The SEC will welcome several elite offensive linemen in the 2016 recruiting class. Three of the top six offensive tackles will walk onto SEC campuses ahead of next season.

Texas A&M’s absence on this list for a second consecutive season is somewhat notable. The Aggies once held a commitment from the nation’s No. 1 player at the position, Gregory Little, who once was a high school teammate of since-transferred quarterback Kyler Murray.

The school did land Kellen Diesch, however. The four-star player from Trophy Club, Texas, would’ve been No. 6 on this list and will have every opportunity to become an important member of the offensive line. At 6-foot-7 and 270 pounds, he’s got a rare blend of height and quickness.

Here are the SEC’s top incoming offensive tackles:

Editor’s note: Saturday Down South’s references to ratings follow the 247Sports.com composite rankings.

1. Gregory Little, Ole Miss (Allen, Texas)
The Skinny: In a class that included five-star quarterback Shea Patterson and five-star defensive tackle Benito Jones, Little could’ve been the biggest get of them all. (Fine, pun intended.) Ole Miss needs a new starting left tackle, as Laremy Tunsil is headed to the NFL draft. In 2014, five-star Cam Robinson started at left tackle as a true freshman for Alabama. In 2015, five-star Martez Ivey became a starting guard as a true freshman for Florida, but he dealt with an injury early in the season and is likely to be installed at left tackle this season. In other words, there’s no guarantee that Little will be the starter at that position in September, but he’ll have every opportunity to do so. And by 2017, he’s more than capable of playing at an All-SEC level.

2. Jonah Williams, Alabama (Folsom, Calif.)
The Skinny: Nick Saban said of Williams: He was “one of the most athletic guys we saw out there in recruiting.” The No. 2 prep offensive tackle in the 2016 class, a composite five-star player, Williams may spend this year adjusting to the college game. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 296 pounds, he’s physically ready to play in the SEC. But Robinson remains entrenched at left tackle and the nation’s No. 2 JUCO player, Charles Baldwin, is the early favorite to start at right tackle. There are backups with more time in the system as well. But in 2017 and beyond, the Tide hopes Williams is ready to play a major role.

3. Landon Young, Kentucky (Lexington, Ky.)
The Skinny: Offensive line has been perhaps the biggest weakness on the UK offense in the Mark Stoops era. The receivers have got to start holding onto footballs that hit them in the hands. But you can recruit a roster full of fast, exciting skill players and it won’t matter in the SEC if you can’t protect the quarterback and open some holes for your ball-carriers. To that end, Young is one of the most important pieces that Stoops has signed in his Wildcats tenure. He’ll be expected to play immediately and will be considered an instant upgrade. That’s a lot of pressure for a freshman in his home town. But at 6-foot-7 and 270 pounds, he’s got big shoulders.

4. Charles Baldwin, Alabama (Windsor, Conn./ASA College)
The Skinny: The Crimson Tide can (virtually) pick whomever it wants from the prep ranks every single year. So if Alabama signs a JUCO player, knowing that player will be in Tuscaloosa for perhaps two years, it’s because Bama expects him to play. As in, immediately. Baldwin, the highest-rated JUCO offensive lineman in this class, is ticketed to be the starting right tackle in 2016. He still hasn’t gone through his first practice in Tuscaloosa and there are other capable players, so there are no guarantees. Then again, the transition won’t be quite as significant for the 6-foot-5, 315-pound Baldwin, who should step in for departed right tackle Dominick Jackson.

5. Ben Cleveland, Georgia (Toccoa, Ga.)
The Skinny: Who was the first recruit to get an in-home visit from Kirby Smart after Georgia hired him? Not five-star quarterback Jacob Eason. The answer, of course, is Ben Cleveland, a 6-foot-6, 319-pound offensive lineman from Toccoa, Ga. Those two players, who could have a symbiotic relationship on the field in Athens, already know each other very well, and both enrolled at UGA in January. Cleveland already has stated publicly that he wants to start in 2016, though not in an adversarial way. Isaiah Wynn, who moved to left tackle during the season, returns as a junior, but John Theus and Kolton Houston both are departing. Sam Pittman, brought in from Arkansas to coach the offensive line, may just let Cleveland compete for a starting spot. The biggest question with Cleveland is what position he’ll play. Many expect him to kick inside and play guard at Georgia, and the Bulldogs probably are in the market for another few offensive tackles in the 2017 class.