SEC preview 2021: Texas A&M and Florida join Georgia as Alabama’s newest challengers
The Alabama Crimson Tide is reloading after putting together an all-time great season in 2020 and the Georgia Bulldogs, Florida Gators and Texas A&M Aggies are hoping to take advantage and usurp Alabama atop the Southeastern Conference.
Those are the clear top four in the SEC outlook for the 2021 season:
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East Division
1. Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Kirby Smart.
Players to watch: WR George Pickens, G Jamaree Salyer, DT Jordan Davis, S Tykee Smith, P Jake Camarda.
Key games: vs. Clemson, Sept. 4 (in Charlotte); vs. Arkansas, Oct. 2; vs. Kentucky, Oct. 16; vs. Florida, Oct. 30 (in Jacksonville); at Tennessee, Nov. 13
On paper, Smart’s build has hit a new high point. Georgia is the most talented team in the country, according to 247Sports.com’s team talent composite, and the offensive personnel has a chance to be really special — if it all comes together. Pickens and fellow wide receiver Jermaine Burton both have NFL Draft first-round potential, although Pickens’ status is uncertain after a spring knee injury. Tight ends Arik Gilbert and Darnell Washington are two of the most talented in the country, although Gilbert missed much of the preseason for personal reasons. Quarterback JT Daniels is probably the key — he has a chance to be Smart’s best yet.
2. Florida Gators
Coach: Dan Mullen.
Players to watch: DT Zachary Carter, DT Gervon Dexter, LB Brenton Cox Jr., LB Ventrell Miller, CB Kaiir Elam.
Key games: vs. Alabama, Sept. 18; vs. Tennessee, Sept. 25; at LSU, Oct. 16; vs. Georgia, Oct. 30 (in Jacksonville); vs. Florida State, Nov. 27
Florida brought in Mullen in part to rebuild a stagnant offense, and it came together in 2020 with the Gators averaging 43.5 points per game. Florida lost basically every key offensive weapon, though, and could be in for an identity shift with dual-threat quarterback Emory Jones replacing former quarterback Kyle Trask. The Gators will probably be back to winning with their defense, which isn’t all bad. It had issues in 2020, but Carter, Dexter, Cox, Miller and Elam, who was an All-American at The Benjamin School in North Palm Beach, are all potential first-round picks.
3. South Carolina Gamecocks
Coach: Shane Beamer.
Players to watch: RB Kevin Harris, DE Kingsley Enagbare, DT Jordan Burch, DT Zacch Pickens, S R.J. Roderick.
Key games: at Georgia, Sept. 18; at Tennessee, Oct. 9; at Texas A&M, Oct. 23; vs. Florida, Nov. 6; vs. Clemson, Nov. 27
The East falls off a cliff after Florida, and Beamer should have a chance to finish in the top half of the division in his first year because of the talent he inherits. Quarterback Luke Doty is a former top-100 recruit, according to the 247Sports.com composite rankings, and Harris gives him a security blanket. The defensive line, in particular, is stacked with Burch and Pickens possessing first-round upside, and Enagbare giving the Gamecocks a proven star.
4. Tennessee Volunteers
Coach: Josh Heupel.
Players to watch: T Cade Mays, CB Alontae Taylor.
Key games: at Florida, Sept. 25; vs. Ole Miss, Oct. 16; at Alabama, Oct. 23; at Kentucky, Nov. 6; vs. Georgia, Nov. 13
Tennessee has the worst stability ranking in the SEC, according to ESPN, and Heupel has major issues to sort out. The coach needs to find a quarterback, pick out an all-new cache of skill players and put together an offensive line, which loses four of its top six players from last season. Mays is a pretty good starting point, though, and Taylor gives the Volunteers at least one potential star on defense.
5. Kentucky Wildcats
Coach: Mark Stoops.
Players to watch: T Darian Kinnard, DE Josh Paschal.
Key games: Kentucky is the safe bet to finish third in the East because of its relative stability. Stoops has posted a winning record in five of his past six seasons and his Wildcats tend to have a very high floor on defense. Kentucky is still searching for an offensive identity, though.
6. Missouri Tigers
Coach: Eliah Drinkwitz.
Players to watch: C Michael Maietti, DE Trajan Jeffcoat.
Key games: vs. Tennessee, Oct. 2; vs. Texas A&M, Oct. 16; at Georgia, Nov. 6; vs. Florida, Nov. 20; at Arkansas, Nov. 26.
Drinkwitz went .500 in his first season in Missouri and has a chance to rise in a weak East. The Tigers should be favored in five or six games this season, and eight or nine wins aren’t out of the question if Missouri can win its tossups. The Tigers went 3-0 in one-score games last season.
7. Vanderbilt Commodores
Coach: Clark Lea.
Players to watch: WR Cam Johnson, T Tyler Steen.
Key games: vs. Georgia, Sept. 25; at Florida, Oct. 9; vs. Mississippi State, Oct. 23; at Ole Miss, Nov. 20; at Tennessee, Nov. 27.
Lea is in for a major rebuild at Vanderbilt after the Commodores went winless in 2020. The return of a typical nonconference slate will at least help the new coach potentially pick up a few early wins.
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West Division
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
Coach: Nick Saban.
Players to watch: WR John Metchie, T Emil Ekiyor, T Evan Neal, LB Will Anderson Jr., LB Christian Harris.
