Kenneth Harrison
Top Portal Classes
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The college football spring transfer portal window closed April 25th. Let’s take a look at the top transfer portal recruiting classes going into the summer.
#1 LSU: The Tigers are bringing in 18 players. They have 12 four-stars and 5 three-star players.
Some of the standout players are: S Tamarcus Cooley (NC State), DL Bernard Gooden (USF), S A.J. Haulcy (Houston), Edge Patrick Payton (Florida State), TE Donovan Green (Texas A&M), DL Sydir Mitchell (Texas), CB Mansoor Delane (Virginia Tech), Jack Pyburn (Florida), IOL Braelin Moore (Virginia Tech), WR Destyn Hill (Florida State), WR Nic Anderson (Oklahoma), WR Barion Brown (Kentucky), IOL Josh Thompson (Northwestern) and Edge Jimari Butler (Nebraska).
I expect LSU to be a top 10 team in the preseason poll.
#3 Miami: The Hurricanes have 19 commits. Nine of them are four-stars and 9 are three-stars.
The biggest star is QB Carson Beck (Georgia). He’s hoping to follow in Cam Ward’s footsteps because he transferred in from Washington State the year before. He was the top pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
Some of the other players are: CB Keionte Scott (Houston), S Jakobe Thomas (Tennessee), LB Mohamed Toure (Rutgers), LB Kamal Bonner (NC State), WR Keelan Marion (BYU), WR Tony Johnson (Cincinnati), TE Alex Bauman (Tulane), IOL James Brockermeyer (TCU), CB Xavier Lucas (Wisconsin), CB Charles Brantley (Michigan State), TE Jack Nickel (UAB), S Zechariah Poyser (Jacksonville State), WR CJ Daniels (LSU) and Ethan O’Connor.
The defense was the Achilles’ heel last season so they added plenty of talent on that side of the ball. I think they will start the season just outside the top 10.
#4 Ole Miss: The Rebels are adding 29 transfer players, making them one of the deepest classes. They have 10 four-stars and 19 three-stars.
They include: QB Maealiuaki Smith (Oklahoma State), OT Terez Davis (Maryland), CB Tavoy Feagin (Clemson), WR Harrison Wallace III (Penn State), WR Traylon Ray (West Virginia), OT Percy Lewis (Auburn), S Kapena Gushiken (Washington State), WR Deuce Alexander (Wake Forest) and IOL Delano Townsend (UAB).
They lost quarterback Jaxson Dart who was a first round pick in the NFL draft. They have enough talent to start the season in the top 20.
#6 Florida State: FSU showed us how badly building a team from the transfer portal can go last year.
They imploded and went 2-10 after being ranked in the top 10 in the preseason. Let’s see if things will be better in 2025. Out of their 23 commits they have 8 four-stars and 15 three-stars.
Some of them are: RB Gavin Sawchuk (Oklahoma), OT Josh Raymond (Vanderbilt), CB Jeremiah Wilson (Houston), S Jarvis Boatwright Jr. (USC), WR Squirrel White (Tennessee), DL Jayson Jenkins (Tennessee) and OT Micah Pettus (Ole Miss).
We will see if the Seminoles can bounce back.
#8 Auburn: The Tigers were 5-7 last season and only won two conference games. They have 19 commits with 6 four-stars and 12 three-stars.
This includes: LB Caleb Wheatland (Maryland), S Taye Seymore (Georgia Tech), TE Preston Howard (Maryland), OT Mason Murphy (USC), CB Raion Strader (Miami OH), WR Eric Singleton Jr. (Georgia Tech), OT Xavier Chaplin (Virginia Tech) and QB Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma).
I think they can start the season as a Top 25 team.
Drafted To The Benz
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2025 NFL Draft is over. We are going to take a look at the Atlanta Falcons draft and see how they did.
