Former Tennessee Vols RB Dylan Sampson makes honest admission about playing the 'bottom' teams in the SEC

The SEC hasn't been the same dominant force in college football the last couple of years that it was for the last two decades. 

That's thanks in part to the parity in the sport that's been created by the NCAA transfer portal combined with NIL deals (SEC teams can no longer hoard depth). 

The SEC, however, is still the strongest conference in college football from top to bottom. We saw last season how nearly any team in the SEC can lose a conference game on any given Saturday (just ask Alabama and Ole Miss, which lost to Vanderbilt and Kentucky, respectively, last season). 

Former Tennessee Vols running back Dylan Sampson, a fourth round selection by the Cleveland Browns in the 2025 NFL Draft, spoke about the SEC's depth at rookie minicamp in Cleveland on Friday. 

"I talked to so many VFLs (Vols for life) or just vets in general -- people that played in the SEC -- and they just tell me that it's (playing in the SEC) the closest that it gets (to the NFL)," said Sampson. "And it really prepares you. I tell a lot of people that this league, it gives no grace. Even some of the teams who are considered bottom SEC teams, if you don't bring your A game, you're not beating them. And you feel every single game of an SEC schedule.

"You got to play all four quarters, no matter who you are playing. So I think you got to develop a dog mentality (in the SEC) or you won't last."

The SEC's depth was the biggest reason that certain college football analysts argued that a three-loss Alabama or a three-loss Ole Miss should've been in the College Football Playoff last season above teams like Indiana and SMU. 

Of course, it's not like it mattered -- the national champion Ohio State Buckeyes were clearly the best team in college football last season.