SEC Roster Preview (w/ Conference Record Projections!) PART 2

[Sarge]

This article is from a request from a subscriber: @tsweezy


LSU
Initial impressions:
LSU has a formidable offense, average defense with secondary being its highlight. Front seven leaves a lot to be desired. Toomer needs to take a step forward.

Is this the year LSU pushes Alabama for the West? Is the West just going to cannibalize itself this year? I'm not sure. I don't think Toomer has enough arm talent to really
challenge elite defenses. He's the ultimate game manager and won't turn the ball over and without threatening defenses vertically, it will be hard to win games. With that
being said, their WR room is impressive with a lot of upperclassmen returning, look for Marvin Thomas to put on enough tape for scouts to establish himself as an NFL caliber
WR. I don't think there's enough RB talent and if Ladler goes down, we may end up seeing LSU getting one dimensional and it being tough to establish the run.

My biggest issue with the LSU roster is that front seven. I just don't see any game wreckers. DE Raven Minor (amazing name) is a tackling machine but he struggles at times
to get to the QB and also doesn't have a high motor. Tonkin on the opposite side is more of the same. LSU's plan is to neutralize the run up front and depend on its superior
CB room eliminating your WRs with man coverage and only keeping seven in the box. CB Stansly Alvarez looks like a early round lock for the draft and its almost unfair how good Steven Ware and Eric Lueke are given their age.

You'll need to expose LSU's front seven and force them bring in safeties or blitz corners if you want to win. Their DBs are just too good. LB corps doesn't spark any confidence
and the DLine just doesn't seem poised to get after the quarterback. I love how their defense is built but if you can't collapse the pocket in the SEC, there's just too many
good QBs that will sit back and carve you up.

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

Mississippi State

Initial impressions:

(RIP) Ghost of Mike Leach has entered the chat. First to score a billion wins. This is a huge developmental year for QB Mike Hu('s your daddy)

I don't see how Mississippi State doesn't go Air Raid here. I also don't see Mike Hu finishing the year as the starting QB if he can't put it together quickly. QB Duane Cozens
has incredible arm talent but is made of glass, so the West's Bulldogs will roll with Mike Hu it seems. He absolutely has to put it together this year on the field because
there's just too many weapons at WR for him not to. The biggest questions mark in the WR roomis if one of the starting three goes down, it's not if but how much will the 
offense suffer?

Their Mike Backer spot is worrisome, as is the depth for their entire LB room. DT Mike LeVert will have to carry the line when he's on the field if he can figure out a way
to work on his cardio because when he's not, as we saw last year, the DLine play suffered. I do think there's another talent across this team to really push the higher teams
of the West but their depth is just so scary and problematic that in the SEC, if you're not prepared for attrition over the season your team is going to suffer. 

Lastly, I do think Miss State needs to take another look at their starting Left Tackle. The coaches must know something about De La Torre that we don't for him to not be the
starting LT covering Hu but perhaps as the season progresses, if Hu is on his back a lot and can't keep his jersey clean we see De La Torre take over the blindside.

Projected Conferece Record (2-6) worst (5-3) best

Missouri

Initial impressions:

Who the fuck starts at QB? Who the fuck starts at RB? Secondary seems secondary in recruiting..

Missouri has a million question-marks with their roster from my perspective. QB Chris Golden is the best true "QB" on the roster throwing wise, but he doesn't have a great
injury track record. Desmond Parms has absolute wheels but doesn't invoke the most confidence when throwing. Brandin Davis is slightly less mobile than Parms but has a little bit more arm talent and is also the youngest QB on the roster. It will be interesting to see this Spring how the QB competitive plays out, if there is one, which I certainly
think there should be.

