A deeper dive into the SEC

Alabama

Last year’s record: 12-2, 8-0 SEC

Nearly 40 players either transferred or left for the NFL, but quarterback Jalen Milroe’s return was critical after he accounted for 3,365 total yards and 35 scores during his first season as starter.

The defense returns just five starters after it lost a trio of pass rushers with 26 sacks, led by Dallas Turner, and the SEC leader in passes defended, cornerback Terrion Arnold. Each player was a first-round draft pick.

Alabama replaced two-time All-American kicker Will Reichard, the all-time NCAA Division I FBS scoring leader, with Miami (Ohio) transfer Graham Nicholson, who was 27 of 28 on field goals in 2023.

Arkansas

Last year’s record: 4-8, 1-7 SEC

Boise State transfer quarterback Taylen Green, a 6-foot-6, 221-pound junior, replaces record-setter KJ Jefferson, who transferred to UCF after throwing for 7,991 yards, rushing for 1,868 and accounting for a school-record 88 touchdowns.

Defensive end Landon Jackson, whose 13.5 tackles for loss rank third among SEC returners, anchors a defense that allowed an average of 357.2 yards under new coordinator Travis Williams, down 108 yards per game from 2022.

New offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino was 34-17 in four seasons as Arkansas head coach, including 11-2 during his final season in 2011.

Auburn

Last year’s record: 6-7, 3-5 SEC

5-star freshman receiver Cam Coleman looks to ignite the SEC’s worst passing offense (162.2 ypg) after second-year coach Hugh Freeze stuck with quarterback Payton Thorne, who ranked 13th among 14 SEC starters in passing efficiency.

New defensive coordinator and former UF assistant DJ Durkin inherits three of the Tigers’ top four tacklers, include edge rusher Jalen McLeod, who had 10.5 for loss.

Tailback Jarquez Hunter is the leading returning rusher in the SEC, with 909 yards.

Florida

Last year’s record: 5-7, 3-5 SEC

Quarterback Graham Mertz returns for a sixth season after finishing with an SEC-best 72.9% completion rate, 20 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in his Gators debut.

Significant defensive improvement is imperative after UF allowed an average of 38.2 points during a season-ending five-game skid, had an SEC-low 3 interceptions and managed just 22 sacks — the program’s fewest since 2013.

Coach Billy Napier enters Year 3 in Gainesville with four new assistant coaches, three on defense, and an additional special teams analyst after a 5-7 finish.

Georgia

Last year’s record: 13-2, 8-0 SEC

Quarterback Carson Beck set a single-season school record with a 72.4% completion rate while his 3,941 passing yards ranked third.

Georgia led the conference in scoring defense (15.6 ppg) but allowed its most points since 2020 when schools faced an all-SEC schedule.

Coach Kirby Smart moved Mykel Williams, the team’s most talented front-seven defender, from end to outside linebacker after the Bulldogs tallied their fewest sacks (30) since 2018.

Kentucky

Last year’s record: 7-6, 3-5 SEC

Georgia transfer quarterback Brock Vandagriff, a 5-star prospect, inherits one of the SEC’s best wideout tandems in Barion Brown and Dane Key (85 catches, 1,175 yards, 10 scores combined in 2023).

Massive tackle Deone Walker (6-6, 348) is a force who posted 55 tackles, including 7.5 sacks, and now anchors one of the SEC’s top defensive fronts.

Kentucky’s 5-0 start and 7-6 finish was a bit reminiscent of Mark Stoops’ early years in Lexington; his 2014 squad began 5-1 and 2015 team 4-1 before each finished 5-7.

LSU

Last year’s record: 10-3, 6-2 SEC

Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, a 22-year-old redshirt junior, replaces Heisman winner Jayden Daniels, who accounted for 4,946 total yards and 50 scores.

Linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. has a case for the SEC’s best front-seven defender after registering 75 stops, including 13 for loss, and 3 forced fumbles as a sophomore.

After consecutive 10-win seasons, coach Brian Kelly can ill afford the Tigers missing the expanded 12-team playoff in Year 3.

Mississippi State

Last year’s record: 5-7, 1-7 SEC

The Bulldogs fired first-year coach Zach Arnett and hired Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby after missing a bowl game for the first time since 2009, Dan Mullen’s debut season in Starkville.

Seven of the top eight tacklers from 2023 are gone, leaving former UF assistant Coleman Hutzler coordinating a defense with two returning starters.

Visits to Texas, Georgia, Tennessee and Ole Miss highlight one of the nation’s toughest schedules.