Atlanta Falcons: Draft picks
Round 1 (No. 15) Edge Jalon Walker, Georgia
Round 1 (No. 26) Edge James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
Round 3 (No. 96) S Xavier Watts, Notre Dame
Round 4 (No. 118) S Billy Bowman Jr., Oklahoma
Round 7 (No. 218) OT Jack Nelson
I like the fact that Atlanta has addressed the need for pass rushers. That has been an issue for several years. I thought last season that should have been addressed first in the draft.
Instead, they picked QB Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick. If they did not sign Kirk Cousins in free agency that would have been a good pick.
“It’s like, ‘Man, how do we get two of these studs,’” general manager Terry Fontenot.
“’Let’s figure out a way to do that and let’s really impact this thing.’”
They did trade up to get the 26th pick to select Pearce. They gave up a 2026 first-rounder for that so they have to hope he lives up to his potential. As a Falcons fan I can’t help but think of recent draft picks that did not pan out.
Defensive end Takk McKinley was picked No. 26 by Atlanta in the 2017 draft. They declined his fifth-year option on his contract and he was waived during the 2020 season.
Linebacker Vic Beasley was selected No. 8 in the 2015 draft. He had a breakout second season in 2016, with 15.5 sacks. That was his only season with double-digit sacks in the five years he played for the Falcons.
Watts is a ball hawking safety and he addressed a huge need in the secondary. They were docked a 2025 fifth-round pick for violating the league’s anti-tampering policy related to signing free agents Kirk Cousins, wide receiver Darnell Mooney and tight end Charlie Woerner.
Bowman should develop into a starter at strong safety. He might play nickel in 2025, if needed.
Nelson will play behind Jake Matthews and Kaleb McGary. He can play either right or left tackle.
“It doesn’t always line up to where the need matches the board in terms of the players that are there,” Fontenot said. “But it really worked out for us and we truly were able to bring in impact players in all areas.”
The biggest needs to address after the draft are center, wide receiver and corner back.
Atlanta signed 11 undrafted rookie free agents after the draft. They are Miami DT Simeon Barrow, Kansas CB Cobee Bryant, Michigan State RB Nathan Carter, Oregon State guard Joshua Gray, North Dakota State LB Nick Kubitz, Oregon CB Dontae Manning, South Carolina TE Joshua Simon, San Jose State WR Nick Nash, Vanderbilt WR Quincy Skinner, Georgia Tech OL Jordan Williams and Iowa State S Malik Verdon.
“We kind of talk about this draft and the fact that we do believe it’s a deep draft,” Fontenot said. “I keep saying this, but it’s true: there is an eighth round this year. We’re going to be aggressive there and get some good players when the seventh-round ends.”
Mel Kiper graded the Falcons draft a C-. I give them a B because they addressed the need for pass rushers.
Spring Buzz
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Georgia Tech played their spring game and Team Wreck ‘Em beat Swarm 20-19 in the White and Gold game.
Starting quarterback Haynes King played limited snaps in this game. I’m sure they wanted to make sure he stays healthy. King went 5-7 for 31 yards on the first drive for Team Swarm. The drive stalled so they had to punt.
Aidan Birr made a 47-yard field goal with 7:23 left in the first quarter to give Team Wreck ‘Em a 3-0 lead.
Wide receiver Zion Taylor had seven catches for 107 yards and 2 touchdowns. Bailey Stockton had six receptions for 107 yards.
QB Aaron Philo completed a 58-yard pass to Taylor and a 17-yard touchdown pass to Luke Harpring to put Swarm within one point. Philo’s game winning two-point conversion pass attempt was incomplete.
“It’s really about just staying patient, trusting the process and now I got the opportunity to go show my abilities and what I can do,” Taylor said of his day. “I just gotta make the most of it every time I get the chance.”
QB Graham Knowles threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Taylor with 1:40 left in the game. That turned out to be the game winner.
