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| Texas lost 12 impact players to the 2025 NFL Draft, including three first rounders, but the Longhorns sit right at the top of these rankings. That’s a testament to the job that coach Steve Sarkisian has done in the talent acquisition department. All eyes are on quarterback Arch Manning as he replaces longtime starter Quinn Ewers. Manning will have plenty of talent to spread the ball to, highlighted by big-play wide receiver Ryan Wingo, and the defense should be among the nation’s best with stars like linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. and safety Michael Taaffe patrolling the field. (+270) |
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| Is this the year LSU finally breaks through under coach Brian Kelly? The Tigers have had a Heisman Trophy winner and consistent 10-win seasons over the past few years but no championships or playoff appearances to show for it. So Kelly and his staff went all in this offseason, collecting the top class in 247Sports’ Transfer Rankings while convincing several impact players to run it back. That includes quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who could have been a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The defense is going to have to be way better if LSU wants to reach its lofty goals. (+950) |
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| Georgia fans won’t be happy that their team is third, especially since the Bulldogs are the modern SEC hegemon and, despite their early exit in the 2024 College Football Playoff, the reigning conference champs. But there are a few questions swirling around this squad. Notably, UGA lost veteran starter Carson Beck to the transfer portal, and they’ll be breaking in a relatively new name in Gunner Stockton. There’s some reason for optimism, however, as Stockton showed flashes of promise during his brief playing time last year. Georgia just needs to identify a few receivers that can actually catch the ball. Newcomers like Noah Thomas (Texas A&M) and Zachariah Branch (USC) should help in that department. (+380) |
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| There’s plenty of hand-wringing in Tuscaloosa after a *gasp* nine-win season in coach Kalen DeBoer’s first year. After the standard Nick Saban set, any win total below double digits is apparently cause for concern. But one (still really solid by most standards!) reset year does not detract from the fact that DeBoer is one of the best active coaches in the sport, and even though Alabama still has to settle on a starting quarterback, the Crimson Tide should be right back in the playoff hunt in 2025. (+500) |
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| Replacing a program legend like Jaxson Dart is never easy, but Ole Miss is incredibly high on the 19-year-old Austin Simmons. Lane Kiffin has forgotten more about QB development than most of us will ever know, so the Rebels should be fine. Defensively, Ole Miss has a large hole to fill on its defensive line after losing Walter Nolen to the NFL Draft, but Zxavian Harris could follow in his footsteps to the first round. Edge Princewill Umanmielen and linebacker Suntarine Perkins are other 2026 prospects worth keeping an eye on. Come to think of it, will this Ole Miss team be led by defense in 2025? Stranger things have happened. (+950) |
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| Quarterback DJ Lagway should be a Heisman Trophy contender. He’s got all the tools to consistently produce highlight-worthy plays. Though the Gators have to replace leading receivers Chimere Dike and Elijhah Badger, shifty slot Eugene Wilson III and UCLA transfer J. Michael Sturdivant are more than capable of recouping the lost production. It also helps that Florida has one of the SEC’s most battle-tested rosters after convincing veterans like center Jake Slaughter, edge rusher Tyreak Sapp and defensive lineman Caleb Banks, among others, to eschew the draft and return for another year in Gainesville. Could be a big 2025 for Billy Napier. (+2000) |
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| South Carolina’s a trendy offseason darling, thanks in large part to the emergence of quarterback LaNorris Sellers, who is one of the most physically gifted playmakers in the nation. However, I’m not exactly thrilled with the offensive talent around Sellers. Nyck Harbor is an athletic freak, but being athletic does not a good football player make. He has to take some serious strides to become a real threat at wide receiver. South Carolina is also having to shuffle its secondary around after some key NFL departures, and more focus will be on pass rusher Dylan Stewart now that Kyle Kennard is gone. (+2000) |