SAME QUESTION for RB. I think runningbacks Berrios and Johnson end up being a thunder and lightning combination and will likely be the focal point of the offense given the
unknown at QB for Missouri. Each of them don't jump off the paper as far as talent goes, but there's nothing wrong with going to ol' reliable to get the job done. Lastly, I
just can't see anything impressive about the secondary but that seems to be the case with a lot of teams in the SEC right now. Zac McCutchen is elite and can run step for step
with the best WRs in the country with top of the line 40 speed and he won't get bullied off the line of scrimmage with his strength and agility. After Zac though...
Lots of redshirt guys find themselves competing for starting spots and none of them inspire confidence. This trickles back to the Safeties as well. Missouri's secondary is a 
huge hole that needs to be addressed. 

Overall, I don't think Missouri has the offensive talent to keep up with teams in the East. I also don't think they have the defensive talent to keep games lows scoring. 

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

Ole Miss

Initial Impressions: 

One of the most middling rosters in the conference. Secondary and scheme fit are huge problems. Nick Hancock is that dude.

Sad Rebel Noises. Outside of RB Nick Hancock on offense the Rebels have nothing that jumps out. QB Klay Castillo is good, not great. WR Rob Elias is good, not great. If I'm
playing the rebels, the thing I'm scared of most is a couple of guys on their OLine. RT Matt Williams is a future first round pick, and linemate C Julio Robinson will be an early
round guy too. But if your best players on your offense are on the offensive-line how are you gonna score? They can't block, run AND catch.

Their front seven is actually sneaky good with the exception of a couple of pieces, depth at LB isn't great but MLB Brad Rudolph has a good enough motor to stay on the field. 
The biggest problem is their secondary. Scheme fit is crucial here. Do the Rebels force their best Zone guy to run man? Do they force their best man guy to run zone? It's not 
a pretty situation, and they haven't been recruiting well at this position either. In their safety room is much of the same exact question. I think Ole Miss might end up
the Vanderbilt of the West this year unfortunately.

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

South Carolina

Initial Impressions:

Who's going to take over games? LB Room is elite. Arguably best front seven in the SEC. DBs are sus.

South Carolina is once again going to have to depend upon forcing turnovers with their defensive unit. It's their signature playstyle and for the most part it worked last year
with their biggest win over their rival Georgia last year. The front seven looks absolutely oppressive and will look to provide plenty of opportunities to CBs Michael Winslow
and Todd Judy to impress scouts with their catching ability in coverage. Unfortunately, I don't think they have a surefire way to convert these turnovers into points. If the
Gamecocks fall behind in any way, how do they catch up? 

 

WR Kam Jackson has great hands but he's been prone to put the ball on the ground on an occasion and his speed at the WR is not great. RB Corey Valverde is decent at a lot of
things necessary for RBs to excel but great at absolutely nothing and QB Tyler Pivetta is a sound pocket passer with exceptional arm talent but without a back or WR to really
capitalize on defenses with, he's not going to be able to demonstrate his talent effectively.

There's a lot to like about how SCAR is built, but they're going to have to keep games low scoring if they want to win, otherwise things can get out of hand very quickly.
I expect them to have a top 20 defense in the country at the end of the day.

Project Conference Record (3-5) worst (5-3) best

Tennessee

Initial Impressions:

Brandon Savage is only a sophomore what the fuck. Huge questions at RB. WRs are terrifying. OL needs help. Defense can be beat.

Tennessee is built similarly to Mississippi State but the problem is Tennessee has depth in spades. Back to Back recruiting championships will do that for you and this is
likely the only "down year" (lol) Tennessee will have for the foreseeable future. Brandon Savage is elite as a true Sophomore and is part of the big 4 QBs in the conference.
WR room is electric and one of the best places the Vols have developed talent. Hayes Edwards might leave for the Draft after this year and join Matt Siri. Both are sure handed
targets that Savage will feed endlessly. The problem is if Tennessee's top three WRs all leave for the draft next year (or graduate), who's going to replace them?

Coach Sweezy seems to be sold on JC Hardy being the starter but I don't know if I agree. He has homerun/gamebreaking speed but why not start Bandy and begin to reincarnate Ynoa? The RB room is diverse in its talents, each of the three talented in different ways. It's a tough decision to make and I don't know what I'd do here.