King completed 9 of 12 passes for 66 yards. Philo was 19 of 34 passing for 275 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Knowles completed 11 of 20 passes for 133 yards, a touchdown and a pick.
“Today was a perfect example of why I think it’s important to play spring games,” Tech coach Brent Key said. “There’s a lot of reasons behind it from external, fans and student body and people around, but the importance is when you go out and scrimmage and you have people in the stands, it’s a different environment. You don’t know how you’re gonna scrimmage by the way you practice, necessarily. You hope you do.
“Then you don’t know how you’re gonna scrimmage in a stadium with people in it as opposed to a stadium that is empty. Everything we’re doing trying to shrink that gap between our preparation and playing in a game. This is another step toward that.”
Freshman running back J.P. Powell scored a 1-yard touchdown early in the second quarter to give Team Wreck ‘Em a 10-0 lead. That capped of an 11-play drive.
Junior running back Jamal Haynes only had one carry but he did throw a touchdown pass. Haynes led the Yellow Jackets in rushing last season with 944 yards, 9 TD’s and he averaged 5.6 yards per carry. In 2023 he had 1,059 yards and 7 scores.
King threw a pass to Haynes in the right flat and Haynes caught it on the 45 and tossed a pass to Taylor who caught it at the 10. He dragged a defender into the end zone.
“We’re trying to build depth at quarterback,” Key joked during the ESPN livestream after the play.
Said Haynes postgame: “We put it in (Friday). We just wanted to bring a little fun to the game. Luckily, I had a great receiver to track down the ball because that (throw) was a little duck.”
“This is a reward for the players, too,” Key added. “You go through 14 days of practice, and I promise you our practices are real practice now. That’s the thing about spring; you go through all those practices and there’s no real reward other than the spring game. The reward is you’re getting better. So, give them an opportunity to go out there and play and you wanna see guys have fun, too.”
Left Standing
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
All four No. 1 seeds have advanced to the Final Four for the second time in history and the first time since 2008. The teams that made it are Duke (35-3), Florida (34-4), Auburn (32-5) and Houston (34-4).
Surprisingly, the 2008 Final Four was also in San Antonio. That’s the national title game where Kansas beat Memphis and Derrick Rose in overtime.
The SEC had a record of 14 teams make it into the NCAA Tournament. It’s not surprising that two teams are from that conference.
The first national semifinal is between the SEC regular-season champion Tigers and SEC tournament Gators.
“The four teams that are advancing, I think they’re the best four teams in the country,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said after his team’s win Sunday. “That doesn’t obviously always happen.”
These teams played February 8th at Auburn and Florida won 90-81. The Tigers beat No. 2 seed Michigan State 70-64 in the Elite Eight. Johni Broome led the team with 25 points and 14 rebounds. The only other Tiger with double figures was freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford with 10 points.
“Unfortunately, there will only be one SEC team playing for the national championship,” Pearl said, also wearing a net around his neck.
This is Auburn’s second Final Four appearance and the first since 2019.
Florida had to rally late to beat No. 3 seed Texas Tech 84-79. The Gators trailed 75-66 with less than three minutes left in the game. Senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. scored 30 points and sophomore forward Thomas Haugh scored 20.
“It goes to show how together we all are,” Clayton said. “Many times could easily just break, start pointing the finger, blaming each other for this and that. But we just stayed together through the end and stayed the course. And thankfully we got it done today.”
Todd Golden took over as the head coach in Gainesville in 2022. The Gators have improved in each season under him. This is Florida’s sixth Final Four appearance and the first since 2014.
The second game is Houston and their top-rated defense against Duke’s top-ranked offense.
The Blue Devils are a blue blood program and they have been led by freshman forward Cooper Flagg this season.
They defeated No. 2 seed Alabama 85-65 in the Elite Eight. Freshman guard Kon Knueppel had 21 points, junior guard Tyrese Proctor scored 17 and Flagg added 16 points.
