If you haven’t been paying close attention to the SEC and college football lately, you might not be aware of the conference realignment that has taken place. There’ve been some major changes to all the top conferences, and you may no longer recognize the college football landscape. The short version is that geography no longer matters and the “Power 5” conferences are now a “Power 4.”
As for the Southeastern Conference, there are fewer additions than some of the other conferences around the country, but the two new schools are some of the biggest names in college football. The SEC added the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners from the Big 12. The SEC now comprises Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt.
Once again, rather than analyzing the impact of conference realignment, the goal is to help you familiarize yourself with the top handful of players that will likely be playing on Sundays in 2025. If you’re like most dynasty managers, you’ve got one eye on the future. These are five of the top names you’ll want to know for the 2024 college football season from the SEC Conference.
Luther Burden III | WR | Missouri | 5’10” | 208 lbs.
The first (and only non-QB) prospect to highlight from the SEC is Missouri Tiger star WR, Luther Burden III. As the #2 ranked WR recruit, he surprised many people by committing to Missouri out of high school. After a promising freshman season, Burden exploded in 2023. He caught 83 passes for 1,197 yards and 8 scores. There was a lot of speculation that he would enter the transfer portal for greener pastures. However, he stayed home at Missouri and is poised to be one of the first WRs taken in the 2025 NFL Draft.
As a prospect, Burden is a versatile receiver that can line up all over the field but excels out of the slot and in positions where he can have some manufactured touches. His ability with the ball in his hand is elite. There is room for improvement in his route running, but in a system where they get the ball in his hands quickly, he can be a dynamic weapon. He may not have the same top gear of some of the speed demons in this class, but his quickness in short areas is unique. I have him as my WR3 heading into the season.
Quinn Ewers | QB | Texas | 6’0” | 219 lbs.
Next up we have Quinn Ewers from Texas. He was an extremely coveted recruit, eventually choosing Ohio State after reclassifying. After sitting for a season, Ewers decided to transfer to Texas and won the starting job. There seems to be a bit of split in opinion around Ewers, as some people think he’s one of the better QB prospects in the class and others think that he’s over-hyped. Whatever your opinion on his NFL potential, what is undeniable is that Ewers has the entire college football world watching to see if he can build on his 2023 season which saw the Longhorns make it to the College Football Playoff. As Texas enters the SEC, the questions surrounding Ewers will likely get answered sooner than later.
Personally, I am a believer in Quinn Ewers. He has shown a quick release, strong ability to throw from all arm angles with velocity, and willingness to stand in the pocket under pressure and deliver accurate passes. However, he does struggle with consistency at times, leading to some errant passes, which often is a result of sloppy footwork. If he’s able to clean up his consistency, he’ll hear his name called early in the draft. I have him as my QB2, but closer to falling to QB3 than pushing for QB1.
Carson Beck | QB | Georgia | 6’4” | 220 lbs.
Speaking of my QB3, the next man up is Georgia’s Carson Beck. There was quite a lot of buzz about Beck leading to the declaration deadline for the 2024 NFL Draft. He ultimately decided to return to Athens, GA for another season with the hopes of bringing home another National Championship.
At 6’4”, 220 lbs., Beck has prototypical size for the NFL. Of the projected QBs in the 2025 class, he also is the most prototypical pocket-passer of the group. When in rhythm, he processes the defense quickly, delivers accurate passes, and can attack all 3 levels of the field. However, when he’s under pressure or forced out of the pocket, his mechanics tend to break down and he’s prone to mistakes. Personally, I think Beck has a much lower ceiling than the other QBs in this class but also has a higher floor. If there’s a team that’s looking for a more ‘traditional’ style quarterback, he should fit the bill.
Jalen Milroe | QB | Alabama | 6’2” | 225 lbs.
If Carson Beck is the prototypical quarterback, Jalen Milroe may be the antithesis. He struggled at times in 2023, including briefly losing his starting job against USF. However, Milroe was able to turn things around and led Alabama to another College Football Playoff appearance. He completed 65.8% of his passes for 2,718 yards and 23 touchdowns. However, where Milroe really adds value is in the running game. He ran for over 500 yards and another 12 TDs.
If Milroe is going to be successful in the NFL, he’s most certainly going to need to improve his ability as a passer. He has the physical tools to make all the throws but doesn’t always translate that into success on the field. What Milroe can do for an NFL team is keep defenses guessing with excellent athleticism from the QB position. I see his path to success in the NFL similar to what we saw with Jalen Hurts. Milroe is in my third tier of QBs to start the season.
Jaxson Dart | QB | Ole Miss | 6’2” | 225 lbs.
The final player I will highlight is Jaxson Dart from the University of Mississippi. After transferring from USC prior to the 2022 season, Dart has put up back to back strong campaigns for Ole Miss, throwing for a combined 6,338 yards, 43 TDs, and 16 INTs. He also added another 1,005 yards and 7 scores on the ground during that span.
Jaxson Dart enters this season in my third tier of QBs but he has the potential to be a late-riser up NFL draft boards and up my rankings. He is an above-average athlete with sufficient but not elite arm strength. His accuracy is good inside the pocket as well as on the move and off-platform. If Dart is going to improve his stock he will need to make better AND quicker decisions with the ball. The range of outcomes for Dart is probably the largest of any QB in this class, let alone the SEC.
If you are interested in more in-depth prospect rankings, be on the lookout for my prospect positional rankings articles as well as my Dynasty Big Board coming soon. You can also check out Bobby Bishop’s Preseason Big Board here.
Honorable Mentions
- Trevor Etienne | RB | Georgia
- Oscar Delp | TE | Georgia
- Germie Bernard | WR | Alabama
- Conner Weigman | QB | Texas A&M
- Antwane Wells Jr | WR | Ole Miss
- Barion Brown | WR | Kentucky
- Kyren Lacy | WR | LSU
- Raheim Sanders | RB | South Carolina
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