The OL is where the Vols are weak on offense. Redshirt freshmen are manning the left side of the line, Jhonatan Perry is playing out of possession and hasn't had starting snaps. With three new starters on the line, it's going to take time for them to gel. Thankfully, the East isn't daunting at the line of scrimmage save for a couple of teams, but
if the Vols want to return to the SEC Championship, those couple of teams could pose a huge issue.

DT is huge, no pun intended, for the Vols but outside of that nobody is really intimidating me on the DLine. Linebacker continues to be a significant emotional event for 
Tennessee as JT Adams tries to cover for the lackluster outside backer play. CB room has a LOT of the similarities and same questions as the WR room oddly enough. All three
starting CBs will graduate after this year, and Coach Sweezy decided to move David Johnson from his natural safety position to help solidify the CBs. After that, you're looking
at three entirely new starters again with limited game time.

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

Texas A&M

Initial Impressions:

I have high hopes for TAMU but they just aren't there yet defensively. Gamebreakers at key positions on offense.

TAMU has a lot to like but also a lot to be desired. The trifecta of Peterson, Thomas and Barrera all in their Senior years will look to put something together for one last
ride for the fans. The Spread Option would be the best route to go here as Peterson's escapability and speed are elite to stretch sideline to sideline, especially since nobody
in the receiving room is built for speed, and obvious recruiting point for TAMU where they want their WRs to body up DBs for the jump ball. Thomas will also likely be featured
plenty. Look for him to have the potential for a 1,000 / 1,000 season in both rushing and receiving as a focal point of the offense. The OLine will have a helluva time keeping
Peterson clean but that's why him being mobile and moving the pocket will be key.

The defensive line is okay but the linebackers seem rough. Not a lot of depth here and no one I'd consider elite or even great. CB Mitch Forrest will excel and Gonzalez has WR
hands but he has a propensity to get beat to not let those hands work. Safeties will absolutely be bullied all year by even decent QBs, as they struggle with covering the long
ball. This is a considerable weak spot, akin to what Alabama and Auburn are both going through as well.

Projected Conference Record (3-5) worst (4-4) best

Vanderbilt

Initial Impressions:

We can only go up after the last two seasons, right? ...RIGHT?

QB play will be the determining factor here for Vanderbilt. Vanvleet and Coleman both have the same skillsets for their offense, but we need to see if they've gotten better
with traditional QB play instead of being overly dependent on their legs to see if the Commodores take the next step. RB Pedro White has excellent talent and needs to be
the focal point of the offense because outside of WR Toliver, I don't see how this offense churns out yardage. there's just not enough talent on the offensive side of the ball
to challenge most SEC teams.

Both lines of scrimmage groups give me a lot of concern. The right side of their OL is very weak and DT Jeimer Kemp is their best guy on the line but even he doesn't necessarily excel anywhere in his tape. LB room and depth is abysmal. CB room is where Vanderbilt can shine a little bit. Brett Maxey looks REALLY good and I don't think there's a lot of WRs that can beat him. 

 

Vanderbilt has to do something on the recruiting trail to pick up the pieces or they'll soon fine themselves stuck playing catchup with the rest of the East and conference.

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

[TuscanSota]

Seems like a lot of SEC teams are capable of being championship caliber. Arkansas, LSU, Kentucky and Georgia are all capable of at least making a bowl game to making the championship, though it seems like we could see another Alabama vs Tennessee championship this year. I think schedule is going to be a huge factor in some of the outcomes of these games in the SEC.

[tsweezy]

I see Vanderbilt get dumped on, I like the article, simple math.

I think these synopses are great and I agree with much of it. I’m stuck in a weird 3-way struggle between starting upperclassmen and molding my roster to win as much as possible this season, throw in the towel and start my underclassmen croot classes, or some weird amalgamation and max redshirts. 

Also interestingly it has felt to me like the conference as a whole has a lot of bad / susceptible defenses 

[SlapYourBasil]

One year Ole Miss won't be predicted worst in the conference.  Not this year though. Still have a good chunk of rebuilding from the AI's disaster recruiting.