College Football’s return is nearly upon us, and 2024 is set to be the most volatile, distinctive football season of our lifetimes.
From the expansion of the College Football Playoff from four teams to twelve and the massive overhaul to the four main power conferences to the SEC no longer being broadcasted on CBS every Saturday afternoon, this is going to be a season ripped straight out of year 13 in your NCAA ‘14 Dynasty sim.
Firstly, we’re going to look at every team’s outlook on the season. Who are their big additions or subtractions in the portal? Who will their standout players be? What’s on the line for the team this season? We’ll dive into all of it.
We’ll obviously start with the Vols who have a distinguishable feel of excitement surrounding them for 2024.
TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS
Preseason AP Rank: 15
Let’s face it: 2023 was not great. Though the Vols finished 9-4, it felt as if the offense, namely the passing attack, left so much on the table which created a lot of unrest and frustration around Joe Milton specifically. Enter the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day, and that all flipped. Tennessee rolled a very good albeit depleted Iowa defense 35-0 as freshman five-star quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, gave Tennessee fans a taste of what was to come.
KEY DEPARTURES
OFFENSE
QB Joe Milton III (NFL Draft | 6:193 to New England)
RB Jaylen Wright (NFL Draft | 4:120 to Miami)
WR Ramel Keyton (UDFA)
TE McCallan Castles (UDFA)
TE Jacob Warren (UDFA)
OL Gerald Mincey (transfer to Kentucky)
OL Ollie Lane (eligibility)
OL Addison Nichols (transfer to Arkansas)
DEFENSE
EDGE Roman Harrison (eligibility)
DE Tyler Baron (transfer to Miami)
LB Aaron Beasley (eligibility)
LB Elijah Herring (transfer to Memphis)
CB Kamal Hadden (NFL Draft | 6:211 to Kansas City)
CB Gabe Jeudy-Lally (UDFA)
CB Doneiko Slaughter (transfer to Arkansas)
CB Warren Burrell (transfer to GA Tech)
CB Brandon Turnage (transfer to Ole Miss)
S Jaylen McCollough (UDFA)
S Tamarion McDonald (transfer to Louisville)
S Wesley Walker (transfer to Michigan)
KEY ADDITIONS
OFFENSE
QB Jake Merklinger (#13 QB via 247)
RB Peyton Lewis (#13 RB via 247)
WR Chris Brazzell II (transfer from Tulane)
WR Mike Matthews (#9 WR via 247)
WR Braylon Staley (#15 WR via 247)
TE Holden Staes (transfer from Notre Dame)
TE Miles Kitselman (transfer from Alabama)
OL Lance Heard (transfer from LSU)
OL Bennett Warren (#7 OT via 247)
DEFENSE
EDGE Jordan Ross (#1 EDGE via 247)
DL Jaxson Moi (transfer from Stanford)
DL Jamal Wallace (JuCO transfer)
LB Edwin Spillman (4-star)
LB Jordan Burns (4-star)
CB Jermod McCoy (transfer from Oregon St.)
CB Jalen McMurray (transfer from Temple)
S Jakobe Thomas (transfer from MTSU)
S Boo Carter (#5 ATH via 247)
BIGGEST GAMES
9/7 vs. NC State (Duke’s Mayo Classic in Charlotte, NC)
9/21 @ Oklahoma
10/12 vs. Florida
10/19 vs. Alabama
11/16 @ Georgia
PATH TO THE PLAYOFF
— Play smarter. Penalties have been a recurring theme of Heupel’s teams thus far at Tennessee. Vols racked up the most flags in the SEC with five double-digit penalty games.
— Cut Nico loose. Iamaleava, while much more inexperienced than Joe Milton, showed glimpses of his decision making and arm talent against Iowa. This offense will be able to be more open this season because of his accuracy, so letting Nico play a brand closer to Hendon Hooker’s rather than Milton’s will be a recipe for winning.
— Sustain success on the ground. Tennessee rushed for at least 160 yards in nine games last season and averaged 5.4 yards per carry, both the most under Heupel. Despite losing Jaylen Wright, Dylan Sampson will take over the primary back role. If they can sustain their success on the ground, the air attack will open up substantially more this season.
