What we learned from second transfer portal period in SEC, as Alabama, Auburn add QBs | Toppmeyer

College football’s thrift shop is no longer accepting additional goods, but its shelves remain stocked for a spring blowout sale.

The transfer portal closed to new entries this week, but teams still can sign athletes already in the portal. Players like Auburn backup quarterback T.J. Finley and Kentucky spot-starter offensive lineman Deondre Buford were among the final departures.

Coaches are unlikely to unearth All-America talents at this stage. That caliber of transfer is more easily found during the winter sweepstakes. By comparison, this is a final chance to plug holes in the depth chart.

Here are five observations from the second transfer window, with the portal closed to new entries until December.

Auburn upgraded at quarterback … but by how much?

Auburn swapped Finley for Payton Thorne, Michigan State's two-year starter. That’s an upgrade. Thorne joins Robby Ashford as Hugh Freeze's top quarterback candidates.

Nonetheless, Thorne’s arrival becomes a reminder that the best transfer talent is generally acquired in the winter. Thorne totaled 21 interceptions the past two seasons, and Auburn remains strapped by one of the SEC’s bleaker quarterback situations.

The speedy and elusive Ashford makes for a fun Wildcat-style gadget, but he's an unproven passer. That gives Thorne the chance to win the job.

Nick Saban must be unsatisfied with Alabama quarterbacks

Alabama's quarterback competition didn't get settled this spring. In fact, the competition grew deeper after neither Jalen Milroe nor Ty Simpson played to Nick Saban's standard.

Saban desires a quarterback who will play “winning football,” and apparently neither Milroe nor Simpson has displayed enough consistency to persuade Saban they could be that guy.

Milroe outperformed Simpson on A-Day and enjoyed the upper hand, but Notre Dame’s Tyler Buchner is inbound. He’ll reunite with offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.

Here’s the catch: Buchner transferred because he was going to be Notre Dame’s backup after the Irish added Wake Forest's Sam Hartman in the winter to be their starter. That tells you something about Buchner, who struggled more than either Milroe or Simpson, in Notre Dame's spring game. Buchner, like Milroe, is a dual threat, but he was prone to interceptions with the Irish.

Rees may find comfort in Buchner, but Milroe still teases the loftiest ceiling.

Some backups remain loyal. See LSU, Georgia

An unwavering commitment to ol' State U. lives on for some, even amid the transfer era.

LSU’s talented backup quarterback Garrett Nussmeier could have transferred to another Power Five school and become a starter. Instead, he'll stay the course behind Jayden Daniels, while positioned to become his heir in 2024.

Similarly, Georgia’s Brock Vandagriff exited the spring No. 2 behind Carson Beck, but the former five-star recruit is sticking it out despite knowing he may go three full seasons without starting a game.

Nussmeier and Vandagriff, both redshirt sophomores, cited a loyalty to their school.

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An SEC rule requiring players who transfer within the conference during the spring to either sit out a season or obtain a waiver also enters the decision-making. If a player wants to transfer from one SEC school to another, the best time to do it is in the winter, when there’s no requirement to obtain a waiver to play immediately.

Nussmeier or Vandagriff could have transferred outside the SEC this spring and been assured of immediate eligibility. By staying put, each could become starters as juniors in 2024 at top-tier SEC programs. That's seeing the big picture.

Do your shopping in the winter

Nearly all of the top transfer talent is snapped up. The best time to shop in the portal is after the window opens for the first time, in December. This second round of portal activity features primarily players who were unable lock down starting jobs.

A few prizes remain, such as Keon Coleman, Michigan State’s best receiver who entered the portal this week.

Coaches are mostly left shopping in the bargain barrel, though.

Alabama, Georgia remain selective

Saban, in 2021, pondered whether the NCAA's rule change granting immediate eligibility for transfers would allow the rich to get richer. Two years in, the answer is: Well, sort of.

Georgia and Alabama cherry-pick transfers who have instant-impact capabilities. That includes Georgia plundering Dominic Lovett, Missouri’s best receiver, in the winter. But neither program is seizing transfers in mass quantity. Saban and Kirby Saban have each signed just three transfers this offseason. Their programs continue to rely on recruiting and developing high school talent, while using transfers as a supplement.

Elsewhere, LSU’s Brian Kelly and Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin embraced a more transfer-laden approach. Also, the portal allows a first-year coach to more quickly flip his roster.

Portal traffic is a two-way street. Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Arkansas and Florida are among the offseason's national leaders for transfer departures.

Blake Toppmeyer is an SEC Columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Auburn football, Alabama new quarterbacks top second transfer period