SEC Power Rankings Post Spring: 8-16

By Brett Daniels

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The 2025 SEC football season is packed with powerhouse programs, but the bottom half of the conference holds just as much intrigue. Before revealing the top teams of the SEC, we break down the lower-tier teams, highlighting potential breakout stars, key losses and what each team needs to contend in the conference.

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8. Florida Gators

It’s put up or shut up time for Billy Napier in Gainesville, Fla. He finally has his QB in DJ Lagway, one of the better offensive lines in the conference, talent at the skill positions and a young defense that played well toward the end of the season last year. The schedule doesn’t get any easier with games against LSU, Miami, Texas A&M and Ole Miss on the road, the annual neutral site game with Georgia in Jacksonville, and home games against Texas and rival Tennessee. Losing EDGE rushers TJ Searcy (Texas A&M) and Jack Pyburn (LSU), along with DL D’Antre Robinson (North Carolina) and Kelby Collins (Alabama), were a blow to a young defense and the Gators didn’t do anything in the transfer portal to replace them.

Key losses: EDGE TJ Searcy (Texas A&M), EDGE Jack Pyburn (LSU), DL D’Antre Robinson (UNC), DL Kelby Collins (Alabama), CB Ja’Keem Jackson (LSU), WR Chimere Dike (NFL Draft), DT Cam Jackson (NFL Draft), CB Jason Marshall Jr. (NFL Draft)

Key additions: WR Micheal Sturdivant (UCLA), QB Harrison Bailey (Louisville), S Micheal Caraway (Southern Miss), EDGE Kofi Asare (UMass)

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9. Tennessee Volunteers

The Volunteers had their second double-digit win season under head coach Josh Heupel and finished tied with Georgia for second in the conference during the regular season, as well as making the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history. All signs pointed to 2025 being the year that the Vols were finally “back”—until QB Nico Iamaleava decided to stage the first known holdout in the college football NIL era. Give credit to Heupel and the coaching staff for telling Iamaleava and his camp that his services were no longer needed in Knoxville, Tenn., even at the expense of taking a step back in 2025. The Vols essentially traded QB’s with UCLA picking up transfer Joey Aguilar to replace Iamaleava. Tennessee also took a hit on the defensive side with EDGE James Pearce Jr. and DT Omarr Norman-Lott headed to the NFL. The good news for Vol fans is that three of the starting secondary, that was one of the best in the SEC, are back although CB Jermod McCoy will be returning from an ACL injury. If Aguilar can develop some level of chemistry with his WR over the summer and overcome his penchant for turning the ball over then the Vols might be ok. It will be up to the defense to reprise their play from 2024 and carry the team until the offense gels.

Key losses: EDGE James Pearce Jr. (NFL Draft), DL Omarr Norman-Lott (NFL Draft). WR Dont’e Thornton (NFL Draft), RB Dylan Sampson (NFL Draft), QB Nico Iamaleava (UCLA), S John Slaughter (Colorado)

Key additions: QB Joey Aguilar (UCLA), RG Wendell Moe Jr. (Arizona), CB Colton Hood (Colorado), DL Josh Schell (Grand Valley State), RG Sam Pendleton (Notre Dame)

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10. Oklahoma Sooners

Last season was not the year that Oklahoma hoped it would have in its first season as a member of the SEC. The offense was a mess due to injury and the offensive line not being able to block anyone. The inconsistency cost QB Jackson Arnold his job in favor of the more mobile Micheal Hawkins Jr. Once teams figured out that Hawkins was limited as a passer, teams loaded the box to stop the run. Arnold was reinserted into the lineup and engineered an upset win over Alabama that ultimately cost the Crimson Tide a playoff spot. One the flip side, the Oklahoma defense, which has historically not been the more dominant unit, played outstanding and kept the Sooners in games. Transfer QB John Mateer (Washington State) will take over under center for the Sooners and was rated the No. 1 recruit in the portal due to his ability to throw (3,139 yards/29 TDs/7 INTs) and run (826 yards/15 TDs). Mateer, along with fellow transfer RB Jaydn Ott (Cal), will hope to improve the Sooner offense dramatically in 2025. Defensively, Oklahoma should still be one of the better units in the conference returning nine of 11 starters from last year while adding EDGE Marvin Jones Jr. (Florida State) and LB Kendal Daniels (Oklahoma State). If it all clicks the Sooners could be one of the dark horse teams to make the College Football Playoff.

