The SEC will welcome several elite interior offensive linemen in the 2016 class.

Six of the nation’s 23 best offensive guards in the 2016 class are headed to the SEC West. To no one’s surprise, Alabama, LSU and Arkansas are all represented within that group.

The SEC also signed five of the top eight prep centers in the 2016 class, though just one (Drake Jackson) rated high enough to make this combined top 5 (guards and centers).

Four of those centers went to SEC East schools — Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Florida and Missouri. The Wildcats also signed the third-best offensive tackle in the 2016 class, among SEC schools. So UK is looking at a major upgrade.

There weren’t any big-time interior linemen at the JUCO level in this class.

Here are the SEC’s top incoming interior offensive linemen:

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

1. Donavaughn Campbell, LSU (Ponchatoula, La.)
The Skinny: At nearly 350 pounds, Campbell is enormous. He’s also from the state of Louisiana, so it’s no surprise that he signed with the Tigers. Georgia Tech pushed hard for him, but it wasn’t enough. It’s unlikely that Campbell will ever do much blocking for Leonard Fournette, though. Starting guards Maea Teuhema and Will Clapp return in 2016, and both were solid as freshman last season. So Campbell has work to do if he’s going to see the LSU starting lineup.

2. Drake Jackson, Kentucky (Versailles, Ky.)
The Skinny: One of the most important members of UK’s 2016 class, Jackson never played center in a high school game, save for one snap after his teammate’s helmet came off. Still, his first true trial — at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl — went well. And he’ll be able to sit behind three-year starter Jon Toth this year before likely taking over the position in 2017.

3. Deonte Brown, Alabama (Decatur, Ala.)
The Skinny: The Tide is loaded at guard — surprise, surprise — so Brown is likely to redshirt in 2016. Beyond that, he’ll face tough competition if he wants to win a starting job. Starting left guard Ross Pierschbacher and starting right guard Alphonse Taylor return in 2016. It’s Taylor’s last season, but Pierschbacher is a true sophomore. Behind them are another pair of four-star guards Alabama signed in 2015, Dallas Warmack and Richie Petitbon. Oh, and there’s redshirt junior Bradley Bozeman, also a potential starter. Brown mostly played offensive tackle in high school, but at 6-foot-3 and 350 pounds, with enough athleticism to block at the second level, the Tide envisions him as a terrific run-blocking guard at some point.

4. Chris Owens, Alabama (Arlington, Texas)
The Skinny: Like Brown, Owens is shifting from offensive tackle to guard. Likely to redshirt in 2016, he got a rude awakening as an early enrollee in January, going from a high school student to working out with the eventual national champions days before the Tide faced Clemson. Owens is smaller than Brown at “just” 315 pounds, but the coaches already have told him to shed some weight. It’s too early to tell how Owens will develop, but he’ll have a chance to make a real impact in a few years, perhaps in 2018.

5. Jake Heinrich, Arkansas (Urbandale, Iowa)
The Skinny: A renowned gym rat, Heinrich took an official visit to Oregon and had strong interest from several top schools. But he and his family really felt comfortable with coach Bret Bielema. New offensive line coach Kurt Anderson has spoken highly of Heinrich. But with Frank Ragnow and a trio of redshirt freshman at guard, he’s a good candidate to redshirt. Perhaps Arkansas wants to experiment with the 6-foot-4, 285-pound Heinrich at center in 2016, but sophomore Zach Rogers seems like the long-term answer there.