2023 SEC Roster Preview (w/ Conference Record Projections!) PART 1

[Sarge]

This article series is at the request of subscriber @tsweezy.

 

 

Alabama

 

Initial Impressions:

 

Plenty of NFL caliber players littered among the roster although a couple significant gaps that were overlooked in recruiting that teams may expose.

 

I think the biggest question that jumps out to me is the Quarterback position after losing Connor Bennett who was simply charged with not wrecking the Corvette, as is tradition. SG3 and Jordan Lyles look like the two outright favorites but the plucky Sr Jimmy Thompson who's been buried on the DC might have something to say about it. None of the three freshmen they've brought in with the '22 class look like a threat to compete for the starting job out the gates. It will be interesting to see who Coach Funk chooses to go with, Griffin for his legs, or Lyles for his arm. It's also important that Lyles has another year of eligibility after this season so starting him and getting him starting snaps this year wouldn't be the worst decision.

 

The running back position seems more than capable with Cam Mills and Shane Cromartie likely to split snaps in the backfield to spell one another as they grind out yardage. Culberson will likely be the next man in the RB rotation in passing situations though through player interviews both Mills and Cromartie have been adament their hands are just as good as Culberson's after news broke out that the pair broke a juggs machine through extensive use.

 

My biggest concern, not question, is at the Safety position. Alabama currently only has one SS one their roster, one Mr. Corey Grinnage who is by no means a stud by any metric, and of the six Free Safeties on Bama's roster, I don't think any of them start on any of the other teams in the SEC. This could be Alabama's weakness this year as teams look to come over the top of them through the air and expose the lack of depth and talent at the position.

 

Other than those three keys, I don't think you can expect Alabama to put up anything BUT 10 wins in the column during the regular season at worst. For anything lacking in the QB department, there's NFL Calibur wideouts and linemen to cover him. If the safeties are weak, there's once again more NFL talent at corner and linebacker. I think Coach Funk can plug the gaps with scheme and still look to defend his National Title.

 

Projected Conference Record (6-2) worst (8-0) best

 

Arkansas

 

Initial Impressions:

 

Holy shit that cornerback room is elite. Do not attempt to throw. Do not think about throwing. Apologize for having pass plays in your playbook.

 

My biggest area I want to poke at, which is quite literally just nitpicking, would be the LB unit. ILB looks serviceable but Rhys Jones has significant gaps in his game that are often masked by the incredible DB room Arkansas has. Ryan White and Adolphus Litton look to bookend the outside linebacker spot BUT, if White or Litton go down I don't think there's anyone capable to fill that void without a significant drop off. I think it's also likely with how deep the OLB group is that Arkansas likely flexes them into the MLB position to see how they develop.

 

QB is a big question here because Diaz and James are average starters and Frosh QB Curtis Simmons (not pictured here) was either brought in to outright take the job from them or he could see snaps later in the season if things get out of hand to develop. I don't know what the right answer is here and I don't think we will know until Week 1. Diaz is going to have to show he's not just an arm and fleet foot enough to move in the pocket, and James needs to figure out how to throw a better ball.

 

This three-way of QBs will be the most interesting one in the conference because if Arkansas gets even remotely above average QB play I think they actually have a shot at winning the West with this roster. The scariest thing about Arkansas? Their depth across the board is good AND young.

 

Projected Conference Record (5-3) worst (7-1) best

 

Auburn

 

Initial Impressions:

 

Moncrief is back (dammit) and so are his stud WRs (double dammit). Likely the only team that doesn't have to apologize for trying to throw on Arkansas.

 

Defensive Line is solid but not overly intimidating with DE Jerry Hager being the biggest threat in the unit with his elite speed and pass rush abilities to make things hot for the QB and adjust to off-schedule throws. DT LaVine is good at everything but does not excel in any facet of his game, just a well rounded player that eats blockers. Look for teams to neutralize Hager and play their game without him in the picture.

 

Another area Auburn fans need to look out for is A) will they even bother running the ball and if the answer is yes, who? Singleton is back but it's widely believed that he's an infinitely better additional pass blocker for Moncrief than he is a running back. That leaves Bullock, Kelly and Laffey at RB to handle touches but I don't think any Defensive Coordinators are staying up late at night figuring out how to try to stop them.

 

Lastly, another team from the state of Alabama, another team with significant Safety depth issues. They're not nearly as in bad shape at this position as their more successful in-state rival, but it's still an area we need to highlight. Auburn's entire MO last year was creating turnovers on Defense, give Moncrief the ball and sling it. I think the depth in the secondary as a whole is a significant problem and schematically, they'll have to cover up in unique ways with pressuring the QB with additional rushers instead of leaving their DBs on islands like last year.

 

Projected Conference Record (4-4) worst (6-2) best

 

 

:florida: Florida

 

Initial Impressions:

 

Slightly above average across all positions. Linebacker Depth is a significant issue, especially at the Mike. Consistent QB play will be hard to come by.

