As college football fans, we are often encouraged to move past losses and focus on the immediate future. This applies losses on the gridiron as well as losses on the roster – where the impact can be low key but significant. For example, Old Dominion (and the Sun Belt) lost wide receiver Ali Jennings to Virginia Tech. Jennings was an All-Sun Belt First Team talent who led the conference with nine touchdown hauls in 2022. We’re going to feel that loss.

Jennings wasn’t the only All Sun Belt talent that portaled this season. Coastal Carolina’s outstanding offensive lineman Willie Lampkin leaped to North Carolina. Arkansas State’s Seydou Traore was a Sun Belt First Team tight end last season, then briefly joined Coach Prime in Colorado before portaling again. James Madison’s leading defender, Isaac Ukwu, left for Ole Miss. Third-Team Sun Belt Derrick Canteen exchanged Georgia Southern for Georgia Tech. Basically, a shit ton (or ass ton, if we’re using the metric system) of talent portaled out of the Sun Belt during the off season.

It’s difficult to gauge which portal jumpers delivered the cruelest blow to their respective former programs. For example, while Taore was certainly the flashiest contributor to A-State’s offense, cornerback Kenneth Harris was 24/7’s highest rated Red Wolves defector. Which loss hurt more?

Following that path, one might few Thomas Gore’s abandonment of Georgia State more profound than Jamil Muhammad’s. Same could be said for Peter Costalli’s defection from Troy over Tez Johnson’s. It’s all conjecture and perspective! If you have any qualms with these selections, please take the matter up with my lawyer.

Team	Player	Pos.	24/7 Grade	New Home
Appalachian State	Colston Powers	OT	0.8589 (HS)	N/A
Arkansas State	Kenneth Harris	CB	0.8900 (T)	Oklahoma St
Coastal Carolina	Willie Lampkin	IOL	0.8800 (T)	North Carolina
Georgia Southern	Derrick Canteen	CB	0.9000 (T)	Georgia Tech
Georgia State*	Jamil Muhammad	CB	0.8900 (T))	South Carolina
James Madison	Isaac Ukwu	Edge	0.8900 (T)	Ole Miss
Louisiana	Trey Amos	CB	0.8900 (T)	Alabama
ULM	Quincy Ledet	DL	0.8600 (T)	Texas Tech
Marshall	Dink Jackson	S	0.8972 (HS)	N/A
Old Dominion	Ali Jennings	WR	0.9200 (T)	Virginia Tech
South Alabama	Elijah Gainey	QB	0.8213 (HS)	N/A
Southern Miss	Ty Keyes	QB	0.8752 (HS)	N/A
Texas State	Demarcus Gregory	WR	0.8791 (HS)	N/A
Troy**	Tez Johnson	WR	0.8800 (T)	Oregon
*Thomas Gore
**Peter Costelli

PHOTO CREDIT: Mine mine mine