Factoring in both high school recruits and transfers, 7 of the 10 highest-ranked recruiting classes in the 2025 cycle belonged to SEC schools. According to the 247Sports composite rankings, 12 league schools signed a top-25 class. Vanderbilt is the only SEC school that didn’t sign a top-50 class. The Commodores signed the 51st-ranked class.
Seven of the top 12 transfer classes belonged to SEC schools.
The talent churn in the SEC continues as normal. Following a record-setting NFL Draft, the SEC reloaded. Promising newcomers are all over the league.
Here are my 10 favorite heading into the new season.
HM: Rahsul Faison, South Carolina running back
After 2 standout seasons at Utah State, Faison transferred to South Carolina this offseason and was looking to become the replacement for Rocket Sanders in the Gamecock backfield. The problem — and the reason he lands an honorable mention nod and not a higher spot — is he still hasn’t officially heard back from the NCAA on whether he’s eligible for the 2025 season. He spent the bulk of his career at the junior college level. Faison recently hired a lawyer to help aid his fight for eligibility. Coach Shane Beamer has publicly expressed disappointment with the NCAA for dragging its feet on Faison’s ruling, and he frankly has every right to be frustrated. In 2 seasons at Utah State, Faison had more than 1,800 rushing yards, 106 forced missed tackles, and 0 lost fumbles on 316 total carries. Faison has at least an 89.0 rushing grade (per PFF) in each of the last 2 seasons, 1 of only 7 qualified running backs in the FBS with that distinction.
No. 10: Jack Endries, Texas TE
I love Endries’ fit in the Steve Sarkisian offense. We just watched a reliable tight end produce a remarkable season for Texas in Gunnar Helm, and the Longhorns were very aggressive in both the winter and spring transfer portal windows trying to find Helm’s replacement. A former walk-on, Endries started every game for Cal over the last 2 seasons, during which he made 91 career receptions for 1,030 yards. Thirty-three of his 56 receptions went for first downs in 2024 and, according to PFF, quarterbacks had a 120.2 rating when throwing at Endries. Texas has talent in the receiver room, but it’s not exactly a veteran group. Giving Arch Manning a safety valve in the pass game is huge.
No. 9: DJ Pickett, LSU CB
According to local reports from LSU media who watched spring practices, Pickett took away parts of the field and had quarterbacks looking elsewhere. The 6-4 true freshman was a 5-star recruit and he’s expected to challenge for immediate playing time. Depending on how the summer months go, Pickett might even be a Day 1 starter.
No. 8: Braelin Moore, LSU C
Moore started 12 games at left guard in 2023, then moved to center in 2024. He has played over 700 snaps as a pass-blocker and has only allowed 3 total sacks. Moore is going to slot right into the LSU starting line and anchor the group. Protecting Garrett Nussmeier is priority No. 1 for LSU in 2025, as he’s a quarterback capable of leading a College Football Playoff push. Getting a plug-and-play starter with multiple years of experience at the power conference level is a major win. LSU had a ton of portal wins this offseason, and while Moore might not push the most ink, he’s surely one of the most important. Plus, an invisible center is usually a good thing.
No. 7: Jadyn Ott, Oklahoma RB
If he’s healthy — which was a week-to-week question at Cal — Ott could be one of the most impactful running backs in the SEC next season. In a Golden Bears offense that never really wowed, Ott had some unbelievable performances. He forced 13 missed tackles in a 19-carry, 274-yard, 3-score day against Arizona as a freshman in 2022. He had 131 rushing yards in a half against USC in 2023. He’s an explosive, plug-and-play guy who should benefit a ton from playing next to John Mateer. He was a 2023 All-American who lost most of the 2024 campaign to injuries. An Ott-Mateer backfield will be must-watch if Oklahoma gets the offensive line sorted out.