“To hold them to 65 points is incredible,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “We watched them play the other night. They scored 113 and made 25 3s. The biggest thing for us was not taking the bait of getting so spread out.”
This is Duke’s 18th Final Four appearance and the first since 2022. That last appearance came in Mike Krzyzewski’s final season. Scheyer took over after he retired.
The Cougars beat No. 2 seed Tennessee 69-50 in the Elite Eight. Senior guard L.J. Cryer scored 17 points and junior guard Emanuel Sharp had 16 points.
“It’s a good feeling knowing what we’ve been through,” Sharp, the region’s most outstanding player, said of Houston’s first Final Four appearance since 2021. “A lot of people doubted us.”
This is Houston’s seventh trip to the Final Four and the first since 2021. Head coach Kelvin Sampson became the head coach in 2014 after previously being the head coach at Washington State, Oklahoma and Indiana.
I think Duke and Florida will advance to the national title game. I expect the Blue Devils to win.
Running To NFL
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2025 NFL Draft is next month. We are going to take a look at some of the top running back prospects in the draft.
# 1. The top prospect is Ashton Jeanty (Boise State). Jeanty is from Jacksonville, Florida and he went to high school in Frisco, Texas.
Last season he rushed for 2,601 yards, 29 touchdowns and averaged 7 yards per carry.
In 2023 he had 1,347 yards and 14 touchdowns. He had 43 catches in 2023 and 23 in 2024.
He won the Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Award, Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, Unanimous All-American and he finished second in the 2024 Heisman Trophy voting.
I think he can be picked as high as 6th by the Las Vegas Raiders. The Chicago Bears are picking 10th and they could trade up to pick Jeanty.
# 2. Omarion Hampton (North Carolina) should also be selected in the top 15 picks.
The North Carolina native is 6’0, 221 pounds so he has a great combination of size and speed.
He’s been a workhorse for the past two years for the Tar Heels. In 2023 he rushed for 1,504 yards and 15 TD’s. In 2024 he had 1,660 yards and 15 scores, while averaging 5.9 ypc both years.
He had 29 receptions in 2023 and 38 in 2024. He can run and catch passes out of the backfield. I don’t expect him to slip past Dallas who has the 12th pick.
# 3. Kaleb Johnson (Iowa) is 6’1, 224 pounds. He rushed for 1,537 yards, 21 scores and averaged 6.4 ypc.
He also had 22 catches for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was a Consensus All-American, First-team All-Big Ten and Big Ten Running Back of the Year.
# 4. Dylan Sampson (Tennessee) is a Louisiana native. He’s 5’8, 200 pounds so he’s a smaller back.
Last season he ran for 1,493 yards, 22 TD’s and averaged 5.8 ypc. He also had 19 receptions for 141 yards. He was the SEC Offensive Player of the Year, First-team All-SEC and a Second-team All-American.
# 5. TreVeyon Henderson (Ohio State) split time last season with Quinshon Judkins.
The senior rushed for 1,016 yards, 10 touchdowns, 7.1 ypc and he had 27 receptions.
Henderson is 5’10 and 202 pounds. This was his first thousand-yard season since his freshman year.
# 6. Brashard Smith (SMU) is a Florida native that transferred from Miami.
He was a wide receiver and kickoff returner for the Hurricanes.
Last year he ran for 1,332 yards, 14 scores and averaged 5.7 ypc. He also caught 39 passes for 327 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Smith is 5’10, 194 lbs. and he’s very explosive. He was named First-team All-ACC.
# 7. Quinshon Judkins (Ohio State) is an Alabama native that started his career at Ole Miss.
As a freshman he rushed for 1,567 yards and 16 scores. As a sophomore he ran for 1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns.
He transferred to Ohio State for the 2024 season and split carries with TreyVeon Henderson. In 2024 he had 1,060 yards, 14 touchdowns and he averaged 5.5 ypc. Judkins is 6’0, 220 pounds and he has a nice balance of speed and power.
