Transfer portal breakdown: The key departure for each SEC East team

This is a slow period in the transfer portal, though as we wrote Tuesday, there are a handful of players still in there who figure to be able to make a legitimate contribution this fall.

The current portal lull is a good time to do a league-by-league re-examination of the transfer portal comings and goings. Today, we’ll examine the key departure for each SEC East team (some hurt more than others) and how the team will compensate.

Wednesday, we looked at the key incoming transfer for each SEC East team, and Friday we’ll look at the key incoming transfer for each SEC West team. Over the next three weeks, we’ll continue the series with division-by-division looks for the ACC and Big Ten and overall league looks at the Big 12 and Pac-12 (since it did away with divisions), as well as an overview of the Group of 5 leagues and independents.

Florida

Player: WR Jacob Copeland, to Maryland
The skinny: The transfers of LBs Mohamoud Diabate (to Utah) and Ty’Ron Hopper (to Missouri) have gotten the most attention, but UF still is in relatively decent shape at linebacker. Ventrell Miller is back after missing all but two games last season, and Derek Wingo, Scooby Williams and Diwun Black should be able to do the job, whether they start or are reserves. The same cannot be said at wide receiver. For all of Copeland’s inconsistency – forget drive-to-drive consistency; he had issues play-to-play – he can make the contested catch. Arizona State transfer Ricky Pearsall adds both experience and production to the receiver group. UF returns leading receiver Justin Shorter, a former On3 Consensus five-star recruit who originally signed with Penn State. But it needs third-year sophomore Xzavier Henderson, a former four-star prospect, to emerge as a legit playmaker, and another receiver or two must emerge as a legit complementary piece.

Georgia

Player: WR Jermaine Burton, to Alabama
The skinny: Burton was underutilized with the Bulldogs, with 53 receptions in two seasons; it’s legitimate to think he will lead Alabama in receptions this season. That wouldn’t have been the case at Georgia, as TE Brock Bowers led the Bulldogs in catches last season and almost certainly will again this season. And Georgia also has Arik Gilbert and Darnell Washington at tight end, meaning the Bulldogs have more tight end talent on their roster than any team outside the NFL. Still, Burton’s ability to get deep (he averaged 19.2 yards per catch) is going to be tough to replace. There is a lot of potential among the receivers, especially with sophomore Adonai Mitchell. The bottom line: The Bulldogs need a guy on the outside to produce.

Kentucky

Player: CB Cedrick Dort, to Wisconsin
The skinny: Dort started every game last season as a fifth-year senior (he still shared time with Quandre Moseley), and also was a full-time starter in 2019. Dort was steady but certainly not flashy; he finished his UK career with 51 tackles and seven pass breakups. His experience and comfort with the defense will be missed. Starting CB Carrington Valentine returns, and Ole Miss transfer Keidron Smith figures to start at the other corner spot. There is a lack of Power 5 experience behind those two, though, and that’s why Dort’s transfer hurts.

Missouri

Player: DT Mekhi Wingo, to LSU
The skinny: Mizzou’s defense was horrible last season, but Wingo looked like a player the Tigers could build around up front. He played in 12 games and started four as a true freshman, finishing with 27 tackles and two tackles for loss, as well as an interception return for a touchdown. His play earned him freshman All-SEC honors. His departure hurts for a variety of reasons. First is that he was an in-state freshman, from the more-and-more fertile recruiting area of St. Louis. Second was that he would’ve started this season. Third is that he left for another SEC program – one with a new coach. Mizzou brought in Oklahoma State transfer DT Jayden Jernigan (like Wingo, he’s 6-0 and about 270) and he almost certainly will take the spot that would’ve been Wingo’s. Still, while Jernigan is a solid player, he doesn’t have the upside of Wingo.

South Carolina

Player: LB Kolbe Fields, to LSU
The skinny: The Gamecocks didn’t really lose anyone of note, though Fields could end up being a contributor at LSU in the future. Fields, a New Orleans native, is a former three-star prospect in the 2021 class. He originally committed to Oklahoma State, then Memphis, then South Carolina; he played in four games, making one tackle, last season. Fields might’ve been a depth piece this fall, as the Gamecocks seem set at starter with Sherrod Greene and Brad Johnson. True freshman Stone Blanton (if nothing else, a great first name for a linebacker) could end up being in the mix as a reserve; that’s why Fields could be missed. While there’s some experience at linebacker, it’s a rather underwhelming group.

Tennessee

Player: RB Tiyon Evans, to Louisville
The skinny: The Vols don’t look to have added anyone from the transfer portal who is going to make a big splash, and they’re also not really going to miss anyone who left. Evans did run for 525 yards last season after transferring in from junior college, but fell out of favor late in the year and entered the portal before the season ended. He had big games against Bowling Green and Missouri, but the Vols are fine at running back with holdovers Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright; in addition, four-star true freshman Justin Williams-Thomas looked good in the spring. And QB Hendon Hooker has big-time wheels, too.

Vanderbilt

Player: T Tyler Steen, to Alabama
The skinny: Steen, who was a three-year starter, figures to start for the Tide, so losing a player of that caliber really hurts the talent-shy Commodores. Sophomore Gunnar Hansen, like Steen a former lineman at powerhouse Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas, seems likely to be the guy who replaces Steen. North Texas transfer Jacob Brammer, a three-starter at right tackle for the Mean Green who was an honorable mention All-Conference USA selection last season and a second-teamer in 2020, gives coaches an option. Vandy starting RT Bradley Ashmore returns, and Brammer could end up being a swing tackle for the Commodores.