Key games: vs. Miami, Sept. 4 (in Atlanta); at Florida, Sept. 18; vs. Ole Miss, Oct. 2; at Texas A&M, Oct. 9; vs. LSU, Nov. 6.
Alabama’s 2020 team was one of the best in college football history, which means the Crimson Tide lost a ton of talent — particularly on offense — to the NFL. Quarterback Bryce Young takes the reins in his second season in Alabama and will need to find some new weapons, although Metchie is a preseason All-American and the Crimson Tide’s offensive line is still elite. Simply put: There’s still no team with more top-end talent than Alabama, which could have close to 10 players in the first-round conversation for the 2022 NFL Draft.
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2. Texas A&M Aggies
Coach: Jimbo Fisher.
Players to watch: RB Isaiah Spiller, WR Ainias Smith, TE Jalen Wydermyer, T Kenyon Green, DE DeMarvin Leal.
Key games: at Arkansas, Sept. 25; vs. Alabama, Oct. 9; vs. South Carolina, Oct. 23; at Ole Miss, Nov. 13; at LSU, Nov. 27.
Fisher has quickly built Texas A&M into one of Alabama’s fiercest challengers in the SEC. Spiller is one of the best running backs in the country, Wydermyer is a preseason All-American and Smith is one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the country. Quarterback Haynes King, taking over for former quarterback Kellen Mond in his second season with the Aggies, will have massive responsibility as the leader of one of the most talented rosters in the country.
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3. LSU Tigers
Coach: Ed Orgeron.
Players to watch: WR Kayshon Boutte, G Edward Ingram, LB Mike Jones, CB Derek Stingley Jr., K Cade York.
Key games: vs. Florida, Oct. 16; at Ole Miss, Oct. 23; vs. Alabama, Nov. 6; vs. Arkansas, Nov. 13; vs. Texas A&M, Nov. 27.
After winning the national championship at the end of the 2019 college football season, LSU crashed to .500 in 2020 after the loss of former quarterback Joe Burrow and former offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Orgeron needs to prove his success wasn’t a one-year aberration and he certainly has the personnel. Jones, Stingley and fellow cornerback Eli Ricks give LSU a trio of potential All-Americans on defense, and Boutte could be LSU’s next great wide receiver. LSU needs much better play from Max Johnson, though, after the talented quarterback had an up-and-down freshman season.
4. Auburn Tigers
Coach: Bryan Harsin.
Players to watch: RB Tank Bigsby, LB Zakoby McClain, CB Roger McCreary, S Smoke Monday, K Anders Carlson.
Key games: at Penn State, Sept. 18; at LSU, Oct. 2; vs. Georgia, Oct. 9; at Texas A&M, Nov. 6; vs. Alabama, Nov. 27.
Auburn has actually been one of the more consistent teams in the country for most of the past decade, so Harsin has lofty expectations to live up to in Year 1. There are real reasons for optimism, particularly on offense. Quarterback Bo Nix is entering his third season as the starter, while Bigsby could give Auburn one of the best running games in the country. Defense was the bigger issue in 2020, but there’s enough talent in place to fix it. The schedule, however, is the toughest in the conference.
5. Ole Miss Rebels
Coach: Lane Kiffin.
Players to watch: QB Matt Corral, RB Jerrion Ealy, T Nick Broeker, C Ben Brown.
Key games: at Alabama, Oct. 2; vs. Arkansas, Oct. 9; at Tennessee, Oct. 16; vs. LSU, Oct. 23; vs. Texas A&M, Nov. 13.
Kiffin arrived at Ole Miss last season and did what he does: transform the offense. The coach helped solidify Corral as a potential first-round pick, unlocked Ealy as one of the most dynamic offensive weapons in the country and helped the Rebels jump more than 50 spots up to No. 14 in ESPN’s SP+ rankings. Despite the loss of All-American wide receiver Elijah Moore, Ole Miss projects to have a top-10 offense in 2021. The defense will determine how high the Rebels’ ceiling can be.
6. Arkansas Razorbacks
Coach: Sam Pittman.
Players to watch: WR Treylon Burks, WR Trey Knox, LB Grant Morgan, S Jalen Catalon.
Key games: vs. Texas, Sept. 11; vs. Texas A&M, Sept. 25; at Georgia, Oct. 2; at LSU, Nov. 13; at Alabama, Nov. 20.
Pittman started to get Arkansas on the right track 2020, notching three wins and ending a 20-game conference losing streak. The loss of former quarterback Feleipe Franks might hurt progress, although quarterback KJ Jefferson flashed some potential as a freshman in 2020. He has some good weapons, too, as Burks is a preseason All-American in the slot and Knox as major potential on the outside at 6-5. The defense, led by defensive coordinator Barry Odom, should have a pretty high floor with Morgan and Catalon steadying the back end.
7. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Coach: Mike Leach.
Players to watch: T Charles Cross, CB Emmanuel Forbes, CB Martin Emerson.
Key games: vs. LSU, Sept. 25; at Texas A&M, Oct. 2; vs. Alabama, Oct. 16; at Arkansas, Nov. 6; vs. Ole Miss, Nov. 25.
Implementing the Air Raid offense is typically a multi-year endeavor and Leach went through growing pains in his first season at Mississippi State. He did, however, start a freshman quarterback, two freshman running backs and a freshman wide receiver, so it’s easy to envision major progress in Year 2. The defense, actually, showed more signs of progress in 2020, and Emerson and Forbes give Mississippi State one of the best cornerback tandems in the country.