Missouri

Last year’s record: 11-2, 6-2 SEC

Receiver Luther Burden returns as the SEC’s top playmaker on the perimeter; his 1,212 receiving yards ranked third and he has 17 touchdowns in two seasons.

To finish 11-2 after consecutive 5-7 seasons, the Tigers won four games by 7 points or fewer, tied with Ole Miss for tops in the SEC.

Missouri returns just five defensive starters, losing two of its top three tacklers, along with sack leader Darius Robinson and interceptions leader Kris Abrams-Draine.

Oklahoma

Last year’s record: 10-3, 7-2 Big 12

Sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold takes over an offense with just two returning starters, none on the offensive line.

Defensive-minded third-year coach Brent Venables was known at Clemson for developing elite defensive linemen akin to 6-foot-2, 320-pound TCU transfer tackle Damonic Williams, who started 27 games the past two seasons.

The Sooners join the SEC coming off a lull in Big 12 domination — no title game appearances in three seasons — and without an All-American performer since 2019.

Ole Miss

Last year’s record: 11-2, 6-2 SEC

The Rebels had a plus-11 turnover margin and won four games by 7 points or fewer, trends that are difficult to repeat hoping to build on 11 wins.

USC transfer quarterback Jaxson Dart thrived under Lane Kiffin, accounting for 31 scores including 23 passing against just 5 interceptions.

A quartet of defenders ranked among 247Sports’ top-50 transfers — tackle Walter Nolan (Texas A&M), edge rusher Princely Umanmielen (Florida), linebacker Chris Paul Jr. (Arkansas) and cornerback Trey Amos (Alabama) — will spearhead a retooled unit.

South Carolina

Last year’s record: 5-7, 3-5 SEC

Coach Shane Beamer enters a pivotal Year 4 after he followed two promising seasons with a 5-7 dud he cannot repeat.

The Gamecocks must replace their quarterback and receiving corps, but added Arkansas star tailback Rocket Sanders and 5-star tackle Josiah Thompson to an offensive line with four returning starters.

Linebacker Debo Williams, the SEC’s leading returning tackler (113 stops), will spearhead a defense with seven starters back and 5-star edge rusher Dylan Stewart in the fold.

Tennessee

Last year’s record: 9-4, 4-4 SEC

Offensive whiz and former UCF coach Josh Heupel believes highly touted quarterback Nico Iamaleava could be the best he’s coached, while returners Bru McCoy and Squirrel White form a formidable receiving duo.

Edge rusher James Pearce Jr. is among the SEC’s most dominant defenders — 14.5 tackles for loss, including 10 sacks, as a sophomore — but Tennessee lost 10 defensive backs and return no starters on the back end.

Tennessee’s opponents had a combined 52% win rate in 2023, second lowest in the SEC ahead of only Missouri (44.3%).

Texas

Last year’s record: 12-2, 8-1 Big 12

Quarterback Quinn Ewers lost receivers Xavier Worthy and AD Mitchell to the NFL, but Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond was among the biggest offseason acquisitions in college football.

An offense averaging 35.8 points returns four starters in the offensive line along with sophomore tailback Cedric Baxter, a former Edgewater standout.

Sophomore star linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. looks to shore up a front seven losing Outland Award winner T’Vondre Sweat, fellow tackle and first-round draft pick Byron Murphy and All-Big 12 linebacker Jaylan Ford.

Texas A&M

Last year’s record: 7-6, 4-4 SEC

Quarterback Conner Weigman is as talented any passer in the SEC, putting a premium on his recovery from a serious ankle injury in September.

After going 16-9 at Duke, Mike Elko replaced Jimbo Fisher; Elko served as A&M’s defensive coordinator during a 9-1 2020 when the Aggies led the SEC in total defense.

Purdue transfer end Nic Scourton, who led the Big Ten with 10 sacks, tackle Shemar Turner, who totaled 10.5 tackles for loss in 2023, lead a talented defensive front.

Vanderbilt

Last year’s record: 2-10, 0-8 SEC

Transfer QB Diego Pavia, the 2023 Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year, arrives from New Mexico State with coordinator Tim Beck looking to provide stability for coach Clark Lea, who has played multiple quarterbacks in 22 of 36 games.

The Commodores return just three starters on each side of the football as Lea enters his fourth season searching for answers and assuming the role of defensive play caller.

Linebacker Langston Patterson (team-high 74 stops) and safety CJ Taylor (55) are solid pieces to build around as is versatile TCU sophomore transfer Randon Fontenette.

— Edgar Thompson