SEC power rankings after spring practice come loaded with 2024 College Football playoff contenders

There's no need to pile on. Clark Lea might have the toughest Power conference job in the country, leading a Vanderbilt team playing opponents with talent advantages every week during league play. That's mostly why he's 2-22 in the SEC over this first three years in Nashville. He's a bright football mind and took it upon himself this offseason to make wholesale changes on his staff, bringing New Mexico State's Tim Beck to call the offense (along with NMSU quarterback Diego Pavia, who arrives this summer) and will handle the defense on his own. Lea previously served as Notre Dame's DC before arriving at Vanderbilt, so he knows what he's doing. Whether the Commodores execute will determine if 2024's successful or a wash.

15. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Jeff Lebby promises an explosive offense in Starkville during his tenure, but expecting everything to come together for this program in Year 1 might be asking too much. Like most first-year coaches flipping a roster, Lebby went transfer portal-heavy to try and field a competitive group and players that fit his system. Louisville wideout Kevin Coleman and UTEP's Kelly Akharaiyi are potential big-play threats if ex-Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen has time to throw. Nearly every starter along the offensive line is new to the program and the same goes for the defense up front.

14. Arkansas Razorbacks

Nearly half of the Razorbacks' starting 22 will be transfers for Sam Pittman, whose seat will be scorching in November if Arkansas hasn't shown progress over the first few months of the season. Much of the team's stock is in Bobby Petrino and Boise State transfer quarterback Taylen Green, along with several new faces at the back end of the defense. Arkansas let multi-year starter KJ Jefferson leave for UCF with Green in the crosshairs. The Razorbacks lost a couple of their best defenders to the NFL Draft or portal and Rocket Sanders, a running back who earned All-SEC honors in 2022, left the program for South Carolina. Like many conference teams in the mid to bottom tier, a revised collection of parts could benefit the Razorbacks.

13. South Carolina Gamecocks

South Carolina's anxious to see if offensive line plays improves with a number of key players along with several high-profile freshmen who are going to help. That said, there's no clear-cut top wide receiver for the Gamecocks after spring to replace first-round pick Xavier Legette since former five-star Nyck Harbor focused on track in preparation for the Olympics this summer and Juice Wells bolted for Ole Miss. Redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers faces immense pressure as the (projected) first-time starter. The running room is new with three portal additions, including Sanders. Defensively, South Carolina should be better and made sure to address needs at linebacker with a couple possible impact guys. The Gamecocks are a wait and see team.

12. Kentucky Wildcats

Kentucky should be one of the SEC's faster teams on offense with Barion Brown and Dane Key coming back. And despite losing running back Ray Davis to the NFL along with a pair of impact starters on defense, Mark Stoops is satisfied with both of those areas the players he has picked to assume those roles coming out of spring. Georgia quarterback transfer Brock Vandagriff and how Bush Hamdan performs as OC is paramount to the Wildcats staying above water against other SEC teams of equal or greater talent. The strength of this 2024 Kentucky team should be at the line of scrimmage where a bunch of veterans anchor both sides.

11. Florida Gators

This team has one of the better quarterback rooms in the conference with Graham Mertz returning and talented five-star DJ Lagway behind him and the offensive should be better since most of those guys up front played last season. Ricky Pearsall is an obvious threat to replace, but that means more targets for rising sophomore Eugene Wilson. Losing two of their best players, running back Trevor Etienne and edge Princely Umanmielen was a brutal blow. Florida's schedule is so difficult this season that this could be a six-win team and still be better than a team or two that finishes ahead of the Gators in the SEC.

9. Texas A&M Aggies

Despite the coaching carousel resulting in a mass transfer exodus for the Aggies, Mike Elko and his staff worked overtime in filling position with portal signings of their own and coming out of spring, Texas A&M looks like a team capable of earning a spot in the preseason top 25. Conner Weigman is a potential first-round pick at quarterback in 2025 while Purdue edge Nic Scourton — unblockable this spring — looks the part and covers up the lost of Walter Nolen and LT Overton up front. Former Florida linebacker Scooby Williams slides into a starting role and there's a half-dozen other transfers on defense who made a splash over the last few weeks.

8. Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma's offensive line is new. The Sooners' go-to wideout is Deion Burks from Purdue. And there's simply an assumption that former five-star Jackson Arnold is ready to handle massive expectations as a first-year starting quarterback. Now once you get past those markers on offense, Oklahoma's defense should be its calling card this fall with Danny Stutsman back along with several dependable starters. That's where Brent Venables' bread could be buttered during his first season in the SEC. The schedule is too difficult to assume a playoff spot, right now.

7. Tennessee Volunteers

It's always nice to have two of the top players in the SEC starting on each side of the football and that's the situation Josh Heupel is in with the Vols. Assuming Nico Iamaleava is the real deal at quarterback and James Pearce has another disruptive season on defense, Tennessee should make moves. The secondary could be worrisome since much of it's brand new and there are heightened expectations on the budding group of running back to assist Iamaleava and make things easy on the first-year starter.

6. Missouri Tigers

Some teams crumble with more exposure while others thrive in the limelight. Which way will the Tigers head this fall under Eli Drinkwitz? Most starters on offense return, including quarterback Brady Cook and all-world playmaker Luther Burden, but the SEC's leading rusher — Cody Schrader — is out of eligibility and Missouri is planning to lean on Georgia State transfer Marcus Carroll to be its bell cow of sorts. Three dependable defensive backs were NFL Draft picks over the weekend along with the team's top pass rusher Darius Robinson. Also, Drinkwitz lost his top assistant — DC Blake Baker — to LSU this offseason.

5. LSU Tigers

This should be a competitive, if not elite, team for Brian Kelly in his third season at LSU. However, it is understandable to question College Football Playoff hopes after losing three first-rounders on offense — Heisman winner JT Daniels and unstoppable pass-catchers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. LSU feels it reloaded in those spots via the transfer portal, but that's certainly an optimistic view point. Several all-conference hopefuls are back on the offensive line. Linebacker Harold Perkins leads a defense as a possible top-five selection in 2025.

4. Alabama Crimson Tide

It's likely unsafe to doubt Alabama under Kalen DeBoer given his track record of past success as a head coach, but this pressure cooker is a bit different in the SEC. The Crimson Tide appear to be in great hands at quarterback despite losing five-star signee Julian Sayin to Ohio State and defensively, could potentially absorb the loss of Caleb Downs, too. The offensive line should be a strength and the ground game will blossom with Justice Haynes and Jam Miller getting more reps as the featured options. A couple players Alabama's staff should be excited to see this fall include Washington transfer wideout Germie Bernard, along with freshmen defensive backs Jaylen Mbakwe and Zabien Brown. 

3. Ole Miss Rebels

On paper, this Ole Miss roster looks like a group with a playoff berth on the horizon. Lane Kiffin essentially drafted a new defense ahead of the 2024 season after seeing what Alabama and Georgia did to the Rebels up front. There's six starters on defense from the portal, including Nolen, Umanmielen and Arkansas linebacker Chris 'Pooh' Paul. Toss in a couple new running backs, ex-Gamecocks star Wells and the three-headed monster returning offensively of Jaxson Dart, Tre Harris and Jordan Watkins and this group is loaded. Just imagine if Quinshon Judkins would've stayed in Oxford and not left for the Buckeyes.

2. Texas Longhorns

Steve Sarkisian knew much of his skill talent was gone for the NFL Draft and put a plan in place for the Longhorns. Three new starting wideouts all came via the transfer portal, including the coveted Isaiah Bond from Alabama. Texas needed a standout edge rusher and landed UTSA's Trey Moore, one of the Group of Five's sack leaders in 2023. Anthony Hill might be the nation's most athletic sophomore linebacker and he's primed for a nationally-relevant campaign. The Longhorns' first season in the SEC should be special — and Quinn Ewers or Arch Manning have not even been mentioned yet.

1. Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia has a conference championship to win after seeing its unbeaten season nullified by Alabama in Atlanta. The nucleus of that team is back, but not everyone. Carson Beck at quarterback, five senior starters on defense and the additions of Florida running back Etienne, Miami's Colbie Young at the X and Vanderbilt's London Humphreys at the Y wideout spot makes this team formidable once again. Georgia's schedule is brutal, but no drop-off is expected under Kirby Smart.