In the past few years, the transfer portal has been very kind to the SWAC, with many top additions going on to become the top talent the conference offers.
In addition to the reigning SWAC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, players such as Malachi Bailey, Jarveon Howard, James Houston, and Aubrey Miller made a profound impact transferring into the conference.
Here is a list of players from each SWAC team who could make a similar statement in the 2024 season.
Alabama A&M Bulldogs: TE DJ Nelson
We begin the proceedings with UT Martin tight end transfer DJ Nelson, who is looking to revive what was once a dominant Alabama A&M pass offense.
In 2022, Nelson took advantage of his first season playing significant snaps by being selected to the All-OVC First Team.
He recorded 21 receptions for 267 yards and scored six touchdowns (tied for most on the team). Though his numbers took a slight dip last season, the UT Martin transfer still managed 12 receptions for 135 yards and four touchdowns.
Although Alabama A&M dealt with inconsistencies at the quarterback position, they still managed to rank this in passing in the SWAC.
Measuring 6’5 and 230 pounds, Nelson will be a matchup nightmare for opposing secondaries.
Alabama State Hornets: QB Andrew Body
For the last few years, Alabama State has been among the top defensive teams in the SWAC, most notably leading the conference in scoring defense last season.
However, their offense has held them back from championship contention. They finished eighth in scoring and ninth in total offense last season.
The Hornets addressed these problems during the offseason by acquiring Texas Southern quarterback transfer Andrew Body.
Body comes to Alabama State following a year in which he missed all but one game due to injury. The year before that, however, he had a breakout performance, bringing Texas Southern one game shy of its first SWAC championship appearance in over a decade.
With a defense already competing at an elite level, Body’s impact on the Hornets’ offense could propel the team to the top of the SWAC East.
Alcorn State Braves: DB Markel McLaurin
The 2024 season will be a season of change for the Alcorn State Braves, who moved on from former head coach Fred McNair, who had been with the team since 2016.
Alcorn is coming off a year in which they finished with a 7-4 overall record, an improvement over their 5-6 mark in the previous season.
They seek to improve their pass defense, which ranked in the bottom half of the SWAC last year. Southern Mississippi transfer Markel McLaurin will likely play a major role in the Braves’ defensive improvement.
In his first full season with Southern Miss (second season overall), McLaurin put up 33 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, five pass breakups, and a forced fumble.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions: DB Quentin Sterling
The Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions have struggled in recent years, posting a 1-7 conference record in each of the past three seasons.
Last season, the Golden Lions had the worst defense in the SWAC, allowing 33.8 points per game, including 23 passing touchdowns, the second-most allowed by a SWAC team.
UAPB dipped into the JUCO ranks to solve their problems in the secondary acquiring Jones College transfer Quentin Sterling.
Sterling recorded 44 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions (returning one for a touchdown), three pass breakups, and a forced fumble in his two seasons with Jones College.
Bethune-Cookman Wildcats: LB Orin Patu
Entering their second season with head coach Raymond Woodie, the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats look poised to post its first winning season since joining the SWAC in 2021.
The Wildcats had a tremendous offseason, adding nine FBS transfers, including five from Power Five programs.
While one of the notable transfers the team added was California running back Raymond Woodie III, son of the Wildcats’ head coach, linebacker Orin Patu has a chance to be a game-changer for the team.
Previously playing for California and Arizona, Patu received limited playing time, appearing in only 20 games in five seasons.
However, he brings great size to the Wildcats, sporting a 6’4 and 240-pound frame, and will look to translate that to success on the field.
Florida A&M Rattlers: QB Daniel Richardson
The defending SWAC and Celebration Bowl champion Florida A&M Rattlers will also enter the 2024 season with a completely different personnel group.
In addition to moving on from head coach Willie Simmons, the team will be without their reigning SWAC Offensive Player of the Year quarterback, Jeremy Moussa.
Looking to fill the void left by Moussa is Central Michigan and Florida Atlantic quarterback transfer Daniel Richardson.
Richardson is a proven commodity, having served as a starter in the last three seasons (two with Central Michigan and one with Florida Atlantic.
In his first year as a starter with Central Michigan in 2021, Richardson had a career year posting 2,633 passing yards, completing 60% of his passes, and scoring 24 touchdowns with just six interceptions.
Grambling State Tigers: WR Deuce Jones
Sticking with the theme of teams entering the 2024 season under new leadership, Grambling State is entering its first year under head coach Mickey Joseph.
Despite finishing with a 5-6 overall record last season, the team’s third straight losing season, the Tigers found a diamond in the rough in Alabama State quarterback transfer Myles Crawley.
Crawley finished second in the SWAC, averaging 210.3 passing yards per game and scoring 16 touchdowns.
As Crawley pitches his bid for SWAC Offensive Player of the Year, he will be aided by New Mexico wide receiver transfer Deuce Jones.
In Jones’ two seasons with New Mexico, he caught 13 passes for 267 yards and scored a touchdown.
Jackson State Tigers: DB Cameron Smith
Last season, Jackson State defied expectations in their first season under T.C. Taylor, finishing with a 7-4 overall record.
Their pass defense was a big reason for their success, as they led the conference with 17 interceptions. The Tigers’ secondary got much stronger this offseason with the addition of Eastern Michigan transfer Cameron Smith.
Last season, Smith finished with 45 tackles, 1.0 tackles for loss, an interception, two pass breakups, and a forced fumble.
Standing at 6’2, Smith adds height to a secondary with an average height of 6’0.
Mississippi Valley State: QB Ruben Lee
During the Early Signing period, Mississippi Valley State initially seemed to have found its quarterback of the future acquiring Southern transfer Harold Blood.
However, Blood later rescinded his commitment moving on to the SEC joining the University of Missouri. Fortunately, the Delta Devils courted another HBCU quarterback this time from the MEAC in Norfolk State transfer Ruben Lee.
Though Lee did not get an opportunity to play at NSU, he put forth a solid performance at Hinds Community College a year earlier.
He recorded 501 passing yards in four games including a 212-yard performance against Northwest.
Prairie View A&M Panthers: RB Lamagea McDowell
The most recent transfer portal addition on this list, Prairie View A&M, got a huge boost to its backfield by fielding a commitment from Campbell running back transfer Lamagea McDowell.
McDowell played each of the last four seasons at Campbell and has been the team’s starting running back in the past two years.
In his final two seasons with the team, McDowell produced 857 rushing yards on 198 attempts and scored 12 touchdowns.
He put up a career performance against Maine last season with 114 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Southern Jaguars: DB Jamarius Brown
The only former Division II player on this list, former Miles Golden Bears defensive back Jamarius Brown, will embark on a journey to Baton Rouge to play for Southern.
Brown played a big part in the Golden Bears’ six-game improvement last season, which saw them within a game of a SIAC championship appearance.
He tallied 25 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, an interception, three pass breakups, and a blocked kick.
The Miles transfer was instrumental in the team’s upset win over Alabama State, finishing the game with four tackles and an interception.
Texas Southern Tigers: WR Donald McKinney
Texas Southern, which underwent wholesale changes during the offseason, bringing in head coach Cris Dishman, is rounding out the list.
Despite getting out to a late start in the recruiting trail, the Tigers made some solid pickups, with former Western Illinois wide receiver Donald McKinney standing out.
Last season, McKinney put up a solid season, catching 26 passes for 357 yards and scoring three touchdowns.
