SEC ROSTER BREAKDOWNS

Let’s get right into it. The SEC. I’m sure if you asked someone from Tuscaloosa or Athens to describe the SEC they’d say, “The National Championship goes through the SEC…” or something like that. Although we love to crack jokes about the SEC, it’s only fair to give credit where it is due. 15 of the last 26 National Champions have been SEC teams, with 6 in the last decade. 

With conference realignment and expansion in the playoff, a common college football take this year is that the SEC could have at least 4 teams in. If we really dive in, come December it could be more…

*The following list is in no particular order. These summaries are to give you a peek into roster changes for upcoming year and a preview at how they may fare against their schedule. If you don’t like it… leave a comment why!

Georgia

There’s a new sheriff town...and it’s Kirby Smart. With Saban retiring and Harbuagh leaving for the NFL there are not too many CFB coaches still standing with a ton of playoff experience. But Kirby led the DAWGS to back to back CFP Championships with Stetson Bennett at the helm. Now he has Carson Beck with a year of starts under his belt looking to compete against Ewers for the top QB prospect. All Georgia does is RELOAD even after shipping off boatloads of starters to the NFL. Florida transfer Trevor Etienne looks to take over at RB behind what could be the best OL in the country. With rising talent DC Glen Schuman and 7 returning starters on defense, they look to take on the SEC gauntlet on their road to the CFP once again. Opening against Clemson, going to Alabama, Texas and Ole Miss and a November game against Tennessee, Georgia will have their hands full. Expect them to compete for a 3rd National Championship in 4 years.

Auburn

It’s Year 2 for Hugh Freeze after taking over a bit of a mess left by Brian Harsin in his short time there. In Year 1 Freeze made due with what he could, leading the Tigers to a 6-7 season with a devastating loss in the Iron Bowl by a late bomb from Jalen Milroe. After getting his feet planeted in Auburn we all thought Hugh Freeze would surely make a move for a QB in the transfer portal but for some reason did not. This year the job is up for grabs but will most likely be won by senior Payton Thorne while a few freshmen wait their turn. Maybe he didn’t spend so much energy on a transfer QB because the Freeze Four or highly touted WR recruits led by Cam Coleman are going to make an instant impact for this team. With a veteran defensive unit led by Keionte Scott they look to compete in the SEC and a shot at the CFP as well. Auburn will have to take trips out to UGA, Mizzou and Bama and also face Oklahoma in September.

Missouri

The Alpha Nerd is no joke. Eli Drinkwitz is taking care of some serious business in Columbia Missouri. In his first four seasons he managed to sit at exactly .500 in the regular season. But after giving his recruits some time to get into the program and establishing a cohesive unit, last year they ended 11-2 with a win over Ohio St in the bowl game. Most of the common men amongst us will not be ready for what Mizzou is capable of this year and they may be overlooked yet again.

Brady Cook returns after more than a solid performance last year for the Tigers and he’s accompanied by none other than maybe the best WR in the SEC in Luther Burden. The entire WR room returns adding not only experience but unity to the offensive side of the ball. Even though Schrader will not return Drinkwitz managed to scoop up some RBs in the transfer portal with 1000yd rusher Carroll from Georgia St. Although they lost a bit on defense the transfer portal has helped fill some gaps. Here’s the kicker, Mizzou has a favorable schedule with their toughest tests being in the middle of the season going to A&M & Bama and seeing Auburn and OU at home. It may be tough to win the SEC but expect Mizzou to seriously be fighting for a playoff bid this year.

Ole Miss

Lane Kiffin spent the past 4 years recruiting and building the roster he has now, led by Jaxson Dart. Although they lost arguably #1 RB in the country Quinshon Judkins to Ohio St, they added a ton in the portal. Kiffin was able to secure outstanding DL Walter Nolen from A&M along with a few other DL looking to make an instant impact. He’s also added some serious hogs up front on the OL. Even with the departure of Judkins, expect a serious running game down in Oxford. Ulysses Bentley is an extremely good RB followed by Henry Parrish and Logan Diggs. The Rebs will be looking for Dart to have his best season yet and lead this team to their first SEC Title contention. Ole Miss will be tested on their road trips to OU and UGA but outside of that has a favorable schedule. Kiffin will be looking to take advantage of the window he has now that looks directly through the SEC Title game all the way to the CFP.

