2025 SEC Conference Preview

Jake Wimberly

Ross Gaskin Contributing:

The 2024 season was a very interesting year for the SEC. It was the first season for the SEC newcomers Texas and Oklahoma. It was also the first year where the conference did not have split divisions, which made for some very competitive football.

As the SEC continues its reign of sending the most talented players to the NFL, we will see some new faces at QB in 2025, with some familiar ones sticking around.

With these new guys coming in, the SEC will need a bounce back year as 2024 was the second season in a row where the National Champions did not come out of the SEC.

The conference this year based on the numbers will have the fourth lowest returning QB production in the Power 4.

Cumulative Conference Quarterback Metrics:

ACC 17.18
Big 12 15.44
Big 10 15.38
SEC 14.77

This doesn’t just automatically mean the SEC will not win the National Championship, but it does mean that there is a ton of potential for the new guys to make names for themselves and the old guys to build upon their established names.

2025 SEC Quarterback Rankings:

Oklahoma John Mateer 27.2
LSU Garrett Nussmeier 22.7
Vanderbilt Diego Pavia 21.2
Texas Arch Manning 18.5
South Carolina LaNorris Sellers 16.5
Texas A&M Marcell Reid 15.8
Auburn Jackson Arnold 13.4
Tennessee Joey Aguilar 12.2
Florida DJ Lagway 11.7
Georgia Gunner Stockton 11.5
Arkansas Taylen Green 11.5
Ole Miss Austin Simmons 10.5
Alabama Ty Simpson 10.5
Mississippi State Blake Shapen 10.2
Missouri Beau Pribula 9.7
Kentucky Brock Vandagriff 5.5

These rankings are purely based on returning production. Every spot on the list is subject to change as some guys either did not play, got hurt, or split reps with another QB last season. Expect guys like Lagway, Simpson, and Reid to fly up the list as the 2025 season goes on.

There will be some new faces taking snaps in the SEC this year with some transferring and others finally getting their shot after waiting patiently. Austin Simmons with the Ole Miss Rebels will be starting after backing up Jaxson Dart for 2 years and Ty Simpson with Alabama will be starting after backing up Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe since 2021.

The notable transfers this year will be John Matter who transferred from Washington State to Oklahoma, and Joey Aguilar who transferred from App. State/UCLA to Tennessee. This season will be both of their first experiences with SEC football.

2025 SEC Head Coach Rankings:

Georgia Kirby Smart 29
Texas Steve Sarkisian 21
LSU Brian Kelly 18
Alabama Kalen DeBoer 17
Ole Miss Lane Kiffin 17
Tennessee Josh Heupel 15
Auburn Hugh Freeze 11
Texas A&M Mike Elko 11
Missouri Eliah Drinkwitz 8
Kentucky Mark Stoops 7
Florida Billy Napier 5
Oklahoma Brent Venables 4
South Carolina Shane Beamer 4
Mississippi State Jeff Lebby 3
Vanderbilt Clark Lea 3
Arkansas Sam Pittman 1

Kirby Smart once again is the top ranked HC in the SEC, but Sark is right there on his tail. With both Georgia and Texas having new QBs in 2025, there is potential for things to change at that top spot.

Expect for these rankings to change as the season goes on as there are quite a few coaches who are in their 2nd or 3rd year with their respective teams. Kalen DeBoer will be one of the more intriguing coaches to watch as he heads into his 2nd year with Alabama.

There will be some coaches who will be on the hot seat in the 2025 season. Sam Pittman is one of them as he heads into his 6th season as the Arkansas HC with a disappointing 30-31 record.

Another coach who will be on the hot seat, but does have some hope, is Florida’s Billy Napier. The Gators were having a rough 4-4 season heading into game 10, but ended up winning 3 straight and a bowl game win to top it off. If Napier can keep the momentum rolling in 2025, his seat should cool down a bit.

The SEC Head Coaches as a whole are ranked 3rd amongst the rest of the other conferences in the 2025 Power 4 coaching index.

2025 Power Four Coaching Index:

Big 10- 12.78
Big 12- 12.55
SEC- 12.43
ACC- 9.46

Strength of Schedule Numbers:

Florida- 1291.37
Alabama- 1237.84
Oklahoma- 1221.69
South Carolina- 1221.65
Mississippi State- 1211
Arkansas- 1207.96
Vanderbilt- 1181.9
Kentucky- 1174.56
Texas A&M- 1161.19
LSU- 1153.09
Georgia- 1135.4
Texas- 1120.61
Auburn- 1120.49
Missouri- 1073.34
Ole Miss- 1070.03
Tennessee- 1068.68

By our numbers, Florida has the toughest schedule in the conference which is unfortunate because the Gators really do have a lot of talent and potential, but it probably will not show in the win column. This also could mean bad news for Napier as he needs another winning season to quiet down the noise for a bit.

Week 1 will bring some insane games with the Big Dawgs of the SEC playing on the road to face quality non-conference opponents. Texas will be up against Ohio State, LSU will face Clemson, and Alabama will be headed to Florida State to kick off the season.

Ole Miss and Tennessee have the easiest schedules in the SEC which could be beneficial as both teams will have new starting QBs in the 2025 season. I do not believe that either Ole Miss or Tennessee will win the SEC, but the easier schedule can ensure that neither team will have much fall off from last season.

The biggest schedule advantages this year will be Georgia, Texas, and LSU. All three have extremely talented teams with an average to easier schedule. This combination could mean huge win totals, and an extremely competitive race for SEC superiority. Watch out for week 10 as well because Texas will be facing off against Georgia in a potential SEC Championship preview.

The Conference race as a whole:

The SEC this year will most likely look very similar to last year with Georgia and Texas being the dominant teams who will most likely face off in the SEC Championship.

The teams who have the best chance to compete for the title are also some familiar faces. Alabama and LSU both have great rosters, coaches, and experience, but they also both have concerns as well. Both the Tide and the Tigers had rocky 2024 seasons, but both still have the potential to rise to the top.

My SEC dark horse for 2025 is the Texas A&M Aggies. The Aggies have a good coach, a promising returning QB, a solid roster, and a decent schedule advantage too.

When the dust settles, we have Georgia winning the SEC once again, and they will beat Texas in the title game for the second year in a row.

Once conference championship week is over, we believe that Georgia, Texas, and LSU will all get the playoff nod to compete for the ultimate goal, The National Championship. A fourth team who could be in the playoffs with those three is Texas A&M, but that is only if the committee gives the SEC four slots.

Be ready for one of the most intensely competitive SEC races of all time, and for crazy games week after week.