Last season wasn’t quite as historically dominant for the SEC as 2024-25, but then, no one expected it to be. Still, 10 NCAA Tournament invitations and the NIT championship won by Auburn showed the league hadn’t exactly fallen down a rabbit hole.
As we’ll show you below and in the first part of this roster reshuffle series, many SEC teams, either via high school recruiting, the transfer portal, or both, have retooled and are once again ready to rumble. It would surprise no one if six to eight SEC teams showed up in various preseason polls, or if double-figure teams earned spots in the expanded NCAA Tournament and made deep runs through the bracket.
Alabama
Departures: Latrell Wrightsell, 6-foot-3 guard (out of eligibility); Houston Mallette, 6-foot-5 guard (out of eligibility); Noah Williamson, 7-foot center (out of eligibility); Labaron Philon, Jr., 6-foot-4 guard (NBA Draft); Taylor Bol Bowen, 6-foot-10 forward (transferred to Oregon); Aiden Sherrell, 6-foot-11 forward (transferred to Indiana); Jalil Bethea, 6-foot-5 guard (transferred to Pittsburgh); Davion Hannah, 6-foot-6 guard (transferred to South Carolina).
Returnees: Aden Holloway, 6-foot-1 senior guard; Keitenn Bristow, 6-foot-10 junior forward; London Jemison, 6-foot-8 sophomore forward; Collins Onyejiaka, 6-foot-11 sophomore center; Preston Murphy Jr., 6-foot-1 junior guard; Amari Allen, 6-foot-8 sophomore forward.
Incoming: Brandon Garrison, 6-foot-11 senior center (transfer from Kentucky), Jamarion Davis-Fleming, 6-foot-10 sophomore forward (transfer from Mississippi State), Cole Cloer, 6-foot-6 freshman guard (transfer from NC State), Drew Fielder, 6-foot-10 senior forward (transfer from Boise State); Qayden Samuels, 6-foot-5 freshman guard; Tarris Bouie, 6-foot-6 freshman forward; Jaxson Richardson, 6-foot-5 freshman forward.
Skinny: Alabama needed to find size and didn’t have to look far to get it, raiding the SEC for Garrison and Davis-Fleming. Coach Nate Oats also loves to have a stretch four in his starting lineup, and he might have landed the best one he’s had during his Alabama tenure in Fielder, who last season shot 40.9 percent from three on a decent number of attempts (93). But he’s much more than just a three shooter — Fielder led the Mountain West in field-goal accuracy (54.7 percent) and made 60.6 percent of his two-point attempts. Five-star freshman Richardson will earn major minutes, and Cloer, who enrolled last winter at NC State but redshirted, will add some size in the backcourt and be given the green light to fire away from behind the arc. A late-May bonus came with the return of Allen from his dalliance with the NBA Draft. All-SEC honors await him.
Arkansas
Departures: Darius Acuff Jr., 6-foot-3 freshman guard (NBA Draft); Meleek Thomas, 6-foot-5 freshman guard (NBA Draft); Trevon Brazile, 6-foot-10 senior forward (out of eligibility); Nick Pringle, 6-foot-10 senior forward (out of eligibility); Malique Ewin, 6-foot-10 senior forward (transfer portal); DJ Wagner, 6-foot-4 senior guard (transferred to Maryland); Karter Knox (6-6 junior guard (transferred to Louisville); Karim Rtail, 6-foot-7 sophomore (transfer portal); Elmir Dzafic, 7-foot redshirt freshman (transferred to UConn); Jaden Karuletwa, 6-foot-4 junior guard (transfer portal).
Returnees: Billy Richmond, 6-foot-6 junior guard; Isaiah Sealy, 6-foot-7 sophomore wing.