Key losses: LB Danny Stutsman (NFL Draft), S Billy Bowman (NFL Draft), WR Jalil Farooq (Maryland), TE Bauer Sharp (LSU), WR Nic Anderson (LSU), QB Jackson Arnold (Auburn)

Key additions: QB John Mateer (Washington State), RB Jaydn Ott (Cal), WR Javonnie Gibson (Arkansas Pine-Bluff), TE Will Huggins (Pittsburg State), EDGE Marvin Jones Jr. (Florida State), LB Kendal Daniels (Oklahoma State)

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11. Auburn Tigers

Auburn is another program where 2025 will be a success or they very likely will be looking for a new head coach. Hugh Freeze was brought in to fix the Brian Harsin mess and to inject life into the Tigers’ offense. So far that hasn’t been the case with consecutive seven-loss seasons. Freeze went out and got his guy at QB in Arnold and will have WR Cam Coleman and Malcom Simmons returning while also adding the dynamic Eric Singleton Jr. (Georgia Tech). The Tigers are replacing both offensive tackles with transfers Xavier Chaplin (Virginia Tech) at LT and Mason Murphy (USC) at RT. While Auburn only has three true starters on defense returning, most of the players in the two-deep have game experience and the defense should be a strength of the team. DL Dallas Walker (Western Kentucky), DE Chris Murray (Sam Houston State) and LB Xavier Atkins (LSU) will provide quality depth.

Key losses: RB Jarquez Hunter (NFL Draft),LB KeAndre Lambert-Smith (NFL Draft), LB Jalen McLeod (NFL Draft), OT Percy Lewis (Ole Miss), QB Hank Johnson (Iowa)

Key additions: QB Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma), WR Eric Singleton (Georgia Tech), OT Xavier Chaplin (Virginia Tech), OT Mason Murphy (USC)

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12. Missouri Tigers

The 2024 Missouri Tigers were somewhat of a mirage and a product of a pillow-soft schedule. The Tigers lost five main contributors from the offense in OT Armand Membou (NFL Draft), WR Luther Burden III (NFL Draft), LT Marcus Bryant (NFL Draft), QB Brady Cook (NFL UDFA) and WR Theo Wease (NFL UDFA), along with EDGE Johnny Walker Jr. (NFL UDFA) and LB Kristin Williams (NFL UDFA) on defense. Missouri is always active in the portal and this offseason was no different with the addition of QB Beau Pribula (Penn State) and EDGE Damon Wilson (Georgia) as major additions. In similar fashion to 2024, the schedule is soft with the first six games all at home followed by trips to Auburn and Vanderbilt and then two more home games before finishing the season on the road at Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Key losses: WR Luther Burden III (NFL Draft), OT Armand Membou (NFL Draft), QB Brady Cook (NFL UDFA), WR Theo Wease (NFL UDFA), RB Kewan Lacy (Ole Miss), EDGE Williams Nwaneri (Nebraska)

Key additions: QB Beau Pribula (Penn State), EDGE Damon Wilson (Georgia), LB Josiah Trotter (West Virginia), S Jaylon Catalon (UNLV), OT Johnny William IV (West Virginia), OT Keegan Trost (Wake Forest)

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13. Arkansas Razorbacks

Arkansas had the highest of highs—upsetting then-No. 4 Tennessee at home—and the lowest of lows—losing in humiliating fashion to Ole Miss 63-31 a few weeks later. Head coach Sam Pittman entered last season on the hot seat and did enough to save his job for at least one more year going 7-6. The Hogs will need to be more competitive in 2025 with the upper-half of the SEC if Pittman is to return for a seventh season. The offensive two-deep features 11 transfers while the defensive two deep shows eight. This is a mostly made over roster from the 2024 squad. WR O’Mega Blake (Charlotte), Ismael Cisse (Stanford), Courtney Crutchfield (Missouri) and Raylen Sharpe (Fresno State), will give QB Taylen Green weapons all over the field. LT Corey Robinson II (Georgia Tech) and C Caden Kitler (UCF) will help to keep Green upright. Defensively, EDGE Ken Talley (Michigan State) and NT David Oke (Abilene Christian) will elevate the line play.

Which SEC head coach is on the hottest seat entering 2025? 🪑🔥

– Sam Pittman: 18-20 over last 3 years
– Billy Napier: 19-19 at Florida
– Brent Venables: Two 6-7 seasons in 3 years
– Hugh Freeze: 11-14 in 2 years pic.twitter.com/IzQgH1Ovk2

— College Sports Only 🏈🏀⚾️ (@CollegeSportsO) May 6, 2025

Key losses: WR Isaac TeSlaa (NFL Draft), EDGE Landon Jackson (NFL Draft), LB Brad Spence (Texas), S Tevis Metcalf (Michigan), S TJ Metcalf (Michigan), WR Isaiah Sategna (Oklahoma), T Joshua Braun (Kentucky)

