Fresh off its first National Championship since 2007, Florida Gators basketball is looking to repeat just like the program did when they won back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007. The Gators, while not among the top favorites to repeat as National Champions, are still expected to have a championship caliber team that hopes to compete for an SEC Championship and can make some noise in March.
Among the teams that Florida will be competing for the SEC crown next year are Auburn, Alabama, and Kentucky. There is one team in the SEC that is flying under the radar and potentially making some noise next season, that being Texas A&M.
Texas A&M's offseason additions could be a game-changer
The Aggies were very active in the transfer portal this offseason, which is why many experts believe that they could be a sleeper to compete for an SEC regular-season or tournament title. Texas A&M is the only team in the country to sign five players who are all inside the top 100 in the transfer rankings according to EvanMiya.com. Miami (FL) and Michigan are the other teams with four-plus top 100 transfer players.
The Aggies added Indiana forward Mackenzie Mgbako, Creighton guard Pop Issacs, USC forward Rashaun Agee, Texas Tech forward Federiko Federiko, and Kansas guard Ryan Griffen from the transfer portal this offseason.
Two players that should make an immediate impact for the Aggies next season are Mackenzie Mgbako and Pop Issacs. Mgbako, the former Indiana forward and McDonald's All-American, was impressive in his two seasons with the Hoosiers, averaging 12.2 points per game in his two years in the Crimson and Cream. Issacs joins his third college basketball program in the last four seasons.
Pop started his career with Texas Tech before transferring to Creighton for the 2024-25 season. He played in just eight games for the Blue Jays due to a hip injury and averaged 16.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists.
The Gators built their championship team with multiple transfers, which seems to be the way the top college basketball teams in the nation seem to look every year. Texas A&M is hoping that it can have the same success that Florida did with the transfers next season. The question is, will it pay off for the Aggies?