Incoming: Jordan Smith, 6-foot-2 freshman guard; Abdou Toure, 6-foot-5 freshman guard; JJ Andrews, 6-foot-7 freshman forward; Miikka Muurinen, 7-foot freshman forward; Cooper Bowser, 6-foot-11 senior center (transfer from Furman); Jeremiah Wilkinson, 6-foot-1 junior guard (transfer from Georgia). Maper Maker, 7-foot freshman center.
Skinny: The Razorbacks have done most of their damage recruiting high school players, not surprising for a John Calipari-coached team. Four five-star freshman join the program, including Muurinen, a native of Finland who played last season in Serbia and impressed in the 2026 Nike Hoops Summit with 10 points and eight rebounds. Smith was rated the No. 1 shooting guard and No. 2 overall prospect nationally, and Andrews and Toure were ranked Nos. 12 and 15, respectively. To balance all that youth, Arkansas found Bowser and Wilkinson in the portal. Last season, Wilkinson averaged 17.4 points for Georgia. In a 90-76 rout of Arkansas, Wilkinson delivered 20 points, 3 assists and 4 steals. Bowser, who two seasons ago led the Southern Conference in two-point field-goal accuracy (65.3 percent), was even better in 2025-26 (77.0 percent) while averaging 13.8 points and 5.9 rebounds for a Furman team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Auburn
Departures: Sebastian Williams-Adams, 6-foot-8 freshman forward (transferred to Vanderbilt); Kaden Magwood, 6-foot-2 freshman guard (transferred to Murray State); Abdul Bashir, 6-foot-7 junior (transferred to San Francisco); Emeka Opurum, 6-foot-10 sophomore center (transfer portal); KeShawn Murphy, 6-foot-10 senior center (out of eligibility); Keyshawn Hall, 6-foot-7 forward (out of eligibility); Elyjah Freeman 6-foot-8 sophomore forward (transferred to Texas); Filip Jovic, 6-foot-8 freshman forward (transferred to UCLA).
Returnees: Kevin Overton, 6-foot-5 junior guard; Tahaad Pettiford, 6-foot-1 junior guard; Simon Walker, 6-foot-4 sophomore guard.
Incoming: Bukky Oboye, 7-foot-1 junior center (transfer from Santa Clara); George Kimble III, 6-foot-2 junior guard (transfer from Vanderbilt); Owen Freeman, 6-foot-10 junior center (transfer from Creighton); Thomas Dowd, 6-foot-8 senior forward (transfer from Troy); Adam Olsen, 6-foot-7 senior guard (transfer from South Alabama); Mantas Rubstavicius, 6-foot-6 freshman forward; Caleb Williams, freshman guard; Narcisse Ngoy, 7-foot freshman center (France).
Skinny: After winning the NIT, Auburn coach Steven Pearl received a lovely parting gift — starting guards Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton quickly announced they were returning to school. With that nucleus to build around, the Auburn staff was able to quickly fill some holes in the lineup caused by expired eligibility or the transfer portal. Auburn wanted to find size and rim protection and landed three players 6-foot-10 or taller, including Oboye, who blocked 40 shots last season at Santa Clara, and Ngoy, another in a growing line of talented French big men. Pearl also wanted some blender/Glue Guy players who aren’t necessarily looking to be the star of every game but are prepared to do whatever it takes to win. Dowd, who averaged a double-double last season for an NCAA Tournament team, was a key pickup, as was Kimble, who missed last season at Vanderbilt but the year before at Eastern Kentucky averaged 18.0 points, 3.2 assists and an ASUN-leading 2.6 steals.
Florida
Departures: Xaivian Lee, 6-foot-4 senior guard (out of eligibility); Micah Handlogten, 7-foot-1 senior center (transfer portal); Olivier Rioux, 7-foot-9 sophomore center (transferred to UC Irvine).
Returnees: Rueben Chinyelu, 6-foot-10 sophomore center; Urban Kavazar, 6-foot-1 senior guard; Thomas Haugh, 6-foot-9 senior forward; Isaiah Brown, 6-foot-4 junior guard, Alex Condon, 6-foot-11 senior forward; Boogie Fland, 6-foot-3 senior guard; CJ Ingram, 6-foot-6 sophomore guard; Alex Lloyd, 6-foot-3 sophomore guard.