The depth of the defensive line in this year’s draft class has been primarily what the media has focused on. The running back class has great depth. I think a player drafted in the third round or later can make an immediate impact as a rookie.
SEC Survival Time
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The last time an SEC team won the men’s college basketball national championship was Kentucky in 2012.
The last team to play in the national championship game was Kentucky in 2014.
Obviously, the Wildcats are the most successful program in the conference. This season the SEC has been the best basketball conference in the nation. Let’s take a look at the top teams as they head into the SEC Tournament.
# 3 Auburn: The Tigers (27-4) lost their season finale to archrival #5 Alabama 93-91 over the weekend.
They also lost to Texas A&M before that so they are on a two-game losing streak.
Despite that, they are still the top seed in the SEC Tournament. The top four seeds have a bye for the first two rounds of the tournament.
They are led by veteran head coach Bruce Pearl. Pearl was the head coach at Tennessee from 2005-11. He took over at Auburn in 2014 and they did reach the Final Four once in the 2018-19 season. They are led by senior forward Johni Broome. He averages 18.6 points per game and 10.6 assists per game.
They will face the winner of Ole Miss and South Carolina/Arkansas.
# 4 Florida: The Gators (27-4) are the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. Head coach Todd Golden is in his third season in Gainesville and they have improved every year. Last year they made it to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed and lost in the round of 64.
This season they have a chance to be a No. 1 seed, which would make the path to the Final Four much easier.
The team’s leading scorer is senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. with 17.2 ppg. Sophomore forward Alex Condon leads the team with 8 rpg and 11.4 ppg.
They will face the winner of Mizzou and LSU/Miss State.
# 5 Alabama: The Crimson Tide (24-7) have been good at basketball for the last few years. That’s because of head coach Nate Oats, who was hired in 2019.
They made it to the NCAA Tournament in four of the last five seasons. They went to the Final Four last year and the Sweet 16 twice.
Senior guard Mark Sears averages 19.2 ppg and 5 apg. Senior forward Grant Nelson averages 12.1 ppg and 7.9 rpg. Bama is the third seed so they will play the winner of Kentucky and Oklahoma/Georgia.
# 8 Tennessee: The Vols (25-6) are the fourth SEC team ranked in the top ten. They are a very good team but they are inconsistent. They have been swept by Kentucky and have lost to Vanderbilt and Ole Miss. Florida beat them by 30 points in early January. They got revenge in February when they beat them by 20.
Head coach Rick Barnes has been in Knoxville since 2015. He’s led the Vols to the NCAA Tournament six times. They advanced the Elite Eight last season and they have been to the Sweet 16 twice.
Senior guard Chaz Lanier averages 17.9 ppg. Senior guard Zakai Zeigler is the second leading scorer with 13.1 ppg. Tennessee is the fourth seed and they will face Texas A&M or Texas/Vanderbilt.
# 15 Texas A&M: The Aggies (22-9) had a four-game losing streak before winning the final two games of the season. One of those wins was against Auburn. They are the fifth seed and will play the winner of Vandy/Texas.
Southern Needs
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2025 NFL Draft starts April 24, 2025. I looked at the AFC South and examined the potential first round picks. Now let’s take a look at the NFC South.
Carolina (5-12): The Panthers hold the 8th pick in the draft. They drafted quarterback Bryce Young with the top pick in the 2023 draft.
They had the ninth overall pick but they traded D.J. Moore and several other draft picks to Chicago to move up. One of the picks they traded was the 2024 first round pick, which turned out to be the first pick overall.
C.J. Stroud was drafted second in that draft and he was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and made the Pro Bowl in 2023.
Thus far Young has looked like a bust. He played poorly and got benched last season. He got back in the starting lineup Week 8 and he played much better. The biggest team needs are edge, defensive tackle, wide receiver and center.
