College football powerhouses linked to elite transfer portal WR Cayden Lee

One of the more interesting wide receiver prospects in the college football transfer portal is getting attention from some SEC programs.

Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

One notable late entry in the college football transfer portal finds an experienced wide receiver on the lookout for a new school heading into the 2026 season, and he’s already lining up some potential suitors on the back of that news.

Ole Miss wide receiver Cayden Lee put his name into the NCAA transfer portal just ahead of the deadline and two SEC programs quickly emerged as possible landing spots as he prepares for his final season of eligibility, according to Ole Miss on SI.

Who’s in play for Lee?

Georgia was the first school that was raised as a likely possibility to sign Lee out of the transfer portal by a consensus of insiders speculating on the player’s intentions.

Wide receiver is an area of interest for the Bulldogs as they refashion their offense for the 2026 season, with Zachariah Branch declaring for the NFL Draft, while Dillon Bell, Colbie Young, and Noah Thomas have exhausted their NCAA eligibility.

Georgia will likely be in consideration for at least one wide receiver out of the transfer portal with that much production walking out of the program.

Portal King is involved, too

Georgia will have some competition from Lane Kiffin, as the first-year LSU head coach is also said to be in the market for Lee’s services as he scouts wide receiver replacements.

The position has already been an area of intense interest for the program, signing four top-50 wide receivers in the transfer portal, including Eugene Wilson from Florida and Jayce Brown from Kansas State.

Lee would certainly have familiarity not only with Kiffin but also offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, Jr. and wide receivers coach George McDonald, both of whom joined Kiffin at LSU from Ole Miss.

Rebels still in the picture?

Don’t count out Ole Miss, who, despite the expected departure of its wide receiver, is still said to be interested in retaining him on its roster for 2026.

What he’s done on the field

Lee is coming off consecutive seasons in which he emerged as a productive target in the Rebels’ offense, including in this year’s College Football Playoff run.

The wide receiver was responsible for over 1,500 yards of offense in that time after signing with Ole Miss as a top-100 wideout prospect in the 2023 recruiting class.

Lee appeared in 10 games as a true freshman for the Rebels, but really came on in the last two seasons when he emerged as one of the program’s lead targets on offense.

He had 57 receptions for 874 yards and two touchdowns while averaging over 15 yards per reception in the 2024 season.

Lee’s catch total was second on the team and his yardage figure was third as Ole Miss finished with the second-best total offense in the country averaging 527 yards per game.

The wideout followed up in 2025 with 44 grabs for 635 yards and three touchdown catches.

Lee has one season of NCAA eligibility remaining.