Incoming: Jones Lay, 7-foot freshman center; Denzel Aberdeen 6-foot-4 senior guard, (transfer from Kentucky), Arturas Butajevas, 6-foot-10 freshman forward; Domen Petrovic, 6-foot-9 freshman forward.
Skinny: Apparently Aberdeen missed Gainesville. He made a surprising exit after Florida won its 2025 national championship, and after a year playing for the Wildcats, decided to rejoin the Gators. The school is appealing the NCAA to grant Aberdeen — who played in just 12 games as a freshman in 2022-23 — another season of eligibility. Other than Aberdeen, the Gators didn’t have to do much in the portal because it’s got the best returning nucleus in the SEC. The final player on Florida’s monstrous front line to drop out of the NBA Draft was Chinyelu, last year’s SEC Defensive Player of the Year. If he keeps improving like he did last season, he could well add Player of the Year to his list of laurels in 2026-27.
Georgia
Departures: Somto Cyril, 6-foot-11 junior center (transferred to Miami); Jeremiah Wilkinson, 6-foot-1 sophomore guard (transferred to Arkansas); Jacob Wilkins, 6-foot-9 sophomore forward (transferred to Cal); Jackson McVey, 7-foot-1 sophomore center (transferred to Georgia Tech); Jordan Ross, 6-foot-3 senior guard (transferred to Cal); Dylan James, 6-foot-9 senior forward (transferred to George Washington); Justin Bailey 6-foot-3 senior guard (out of eligibility); Justin Abson, 6-foot-9 senior forward (out of eligibility).
Returnees: Blue Cain, 6-foot-5 senior guard; Kanon Catchings, 6-foot-9 junior forward; Marcus Millender, 5-foot-11 senior guard; Brandon Klatsky, 6-foot-4 senior guard; Markel Jennings, 5-foot-11 junior guard; Kareem Stagg, 6-foot-8 sophomore forward.
Incoming: Mading Kuany, 6-foot-8 freshman forward; Hakeem Weems, 6-foot-10 freshman forward; Donovan Williams Jr., 6-foot-3 freshman guard; James Scott, 6-foot-11 senior forward (transfer from Ole Miss); Andrew Osasuyi, 6-foot-9 sophomore forward (transfer from St. Bonaventure); Brady Dunlap, 6-foot-7 junior guard (transfer from Saint Louis); Freddie Dilione V, 6-foot-5 senior guard (transfer from Penn State); David Ugonna Ike, 7-foot freshman center; Kemauri Millender 6-foot junior guard (transfer from New Mexico Junior College).
Skinny: Through thick and through thin, Cain, during his four-year stay in Athens, has stayed true to his school. The senior will pair with Millender to give the Bulldogs an SEC flame-tested backcourt. Not only did Millender — nicknamed “Smurf” — resist the urge to transfer as six of his former teammates did, he convinced his brother Kemauri to join the fold. The younger Millender has his own catchy handle — call him “Kemo” — and comes from New Mexico Junior College, where in two seasons he racked up 38 double-figure scoring games. The Dawgs also lifted 6-foot-11 James Scott from SEC playmate Ole Miss to make up for the loss of Cyril, and got a talented guard in Dilione, who through stops at Tennessee and Penn State still hasn’t hit his ceiling.
Kentucky
Departures: Otega Oweh, 6-foot-4 senior guard (out of eligibility); Collin Chandler, 6-foot-5 junior guard (transferred to BYU); Denzel Aberdeen, 6-foot-5 senior guard (transferred to Florida); Mouhamed Dioubate, 6-foot-7 senior forward (transferred to LSU); Brandon Garrison, 6-foot-10 senior forward (transferred to Alabama); Jayden Quaintance, 6-foot-9 sophomore forward (NBA Draft); Jaland Lowe, 6-foot-3 senior guard (transferred to Georgetown); Jasper Johnson, 6-foot-4 sophomore guard (transferred to Oregon); Adrija Jelavic, 6-foot-11 sophomore forward (transferred to Ohio State).