— Go 2-2 against OU/UF/Bama/UGA, at worst. Tennessee has an easier SEC slate comparatively (it’s far from easy). Picking up at least two crucial conference wins against these four go a long way for this team’s playoff odds.
RECORD PREDICTION: 10-2 (7-1)
Now let’s look at the SEC’s newcomers: Texas and Oklahoma.
TEXAS LONGHORNS
Preseason AP Rank: 4
Texas is one of two teams (Alabama) in the SEC that made last season’s College Football Playoff, falling in a heartbreaker to Washington, 37-31. Gone is running back Jonathan Brooks and receivers Adonai Mitchell, Xavier Worthy, and Ja’Tavion Sanders. In are Silas Bolden (Oregon State), Isaiah Bond (Alabama), Matthew Golden (Houston), and tight end Amari Niblack (Alabama). A lot will fall on the shoulders of Quinn Ewers who, while talented, was able to hide behind his skill players to mask downfield deficiencies.
The bigger area of concern will be how they replace their two space eaters that anchored Texas’s national-best run defense that carried this team at times in 2023. T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy were top prospects in the NFL Draft, and replacing those two up the middle is an extremely tall task. They’ll be asking Arizona transfers Tiaoalii Savea and Bill Norton to help fill the void there while their deep group of EDGE rushers
BIGGEST GAMES
9/7 @ Michigan
10/12 vs. Oklahoma (Red River at Cotton Bowl)
10/19 vs. Georgia
11/30 @ Texas A&M
RECORD PREDICTION: 10-2 (7-1)
OKLAHOMA SOONERS
Preseason AP Rank: 16
From more of a sure thing in Texas, we move to the Oklahoma Sooners, and it’s sink-or-swim time for Brent Venables in year three. With two years worth of portalling and recruiting classes to get his guys in on that defense, Venables has no excuse to finish 67th in total defense and outside the top 50 in yards per play allowed again, especially in the SEC.
On top of the identity crisis, Oklahoma lost loads of talent on offense. Dillon Gabriel is at Oregon, their entire starting five up front is gone, and while transfer linemen Spencer Brown (Sparty), Geirean Hatchett (UW), Branson Hickman (SMU), Febechi Nwaiwu (UNT), and Michael Tarquin (UF) should help a bit, that was a good unit that anchored an offense that averaged over 40 points per game and 4.5 yards per carry. This is not a team I’m high on, though I am high on Jackson Arnold at quarterback. I anticipate he continues to develop into a top talent at the position, but he almost has to play mistake-free football for this team to survive what their SEC looks like in 2024.
BIGGEST GAMES
9/21 vs. Tennessee (first-ever SEC game)
10/12 vs. Texas (Red River at Cotton Bowl)
10/26 @ Ole Miss
11/9 @ Missouri
11/23 vs. Alabama
11/30 @ LSU
RECORD PREDICTION: 7-5 (3-5)
Now, we look at the two teams who played for the SEC Championship last season, starting with the runners-up.
GEORGIA BULLDOGS
Preseason AP Rank: 1
The standard is the standard is the standard. Georgia wants to take up the mantle as the gold standard of the SEC now that Nick Saban is retired, and Kirby Smart along with Heisman-hopeful Carson Beck are ready to pounce on the opportunity after falling short last season.
The Georgia offense will be cyborg-like. They return four starters on the offensive line, all of whom have NFL potential, while Carson Beck’s 2023 development turned him into a legitimate name for the Heisman. In is Florida running back transfer, Trevor Etienne, who’s had quite the offseason, but if he can leave that turmoil behind him, he’s poised for a huge season behind this line. The lone question mark becomes who catches the ball? Brock Bowers is gone, and he largely masked a receiving unit that was nothing more than okay a season ago. Who steps up outside? That will be the key.
It’s far from a given that Georgia goes undefeated considering their road schedule this season, though if anyone would, it would be this team.
BIGGEST GAMES
8/31 vs. Clemson (in Atlanta)
9/28 @ Alabama
10/19 @ Texas
11/9 @ Ole Miss
11/16 vs. Tennessee
11/30 vs. Georgia Tech (Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate)
RECORD PREDICTION: 11-1 (7-1)
ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE
Preseason AP Rank: 5
Year one for Kalen DeBoer at Alabama will be as tough a test for any new coach that you may ever see. Gone is Nick Saban, who saved the Alabama program and is largely considered to be the greatest college football coach ever, so it’s safe to say the former Washington head coach enters with immense shoes to fill. It’s not like DeBoer isn’t worthy of taking a crack at it, though. College football at its core is filled with overachievers and underachievers at coach. For every Gus Malzhan, there’s a Jimbo Fisher at A&M or Ryan Day. DeBoer absolutely thrives as an overachiever. Through his offense at Washington, DeBoer led the Huskies to the CFP Championship game against all (preseason) odds.