 

Alright, the Gators, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, are remarkably average. They definitively have talent, and they are recruiting extremely well but the issue is, is talent takes time to develop and a lot of these kids just aren't ready yet. If I'm Coach Weeze, I'm chalking another season to the development of my roster and pushing to compete in '24 because BOY does that year look terrifying for the East when the "Gators Get Good".

 

Biggest friction point here is QB/WR play. Kelly, I just don't think is good enough. I would not be surprised if Kevin Jones (not pictured here) is the outright starter coming into the season and giving him reps to develop for next year. Bowman will be able to help take a lot a pressure off Jones (if he indeed starts). Look for whoever is starting at QB between Kelly or Jones to look for WR Kai Benkert's number early and often.

 

I bring up the WRs because Florida just simply does not have anyone to take the top off the defense that's ready for SEC play. Ortel and Nobles were great grabs and kudos to Weeze for realizing he essentially had too many Buicks and not enough Ferraris. Benkert, Gedeon and Williams won't out run anyone, nor are they really tall enough to play the jump-ball game at the top of their routes.

 

The front seven need some milk. Or juice. Or Gatorade. Something. Keenan Williams (ILB) can not be expected to play the role of seven men, but he's good enough to do it. The DL is going to need some young guys to step up, especially on the ends. I'd be keeping my eye on DE Brandon Martin to see if he gets meaningful playing time after taking a redshirt last season. Outside of that, Florida is going to have to play ball control, chew lots of clock and make sure the other team's offense doesn't get on the field if they want to win football games in 2023.

 

Projected Conference Record (2-6) worst (4-4) best

 

:georgia: Georgia

 

Initial Impressions:

 

Coming off big bowl win against a good team. Great depth but doesn't intimidate anyone inside the conference. No gamebreakers. Defense is scary, offense is not.

 

Biggest problem position for the Dawgs in '23 is the Offensive line. The core of the line has another year to gel going into '24 (which can you believe Outman will be around for?) but '23 is going to be an important development year. Valverde will have his hands full as the starting Left Tackle but he doesn't really impress anyone with his game tape and will likely be abused by SEC Edges all year. Guard is another problem for Georgia as next year's depth is non-existent and they don't have anyone that can truly step up if Muscala goes down. Look for teams to abuse Georgia's Offensive Line. Otherwise, Georgia has bona-fide studs at the important offensive skill positions and WR/TE hybrid Deonte Canaan looks poised to take over games. Outman has a lot of tools at his disposal, but we'll need to see on field results instead of paper depth charts.

 

The room people need to keep an eye on for Georgia is the CB room. Serge Stewart is back as the only returning starter and the group taking over are all pretty long in the tooth in their college careers without much production to indicate what kind of players they'll be. Kayvon Tate and Stewart will man the outside while Syndergaard and Hansford will likely rotate as the Nickle/Dime. The dogs continue to recruit well here but they need to really develop the room in order to secure production from them so that the DL isn't having to carry every game.

 

Projected Conference Record (4-4) worst (7-1) best

 

:kentucky: Kentucky

 

Initial Impressions:

 

Mildly disappointing season would be an understatement given the talent accrued here. Coach Ezaco has to figure out how to take advantage of the talent on this roster or face potentially being left by the upper tier of the East.

Look, Kentucky has approximately a top 15 roster talent wise and I don't think it's up for much debate. All three starting WRs can start on any roster in college football, Dupree is likely a Heisman favorite, and Oliveros has unlimited talent as a Redshirt Sophomore and could potentially battle to be the best QB in the SEC. Starter for starter, there is no team in the SEC as talented as Kentucky on offense. On defense is where I have some questions. I think you'll see Kentucky enter a lot of shootouts with their DB room being the cornerstone on defensive side of the ball. They'll play lots of man but that also will mean opportunities to beat them through the air. Kentucky's front seven, specifically their D-Line is what gives me pause. No one jumps out to me on the DL that can really take over a game and their depth at that position is more of the same. ROLB Tanner McCarthy is really the only player in that front seven you need to account for. I expect Kentucky will get ran on and that'll be their weak point. Only the more talented QB/WR combos will be able to throw on their DBs but the room is there to operate through the air.

 

Outside of the front seven, this is going to boil down to taking advantage of one of the most talented rosters in college football and game-planning appropriately. Coach Ezaco doesn't need to get cute with Oliveros. I can see him limiting the playbook this year, giving Oliveros a set amount of options at the line and just let their guys out-talent the opposition. Gameplanning will be the crux of the Wildcats' season once again.

 

Projected Conference Record (3-5) worst (8-0) best

 

 

PART 2 SOON

[Weeze]

I didn't see this a month ago when it was posted, but this is damn good stuff. Good job man. Can't wait for part two.