands at just 5’10”, This, of course, will be one of the things that could hurt his ability to translate to the SEC, but he has such a knack for scoring that you have to think he’ll still be impactful on that end and the issue will just be on the defensive side. A 43% shooter from three, even if he is deterred by getting to the rim in the SEC as much as he did in the Ohio Valley Conference he still should be able to make a lot of shots from the perimeter. Look for Sears to be a fan favorite in the SEC for his electric style of play.
South Carolina
After a surprise year that saw them way overachieving preseason expectations, the Gamecocks largely focused on keeping their own roster together over bringing in new talent.
South Carolina’s frontcourt lacked size and length last season and they tried to address it with the addition of Nick Pringle who stays in the conference after leaving Alabama. The 6’9”, 220 pound forward who hails from the state of South Carolina averaged 6.8 points and 5.8 rebounds last season but never seemed to really fit the style of play that the Crimson Tide have well established. He might be better off in the much more methodical South Carolina system–at least, that’s what the Gamecocks are banking on. If nothing else, Pringle has proven he can contribute on a top team in the SEC already and will bring that experience to South Carolina.
Coach Lamont Paris is a defense-first kind of coach, but he knew he needed to bring in some scoring punch and he did so with Jamarii Thomas from Norfolk State. The 6’0” guard might lack size but he doesn’t lack toughness and he still found his way to the rim repeatedly on his way to 16.9 points per game. What makes Thomas’ game so effective as a small guard is his ability to change speeds and get defenders swiping at him and leaning the wrong direction, which leads to him drawing fouls and getting to the free throw line where he can do all kinds of damage. Look for Thomas to be a key offensive weapon that’s surrounded with some defensive pieces to insulate him.
An upside swing is Jordan Butler, a 7’0”, 230 pound center who played his freshman season at Missouri last year and struggled to get on the floor. A native of South Carolina, he’ll now be closer to home as he looks to develop in a new setting. The Gamecocks have struggled to get length on their roster in recent years so this will be an investment they make to try and get a true 7-footer to be a regular in their rotation.
Oklahoma
Lastly, we have the second newcomer to the SEC–Oklahoma. Head coach Porter Moser has always trusted his eye for talent in the transfer portal meaning he’ll bring in some names that people wouldn’t have necessarily thought were SEC players.
One player that has been an SEC player already is Mohamed Wague who comes to Oklahoma after playing last year at Alabama after transferring from West Virginia. Wague has legit size and athleticism at 6’10” and 225 pounds, but his processing speed has always been a little bit slow which has caused him to struggle to be a regular part of a rotation at two separate schools. Moser loves his defensive upside and will try to get him to be a regular contributor in that area.
Duke Miles is a guard that is brought in to get buckets. The 6’2” native of Alabama spent last year at High Point where he scored 17.5 points per game, largely shifting defenders and getting into the midrange where he could finish with a variety of floaters or pull up jumpers. High Point played a beautiful brand of basketball last year and the system could be similar to what Moser is looking to do at Oklahoma, so this could be a nice fit.
Joining Miles in the backcourt is point guard Kobe Elvis, a 9.4 point, 3.5 assist scorer from Dayton. Dayton was a quality team last year who put points on the board and Elvis was a true point guard who got everyone on the floor into the proper position, and Moser will hope these intangibles can help out the Sooners.
Another player from a very good mid-major team is Jadon Jones, a 6’5” guard coming to Oklahoma from Long Beach State where he averaged 12.1 points per game while shooting 38% from three. Jones is a rock solid defensive wing who can make plays off ball reversals whether catching and shooting from three or attacking downhill, and his experience in a winning system is a culture fit Oklahoma’s staff is looking for.
Lastly, Oklahoma is bringing in some experience with guard Brycen Goodine who has five years of experience under his belt at Syracuse, Providence, and Fairfield. Last year at Fairfield Goodine averaged 13.9 points, and he did it in the way he knows best–shooting the three. He shot 47% from three last year which, surprisingly, was only up slightly from the year prior where he shot 46%. Shooting 47% and 46% from three in consecutive seasons is not easy and Oklahoma’s staff is hoping this means his shooting is for real and will be consistent as he transitions to the SEC.
This was the final instalment of the series, so I hope you enjoyed learning about some of the new players entering the SEC this season.