There’s tons of talent still on this team, but the talent lost is significant for many reasons. Caleb Downs, possibly the best defensive player in all of college football, is gone to Ohio State, and this secondary is incredibly thin, especially at corner, where DeBoer will rely on true freshmen for meaningful reps. The offense will be great. I expect Jalen Milroe to take a major leap forward under DeBoer and become one of CFB’s ultimate game breakers in 2024, but just how far can Milroe take this team with a roster that’s a far cry from last season’s with a schedule as grueling as Alabama’s? That is yet to be determined.
BIGGEST GAMES
9/14 @ Wisconsin (‘Bama at Camp Randall? What?)
9/28 vs. Georgia
10/19 @ Tennessee
10/26 vs. Missouri
11/9 @ LSU
11/23 @ Oklahoma
11/30 vs. Auburn (Iron Bowl)
RECORD PREDICTION: 9-3 (5-3)
Now we’ll look at teams who can push Georgia for the SEC, starting with the reigning Cotton Bowl champions...
MISSOURI TIGERS
Preseason AP Rank: 11
Missouri is coming off a breakout season under Eli Drinkwitz, and there’s no reason not to expect anything less than what they did in 2023 this season which means a real shot at the College Football Playoff. The Tigers return Brady Cook, add guard Cayden Green and tackle Marcus Bryant to an offensive line already returning three starters, and most importantly of all, Luther Burden III is back. Burden is the best receiver in America, there’s no two ways around it, and this offense revolves around him. Add in transfer running backs Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll, and there’s no reason this offense shouldn’t see similar success this season.
Defensively, this is still a very solid unit. Johnny Walker is back after a very good 2023 where he tallied five sacks, 9.5 tackles for loss, and forced three fumbles, and he’ll lead a revamped front seven loaded with transfers. The secondary concerns me, mainly because they have a Kris Abrams-Draine-sized hole to fill at corner. Abrams-Draine was a second-team All-American and fifth round pick to the Broncos, and teammate Ennis Rakestraw went in the second round to Detroit. Missouri hit the portal to replace these two, and they’ll have to rely on Toriano Pride Jr, a Clemson transfer, and Dreyden Noorwood, who filled in Rakestraw’s starting spot when Rakestraw dealt with injuries.
Schedule-wise, Missouri draws a favorable SEC slate. They’ll get a near guaranteed 4-0 start with Murray State, Buffalo, Boston College, and Vanderbilt, and they’re slated to face just two ranked teams on the road thus far.
BIGGEST GAMES
10/5 @ Texas A&M
10/19 vs. Auburn
10/26 @ Alabama
11/9 vs. Oklahoma
11/30 vs. Arkansas (Battle Line Rivalry)
RECORD PREDICTION: 9-3 (5-3)
OLE MISS REBELS
Preseason AP Rank: 6
Ole Miss was stuck. Sitting in the trenches of the upper tier of the SEC that could never get over the hump, they and Penn State found themselves as mirror images of each other. Then Ole Miss beat Penn State in the Peach Bowl, and the switch flipped for Lane Kiffin. Coming off a record-setting 11-win season, Kiffin and Ole Miss hit the portal in a way we’ve never seen a program do. In are legit NFL prospects in EDGE rusher Princely Umanmielen, defensive lineman and former #1 overall recruit Walter Nolen who is coming off a very good sophom*ore campaign at A&M, and wideout Juice Wells who, when paired with Tre Harris, likely forms a top five duo in the country.
However, outgoing is all-world running back Quinshon Judkins who had a down season for his expectations in 2023 and still amassed 1100 yards with 17 total touchdowns. It will be interesting to see how Ulysses Bentley IV and Miami transfer Henry Parrish fill into that running back role because the loss of Judkins puts a lot more pressure on quarterback Jaxson Dart. Dart has proven to be a solid QB who runs Kiffin’s offense efficiently but doesn’t have that next gear yet in big games. Again, the Penn State comparisons draw close to the vest here as he is very reminiscent of Sean Clifford. Can Dart step up in those kinds of games with a conference schedule that looks incredibly favorable on paper for Ole Miss? That will hinge on this team being a playoff team, and it’s to be determined.
