The college football transfer portal window has been open since Jan.2. In that time, multiple All-ACC performers have packed their bags for the SEC, and the exodus shows no signs of slowing down.
The ACC Transfer Pipeline Flows Straight to the SEC
Since the portal opened, the ACC has hemorrhaged high-impact starters to SEC programs at an alarming rate.
The names read like an All-ACC ballot: NC State first-team running back Hollywood Smothers to Alabama. Clemson safety Khalil Barnes — a freshman All-American — to Georgia. Georgia Tech quarterback Aaron Philo and wide receiver Bailey Stockton both landed at Florida. And the dominoes keep falling.
Smothers led the ACC with 85.4 rushing yards per game in 2025 and forced a conference-high 71 missed tackles, according to ESPN Research. He’s now running for Kalen DeBoer’s Crimson Tide. Unfortunately for NC State fans, Smothers wasn’t the only Wolfpack star drawing SEC attention.
Offensive tackle Jacarrius Peak, a 33-game starter who earned honorable mention All-ACC recognition, has heavy interest from Alabama, Georgia, and LSU after entering the transfer portal. At this rate, the Pack’s entire offense is being reassembled in the conference “Just Means More.”
The Khalil Barnes situation perfectly encapsulates what’s happening conference-wide. A three-year starter with seven career interceptions and freshman All-American credentials, Barnes was born in Athens. He spent his entire college career at Clemson, only to return to his SEC homeland when the money and opportunity called.
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Barnes isn’t alone from Clemson’s secondary. Ricardo Jones, who led the ACC with six interceptions in 2025, is also in the portal and generating significant SEC interest. The Tigers lost three safeties to the portal in a matter of days.
Georgia Tech’s roster has been picked apart even more thoroughly. When offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner took the same job at Florida, he brought the Yellow Jackets’ entire future with him. Quarterback Aaron Philo and wide receiver Bailey Stockton are now Florida Gators.
They join new head coach Jon Sumrall’s rebuild in Gainesville, where they’ll compete in the SEC instead of the ACC.
The SEC Is Now the ACC’s Finishing School
So, it begs the question: What exactly is the ACC at this point?
Combine the fact that the ACC is also taking SEC rejects (not naming any names) and the nation has its answer to the proverbial Big Brother vs. Little Brother argument. If I haven’t been clear enough, the ACC is the little bro.
Consider what’s happening from a talent development standpoint. The ACC recruits players, develops them into All-Conference performers, and then watches helplessly as SEC programs swoop in with NIL packages the ACC cannot match.
Smothers was a four-star signee at Oklahoma before transferring to NC State. He became a first-team All-ACC performer with the Wolfpack. His reward? A one-way ticket to Tuscaloosa.
Meanwhile, Florida State’s big quarterback addition from the portal is Ashton Daniels, who couldn’t beat out Jackson Arnold at Auburn. The SEC’s backup quarterbacks are becoming the ACC’s starting options. That tells you everything you need to know about the current power dynamic.
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The portal window doesn’t close until Jan. 16, and the bleeding won’t stop there. According to CBS Sports reporting, the average price for a starting-caliber player in the SEC has jumped to approximately $600,000 — double what it was last cycle.
An elite running back like Smothers? That’s $1-2 million range. The ACC simply cannot compete at that level across the board.
The numbers paint a stark picture. In five days, the ACC has lost First-team All-ACC performers, Freshman All-Americans, multi-year starters with NFL Draft potential, and entire position groups from single programs.
For ACC fans hoping the talent drain will subside, the data suggests otherwise. When your best players can double their NIL earnings by moving to the SEC and compete for national championships while doing it, the decision becomes simple math.
The ACC isn’t just losing games to the SEC anymore. It’s losing its identity as a Power conference. The transfer portal has accelerated what conference realignment started, and there’s no end in sight.
