Biggest Questions for each SEC Football Team Heading into the Summer
The SEC has a massive chance to take up at least half of the spots in the newly expanded college football playoffs. When looking at the SEC rosters, it's hard to pick which team will win the conference as this may be the deepest the SEC has ever been. While these teams are all loaded with talent, each team has one massive question heading into the season.
Alabama Crimson Tide
What does this new secondary look like?
It's fair to say that in 2023 Alabama had one of if not the best secondaries in the country holding down their defense. The Tide lost three starting defensive backs to the NFL in Terrion Arnold, Kool-Aid McKinstry, and Jaylen Key. The Tide also lost standout freshman Caleb Downs to Ohio State dealing a blow to the defense. The issue for the Tide seemed that all the replacements entered the transfer portal in Antonio Kite, Dezz Ricks, Trey Amos, Kristian Story, and Earl Little II.
The Tide have brought in an incredibly talented group to fill the void but we haven't seen them play together yet. The Tide brought in potential starters in Domani Jackson, Keon Sabb, King Mack, DaShawn Jones, and Kameron Howard via the transfer portal. Incoming freshmen Zavier Mincey, Zabien Brown, Jaylen Mbakwe, and Red Morgan will look to compete for starting roles at well. The Tide will need some of the newcomers to step up alongside returning safety Malachi Moore if the Tide are going to slow the explosive offenses in the conference.
Arkansas Razorbacks
Can Sam Pittman save his job?
After an incredible 2021 season where Pittman overachieved going 9-4, everything has gone completely downhill. The 2022 season saw Arkansas go 7-6 before going 4-8 in 2023 with a 4-12 record in the conference over this span. The Razorbacks lost starting quarterback KJ Jefferson to UCF replacing him with Boise State quarterback Taylen Green.
The Razorbacks have a brutal schedule early on facing Oklahoma State before a four-game SEC gauntlet of Auburn, Texas A&M, Tennessee, and LSU. Looking at Arkansas' schedule it's hard to find an SEC game that they'd be favored in and even harder to imagine they finish .500. If the Razorbacks lose their first four SEC games is Sam Pittman fired? Bobby Petrino is back in town and if the offense is performing well and the team is losing games we may see Bobby Petrino back at the helm.
Auburn Tigers
Can the true freshmen contribute enough this early?
When Hugh Freeze took over the Auburn Tigers, he wasn't exactly left with the most talent to work with. Year one was a disappointment as Auburn missed out on a bowl game but, there was plenty to be excited about as they took Alabama and Georgia to the wire with far less talent. The Auburn Tigers' first step towards rebuilding this roster is its incoming freshman class which was ranked eighth in the country.
Five-star receiver Cam Coleman will need to be a massive contributor to this offense and will likely be leaned on as this team's top receiver. The other five-star in Auburn's signing class Amaris Williams will be asked to contribute as an edge rusher from day one either as a starter or as a rotational piece. Perry Thompson, Bryce Cain, Jamonta Waller, and Demarcus Riddick all may play sizeable snaps in year one. When relying heavily on true freshmen, you can experience really high highs and really low lows making Auburn extremely volatile in 2024.