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This is an opinion column.
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Former Alabama coach Nick Saban is prepping for the NFL Draft as an analyst, spring practices throughout the SEC are all completed, and the transfer portal seems to be slowing done. Texas and Oklahoma are joining the SEC in a couple months. Let’s get into a mailbag about the state of college football.
Robert Kilpatrick of Stapleton, Ala., writes …
Well I’ve waited as long as I can stand it. Time for picking who’s gonna claim the SEC football crown for the coming season. I’m not gonna hold you in suspense any longer, I’m pulling the trigger for Steve Sarkisian and the boys in Texas. Of course my heart pulls for Bama, but Kalen DeBoer just doesn’t have what it takes and Texas comes back loaded and with powerful momentum. Now the big reveal from you Joe. Who’s gonna wear the SEC crown this year? No hedging either!!!
ANSWER: Let’s start with the biggest change of all to the conference. Texas and Oklahoma join the league on July 1, so we’re going to include the Sooners and Longhorns in these rankings. There are new coaches at Alabama, Texas A&M and Mississippi State, but adding Texas’ Steve Sarkisian and OU’s Brent Venables to the mix brings the total number of new coaches in the league up to five.
16. Vanderbilt Commodores
2023 Record: (2-10, 0-8 SEC)
Incoming transfers: 13
Outgoing transfers: 21
Incoming signing class: 21
Noteworthy: I was tempted to put Vanderbilt at 15 based on the fact that the Commodores picked up former New Mexico State quarterback Diego Pavia. Pavia is the quarterback who led the Aggies to their upset of Auburn last season. Clark Lea is a good coach, but he needs to win some games in the league this season. A renovated stadium brings added expectations.
15. Mississippi State Bulldogs
2023 record: (5-7, 1-7 SEC)
Incoming transfers: 17
Outgoing transfers: 20
Incoming signing class: 24
Noteworthy: New coach Jeff Lebby takes over for Zach Arnett. They gave Arnett one season to prove himself, which isn’t really fair, but that’s life in the SEC. The Bulldogs had a veteran quarterback in 2023, but Will Rogers transferred to Washington to play for then-Huskies coach Kalen DoBoer. Tough break, but that’s a different story. Mississippi State picked up former Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen in the portal, so we’ll see what happens there. The program is still trying to get settled after the sudden death of beloved coach Mike Leach in December of 2022. RIP Pirate.
14. Arkansas Razorbacks
2023 record: (4-8, 1-7 SEC)
Incoming transfers: 16
Outgoing transfers: 29
Incoming signing class: 16
Noteworthy: For me, the hottest seat in the SEC is the one Arkansas coach Sam Pittman is cooking on going into the summer. He probably should have been fired after last season. Based on everything we’ve seen recently with Arkansas basketball, Pittman is on the clock. When quarterback KJ Jefferson left to play for coach Gus Malzahn at UCF, it’s like everyone abandoned Northwest Arkansas as fast as possible. Running back Raheim Sanders is at South Carolina, but Utah transfer Ja’Quinden Jackson at least gives the Razorbacks some punch in the backfield. Boise State transfer quarterback Taylen Green takes over for Jefferson, but Green completed 57 percent of his throws last season.
13. South Carolina Gamecocks
2023 record: (5-7, 3-5 SEC)
Incoming transfers: 20
Outgoing transfers: 24
Incoming signing class: 16
Noteworthy: Coach Shane Beamer brought in quarterback Robby Ashford from Auburn. Ashford is a tough competitor, but redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers was the star quarterback during the spring game. Davis Beville, a transfer from Oklahoma by way of Pitt, is another quarterback in the mix. Running back Raheim Sanders, the transfer of Arkansas, was a major pick up. The cupboard isn’t bare in Columbia.