Returnees: Trent Noah, 6-foot-5 junior forward; Brayon Hawthorne, 6-foot-8 redshirt freshman forward; Reece Potter, 7-foot-1 junior center; Kam Williams, 6-foot-8 junior forward; Malachi Moreno, 6-foot-11 freshman center.
Incoming: Zoom Diallo, 6-foot-4 junior guard (transfer from Washington); Jerone Morton, 6-foot-4 senior (transfer from Washington State); Alex Wilkins, 6-foot-3 sophomore guard (transfer from Furman); Franck Kepnang, 6-foot-11 graduate (transfer from Washington); Justin McBride, 6-foot-8 forward (transfer from James Madison); Zyon Hawthorne, 6-foot-2 freshman guard; Mason Williams, 6-foot-2 freshman guard; Ousmane N’Diaye, 6-foot-11 freshman wing; Milan Momcilovic, 6-foot-8 senior (transfer from Iowa State).
Skinny: Before June, Kentucky fans, judging by their reactions on social media and radio call-in shows, were unimpressed by the transfer portal haul made by coach Mark Pope and his staff. The Wildcats weren’t ranked in any of those way-too-early Top 25 rankings that are as prevalent as dandelions this time of year. And some pundits posited that 2026-27 could be a make-or-break year for Pope. All that changed on June 1, when Iowa State transfer Momcilovic took the boatload of cash Kentucky was rumored to have offered and became a Wildcat. Call Momcilovic the best shooter in the country and it would be hard to find someone willing to offer a counterargument. Last season at Iowa State, he became the first player in history to lead the nation in three-point accuracy (48.7 percent) and makes (136). He also led the Big 12 Conference in effective field-goal percentage because he shot 54.5 percent on his 132 attempts inside the arc. And though he didn’t take many free throws (82), he shot 87.8 percent from the line. It’s amazing what a few million bucks and one otherworldly shooter can do to lighten up a fan base. Kentucky also found in the portal a starting backcourt of Diallo, who averaged 15.7 points and 4.5 assists last season, and Wilkins, who last year at the Furman Finishing School for Young Men Eventually Headed to the Portal averaged 17.8 points, took a ton of threes and shot a percentage that wasn’t exceptional but wasn’t bad, if you consider 33 percent the number at which most players earn the green light to fire away.
LSU
Departures: Robert Miller III, 6-foot-10 sophomore forward (transfer portal); Jalen Reed, 6-foot-10 junior forward (transferred to Michigan); Pablo Tamba, 6-foot-7 junior forward (transfer portal); PJ Carter, 6-foot-4 senior guard (transfer portal); Michael Nwoko, 6-foot-10 junior center (transferred to Xavier); Marquel Sutton, 6-foot-9 senior forward (out of eligibility); Max Mackinnon, 6-foot-6 senior guard (out of eligibility); Rashad King, 6-foot-6 senior guard (out of eligibility); Dedan Thomas, 6-foot-1 junior guard (transferred to Houston); Jalen Reece, 6-foot freshman guard (transferred to Texas A&M); Matt Gilhool; 6-foot-11 freshman forward (transfer portal); Mazi Mosley, 6-foot-5 freshman guard (transferred to Loyola Marymount); Ron Zipper, 6-foot-5 freshman guard (transfer portal).
Returnees: None.
