Top 10 players in the SEC in 2023: Brock Bowers takes top spot but who checks in at No. 2?
We’re inching ever-so-close to the 2023 season, and with Week 0 just around the corner, I’m unveiling my Top 10 players from each Power 5 conference over the next week.
This is a fun, but tough exercise. Whittling down to just 10 guys in a sport this loaded with stars and All-Americans is hard.
Some real dudes didn’t make the cut.
There’s not a single quarterback in my preseason Top 10 SEC Players in 2023, but KJ Jefferson, Joe Milton, Jayden Daniels, Carson Beck or Devin Leary could all find their way on the list by year’s end. Same for Georgia’s inside linebacker duo (Jamon Dumas-Johnson and Smael Mondon) or if LSU tackle Maason Smith is able to wreck havoc for a full season returning from his major knee injury.
Notably, this is not a list of the 10 best future pros. It’s the Top 10 players in the SEC, right now, heading into the 2023 season. Debate away.
10. OLB Dallas Turner, Alabama
After an impressive freshman season, Turner saw a dip in production in 2022 (8.5 sacks vs. 5.0), but the expectation here is the former 5-star recruit becomes Alabama’s dominant presence off the edge. With Will Anderson off to the NFL, Turner will face team’s full spotlight now, but at 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, he’s well-suited to shine as the JACK in Kevin Steele’s hyper-aggressive defense.
In two seasons, Turner has 18 career tackles for loss and 35 QB pressures, per PFF.
9. C Sedrick Van Pran, Georgia
Van Pran has been the heart and soul of Georgia’s offense the last two seasons, starting every game for the two-time champs. He’s the best center in the SEC, and probably tops nationally, too.
The senior opted to return to school to improve his NFL Draft stock this fall, and now he’s responsible for helping keep UGA’s offensive locomotive humming (Top 10 nationally in scoring and yards per play the last two years) working with a new quarterback.
8. OT JC Latham, Alabama
Depending on where you get your CFB stats, Latham either allowed zero or two sacks in his first full season as Alabama’s right tackle in 2022, and the potential All-American stands to be even better as a junior.
The 6-6, 335-pounder isn’t just one of the best pass-protecting tackles in the SEC, he’s a punishing run blocker, recording 29 knockdown blocks last season. Considering the Tide are expected to lean even heavier on their ground game this fall as they break in a new QB, Latham stands to be the face (and leader) of the OL.
7. WR Antwane ‘Juice’ Wells, South Carolina
Wells was a 50-50 ball-winner and a splash-play target (four catches over 60 yards) in his first season with the Gamecocks, developing a nice rapport with quarterback Spencer Rattler by season’s end.
The All-SEC wideout had 928 yards and six touchdowns, but with a full season as Rattler’s primary target there’s no reason he can’t top 1,000 yards and 10 scores this fall.
6. WR Malik Nabers, LSU
The Tigers had the SEC’s No. 5 passing attack in 2022, but Nabers returns as the league’s top receiver in yards (1,017) and receptions (72). While he caught just three touchdowns, expect that number to jump significantly after he emerged as the Tigers’ go-to option down the stretch last season.
In LSU’s final four games, Nabers averaged seven catches for 122 yards, with two of his three scores coming during that period. Nabers was an ankle-breaker after the catch, too, forcing 21 missed tackles (fifth-most among all Power 5 wideouts), per PFF.
5. RB Raheim ‘Rocket’ Sanders, Arkansas
Sanders more than lived up to his ‘Rocket’ nickname in 2022, proving an explosive Razorbacks rushing attack with a bashing home run hitter. The 6-2, 227-pound tailback had 15 carries over 20 yards last season (second-only to Quinshon Judkins) and a league-high five carries over 40 yards.
The junior averaged over 6.5 yards per carry, finishing with 1,443 yards and 10 touchdowns. Can he challenge Judkins for the RB1 spot with a 2023 encore?
4. CB Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
According to PFF, McKinstry played over 500 snaps at corner for Alabama in 2022 and the First-Team All-American allowed just a single touchdown (with only four penalties). He had an SEC-high 16 pass breakups and one pick.
The 6-1, 188-pound junior stands to be a future 1st Round NFL Draft pick, and he also showcased as one of the most dynamic punt returners in the country, ranking No. 2 nationally with 15.8 yards per return.
3. RB Quinshon Judkins, Ole Miss
The former 3-star prospect shared touches with Zach Evans a year ago, yet still piled up 274 carries for 1,567 yards — the most by a SEC freshman tailback since Herschel Walker.
Judkins also scored 16 touchdowns and was a tackle-breaking machine, leading the SEC in forced missed tackles (76), per PFF.
This offseason, the sophomore added muscle to his already stout 5-10, 210-pound frame and he could have more room to operate if Ole Miss’ passing game takes a step forward with Jaxson Dart in Year 2.
2. LB Harold Perkins Jr., LSU
Perkins has a chance to make his case as the best overall defensive player in the country in 2023, especially if he can show growth as a run-defender. The former 5-star phenom racked up 72 tackles, 14 TFLs, 8.5 sacks and four forced fumbles as an undersized true freshman.
He’s put on weight this summer and cross-trained at inside linebacker, where the freaky edge rusher is expected to be utilized as an X-factor blitzing from multiple angles in Matt House’s defense.
1. TE Brock Bowers, Georgia
Bowers isn’t just the No. 1 player in the SEC, the two-time All-American is one more awesome season away from becoming perhaps the most impactful collegiate tight end ever.
Bowers has a team-high 24 touchdowns in the last two years for the back-to-back national champions, averaging nearly 15 yards per touch — as a game-changing receiver and end-around rusher. While Georgia is likely to still spread the ball around to more than half a dozen impact playmakers, Bowers could be the program’s first 1,000-yard receiver since Terrance Edwards in 2002.