I can see the Panthers drafting WR Tetairoa McMillan (Arizona) or edge James Pearce Jr. (Tennessee). I think the biggest focus should be on defense but they have a chance to add a weapon to help Young.
McMillan had 84 receptions, 1,319 yards and 8 touchdowns last season. He was a Consensus All-American and First-team All-Big 12.
Pearce had 23 solo tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery in 2024. He’s a two-time First-team All-SEC selection (2023, 2024).
New Orleans (5-12): The Saints hold the 9th pick. They recently hired Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore as head coach. They started the season with two wins before going on a seven-game losing streak.
The biggest needs are edge, WR, TE, CB and DT. They also need to strengthen the offensive line.
If Carolina does not draft James Pearce Jr. the Saints will. If he is not available I can see them drafting OT Armand Membou (Mizzou). He’s had 30 starts in three seasons and played in 36 games total. He was Second-team All-SEC in 2024.
Atlanta (8-9): The Falcons have the 15th pick. The team hired head coach Raheem Morris and signed QB Kirk Cousins. They expected to be a playoff team in 2024 and that did not happen.
Cousins was benched toward the end of the season for rookie Michael Penix.
The positions of need are edge, S, CB, C and WR. It seems like every year we talk about the Falcons not being able to rush the passer.
I think they will take edge Mike Green (Marshall) or edge/LB Jalon Walker (Georgia). Green had 38 solo tackles, 23 TFL, 17 sacks, 3 FF and 1 FR last year.
Tampa Bay (10-7): The Buccaneers have the 19 pick. They had a pretty good season, losing to Washington 23-20 in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
The biggest needs are WR, OG, LB, CB and OT. Receiver Chris Godwin suffered a season-ending ankle injury in October and he might depart in free agency. 2025 is the final year of Mike Evans’ contract.
I think they will draft CB Jahdae Barron (Texas). He won the Jim Thorpe Award (2024), Consensus All-American (2024) and First-team All-SEC (2024). Last season he had 46 solo tackles, 5 interceptions, 11 passes defended, 3 TFL and 1 sack.
Southern Draft
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2025 NFL Draft starts April 24, 2025 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. We are going to take a look around the AFC South and see what position each team should address in the first round.
Tennessee (3-14): The Titans are tied with Cleveland and the New York Giants for the worst record in the NFL. That earned them the first pick in the 2025 draft.
Quarterback Will Levis was drafted in the 2nd round, No. 33 by the team in 2023. He started the season opener and for a total of twelve games.
He passed for 2,091 yards, 13 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and he completed 63% of his passes. He showed that he takes risks and throws bad interceptions. I think Tennessee has to look at their QB of the future.
The most likely candidate to pick is Cam Ward (Miami). This year’s quarterback class is considered weak but Ward is the best in this class.
He transferred from Washington State and played great at Miami. He threw for 4,313 yards, 39 TD’s, 7 interceptions and completed 67% of his passes.
He also rushed for 204 yards and 4 scores. Ward won the Davey O’Brien Award (2024), Manning Award (2024), ACC Player of the Year (2024) and Consensus All-American (2024).
Jacksonville (4-13): The Jags need help on the defensive line or in the secondary. They have the fifth pick so I think they will draft a pass rusher.
The best pick is Abdul Carter (Penn State). He was an off-ball linebacker his first two years before he was moved to edge rusher for the 2024 season.
In 2024 he had 43 solo tackles, 24 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. Carter was a Unanimous All-American (2024), Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year (2024) and two-time first-team All-Big Ten (2023, 2024).
He’s 6’3 and 259 pounds so he has great size and speed. He’s a great athlete that could have an immediate impact like another Penn State pass rusher has recently, Micah Parsons.
Indianapolis (8-9): The Colts were only one game under .500 so they are close to becoming a playoff team. They have the No. 14 pick.
