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College Football Rankings: ESPN ranks the offseason of every SEC team

Stephen Samraby:Steve Samra05/13/25

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The college football season is mere months away, but anticipation continues to grow with each passing moment. Before the games begin, ESPN decided to take some time to examine where each team stands, as the offseason is coming to an end. 

Due to the transfer portal and the advent of NIL, the offseason is more turbulent than ever in college football. So, which SEC teams handled it the best in 2025? Bill Connelly of ESPN ranked them all.

Check it out below, and see which SEC teams utilized their resources the best since the end of the 2024 season. Some are setting the stage for a return to relevance, while others are hoping to stay atop the conference. The moves they made will be the reason why they accomplish their goal, or why it doesn’t come true in 2025.

1. LSU Tigers

LSU hit the ground running this offseason. It’s evident Brian Kelly and the Tigers were far from satisfied with their 9-4 season in 2024. They ended their campaign on a three-game winning-streak, including a Texas Bowl win over Baylor. The College Football Playoff is the goal in 2025. 

Connelly: “Kelly retained one of the most proven quarterbacks in the SEC and brought in the most celebrated transfer class in the league as well. One might have suggested bringing in another O-lineman or two, but it sure seems like the Tigers enjoyed the best offseason this side of Norman.”

2. Oklahoma Sooners

Brent Venables
Brent Venables (Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images)

To say it was a disappointing season for Oklahoma in 2024 would be an understatement. Questions arose regarding Brent Venables future with the Sooners after a 6-7 season where they went 2-6 in the conference, but some big additions to their coaching staff and roster, especially on offense, has seen faith restored, for now. 

Connelly: “No one needed a good offseason more desperately than Venables, but he probably put together the best offseason in college football. We’ll see if it translates to wins against another brutal schedule, but Arbuckle, Mateer & Co. should produce a solid turnaround in the points department. Offseason national champions.”

3. Auburn Tigers

Missing a bowl game was the final straw in a disastrous campaign for Auburn in 2024. The Tigers ended their season 5-7, but there were some bright spots. Hugh Freeze is looking to build on them and then some in 2025.

Connelly: “There’s continuity atop the coaching org chart, and there will be plenty of blue chippers on the two-deep. Hugh Freeze had a solid offseason as we’re defining it, but the season will ride on whether Auburn’s completely new quarterbacks room produces an SEC-caliber starter.”

4. Texas Longhorns

Texas fell short of the national title game, but it was a landmark season during their first in the SEC in 2024. They lost Quinn Ewers, but with Arch Manning already in tow and some other awesome additions, Steve Sarkisian’s team should be in the mix once again in 2025.

Connelly: “If Manning takes the leap people expect, that could paper over a bunch of cracks, especially considering the continuity at coordinator. But even with good recruiting and decent portal work, losing four offensive line starters and your top four on the defensive line feels pretty scary.”

5. Florida Gators

Florida QB DJ Lagway
Doug Engle | Gainesville Sun | USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It was a rollercoaster 2024 for Billy Napier and Florida. After two rough losses to Miami and Texas A&M, whispers of the coach’s future grew louder and louder. However, the ascent of DJ Lagway and four straight wins to end 2024 has things looking up. It won’t get any easier playing in the SEC, but the Gators seem primed to compete after some fascinating offseason moves.

Connelly: “Florida has top-20 returning production levels, which can mean something pretty great when you finish the season as strong as the Gators did. The portal movement was light, which could turn out to be either a great sign (they already had what they needed) or a foreboding one (they overestimated what they had). We’ll see.”

6. Georgia Bulldogs

After standing tall above the SEC for multiple seasons, Georgia saw some cracks in the foundation this past season. They lost quarterback Carson Beck to Miami, and now whether or not they can move forward and win without him will become the question. Doubt Kirby Smart at your own risk.

Connelly: “Recruiting will always be strong in Athens, but Smart has never shown much interest in mastering the portal; we’ll see if that backfires after the loss of about 15 starters. (We’ll see if loyalty to the offensive coordinator backfires, too.) The developmental pipeline must continue to produce.”

7. Texas A&M Aggies

Mike Elko returned to Texas A&M to great fanfare in 2024. For the most part, he inspired confidence. The Aggies finished 8-5, amassing five SEC victories. Can they do better in 2025? That’s the question, but the Aggies seemed primed to take their shot and lay their cards on the table in their coach’s second season on the job.

Connelly: “A&M has what a lot of other SEC schools lack: continuity at coordinator, experience at quarterback and a veteran-heavy offensive line and secondary. There will be lots of new names, however, in the receiving corps and on the defensive front. Will Elko’s portal work there stave off problems?”

8. Alabama Crimson Tide

Kalen DeBoer
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

No coach had a harder task in his first season than Kalen DeBoer did in replacing Nick Saban. He came close to the College Football Playoff, but Alabama slipped up one too many times. The jury is out on the quarterback battle, but the addition of Ryan Grubb as their offensive coordinator is one that could go a long way for the Crimson Tide. 

Connelly: “DeBoer reunited with Grubb and neither needed nor got much out of the portal. He kept the blue-chip train rolling in recruiting, and Grubb has what he needs at quarterback, so everything should fall into place pretty nicely.”

9. Missouri Tigers

Missouri made one of the more interesting additions in the portal by bringing in former Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula. Perhaps Eli Drinkwitz can work some magic with the thrower. The Tigers were an awesome 10-3 last season, going 5-3 within the SEC. They’ll be reaching for more in 2025.

Connelly: “Drinkwitz brought in a transfer for every starter lost — 11 starters gone, 11 FBS starters incoming — and held onto both coordinators. That’s a good way of going about your business. We’ll see if Pribula can turn out to be as good a close-game muse as Brady Cook, however: Mizzou was 10-1 in one-score finishes in 2023-24.”

10. South Carolina Gamecocks

South Carolina made a beeline for the College Football Playoff late in the season. However, a six-game winning-streak couldn’t salvage three losses earlier in the season, despite them coming against top-level SEC competition. With LaNorris Sellers returning, Shane Beamer has a shot to prove 2024 was no fluke, but his Gamecocks will have to get off to a better start this time around.

Connelly: “Beamer did his best to offset some mammoth losses on defense with portal newcomers, but experience levels definitely seem to be down on that side of the ball. That will put a lot of pressure on Sellers and a rebuilt offensive line to carry the load, but Sellers might be capable of doing just that.”

ESPN SEC Offseason Rankings — Nos. 11-16:

11. Ole Miss Rebels
12. Vanderbilt Commodores
13. Kentucky Wildcats
14. Tennessee Volunteers
15. Arkansas Razorbacks
16. Mississippi State Bulldogs