The transfer portal is a way of life for all of college football but it still does not remove the sting of losing two experienced playmakers in succession.

UAB wide receiver Fred Farrier II and cornerback BJ Mayes made their way into the unknown at the end of the season and have since emerged on the other side as fellow SEC commits.

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Mayes transferred to UAB last season after two seasons at Incarnate Word, where he appeared in 20 games and produced 53 tackles (3 for loss), 14 pass breakups and an interception. During his lone season with the Blazers, Mayes started 11 games and finished with 41 tackles (1 for loss), an AAC-leading 10 pass breakups and two interceptions. He entered the portal on January 2 and committed to Texas A&M four days later with a post on his social media accounts.

Farrier was a member of UAB’s 2021 recruiting class and signed as a 3-star prospect out of Franklin County High School in Frankfort, Kentucky. He appeared in 28 total games for the Blazers, starting one game in 2022 and six games this past season, and finished his UAB career with 28 receptions for 377 yards and two touchdowns.

Farrier entered the transfer portal two weeks after the conclusion of UAB’s season and announced a return to his home state by committing to Kentucky this past Sunday.

Along with Farrier and Mayes, UAB has a total of 21 portal entries this offseason with six having extensive playing experience — graduate receiver Samario Rudolph signed with Jacksonville State, linebacker Jackson Bratton signed with UNA, safety Damon Miller signed with Samford and long snapper Xander Echols signed with Idaho. Other UAB players to sign with different programs are running back Taven Curry (Louisiana-Monroe), wide receiver Teddy Davenport (Samford), defensive lineman Connor Knight (McNeese State) and safety Carl Fauntroy (Louisiana-Monroe).

The Blazers signed four portal additions during the early signing period, running back Armoni Goodwin (LSU), linebacker OC Brothers (Purdue) and offensive linemen DJ Jones (Murray State) and JonDarrius Morgan (South Carolina), and have since received four portal commitments in linebacker Jax Van Zandt (North Texas), wide receiver Jamoi Mayes (Chattanooga), edge rusher Ezra Odinjor (Georgia Tech) and former dismissed Florida quarterback Jalen Kitna.

The Blazers are coming off a 4-8 season in their first year under head coach Trent Dilfer and return at least nine starters for the 2024 campaign, which UAB opens Thursday, Aug. 29, against Alabama State at Protective Stadium in Birmingham.