Dusty Dvoracek Reveals His Top Five SEC Defenders for 2025 College Football Season

ESPN's Dusty Dvoracek has revealed his list for the top five defenders in the SEC for the 2025 college football season.

The final day of the 2025 SEC Media Days has arrived, as the remaining four coaches in the conference address the media to preview their upcoming college football seasons. With media days winding down, analysts and experts have begun providing rankings for the season.

One of the rankings comes from ESPN's Dusty Dvoracek, who recently named his top five players in the conference heading into the 2025 season.

Among the top five was South Carolina EDGE defender Dylan Stewart, who landed at the No. 2 spot on Dvoracek's list. The Gamecock defender is expected to be an integral piece to Carolina's defense after an impressive freshman season in 2024.

During his freshman season, Stewart turned in an impressive 6.5 sacks and forced three fumbles, and helped the Gamecocks reach their first nine-win season since 2017. As his sophomore season approaches, the young EDGE defender is expected to become one of the SEC's best defenders.

Stewart and the Gamecocks will begin their 2025 season in Atlanta, Georgia, when they face the Virginia Tech Hokies on Sunday, August 31st at 3 p.m. This will be the 21st meeting between these two teams in a series that Carolina leads 11-7-2. It will also be the first matchup between these two schools since 1991.

Dusty Dvoracek's Top 5 SEC Defenders for 2025

1. Anthony Hill Jr. - LB (Texas)

2. Dylan Stewart - EDGE (South Carolina)

3. Whit Weeks - LB (LSU)

4. Colin Simmons - EDGE (Texas)

5. Keldrick Faulk - DE (Auburn)