SEC Power Rankings: 1-7

1. Georgia Bulldogs

The SEC still runs through Athens, Ga., literally. Texas, Alabama and Ole Miss will have to visit the Classic City this fall after hosting the Bulldogs last year. Georgia hasn’t lost a home game in Sanford Stadium since October 2019. While 2024 saw the Dawgs win the SEC, it was considered somewhat of a disappointing season overall. The offense will have to improve across the board, most notably being better than 14^th in the conference running the football. Defensively, Georgia will have to figure out how to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks with the losses of Jalon Walker and Mykell Williams to the NFL and Damon Wilson to the transfer portal (Missouri). With recruiting classes that have ranked inside the top 3 for the last four years the talent is there for the Bulldogs to make another run in 2025.

Key losses: QB Carson Beck (transfer Miami), ED/LB Jalon Walker (NFL Draft), ED/DE Mykell Williams (NFL Draft), S Malachai Starks (NFL Draft), G Tate Ratledge (NFL Draft), G Dylan Fairchild (NFL Draft), C Jared Wilson (NFL Draft), ED Damon Wilson (transfer Missouri)

Key additions: WR Zachariah Branch (USC), WR Noah Thomas, ED Elo Modozie (Army)

2. Texas Longhorns

Steve Sarkisian has raised the talent level at Texas every year since arriving in 2020, culminating in the No. 1  recruiting class for 2025. The Arch Manning era in Austin is set to begin with a massive road game against defending National Champion Ohio State in Columbus to start the season. Manning will be taking over for QB Quinn Ewers after serving as the backup and change of pace QB last season. With Ewers going in the seventh round of the NFL Draft and Manning thought to be one of the best QB’s available in the 2026 NFL Draft the question becomes: was Manning not good enough in 2024 to beat out a seventh-round NFL QB or did Sark massively fumble an opportunity to win a National Championship by not benching Ewers and playing Manning after the former struggled returning from injury? The Longhorns will also be replacing Tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. who was a first-round pick by the New Orleans Saints. Redshirt sophomore Trevor Goosby is expected to take over at left tackle and played well last season when Banks was out with an injury, although he did struggle against Georgia’s edge pressure in the SEC Championship Game.

Key losses: LT Kelvin Banks Jr. (NFL Draft), WR Matthew Golden (NFL Draft), CB Jahdae Barron (NFL Draft), S Andrew Mukuba (NFL Draft), QB Quinn Ewers (NFL Draft)

Key additions: NT Cole Brevard (Purdue), NT Hero Kanu (Ohio State), DT Travis Shaw (North Carolina)

3. Alabama Crimson Tide

The Crimson Tide head into year two under head coach Kalen DeBoer after a disappointing 2024 that saw Alabama lose three regular season games for the first time since finishing 10-3 in 2010. Bama would go on to win the National Championship in 2011 and 2012, finishing 12-1 and 13-1, respectively. Will the Crimson Tide have a similar bounce back in the 2025 season? The pieces are certainly there with seven returning starters on defense including All-SEC caliber ends LT Overton and Qua Russaw. The offense is less experienced with only three starters returning. WR Ryan Williams is one of the best players in the country, but he will be working with a new quarterback in Ty Simpson . C Parker Brailsford and LT Kadyn Proctor are the only other returning starters on an offense that struggled to move the ball and put up points last season. Year two seems to be the magical year for teams with new head coaches to make the jump. Nick Saban went 12-2 in his second year at Alabama, Kirby Smart won the SEC and played for a national championship at Georgia, and Urban Meyer won a national championship at Florida. No cational championship in 2025 would add to the longest dry spell for Alabama since the pre-Saban years.

Key losses: QB Jalen Milroe (NFL Draft), G Tyler Booker (NFL Draft), RB Justice Haynes (Michigan), LB Jihaad Campbell (NFL Draft), S Malachai Moore (NFL Draft), OT Elijah Prichett (Nebraska), WR Kendrick Law (Kentucky)

Key additions: WR Isaiah Horton (Miami), LG Kam Dewberry (Texas A&M), RT Arkel Anugwom (Ball State), TE Brody Dalton (Troy)

4. LSU Tigers

LSU has started every season under Brian Kelly 0-1 losing to Florida State in 2022 and 2023, and USC in 2024. The Tigers travel to the “other” Death Valley to take on a Clemson team that will be highly ranked to begin the 2025 campaign. A win at Clemson would be a huge boost to start the season while a loss—and a fourth straight 0-1 start—would continue the “Kelly can’t win the big game” narrative. QB Garrett Nussmeier could have been a high draft pick this year but chose to return to school for another season and will be the top returning starter in the conference. WR Nic Anderson (Oklahoma) and Barrion Brown (Kentucky) will be playmakers for Nussmeier on the outside. Defense has been a problem in Baton Rouge, La. since Kelly’s arrival, ranking at or near the bottom of the SEC in every category. LB Harold Perkins returns from injury and EDGE rusher Jack Pyburn (Florida) and CB Mansoor Delane (Virginia Tech) are additions that should make the Tiger defense more formidable. LSU was active in the transfer portal bringing in 18 new players, many from other SEC teams.

