Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images
By Chris Marler
The portal king swung for the fences this offseason, and Lane Kiffin hit a home run.
He hit several if we are really keeping score.
Landing immediate impact players with veteran experience, leadership and college production has proven to be a huge help in winning a national title. The last two teams to win a national title have done so with transfer quarterbacks.
Retention is key
It’s no secret that to win now in college football teams must utilize the transfer portal, but the real success story around the SEC this offseason was retention. And the story moving forward will be not just winning in the portal but finding a way to balance the roster with fiscal responsibility.
LSU signed 40 portal players, including three of the top four players in the class, but keeping DJ Pickett and Trey’Dez Green out of the portal was arguably just as big. The Tigers targeted six key players to retain, and managed to keep them all in Baton Rouge. Kiffin also added two five stars in Richard Anderson and Lamar Brown from the high school ranks during the early signing period.
We saw a focused effort on this balance all over the SEC. South Carolina kept Dylan Stewart and LaNorris Sellers out of the portal. According to Clark Brooks, the talent and ranking evaluator for On3, both would have been top five players in the portal. Ole Miss did the same in keeping guys like Kewan Lacy and Trinidad Chambliss.
Finding Balance
On Sunday, Brandon Adams and Jeff Sentell of Dawgnation talked about the importance of finding a balance.
“If Georgia signs fewer guys, maybe fewer blue chip guys, I think I’d be ok with that if there was a priority on the elite offensive tackle and in some cases the elite defensive lineman. The positions you really can’t get out of the transfer portal. Jordan Seaton is the exception that proves the rule. You are not getting an elite offensive tackle from the transfer portal. You’re just not. The defensive line is almost just as hard. Therefore get those guys out of high school. Put a lot of resources into it which means you have less of a budget for other players. But let me get out of high school,” said Adams.
What if Georgia signs fewer 5-stars… on purpose?
With NIL and the transfer portal changing roster building, the Dawgs may prioritize elite offensive tackles and defensive linemen out of high school — the positions you can’t just portal shop.
Less hoarding.
More precision. pic.twitter.com/IVU4Gjt7XV— DawgNation (@DawgNation) February 16, 2026
Georgia has been one of the most traditional in the way they’ve done things in regards to attacking the portal and overhauling their roster. Kirby Smart has signed just 35 players from the transfer portal in the last five years combined. To put that in perspective, five teams in the FBS took more than 40 players in this year’s portal cycle alone. That includes LSU and Arkansas out of the SEC.
There’s no blueprint for building a roster in this new era of college football—only bets. The real question isn’t how teams spend, it’s what happens when they spend big and don’t win big. How many times can they pass the hat before the room gets quiet? For now, programs like Georgia and LSU aren’t just spending—they’re spending with a plan. And in this arms race, that’s the only edge that matters.
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