Quarterback Anthony Richardson was drafted 4th in the 2023 draft. In his two seasons he has only played in 15 games. They are really hoping he can stay healthy and make a drastic leap going into his third season.
Indy can go in a couple of different directions with this pick. They could select an offensive lineman or defensive back.
If they pick a lineman it could be inside offensive lineman Armand Membou (Mizzou). He was a tackle at Missouri but he’s 6’3 and 332 pounds so he’s not the ideal size for an NFL tackle. He will probably be moved inside to guard.
If they pick a DB safety Malaki Starks (Georgia) might be the pick. He’s very smart and athletic so he would be a great fit.
Houston (10-7): The Texans were very inconsistent but they still won the division and a playoff game. Second year QB CJ Stroud regressed and the offensive line did a bad job protecting him. They can address the offensive line, defensive line or add a weapon on offense. They are picking No. 25.
I think they might draft guard Grey Zabel (North Dakota State). He’s listed as 6’6, 305 lbs. and he’s a two-time FCS national champion. He was also named first-team FCS All-American (2024).
New Homes
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The college football season recently ended. This was the first season with a 12-team playoff. I want to take a look at some of the top transfer portal recruiting classes around the Southeast.
LSU: The Tigers have the top portal class in the nation with 16 commits. Eight of them are 4-star players and seven are 3-star players.
This class is highlighted by edge rusher Patrick Payton (Florida State), CB Tamarcus Cooley (NC State), TE Donovan Green (Texas A&M), CB Mansoor Delane (Va Tech), IOL Braelin Moore (Va Tech), WR Nic Anderson (Oklahoma), WR Barion Brown (Kentucky), TE Bauer Sharp (Oklahoma) and CB Ja’Keem Jackson (Florida).
Ole Miss: The Rebels are the second ranked portal class with 22 commits. They have eight 4-star recruits and fourteen 3-star recruits.
Some of the big names are WR Harrison Wallace III (Penn State), RB Jordon Simmons (Akron), S Kapena Gushiken (Washington State), OT Percy Lewis (Auburn), WR Traylon Ray (West Virginia), QB Pierce Clarkson (Louisville), WR Caleb Odom (Alabama), RB Kewan Lacy (Mizzou) and TE Luke Hasz (Arkansas).
Auburn: The Tigers have the fourth ranked class that consists of 16 commits. Six of them are 4-star players and eight are 3-star players.
This class has S Taye Seymore (Georgia Tech), OT Mason Murphy (USC), OT Xavier Chaplin (Va Tech), CB Raion Strader (Miami OH), WR Eric Singleton Jr. (Georgia Tech), LB Xavier Atkins (LSU), QB Ashton Daniels (Stanford), DL Dallas Walker IV (Western Kentucky) and QB Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma).
Miami: The Hurricanes are the fifth rated class with 11 commits. It includes seven 4-star recruits and four 3-star recruits.
They have QB Carson Beck (Georgia), TE Alex Bauman (Tulane), IOL James Brockermeyer (TCU), CB Xavier Lucas (Wisconsin), CB Charles Brantley (Michigan State), S Zechariah Poyser (Jacksonville State), WR CJ Daniels (LSU), CB Emmanuel Karnley (Arizona) and DL David Blay (La Tech).
Kentucky: The Wildcats have the sixth rated portal class that has 19 commits. They have six 4-star players and thirteen 3-star players.
Some of the standouts are Edge Mi’Quise Grace (South Dakota), WR Kendrick Law (Alabama), Edge Sam Greene (USC), IOL Joshua Braun (Arkansas), WR Troy Stellato (Clemson), DL David Gusta (Washington State), RB Dante Dowdell (Nebraska), WR Tru Edwards (La Tech) and TE Henry Boyer (Illinois).
Florida State: The Seminoles have the seventh ranked class. Last season was a disaster that showed what can go wrong by building a roster with transfer players.
