The transfer portal is once again going to be a massive topic of conversation throughout the month of December and the following offseason as players look to improve upon their current situation by switching to another school.
A trio of SEC quarterbacks entered the portal right after their team’s regular-season finale this past weekend. Two of the three quarterbacks will not have a postseason game to play in due to their team not becoming bowl-eligible.
The first SEC quarterback to hit the transfer portal was Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers. The senior quarterback entered the portal on Friday, just one day after the Bulldogs’ season-ending loss to rival Ole Miss in the 2023 Egg Bowl.
Mississippi State let go of head coach Zach Arnett in mid-November as the Bulldogs finished the season 5-7 overall. Rogers, a talented quarterback with a big arm, had his worst career season in 2023 after tearing it up under Mike Leach during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Rogers has more than 12,000 career passing yards but finished the 2023 season with a career low in passing yards (1,626), completion percentage (60 percent), and attempts (237).
One interesting note to watch for on Rogers is that conference-foe Kentucky could be an option for the former Mississippi State quarterback. Kentucky Sports Radio’s Matt Jones reported on Friday that “lots of people in and around Starkville believe Lexington is a likely destination.”
More from RTI: Tennessee Drops Out of the AP Poll After Defeating Vanderbilt
Texas A&M quarterback Max Johnson entered the transfer portal on Sunday after the Aggies’ loss to LSU on Saturday in Baton Rouge despite the fact that Texas A&M will be bowl-eligible heading into the postseason after a 7-5 finish to the season. Johnson’s season was cut short due to a rib injury.
The Aggies parted ways with head coach Jimbo Fisher in mid-November but announced the hiring of Duke head coach Mike Elko on Sunday. Johnson tweeted out his transfer portal announcement at 3:29 p.m. on Sunday while Brent Zwerneman first reported the Elko hiring at 3:58 p.m. on Sunday.
Johnson and the Aggies fell to Tennessee in Knoxville this season by a score of 20-13. Johnson threw for 223 yards and ran for one touchdown but got blasted by the Vols’ front seven all game long. Tennessee’s defense racked up two sacks, five tackles for loss, and several quarterback hits on the day.
Max Johnson originally began his career at LSU before transferring to Texas A&M as the Georgia native looks for his next collegiate team.
And, lastly, Vanderbilt quarterback Ken Seals also announced his plan to the transfer portal on Sunday after Vanderbilt’s 48-24 loss to Tennessee on Saturday in Knoxville. Seals shared time with quarterback AJ Swann for the Commodores this year including trading starts.
While Swann did get the start against Tennessee in the regular season finale, Seals also saw time on the field going 7-of-9 for 61 yards and one passing touchdown in the loss.
“Having earned my degree from Vanderbilt University, I will be entering my name into the transfer portal with two years of eligibility,” Seals posted to Twitter. “I do not take this decision lightly as I have so much love and respect for this team, but I am excited and ready to embrace the next step of my career.”
Johnson and Rogers were able to enter the transfer portal early due to their head coaches being let go during the regular season. Seals is not in that category. The transfer portal is set to officially open on Dec. 4.
There will be plenty more transfer portal additions here in the coming weeks, but there are at least the first three quarterbacks from the SEC to make their announcements. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider throughout the month for the latest information on noteworthy transfer portal activity from around the SEC.
