Ole Miss Football had a relatively quiet drawing period in December, compared to many of his SEC colleagues.
The Rebels have attracted 17 players, 13 of whom are three-star potential. Their 2022 recruiting class is ranked 10th in the SEC.
That doesn’t mean the sky is falling.
Programs now get multiple bites when putting together the rosters, thanks to the amended NCAA and SEC transfer rules that immediately qualify for first-time transfers.
Ole Miss is one of the programs that has been particularly active in adding high-impact transfers this winter, with 247Sports placing the Rebels in third place nationally in the national transfer rankings for 2022.
Other SEC programs also mark 247Sports’ transfer top 10. LSU is number 2, South Carolina is number 5, Arkansas is number 6, and Florida is number 10.
In this edition of “SEC Football Unfiltered,” a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, host Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debating whether a program is better off signing an entire class of high school prospects or reining in its signing class in favor of adding a slew of transfers.
Their conclusion: signing elite prep prospects is the healthiest way to build a program, but if the choice is between adding an impact transfer or a high school project player, go for the transfer.
In Florida, Billy Napier shows how a freshman SEC coach can use his Group of Five past to improve a roster. Two of UF’s top transfers — offensive lineman O’Cyrus Torrence and running back Montrell Johnson — were among the best players in Louisiana, where Napier coached four seasons. Florida hired Napier in November.
Transferring quarterbacks gets a lot of media attention, but SEC teams have also enjoyed plenty of running backs. Along with the addition of Johnson by UF, Ole added Miss Zach Evans (TCU), LSU took down Noah Cain (Penn State) and Alabama looted Jahmyr Gibbs (Georgia Tech).
Later in the episode
- Toppmeyer played 19 college football games during the 2021 season and offers his pick for the most memorable environment. Next, Adams counters with some of his favorite environments from his five-decade-long college football career: Games played at Rose Bowl Stadium and at BYU are high on Adams’ list, along with a memorable press box scene he witnessed. was during an episode of the Oklahoma – Nebraska rivalry.
- Adams explains why one of his childhood friends smuggled a bugle to LSU football games and how he used it to entertain the crowd.
Where to listen to SEC Football Unfiltered
Apple
Spotify
Blake Toppmeyer is an SEC columnist for the USA TODAY Network. John Adams is a senior columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. If you enjoy their coverage, consider: a digital subscription that gives you access to everything. You can also subscribe to their podcast, SEC Football unfiltered. They also host a podcast focused on Tennessee football, The volunteer state.