They are hoping for better results in 2025. They have 16 commits, consisting of five 4-star recruits and eleven 3-star recruits. Some of those players are LB Caleb LaVallee (North Carolina), WR Squirrel White (Tennessee), Edge Jayson Jenkins (Tennessee), IOL Luke Petitbon (Wake Forest), OT Micah Pettus (Ole Miss), WR Duce Robinson (USC), LB Elijah Herring (Memphis), TE Randy Pittman Jr. (UCF) and Edge James Williams (Nebraska).
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs have the twelfth ranked class with 24 commits. They have two 4-star players and twenty-two 3-star players.
The big names are RB Fluff Bothwell (South Alabama), QB Luke Kromenhoek (Florida State), WR Brenen Thompson (Oklahoma), DL Darron Reed Jr. (Auburn), WR Anthony Evans III (Georgia), WR Ayden Williams (Ole Miss), IOL Koby Keenum (Kentucky), LB Jalen Smith (Tennessee) and Edge Malick Sylla (Texas A&M).
Beck’s Big Move
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Carson Beck shocked the college football world by transferring from Georgia to Miami.
Georgia is an elite program and they won back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022. Stetson Bennett was the quarterback of those teams but Beck took over as the starter in 2023.
Beck led the Bulldogs to a 13-1 record. The only loss was in the SEC Championship game to #8 Alabama, 27-24. I think they would have won the national championship if they were in the four team College Football Playoff.
In 2023 Beck passed for 3,941 yards, 24 touchdowns, 6 interceptions and he completed 72.4% of his passes. In 2024 he threw for 3,485 yards, 28 TD’s, 12 interceptions and his completion rate was 64.7%.
He did get hurt on the last play of the first half in the SEC Championship game against Texas. He injured his ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He had surgery on it in December and he is expected to make a full recovery.
I can’t put all of the blame for Beck’s regression in 2024 on him. Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo took over for Todd Monken in 2023 after he left to coach the Baltimore Ravens. Bobo played quarterback at UGA and he was a college teammate of Kirby Smart. He has struggled this season with play calling though.
The 2023 team had two skill players that were drafted early in 2024; tight end Brock Bowers and wide receiver Ladd McConkey. The 2024 team did not do a good job of replacing the talent they lost.
UGA’s receivers led all Power 4 programs with 31 drops. They also had injuries on their offensive line, allowing 1.79 sacks per game (58th among FBS programs).
Cam Ward transferred to Miami from Washington State last season and he was a Heisman Trophy finalist. He passed for 4,313 yards, 39 touchdowns, 7 interceptions and completed 67.2% of his passes. Watching Ward have that success probably played a role in the decision to transfer to the Hurricanes.
Beck is also reportedly going to make $4 million from Miami’s NIL collective. It is believed the number is closer to a little over $3 million.
Ward earned $1.6 million through Miami’s collective, which is not including additional deals with Bose, Adidas and others.
I’m sure the main reason for the transfer is his girlfriend, Hanna Cavinder, who plays basketball at Miami with her twin sister, Haley.
“Nice to finally meet you in person,” Hurricanes offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson told the 6-4, 220-pound gunslinger.
“So, when are you going to start throwing?”
Like Ward, Beck is motivated to increase his draft stock in his final season.
“Watching his success and what he was able to do and the position he’s in now (with the NFL Draft) made (Miami) very attractive to me,” Beck said Saturday when he emerged from Miami’s football offices about five hours after arriving on campus.
This move should also get more talented receivers to transfer to the U. They have already added LSU transfer CJ Daniels, who started 30 games in his career.
Initially I was shocked when I heard Beck was transferring from Georgia. There are only 3 or 4 other programs on par with the Bulldogs. I do think this move makes sense for him to showcase his talent and improve his draft stock.
This reminds me of Kyle McCord when he transferred from Ohio State to Syracuse last season. I thought he was crazy for leaving the Buckeyes but he played better at Syracuse. This could be a similar situation.