Alabama

Everyone wants to know… Can Kalen DeBoer actually do this? It’s unfair to compare him to the greatest college football coach of all time but it is inevitable. I think we’re all just interested to see what can be accomplished at Alabama with their God Tier resources no longer being weaponized by God himself. But DeBoer is no slouch, with 10 seasons of HC experience he is 104-12 and took Washington to a CFP National Championship. With the return of guys like Jalen Milroe and Kadyn Proctor and new blood like highly touted freshman WR Ryan Williams, DeBoer looks to keep the offense rolling. Milroe’s leadership will be a huge factor this year leading his team under a new coach. He showed great leadership when he handled his stint on the bench very well last year and will need to demonstrate even more composure in the off season as he tries to gel with his new WR core. On the defensive side of the ball they return an experienced DL and a couple LBs and some strong transfers at DB. I’m sure all eyes will be on DeBoer and the Crimson Tide to see if they can sustain success.

Tennessee

The Nico Era has begun. Heupul looks to continue his high flying offensive efforts in Knoxville with the highest rated QB recruit since Peyton Manning. Nico Iamaleava (let’s stick to Nico) will heave weapons on the outside with the return of Bru McCoy and Squirrel White. Heupul has shown he can win big games at Tennessee with their upset over Bama in ‘22, he just needs a QB that fits and by all accounts I’m hearing Nico is him. On the other side of the ball Tennessee will have a strong DL led by James Pearce who hopes to be a #1 OVR draft pick next year. Unfortunately outside of the DL they are dealing with a lot of new faces and some inexperienced DBs. If the defense can learn on the fly and mesh together quickly, there’s not much that can stop this Tennessee team. The Vols will have an interesting early game out of conference against NC State which will prove to be a good early test. They do host Bama but will have to travel to Sanford stadium to face Georgia. Overall, this Tennessee team is very dependent on two things, a young defense and an unproven QB with a lot of hype. If Heupul plays his cards right we can see the Vols competing for a playoff spot.

Texas

Texas is back? Again? Maybe for real this time? Well yeah. Sarkisian has been restoring Texas to the powerhouse brand that they always believed they were, even though they may not have displayed it over the past decade. Even though Texas lost a slew offensive playmakers and two top DL to the NFL draft, Sark was prepared. Isaiah Bond from Alabama steps in at WR along with his former TE Amari Niblack and Quinn Ewers is at the helm. Quinn Ewers is expected to be the #1 QB in this class and is planned to be succeeded by Arch Manning, but don’t be surprised if Manning makes a few appearances this year. With a top OL and strong veteran defense and a favorable schedule, this may be the year Texas finds itself in the CFP Championship. They’ll have to get past Michigan in week 2 and face Georgia in October, both games will be must watch.

Oklahoma

Moving to the SEC will not be the same in Oklahoma as it is in Texas. Although Venables turned things around in year 2 leading the Sooners to a 10-3 season, this year will be a whole new animal. Experienced QB Dillon Gabriel is off to Oregon leaving the program in the hands of Jackson Arnold. There’s been a ton of talk in the anticipation of Arnold getting his shot to be the Sooners QB especially with some decent reps last year. New OC Seth Littrell will be in Arnold’s ear as they try to match last years offense. OU’s offensive line totals 114 starts but none of them are returning OU starters. Keep an eye on this unit to see whether they can become a cohesive unit or if they struggle to face the SEC defensive lines they’ll be up against this year. Venables looks to Billy Bowman and Danny Stutsman to lead an improved defense. OU will run the gauntlet this year facing Tennessee, Texas, Ole Miss, Bama, and LSU and only getting 2 of them at home. With all that being said, you can’t count Oklahoma out just yet.

Arkansas

I can not lie about this one… Arkansas kind of snuck up on me. After doing a bit of digging into Pittman’s time there I’ve got a better sense of which direction this team is trending. Although they were 4-8 last year they had maybe the toughest 4 game stretch in the country with LSU, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and then Alabama while being away for 3 of 4. Then the season ends and guys like KJ Jefferson and Rocket Sanders depart and you question, can they really get that much better? Well there’s a chance.

Pittman clung on for dear life at the edge of the hot seat as the season ended but that didn’t stop him from fighting in the trenches of the transfer portal. With a new OL and RB, Boise St transfer QB Taylen Green will look to light up the scoreboard in Fayetteville. Pittman also managed to add the FCS leader in sacks from Albany, Anton Juncaj. With their toughest games this year being at home don’t be surprised if Pittman and his hogs pull off a big upset.