Incoming: Austin Nunez, 6-foot-2 senior guard (transfer from UTSA); Abdi Bashir Jr., 6-foot-7 senior guard (transfer from Kansas State); Divine Ugochukwu, 6-foot-3 junior guard (transfer from Michigan State); Mouhamed Dioubate, 6-foot-7 senior forward (transfer from Kentucky); RJ Luis Jr., 6-foot-7 wing (G League); Yam Madar, 6-foot-3 senior guard; Brice Dessert, 6-foot-11 freshman center (France); Saliou Niang, 6-root-6 freshman wing (Senegal); Michael Ruzic, 7-foot freshman center (Russia).
Skinny: It was ironic that Will Wade, the man who was fired at LSU in 2022 or allegedly making a “strong as–” offer to a recruit, was, after getting rehired in Baton Rouge, slow getting started now that making offers to players is legal. It took three weeks after Wade returned to sign Dioubate, his first recruit. The rest of the class, still at just nine players as of this writing, has been a slow build. And the building is on shaky ground. Wade and his staff took chances with several players who, under recently released NCAA rules limiting the flow of international and former professional players, might not be eligible. Among them are Dessert, Niang, Ruzic and Santos, along with Luis, the 2025 Big East Player of the Year at St. John’s who signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz and played in three exhibition games with the Boston Celtics. Considering that recruits weren’t exactly flocking to LSU when the portal was stuffed with talent, the loss of even a couple of those players could leave LSU grasping for bodies just to have enough players to practice, let alone compete in the SEC.
Mississippi State
Departures: Achor Achor, 6-foot-9 senior forward (transfer portal); Amier Ali 6-foot-8 junior forward (transferred to Cal); Quincy Ballard, 6-foot-11 senior center (out of eligibility); Dellquan Warren, 6-foot-2 sophomore guard (transferred to Murray State); Jamarion Davis-Fleming, 6-foot-9 freshman center (transferred to Alabama); Brandon Walker, 6-foot-8 senior forward (out of eligibility); Sergej Macura, 6-foot-9 sophomore (transferred to UCLA); Jayden Epps, 6-foot-2 senior guard (out of eligibility); Ja’Borri McGhee, 6-foot-1 senior guard (out of eligibility).
Returnees: Josh Hubbard, 5-foot-10 junior guard; King Grace, 6-foot-5 sophomore guard; Tee Bartlett, 6-foot-11 sophomore forward; Cameren Paul, 6-foot-5 sophomore guard; Gai Chol, 7-foot junior.
Incoming: Trevor Reed (transfer from Denison); ND Okafor 6-foot-7 senior forward (transfer from Washington State); Thomas Bassong, 6-foot-8 forward (transfer from Florida State); Tajuan Simpkins, 6-foot-4 junior guard (transfer from Seton Hall); Kendyl Sanders, 6-foot-8 sophomore forward (transfer from Utah); RJ Johnson, 6-foot-4 junior guard (transfer from Kennesaw State). Ashton Magee, 6-foot-7 sophomore forward (transfer from Southern University). Tristan Reed, 6-foot-8 freshman forward; Willie Burnett III, 6-foot-4 freshman guard; Jayln Collingwood, 6-foot-5 freshman guard.
Skinny: It’s been a busy offseason for Mississippi State coach Chris Jans and his staff, but they didn’t have to lift a finger to secure their best player. That’s because Hubbard has already been in the program for three years and has never given serious consideration to the NBA Draft. He carried a heavy load last season, averaging 22.1 points, and, per KenPom, finishing 12th nationally in the percentage of his team’s shots taken (33.8). Yes, that was one third of the Bulldogs’ shots from one player. His usage rate of 31.6 was No. 22 nationally. Jans knew Hubbard would need some help, and the portal was the place to find it. Simpkins averaged a smidge under double figures (9.7) in 2025 while — and this is important — shooting 37 percent from three. The Bulldogs might have gotten a steal in Johnson, who stepped up big time for Kennesaw State after it lost leading scorer Simeon Cottle to a gambling scandal. Johnson earned first-team All-Conference USA honors and was the league tournament MVP as the short-handed Owls fought their way to the championship and NCAA Tournament bid that came with it.
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