Key additions: OT Corey Robinson II (Georgia Tech), OT Caden Kitler (UCF), WR O’Mega Blake (Charlotte), WR Ismael Cisse (Stanford), RB AJ Green (Oklahoma State)

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14. Vanderbilt Commodores

On Oct. 20, 2024, the Vanderbilt Commodores were 5-2, and had a win over then-No. 1 Alabama and were ranked in the top 25 for the first time in over a decade. The ‘Dores would go on to give No. 5 Texas all they wanted, narrowly losing 27-24 at home, before bouncing back and beating Auburn on The Plains, 17-7. The season would take a hard turn with Vandy losing their last three regular season games to finish 6-6. A hard-fought bowl win against Georgia Tech would secure the first winning season in Nashville, Tenn. since 2013. Now what does Clark Lea do for an encore in 2025? Vanderbilt had the luxury of no expectations entering the 2024 season where most pundits had them winning 3-4 games at most. QB Diego Pavia will have four new offensive linemen in front of him this year all of which are transfers into the program. On defense S CJ Heard (FAU) and CB Jordan Matthews (Tennessee) will step into starting roles. EDGE Kenau Koht (Alabama) will man the left end/outside linebacker position in the 4-2-5 alignment. The schedule is a bit tougher than last season, an opening week game against Charlston Southern, followed by two tough road games against Virginia Tech and South Carolina. The Commodores return to Nashville to face Georgia State and Utah State before hitting the road again against Alabama. Home games against LSU, Missouri and Auburn are interrupted by a trip to face Texas in Austin. Vanderbilt will close the year facing Kentucky at home and Tennessee on the road.

Key losses: OT Josh Raymond (FSU), OT Gunnar Hansen (FSU), WR Micah Bell (Georgia), ATH Nate Johnson (Utah)

Key additions: WR Trent Hudson (Mississippi State), OT Isaia Glass (Oklahoma State), OG Sterling Porcher (Texas Tech), C Jordan White (Liberty), S CJ Heard (FAU), CB Jordan Matthews (Tennessee), EDGE Keuau Koht (Alabama)

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15. Kentucky Wildcats

It’s hard to believe that just two seasons ago the Wildcats won 10 games and were at one point in the season ranked in the top 10. Since then, the Cats have fallen on hard times largely due to poor play from the QB position. Last season head coach Mark Stoops thought he had his man in Georgia transfer and former five-star Brock Vandegriff, however, through a combination of injury and ineffective play, Kentucky turned to true freshman Cutter Boley for the final few games of the season. He played well, but not well enough where the Cats felt like they were comfortable entering the 2025 season with him as their primary QB. Enter QB Zach Calzada who comes to Kentucky by way of Texas A&M, Auburn, and most recently Incarnate Word. Calzada will have WR Kendrick Law (Alabama) and JJ Hester (Oklahoma) to throw to along with RB Donte Dowdle (Nebraska) in the backfield. Kentucky’s defense had NFL-quality players with CB Maxwell Hairston going in the first round to the Bills and NT Deone Walker in the fourth round also to the Bills.

Key losses: CB Maxwell Hairston (NFL Draft), NT Deone Walker (NFL Draft), WR Barion Brown (LSU), WR Dane Key (Nebraska), TE Jordan Dingle (South Carolina), QB Brock Vandegriff (Retired from Football)

Key additions: QB Zach Calzada (Incarnate Word), WR Kendrick Law (Alabama), JJ Hester (Oklahoma), DE Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace (South Dakota), NT David Gusta (Washington State), LB Sam Greene (USC)

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16. Mississippi State Bulldogs

The Jeff Lebby era got off to a rocky start in Starkville, Miss. with the Bulldogs going winless in the SEC and just 2-10 overall. To add insult, the team’s best player QB Micheal Van Buren Jr. went to LSU via the portal. QB Blake Shapen returns from injury and will be backed up by FSU transfer Luke Kromenhoek. The Bulldogs were active in the portal in both directions with 37 players leaving and 33 arriving in Starkville. The schedule is daunting with four of the 12 CFP teams visiting Davis Wade Stadium. Arizona State, Tennessee, Georgia and Texas will make the trek to Starkville this season.

Key losses: QB Micheal Van Buren (LSU), WR Mario Craver (Texas A&M), DL Gabe Moore (Nebraska)

Key additions: QB Luke Kromanhoek (FSU), WR Anthony Evans III (Georgia), WR Markus Allen (Wisconsin), OT Jesse Ramil (James Madison), C Koby Keenum (Kentucky), LG Trevor Mayberry (Stanford), DE Red Hibbler (NC State)