No. 6: Elo Modozie, Georgia Edge
Last season with Army, Modozie piled up 37 total quarterback pressures. That was the most by an Army defender since Andre Carter II had 59 in 2021. The 6-3 linebacker has a good chance to step in and fill Mykel Williams’ role at the Jack position in the Georgia defense. The freshman, former 5-star Isaiah Gibson, might eat into Modozie’s snaps as the season goes on. But that’s not a given, and it wouldn’t be a bad thing. Georgia addressed this spot in a great way this offseason.
No. 5: Damon Wilson II, Mizzou Edge
The 6-4 edge defender transferred from Georgia to Mizzou this offseason, giving coach Eli Drinkwitz a major playmaker on the defensive side of the football. “Damon Wilson is a freak athlete,” former UGA teammate Warren Brinson said at the NFL Combine. “That’s a steal. Damon, I feel like he’s the best edge in the country right now. They got a ‘dawg.'” Wilson played in 14 games during the 2024 season, recording 22 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. Wilson has a sky-high ceiling and fills the hole left by Johnny Walker Jr. I’m not expecting much slippage from this spot for Mizzou.
No. 4: Barion Brown, LSU WR
LSU also landed former Oklahoma wideout Nic Anderson, who you might notice is absent from this list. Anderson will be explosive, but Brown gets the nod among the 2 because of his ability to impact 2 phases of play. The former Kentucky man leads all active FBS players with 5 kickoff returns for touchdowns. He also caught 122 passes for 1,528 yards with 13 total touchdowns in a Kentucky offense. Give Brown a quarterback like Garrett Nussmeier and he might be able to parlay his final season of college eligibility into an early-round draft selection next spring. He has all the tools you look for, and playing off Anderson will allow him to move around all over the formation and hunt mismatches.
No. 3: Zachariah Branch, Georgia WR
At times, I’ve been a bit confused by Lincoln Riley’s receiver usage at USC. Riley stocked the receiver room full of talent over his first few seasons in Los Angeles, but one could argue the receiver group was too full. And Riley adhered to a rotation that never really let anyone get rolling. Branch was USC’s first-ever freshman to earn a first-team All-American nod, but he didn’t have the breakout sophomore campaign some expected. How much of that had to do with his role? As an underneath option and a third-down target, Branch is deadly. His 6.7-yard average depth of target was the eighth-shortest among FBS receivers with at least 70 targets (156 total players). USC tried to get him the ball on quick routes and let him work in space. If Georgia puts Branch on the field and lets him work, he could have a truly special campaign. As a return man and as a wideout, few have the kind of game-breaking ability Branch possesses.
No. 2: Ahmad Hardy, Mizzou RB
Does Hardy garner the same level of adoration Cody Schrader did in 2023? Probably not. Can he have the same kind of statistically dominant season? I think so. Schrader had 1,627 yards and 14 scores on 5.9 yards per carry. I don’t think that’s an unrealistic goal for Hardy. A no-star recruit who signed with UL Monroe, Hardy ran for 1,351 yards on 5.7 yards per carry and 13 touchdowns to earn Sun Belt Freshman of the Year honors in his college debut. He’s shifty, compact, and nightmarishly tough to bring down in the hole. He was 1 of only 7 FBS running backs last season with 1,000 yards after contact and forced 93 missed tackles. Only Ashton Jeanty and Cam Skattebo forced more. Hardy will be a problem in the SEC.
No. 1: John Mateer, Oklahoma QB
Mateer had nearly 4,000 yards of total offense and 44 touchdowns last season for Washington State. He served as Cam Ward’s understudy and then emerged as a true game-changing weapon for the Cougs once Ward left. According to Game on Paper, Mateer closed the 2024 season ranked sixth among FBS passers in EPA per dropback and eighth among all players in EPA per rushing attempt. Oklahoma also brought in former Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to lead the Sooner offense, so Mateer can hit the ground running in Norman. Ward made the jump from Wazzu to Miami and didn’t skip a beat, but the Pac-12 in 2023 featured much better competition than what Mateer saw last fall with the Cougs. But that’s really the only concern here; can he scale the production? If that answer is yes, Oklahoma has yet another elite quarterback.
Ranking the 10 best newcomers in the SEC for the 2025 season Saturday Down South.
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