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| Texas A&M is a tough team to figure out. A lot of its hopes hinge on what type of quarterback Marcel Reed develops into. The Aggie staff put plenty of effort into upgrading the talent around him. Wide receivers Mario Craver (Mississippi State) and KC Concepction (NC State) were A-plus gets out of the transfer portal, and Reed will be playing behind an experienced offensive line with an experienced backfield to hand the ball to. The defense needs to take major strides, especially given coach Mike Elko’s background. (+1300) |
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| Pressure is mounting on Brent Venables to deliver, so he made wholesale changes in the offseason. He took over defensive play-calling responsibilities while handing the offensive keys to new coordinator Ben Arbuckle, a quarterback whisperer who consistently produced some of the nation’s top passing attacks at Western Kentucky and Washington State. Arbuckle’s most recent Wazzu quarterback, John Mateer, followed him to Norman as the Sooners look to revamp a stagnant offense. (+3000) |
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| Auburn has the talent to compete this year. The previous regime’s recruiting shortcomings are no longer an excuse. Hugh Freeze has had plenty of time to build the roster in his image. That includes taking a swing on Oklahoma transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold, a former five-star prospect, this offseason. Arnold showed flashes of brilliance with the Sooners, but he never quite reached the level befitting a player with a blue-chip pedigree. Maybe Freeze can unlock that extra level for Arnold. If he does, Auburn will finish higher on this list, as the pieces are in place elsewhere. (+3000) |
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| The whole Nico Iamaleava saga overshadowed some other concerns plaguing this Tennessee team, most of which come on the offensive side of the ball. There’s no Dylan Sampson in the running back room, no standout wide receivers and the offensive line is severely lacking in quality depth. The defense should be among the SEC’s best again, even if potential All-American cornerback Jermod McCoy is working his way back from a torn ACL, but this could be a reset year for the Vols one season removed from their first College Football Playoff appearance. (+1300) |
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| It’s a new era for Missouri as program icons Brady Cook and Luther Burden III are off to the NFL. Those two combined for 20 wins over the past two seasons. To replace Cook, Missouri welcomes Penn State transfer Beau Pribula. While Pribula was a fun gadget player for the Nittany Lions, he’s entirely unproven as a starter. Running back Ahmad Hardy, who was a freshman All-American at ULM last season, can take some of the pressure off of the passing game. (+4000) |
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| Clark Lea doesn’t get enough credit for what he’s done at Vanderbilt. He’s the first Commodores coach since James Franklin to win a bowl game, and he’s just five victories away from matching Derek Mason’s seven-year SEC win total. The Commodores have a brutal schedule in 2025, so making it back to a bowl would be quite the accomplishment. Getting a dynamic quarterback like Diego Pavia an extra year of eligibility helps. (+30000) |
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| Arkansas should at least have an exciting rushing attack between quarterback Taylen Green and running back Braylen Russell. Russell is the type of big-bodied tank of a runner that excels under offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. Arkansas’ defense took a nosedive last season, particularly against the pass, and it doesn’t look like the Hawgs did enough to drastically improve the situation. (+13000) |
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| Another year, another transfer quarterback for the Wildcats. In what could be a pivotal campaign for longtime coach Mark Stoops — it seems like any goodwill he’s built with Kentucky’s fanbase is quickly fading after a disastrous 4-8 season — UK is hitching its wagon to Incarnate Word transfer Zach Calzada. While Calzada is coming off a nice year at the FCS level, his previous experience as an SEC starter leaves a lot to be desired, and there’s not much upside left to be tapped for a seventh-year college football player. (+30000) |
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| Mississippi State left the transfer portal windows with a big black eye, further compounding the talent deficit issues that it faces while playing in the SEC. The Bulldogs lost two of their top receivers in Kevin Coleman Jr. and Mario Craver, three offensive linemen that signed with Power Four schools and cornerback Brice Pollock, who led the Bulldogs with seven pass deflections in 2024. It’s going to be another rough year for young coach Jeff Lebby. A bowl game would blow expectations out of the water. (+50000) |