12. Florida Gators
2023 record: (5-7, 3-5 SEC)
Incoming transfers: 12
Outgoing transfers: 22
Incoming signing class: 20
Noteworthy: Any coach hired at the beginning of the transfer portal era was going into a new world completely blind. Add the problems with Florida’s initial effort in the NIL space, and Billy Napier finds his Gators near the bottom of a tough league at the wrong time. On top of that, in-state teams FSU, Miami and UCF all seem to be better off than Florida going into the 2024 season. The Gators do have five-star quarterback recruit DJ Lagway, so there’s hope. He looked pretty good this spring.
11. Kentucky Wildcats
2023 record: (7-6, 3-5 SEC)
Incoming transfers: 11
Outgoing transfers: 19
Incoming signing class: 24
Noteworthy: The big addition is former Georgia quarterback Brock Vandagriff, but coach Mark Stoops used the portal well in other places, too. The problem for Kentucky this offseason is that Stoops was apparently the next head coach at Texas A&M until he wasn’t. Awkward. Did that cause some problems for the Cats this spring? Can’t be good.
No.10 LSU Tigers
2023 record: (10-3, 6-2 SEC)
Incoming transfers: 7
Outgoing transfers: 24
Incoming signing class: 29
Noteworthy: Others will have LSU ranked higher going into the summer, but the Tigers’ defense looked awful at times in 2023. We’ll see if the new defensive coordinator makes a difference. Offensively, LSU lost a lot from the 2023 team but the Tigers have talent. Coach Brian Kelly replaces quarterback Jayden Daniels with redshirt junior Garrett Nussmeier. At receiver, Kyren Lacy and Chris Hilton take over for NFL-bound Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas.
9. Oklahoma Sooners
2023 record: (10-3, 7-2 Big 12)
Incoming transfers: 14
Outgoing transfers: 22
Incoming signing class: 27
Noteworthy: Coach Brent Venables goes into the SEC under a lot of pressure. Is he on the hot seat? I’m not ready to say that, but the Sooners go from the top rung of the Big 12 to mid-pack of the SEC in one offseason. That’s going to be a shock to the system for a lot of fans. Oklahoma was a national contender in most seasons with former coach Lincoln Riley. Venables still has a lot to prove. Quarterback Jackson Arnold was highly rated coming out of high school, so he should give the Sooners a chance. Arnold picked OU over Alabama. Transfer receiver Deion Burks of Purdue is all the rave, but we’ll see. Defensively, I like OU’s ability to get after the quarterback.
8. Auburn Tigers
2023 record: (6-7, 3-5 SEC)
Incoming transfers: 11
Outgoing transfers: 20
Incoming signing class: 20
Noteworthy: I would have put Auburn below Kentucky based off last season, but a lot has happened on the Plains since Hugh Freeze completed his first season. Offensive coordinator Derrick Nix is an upgrade and defensive coordinator DJ Durkin should return the fire to Auburn’s defense. Freshman quarterback Walker White has a big arm and he’s a natural leader. Add receiver Cam Coleman and others to the offense and the Tigers are ready to roar again. Am I ready to drink the Auburn Kool-Aid, though? Not quite. The memory of the 2023 offense remains, but it’s fading quickly.
7. Tennessee Volunteers
2023 record: (9-4, 4-4 SEC)
Incoming transfers: 8
Outgoing transfers: 14
Incoming signing class: 21
Noteworthy: Five-star freshman Jordan Ross of Vestavia Hills was the statement signing by coach Tennessee’s NIL collective. Ross was the 7A defensive player of the year. The Vols fell back in 2023 but they’re not returning to the basement. Chris Brazzell is a big, 6-5 receiver from Tulane to go along with quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Iamaleava is the 6-6 quarterback from Long Beach who made headlines for his commitment to Tennessee at the beginning of the NIL era. That’s a lot of pressure for a young player and all eyes will be watching.
