Which SEC players would Texas add to its 2024 roster in a hypothetical expansion draft?

The transfer portal is crazy. Ask any coach or player personnel department member and they’ll tell you that, and their answer wouldn’t be short.

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Know what would be crazier? A conference-wide expansion draft with no roster protection.

In the doldrums of the offseason, this exercise is done in order to entertain but also to inform on who some of the top players in the Southeastern Conference are. In this scenario, Texas is doing the picking.

Choices in this expansion draft of sorts could be made for any reason, including addressing an area of mild concern on the Texas roster, removing a quality player from a 2024 opponent, or just for the laughs.

Alabama – Deontae Lawson, LB

A productive presence in the middle of the Crimson Tide defense, Lawson racked up 67 tackles, 5.5 TFL, and three sacks during the 2023 season in 11 games. Texas isn’t hurting at linebacker, not in the slightest, but a veteran like Lawson would raise the floor of the defense.

Ryan Williams would be a nice steal for further down the road, and Justin would delight in Jamarion Miller returning to the Lone Star State, but Lawson would be instant impact and create real depth at LB.

Honorable mention: Ryan Williams, Jam Miller

Arkansas – Landon Jackson, EDGE

If Texas plucked Landon Jackson for the 2024 season, his time on the 40 Acres would not overlap with that of little brother and Texas commit Lance Jackson. Plus, Texas is in good shape at Jack, but Landon Jackson would likely thrust himself into a starting role if not receive starter’s quantity snaps.

Aside from Jackson, the Arkansas roster is one looking pieced together. Ja’Quinden Jackson would be a nostalgic addition, but for family’s sake Landon is the answer.

Honorable mention: Ja’Quinden Jackson

Auburn – Cam Coleman, WR

If not for Jeremiah Smith at Ohio State, Cam Coleman would be considered WR1 in the 2024 class. He made a number of quality plays in the Tigers’ spring game and would bolster an already strong Longhorn wideout room.

Rivaldo Fairweather made the successful jump from Group of Five to Power Four at tight end, but Coleman is the better player. At Texas’ he’d at least have well-known quantities at quarterback throwing to him.

Honorable mention: Rivaldo Fairweather

Florida – DJ Lagway, QB

The Longhorns are in phenomenal shape at quarterback with Quinn Ewers, Arch Manning, and Trey Owens in the room. The future is obviously bright for Manning and Owens, but this hypothetical isn’t about stocking the pipeline. This choice is about sending a funny, crushing blow to the Gators and removing Billy Napier‘s insurance policy.

More practically, former Texas signee D’antre Robinson would be a smart choice to put more Big Humans into the defensive tackle pipeline. But there’s a comedy factor associated with picking Lagway that’s too good to pass up.

Honorable mention: Eugene Wilson III, Arlis Boardingham, D’Antre Robinson

Georgia – Malaki Starks, S

Starks is one of the best players in college football.

He racked up 52 tackles in 2023 and has five interceptions and 14 passes defended over the last two seasons. A consensus first-team All-American, Starks would help a secondary with a lot to prove in 2024 and take away a playmaker from the Bulldogs.

Honorable mention: Carson Beck, Mykel Williams, Earnest Greene, Tate Ratledge

Kentucky – Deone Walker, DL

Walker, who at 6-foot-6, 348 pounds wears No. 0, was a first-team All-SEC selection last year according to the AP. In the middle of Mark Stoops‘ defense, Walker netted 55 tackles with 12.5 TFL and 7.5 sacks. One of the best players in the conference and a defender opposing offensive coordinators have to gameplan around, Walker will be a household name this year.

Honorable mention: Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Dane Key

LSU – Will Campbell, OT

Texas is in good shape at tackle with third-year players Kelvin Banks and Cameron Williams, but Will Campbell might be competing with Banks during next year’s draft season for OT1. Along with teammate Emery Jones, Campbell should assist a strong Tiger offense even without Jayden Daniels.

Harold Perkins would be an intriguing add, and CJ Daniels considered the Longhorns out of the portal, but Campbell is likely the best player in Baton Rouge and his hypothetical addition to a Texas roster would give the Longhorn offense few, if any, weaknesses.