Key losses: OT Will Campbell (NFL Draft), OT Emory Jones Jr. (NFL Draft), TE Mason Taylor (NFL Draft), DT Sai’vion Jones (NFL Draft), EDGE Da’Shawn Womack (Ole Miss), WR CJ Daniels (Miami) S Sage Ryan (Ole Miss)

Key additions: EDGE Jack Pyburn (Florida), EDGE Patrick Payton (FSU), WR Nic Anderson (Oklahoma), WR Berrion Brown (Kentucky), DL Sydir Mitchell (Texas)

5. South Carolina Gamecocks

Win now. That is the mantra for South Carolina going into the 2025 season. QB LaNorris Sellers is a Heisman Trophy candidate, and the defense should be nasty again this season. Opportunities to be a player on the national stage doesn't come around often for the Gamecocks so they are all in for 2025 bringing in 17 players out of the portal. EDGE Demon Clowney will bolster the pass rush along with super sophomore Dylan Stewart. Offensively transfer RB Rahsul Faison will carry the load along with WR Nyck Harbor and transfer TE Jordan Dingle (Kentucky). South Carolina also made a move for the future bringing in transfer QB Air Noland (Ohio State) to take over in 2026 with Sellers presumably heads off to the NFL.

Key losses: S Nick Emmanwori (NFL Draft), DL TJ Sanders (NFL Draft), EDGE Kyle Kennard (NFL Draft), LB Demetrius Knight Jr. (NFL Draft), DT Tonka Hemmingway (NFL Draft)

Key additions: EDGE Demon Clowney (Louisville), C Boaz Stanley (Troy), TE Jordan Dingle (Kentucky), DL Gabriel Browlow-Dindy (Texas A&M), LB Justin Okoronkwo (Alabama), QB Air Noland (Ohio State), RB Rahsul Faison (Utah State)

6. Ole Miss Rebels

In 2025, the SEC has four distinct tiers—the championship contenders (Georgia, Texas, Alabama); the very good (LSU, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Texas A&M); the "We Can Beat Anyone on Any Given Saturday" (Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma); and everyone else (Auburn, Missouri, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Mississippi State). Ole Miss was in the first-tier last year, but an overtime loss to LSU and a complete no show against Florida might have had a team good enough to advance in the College Football Playoff. Gone are NFL draft picks QB Jaxon Dart and DT Walter Nolen among others which prompted head coach Lane Kiffin to go shopping in the portal once again, although not with as many high profile players as last year. WR De’Zhaun Stribling (Oklahoma State) and Harrison Wallace III (Penn State) will need to be productive to replace departed WRs Tre Harris and Jordan Watkins, who combined for 1,936 yards and 16 touchdowns. The 2024 Ole Miss defense had NFL quality players at all three levels and the Rebels will need to hit on six transfers that are projected to start in 2025. Road tests against Georgia and Oklahoma, along with tough home games against Florida and LSU, will most likely determine if the Rebels make the playoff or are on the outside looking in once again.

Key losses: QB Jaxon Dart (NFL Draft), DT Walter Nolen (NFL Draft), EDGE Princely Umanmielen (NFL Draft), CB Trey Amos (NFL Draft), LB Chris Paul Jr. (NFL Draft), DL/FB JJ Pegues (NFL Draft)

Key additions: WR De’Zhaun Stribling (Oklahoma State), WR Harrison Wallace, III (Penn State), DE Da’Shawn Womack (LSU), EDGE Princewill Umanmielen (Nebraska), S Sage Ryan (LSU), CB Rickey Fletcher (South Alabama)

7. Texas A&M Aggies

Head coach Mike Elko exceeded expectations in his first year at Texas A&M leading the Aggies to an 8-4 record and being in the mix to play in the SEC Championship until the last few weeks of the season. Dynamic QB Marcel Reed returns as does a deep and talented RB room led by Le’Veon Moss and Rueben Owens. The Aggies lost 29 players to the portal including key defensive players EDGE Enai White (Penn State) and Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy (South Carolina) while the offensive side of the ball was hit as well with talented WR Noah Thomas (Georgia) and LG Kam Dewberry (Alabama) choosing to leave. TE Amari Niblack (Texas) and WR KC Concepcion (NC State) are both high-caliber offensive transfers that will contribute in 2025 along with EDGE rushers TJ Searcy (Florida) and Samuel M’Pemba (Georgia) on defense. Elko is an outstanding defensive mind and will have the Aggies ready when they travel to Notre Dame in week three to face the Fighting Irish. If Reed can stay healthy the Aggies have a chance to make some noise in the SEC.

Key losses: DL Shemar Stewart (NFL Draft), EDGE Nic Scourton (NFL Draft), DL Shemar Turner (NFL Draft), EDGE Enai White (Penn State), DL Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy (South Carolina), WR Noah Thomas (Georgia), LG Kam Dewberry (Alabama)

Key additions: TE Amari Niblack (Texas), WR KC Concepcion (NC State), EDGE TJ Searcy (Florida), EDGE Samuel M’Pemba (Georgia), DL Tyler Onyedim (Iowa State)