No.6 Texas A&M Aggies
2023 record: (7-6, 4-4 SEC)
Incoming transfers: 27
Outgoing transfers: 27
Incoming signing class: 17
Noteworthy: No one spends money like Texas A&M. The Aggies dropped Jimbo Fisher and his staff at the beginning of the offseason, picked up former Duke coach Mike Elko and then surrounded Elko with plenty of new players. That long list includes Alabama transfer cornerback Dezz Ricks and Florida linebacker transfer Scooby Williams. Quarterback Connor Weigman is a rising junior and Troy receiver transfer Jabre Barber adds depth. The Aggies underperformed in 2023, but Elko adds a solid team culture for all the cash.
No.5 Ole Miss Rebels
2023 record: (11-2, 6-2 SEC)
Incoming transfers: 18
Outgoing transfers: 20
Incoming signing class: 22
Noteworthy: Ole Miss is in a perfect position to take advantage of the disruption in college football going into the 2024 season. Mississippi State changed coaches. LSU’s defense is being rebuilt. Nick Saban retired at Alabama. All things considered, Ole Miss has the easiest schedule in the SEC. Coach Lane Kiffin wouldn’t mess that up, right?
4. Missouri Tigers
2023 record: (11-2, 6-2 SEC)
Incoming transfers: 11
Outgoing transfers: 17
Incoming signing class: 21
Noteworthy: This feels weird, but here we are living in a world where the SEC is adding Texas and Oklahoma but Mizzou is a legitimate contender. Tigers defensive coordinator Corey Batoon of South Alabama takes over for Blake Baker, who became the highest paid assistant in the country this offseason when he moved down to LSU. Pass rushers Darris Smith (Georgia) and Zion Young (Michigan State) transferred in to go along with a formidable depth chart on offense. Running back transfer Marcus Carroll of Georgia State should start and add some balance to a loaded receiving corps.
No.3 Alabama Crimson Tide
2023 record: (12-2, 9-0 SEC)
Incoming transfers: 11
Outgoing transfers: 34
Incoming signing class: 28
Noteworthy: I have all the faith in the world in new coach Kalen DeBoer, but Alabama has worked to do before the start of the season. Quarterback Jalen Milroe should be one of the best players in the country, so that helps. Incoming receiver Ryan Williams of Saraland has big-star potential and receiver Germie Bernad, a Washington transfer, was a much-needed addition after the loss of Isaiah Bond to Texas. Defensively, Alabama needs some help in the secondary based on everything we saw in the spring game. And who replaces Dallas Turner? No one, that’s who. Here’s my column from the spring game if anyone missed it. People had some strong reactions to the idea of Alabama’s players feeling comfortable with the new coach.
No.2 Texas Longhorns
2023 record: (12-2, 8-1 Big 12)
Incoming transfers: 9
Outgoing transfers: 20
Incoming signing class: 22
Noteworthy: The Longhorns enter the SEC fresh off an appearance in the College Football Playoff. There’s plenty of hype, but this team is loaded. Texas nabbed three transfers from Alabama alone: receiver Isaiah Bond, tight end Amari Niblack and linebacker Kendrick Blackshire.
No.1 Georgia Bulldogs
2023 record: (13-1, 8-1 SEC)
Incoming transfers: 8
Outgoing transfers: 23
Incoming signing class: 28
Noteworthy: Alabama got the best of Georgia in the 2023 SEC championship game. As it turned out, that was the final victory of Saban’s career. Fitting that it would come against former lieutenant Kirby Smart, the coach most like Saban as the new era of the SEC begins. Sarkisian at Texas is a great coach and Freeze at Auburn is coming on strong but Smart takes over the top spot with Saban now enjoying the easy life. Georgia added Florida running back transfer Trevor Etienne to go behind a blue-chip offensive line and quarterback Carson Beck. Throw in former Miami receiver Colbie Young and the Bulldogs are my top team in the SEC after the spring.
SOUND OFF
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Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the most controversial sports book ever written, “We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban’s Ultimate Team.”
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