Honorable mention: Harold Perkins, CJ Daniels

Ole Miss – Walter Nolen, DL

Nolen was extremely disruptive for the Aggies defense in 2023, tallying 37 tackles, 8.5 TFL, and 4.0 sacks along with a pass defended. Once his time in College Station was up, he elected to hit the portal and subsequently decided that the Ole Miss football program was where he wanted to be.

Kind of like with Kentucky’s Walker, Nolen would add a fantastic defensive lineman to the roster — arguably one the of the best in the country. It would also put a dent into the Rebels’ championship efforts.

Honorable mention: Tre Harris, Princely Umanmielen

Mississippi State – De’Monte Russell, DL

Jeff Lebby is walking into a difficult situation after the death of Mike Leach and the short tenure of Zach Arnett, but Russell may be a bright spot. He netted 43 tackles last year with 6.0 for loss and 2.5 sacks plus a pass defended. He’s been a consistent part of a variety of defenses and is an experienced body in the trenches. Outside of Russell, there’s not a ton to write home about from Starkville.

Missouri – Luther Burden, WR

Texas already has a strong receiver corps but Burden wouldn’t just put the Longhorns over the top, he’d take them to the moon. Burden caught 86 passes for 1212 yards and nine touchdowns during the Tigers’ ascendent season in 2023. While Toriano Pride is a quality DB, Williams Nwaneri has a lot of promise, and Theo Wease and Tavorus Jones would make for entertaining homecomings, this is an easy BPA situation and Burden might be one of the best in America.

Honorable mention: Toriano Pride, Theo Wease, Tavorus Jones, Williams Nwaneri

Oklahoma – Damonic Williams, DT

This one is for laughs. We have Damonic! No, we have Damonic! No, WE have Damonic! The portal makes roster building entertaining, but it’s no expansion draft.

Billy Bowman Jr. has turned into the player he was projected to be out of high school. David Stone and PJ Adebawore represent the future of the Sooners’ defense, but plucking Williams off the roster make for comedy at the very least and a quality defensive interior for Texas as well.

Honorable mention: Billy Bowman Jr., David Stone, PJ Adebawore

South Carolina – Nyck Harbor, TE

Possibly the best athlete in the FBS, Nyck Harbor might be an Olympic sprinter at 6-foot-5, 242 pounds. His weight if/when he gets to Paris might be a bit lower, but let it register that a football player whose playing weight is 6-foot-5, 242 pounds might be on the US Olympic Team as a 200m sprinter.

Honorable mention: Rocket Sanders, Dylan Stewart, TJ Sanders

Tennessee – James Pearce, EDGE

Pearce has a shot at being the first EDGE off the board in the 2025 NFL draft. He recorded 10.0 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss in 2023 while also returning an interception for a touchdown, recording one pass defended, and forcing two fumbles.

A homecoming for Whitehouse native Jermod McCoy or former Trojan Longhorn Trojan Bru McCoy would be peak 2024 college football, but Pearce has an argument for being the best defensive front player in the SEC.

Honorable mention: Jermod McCoy, Bru McCoy

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Texas A&M – Bryce Anderson, S

The Texas A&M roster does have some significant question marks. After all, Mike Elko wouldn’t have brought in over 20 transfers if he thought what he inherited from Jimbo Fisher was fine. But he did keep some star players, and Bryce Anderson is one of them. After 54 tackles, 7.0 TFL, and 1.5 sacks along with an interception, Anderson is likely the leader of the A&M defense this year.

Rueben Owens, Shemar Turner, and transfer Nic Scourton are all players who will work this year to make Elko’s first campaign successful, but they may not have the impact Anderson does on his side of the ball.

Honorable mention: Rueben Owens, Shemar Turner, Nic Scourton

Vanderbilt – Clark Lea, coach

This one is tough, as Vanderbilt has become an unfortunate farm system for a lot of the more talented teams in the Southeastern Conference. So if the option is there to grab Clark Lea and bring him into Moncrief in some capacity, go ahead and take it.

If forced to take a player, Prince Kollie might have the most talent on that team.