BIGGEST GAMES
10/12 @ LSU
10/26 vs. Oklahoma
11/9 vs. Georgia
11/30 vs. Mississippi State (Egg Bowl)
RECORD PREDICTION: 10-2 (6-2)
LSU TIGERS
Preseason AP Rank: 13
Year three for Brian Kelly is a proving ground. Heisman trophy winner Jayden Daniels is off to the NFL, and LSU’s defense has been Swiss cheese under Kelly, likely costing last year’s team a better shot at the SEC. Out is Matt House as defensive coordinator, in is Blake Baker from Missouri. After serving as DC and safeties coach at Mizzou, Baker makes his way to Baton Rouge to try and unscrew this cork of a defense that allowed 130+ yards on the ground in nine games a season ago and over 2,000 yards on the season as a whole.
Offensively, this is Garrett Nussmeier’s team at long last, and in front of him might just be the best offensive line in the nation. Left tackle Will Campbell is a likely first rounder, and Emery Jones will likely be a top 50 pick on the right side. Guards Garrett Dellinger and Miles Frazier are both extremely talented interior linemen, and redshirt freshman DJ Chester will start at center.
Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock is back at Notre Dame, so in is Joe Sloan, who will just slot up from quarterbacks coach to OC. Expect LSU to run the ball more traditionally this season. Daniels led the team in attempts, yards, and touchdowns last season, but Nussmeier isn’t that kind of quarterback. Someone among Josh Williams, Kaleb Jackson, and John Emery Jr. will have to step up, but behind that line, it could be a lot worse.
Replacing Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. is no small feat either. Yeah, this offense is going through some changes. Kyren Lacy and Chris Hilton Jr are returning to step up at wideout while Liberty transfer CJ Daniels comes in after a prolific year for the Flames.
BIGGEST GAMES
9/1 vs. USC (Las Vegas)
10/12 vs. Ole Miss
10/26 @ Texas A&M
11/9 vs. Alabama
11/16 @ Florida
11/30 vs. Oklahoma
RECORD PREDICTION: 10-2 (6-2)
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Preseason AP Rank: 13
The Jimbo Fisher era is no more. Mike Elko came over from Duke to head the charge in turning college football’s biggest underachiever over the past handful of years into a consistent staple of the new SEC. Elko is a branch off the Jimbo tree and subsequently a limb off of the Nick Saban tree, and all he did at Duke was win 16 games in two seasons and bring stability and success to a program that had just 10 wins the three seasons before he got there.
It’s hard to believe a program like this has struggled the way it has post-Manziel, but resources ≠ success, and a big reason for that has been coaching. Jimbo, despite succeeding on the recruiting trail better than anyone not named Saban, was in over his head on the field. The game passed him by. Now Elko brings almost a non-factor personality to the table for a program with those same funds and boosters, and Elko is a culture builder.
But what does that amount to in year one?
Let’s look at the offense. Conner Weigman is an incredibly talented young quarterback, capable of making all the throws you could ask for. While Ainias Smith and most notably Evan Stewart, who transferred to Oregon, are gone, he will still have a solid cast to throw to as Moose Muhammad, Noah Thomas, and Jahdae Walker are a very formidable trio. The line was bolstered in the portal as Elko and co. retained Chase Bisontis while adding Kolinu’u Faaiu (Utah) to man center and Ar’maj Reed-Adams (Kansas) to play guard.
Remnants of Jimbo’s recruiting classes still remain. The aforementioned Weigman, running back Le’Veon Moss will lead the offense, but defensive lineman Shemar Turner will be the big time leader on this defense. The majority of the secondary is built on transfers as senior cornerback BJ Mayes is in from UAB, junior corner Will Lee III is in from Kansas State, and safety Trey Jones III is in from Central Michigan, and the linebacking corps is largely led by underclassmen.
A&M has just four currently ranked games on their schedule, and all of them are at home. They open with Notre Dame but won’t face another ranked opponent until October 5 against Missouri. With Texas and Oklahoma now in the SEC and the conference going division-free, A&M now avoids Alabama, and the Lone Star Showdown will return.