Vanderbilt

Unfortunately, there’s just not much to say about Vanderbilt. Clark Lea is doing his best to improve this program with a history of losing. Lea will have his most experienced DL yet which he will lean on in conference play. An exciting new player to look out for is QB Diego Pavia who transferred from NM State. Pavia is a hard runner who led NM ST with over 900 rush yds last season. With a brand new WR room and experienced OL Pavia will look to provide a spark for Vandy this year. Don’t be surprised if we see Vandy in a nail biter or even leading against a big SEC team at half time, they’re always good for at least one.

LSU

With the departure of Jayden Daniels what will Brian Kelly do? Create another super star? Run a tough team led by defense? What identity is this LSU team going to have? With Nussmeier at QB they’ll be stable but their ceiling has been significantly lowered. Without Jayden Daniels running all over the field, the RB’s will need to step up. We’ve also seen so many great WRs come from LSU recently, will we get another? I have so many questions for this LSU team but not on defense. Led by Harold Perkins & Major Burns this LSU team returns 6 starters on defense with an improved secondary. Expect a stout defense to give Nussmeier and crew some breathing room especially early in the season. Opening with USC will be interesting but LSU avoids Georgia and Texas this year. With home games against Bama, Ole Miss and Oklahoma, LSU will also be looking to contend for a conference championship and CFP spot.

Florida

Florida is truly an interesting team this year. Billy Napier is entering year 3 with an 11-14 record. Graham Mertz is back after playing fairly well last year. I can only imagine the feeling Wisconsin fans have seeing Mertz lead the SEC in completion % and fewest turnovers. Although Mertz is back, DJ Lagway, a highly touted QB prospect will be pushing him as he tries to take the spot. With an improved OL and fairly talented offensive roster they should improve. Napier will lean on the DL as he tries to continue to improve what has been a lackluster Gators defense. Regardless of all that, Florida has the toughest schedule in the country. Opening against Miami, going to Tennessee (Lost 2 of last 4 after dominating for a 15 year span) and Texas. They also draw Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss & Florida St for what will be one hell of a gauntlet.

Miss St

There’s not much to say for Miss St this year. It’s going to be a tough rebuild year but don’t sell your stock yet on Lebby. Lebby is going to return the Bulldogs back to a spread fast paced offense and away from the changes Arnett had made post Leach. (RIP Great Coach, Better Man). With a pretty much entirely new roster that’s not very experienced and a very tough conference schedule don’t expect too much from Miss St this year. However, give it some time and let’s see what Lebby can do.

Texas A&M

Goodbye Jimbo and Hello Mike Elko. A&M has been loaded with talent but Jimbo Fisher did not do a great job of continuing to develop and improve the players in his program at A&M. The Aggies will be looking to do a full 180 with Mike Elko at the helm. He was doing big things at Duke with a much less talented roster, which begs the question… What is Mike Elko capable of with a roster of 4 & 5 star talent? The Aggies did lose some horses to the transfer portal like Walter Nolen at Ole Miss who I mentioned earlier. However, they were able to add Nic Scourton who led the BIG10 in sacks last year at Purdue. They also return QB Connor Weigman and have a deep RB room behind an improved OL. They open against Notre Dame and travel to the Swamp in Week 3 but they avoid Georgia, Alabama, and Ole Miss in conference play. I’m curious to see what Elko does in year 1.

Kentucky

8 straight bowls for Mark Stoops! Kentucky will be a veteran team this year returning a ton of guys. It makes sense since they were very young last year after losing a ton of vets the year before. Stoops has got this program on cycle. With a very strong defense and favorable schedule Kentucky will be Kentucky again. What will be fun to look out for is some new faces on offense like Chip Trayanum from OSU and QBs Brock Vandagriff (Georgia Transfer) and Gavin Wimsatt (Rutgers Transfer).

South Carolina

Well Spencer Rattler it was a fun ride. LaNorris Sellers will look to take over for the Gamecocks at 6’3” 245 lbs, he’s a big kid who moves well. It’s worth noting Robby Ashford (Auburn Transfer) has also joined the team. Rocket Sanders also comes over from Arkansas. Beamer will keep this team run heavy with a playmaking RB and 4 returning starters on the OL. On the other side of the ball they return most of their top DL along with young outstanding LB Jalon Kilgore. South Carolina will have their hands full in conference play facing off against LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Mizzou but all at home. Depending how the first half of the season plays out, that final regular season game against Clemson could be a great one.