BIGGEST GAMES
8/31 vs. Notre Dame
9/14 @ Florida
10/5 vs. Missouri
10/26 vs. LSU
11/30 vs. Texas
RECORD PREDICTION: 9-3 (6-2)
The middle of the pack in the SEC is riddled with teams fighting to get over the hump.
KENTUCKY WILDCATS
Brock Vandagriff takes the helm at quarterback for Mark Stoops in Lexington for a team that...whelmed last season. Kentucky simply has to beat the good teams in the SEC to ever hope of getting out of Mayo Bowl purgatory.
Old friend Gerald Mincey will add to a solid offensive line, and Dane Key will look to really break out this season alongside Barion Brown, who might just be the fastest man in college football.
Defensively, Deone Walker stars on this defense built on some damn good cooking. Between the 350-pound Walker, the 320-pound Josiah Hayes, and 322-pound Keeshawn Silver, the defensive front will hold down the fort against the run more than serviceably. Behind Walker and co. is a solid linebacking corps led by JJ Weaver and Georgia transfer Jamon Dumas-Johnson. This is a very good unit who will make things fun in the SEC this season.
Fortunately, for Kentucky, they draw a favorable SEC schedule, drawing just four ranked opponents. Three of them are on the road, and the one at home is Georgia.
BIGGEST GAMES
9/14 vs. Georgia
9/28 @ Ole Miss
11/2 @ Tennessee
11/23 @ Texas
11/30 vs. Louisville
RECORD PREDICTION: 8-4 (4-4)
AUBURN TIGERS
Auburn under Hugh Freeze largely feels like a program stranded in the ocean. Will they drown or will they find an island reserve to save them? Big things were expected from Freeze due to prior success, but year one showed it might be more of an uphill climb than most thought to revive what Bryan Harsin did to this program. Payton Thorne is somehow still quarterbacking this team despite two mediocre seasons in a row at two different schools. Even with a whole new receiving corps and Jarquez Hunter still at running back, the hope is that the results change, but a leopard doesn’t change his spots, so we’ll see. Wideout Cam Coleman was Freeze’s first superstar recruit, and he will be a focal point for Thorne in this offense.
DJ Durkin takes over as defensive coordinator for Auburn, and with him come many new faces to this defense. Isaiah Raikes is a 320-pound senior transfer from Texas A&M, and he, Texas transfer Trill Carter, and Indiana senior transfer Philip Blidi will man the middle up front. The linebacker group will be young, but it’ll be far more talented than in years past.
BIGGEST GAMES
9/7 vs. Cal
9/28 vs. Oklahoma
10/5 @ Georgia
10/19 @ Missouri
11/23 vs. Texas A&M
11/30 @ Alabama
RECORD PREDICTION: 7-5 (4-4)
Up next, we’ll take a look at teams with coaches on the hot seat, and there are a few.
ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS
This just might be the swan song for Sam Pittman. This roster is nowhere close to what it was with KJ Jefferson (UCF) and Rocket Sanders (South Carolina), but it’s impossible to be run worse. Dan Enos’ offense was the total opposite of what should have been run, opting for a more pro-style, conservative approach to an offense ready to rev like a Ferrari.
In is Bobby Petrino. Yep, that Bobby Petrino. Taylen Green transfers in from Boise State to run the offense and Ja’Quinden Jackson is in at running back, and boom, you automatically have a more versatile offense, at the very least, though throwing the ball should be interesting. The offensive line was fully revamped by the portal as the Hogs brought in Fernando Carmona (SJSU), Keyshawn Blackstock (Sparty), and Addison Nichols (Tennessee).
Defensively, the outlook is more of the same: unknown. Landon Jackson is a dude, and this run defense led inside by Cameron Ball and Eric Gregory will anchor any kind of stops they hope to get, but outside of that D-Line, it’s a whole lotta question marks. Linebacker Jaheim Thomas was the leader for this defense, but he’s off to Wisconsin. With the secondary, is depth of mediocrity any depth at all? We’re sure to find out.
BIGGEST GAMES
9/7 @ Oklahoma State
9/28 vs. Texas A&M (Jerryworld)
10/5 vs. Tennessee
10/19 vs. LSU
11/2 vs. Ole Miss
11/16 vs. Texas
11/30 @ Missouri
RECORD PREDICTION: 3-9 (1-7)
FLORIDA GATORS
Billy Napier has been a resounding wet fart at Florida thus far, and he’s now fighting for his job. Gifted with NFL talent over his first two seasons, he’s yet to post a winning record, and the Gators missed their first bowl game since 2017 this past season.
The offensive line has continually been a letdown, and now Trevor Etienne fled off to Georgia, so between the line and new faces at running back, senior quarterback Graham Mertz will have his hands full running this offense. Transfers revamp this receiving corps as Arizona State transfer Elijhah Badger and Wisconsin transfer Chimere Dike will eat up a good portion of targets outside of Eugene Wilson.
The defense...this defense...it was remarkably bad last season, especially later in the campaign where opponents averaged just shy of 530 total yards of offense across Florida’s final five SEC games. Injuries plagued this unit a season ago, notably Shemar James, the team’s leading tackler prior to injury. The secondary got carved up, but they’ll have an array of players to rotate, which should improve a bad pass defense, but not enough to make this unit formidable.
BIGGEST GAMES
8/31 vs. Miami (FL)
9/14 vs. Texas A&M
10/12 @ Tennessee
11/2 vs. Georgia (WLCP in Jacksonville)
11/9 @ Texas
11/16 vs. LSU
11/23 vs. Ole Miss
11/30 @ Florida State
RECORD PREDICTION: 5-7 (2-6)
SOUTH CAROLINA GAMEco*ckS
The end of the 2022 season saw huge wins bookmark Shane Beamer’s time with South Carolina, but 2023 was a far cry from that. Following that unexpected dominant win over Tennessee in 2022, the Gameco*cks got blown out of Neyland Stadium in 2023 which kickstarted the downward spiral that saw Beamer’s squad finish with a 3-5 record in league play.
Out is Spencer Rattler and in is...LaNorris Sellers? Robby Ashford will push Sellers for that spot, but it appears to be Sellers to start the season. In is Raheim “Rocket” Sanders from Arkansas, who is a stick of dynamite waiting to blow. It’ll all be for naught, however, if this offensive line can’t improve. Rattler created issues on his own, but this line got him crushed a season ago after dealing with a slew of injuries. They have to be better and stay healthy this season for this team to be competitive, but that’s a big question mark. Not to mention, this team draws six of the nine ranked SEC teams, and the three they get at home are LSU, Ole Miss, and Missouri. Good luck!
RECORD PREDICTION: 4-8 (1-7)
VANDERBILT COMMODORES
Give Clark Lea credit. He overhauled he coaching staff after yet another abysmal season in Nashville. It will be an uphill climb to get bowl eligible, but Lea brought in Tim Beck from New Mexico State to head up his offense, which makes this offense option-heavy. In are a pair of transfers to operate this offense. Firstly is former Utah quarterback Nate Johnson, and secondly and likely the starter was Beck’s quarterback a season ago at NMSU, Diego Pavia.
A major issue for this offense, however, will be at receiver. Lea and Beck lost nearly every meaningful wideout to the portal, so it’s going to be crucial for seniors Quincy Skinner Jr. and transfer Loic Fouonji to be reliable for Pavia early on.
Defensively, it’s all on Lea this year. He is manning the defense in hopes to see some semblance of a pass rush.
All in all, a tough SEC got tougher, and it will not be pretty for Vandy.
RECORD PREDICTION: 3-9 (0-8)
MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS
Jeff Lebby is a controversial figure in college football who happens to run a damn good offense. He takes over as head coach at State for a program in dire need of a turnaround. Lebby will use Baylor transfer Blake Shapen to lead the way on offense in year one, but it’s going to be a rough one for Shapen as the Bulldogs lost every single starter from their offensive line. Lebby’s offenses historically want to get the ball down the field in chunks, but if Shapen doesn’t have the time, the offense may struggle mightily to find its footing.
The defense is fully rebuilt through the portal. The defensive line brings in Sulaiman Kpaka from Purdue and Kedrick Bingley-Jones from North Carolina. South Carolina transfer Stone Blanton leads the linebackers.
Rebuilding a program in the thick of this SEC feels impossible. Good luck to Lebby.
