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SEC offenses were down, and SEC defenses were up in 2024. That’s hard to argue. Even the 2025 NFL Draft, which saw the SEC tie its 2017 record for most defensive players selected in Round 1 (9), reflected that.
But that was then, and this is now.
Now, it’s 2025. There are still plenty of top-end defensive players in the SEC because, duh, it’s the SEC. There are also still plenty of top-end units, especially with how little defensive coordinator turnover there was. It shouldn’t feel like a transition year for SEC defenses.
Cracking the top 5 SEC defenses is no small feat. Last year, the No. 5 scoring defense in the SEC ranked 12th in America. It was South Carolina … who had 5 defensive players selected. That didn’t include Dylan Stewart, who could be selected higher than any of those guys.
The point is, projecting an SEC defense to be a top-5 unit in the conference is basically saying that it has potential to be a top-10 unit in the sport. That’s nothing to scoff at.
So, here’s a post-spring ranking of my top 5 SEC defenses for 2025:
5. Oklahoma
If you’re of the belief that OU is about to dip defensively in a post-Danny Stutsman/Billy Bowman world, you haven’t been paying attention to what Brent Venables has been building on that side of the ball. A year after that group carried OU to bowl eligibility — it finished in the top 30 in both scoring defense and yards/play allowed, even though the offense was historically dreadful — there are All-SEC candidates galore. Between the Bowen brothers (the other Peyton and Eli), R Mason Thomas, Kip Lewis, Damonic Williams and the transfer addition of Marvin Jones Jr. from Florida State, OU has studs at every level on defense.
This would’ve been a top 10-15 unit last year had it gotten any help whatsoever from the offense. I mean, OU held South Carolina to 254 yards of offense, and yet it was cooked after 3 consecutive turnovers to start the game. That’s why this unit could be set up for success if the new-look OU offense avoids being the doormat that it was last year. OU was No. 95 in FBS in time of possession, even though it had a defense that was solid on 3rd down. That’s telling.
Call me crazy, but I can’t help but think that the Sooners will get more of a breather on defense, and it won’t be tasked with doing all of the heavy lifting.
4. Auburn
People don’t realize that Auburn was top 30 in FBS in:
- Rushing yards/carry allowed (No. 9)
- Yards/play allowed (No. 18)
- Scoring defense (No. 27)
- Rushing yards/game allowed (No. 27)
That unit was solid. So why then did it not get discussed nationally? Well, besides the fact that Auburn was 5-7, it got wiped out by a bottom-15 turnover margin in FBS. Splash plays were hard to come by, and with all of Auburn’s late-game struggles, it proved to be a rough combination for a defense that took a nice step forward in Year 1 with DJ Durkin.
This year, however, Auburn’s defense should be in better spots in Year 2 in the scheme. Keldric Faulk is a game-wrecker at defensive end, and a young secondary that took its lumps at times last year should benefit from those reps. This unit will be determined by how Kayin Lee, Jay Crawford and Kaleb Harris progress in Durkin’s secondary. There were enough flashes to suggest that group can be a strength, especially if Faulk and Kayron Crawford provide that much-needed pass rush.
The splash plays are coming. Dare I say, that turnover margin won’t be quite the Achilles’ heel it was in 2024.
3. Alabama
I realize that I’ve opened each of these rankings by talking about how underrated defenses 3-5 were last year, so apologies for repeating myself. But Alabama had a top-10 defense in FBS in both scoring (No. 10) and yards/play allowed (No. 9). That didn’t erase the Vanderbilt performance, but it was a much-improved unit in the latter half of the season, despite the disappointing end to Year 1 of the Kalen DeBoer era.
That Alabama defense returns a ton of talent. With LT Overton and Tim Keenan III up front, Alabama will have one of the top defensive lines in America. Captain Deontae Lawson should be an All-SEC linebacker if he stays healthy, and that secondary might be good enough to trick you into thinking it’s a Nick Saban unit. There’s a lot to like just from the pieces that Alabama returns from last year’s roster, and the portal additions of linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green (Colorado) and corner Cameron Calhoun (Utah) should only help that unit take another step.
Speaking of that elephant in the room (pun intended), Alabama posted its best scoring defense since it had the No. 1 unit in the sport in 2017. The Tide could stand to improve a bit against the run — something that could come down to Lawson making a full return from his November ACL tear — but in Year 2 of the Kane Wommack scheme, the defense has a surprising amount of proven guys at every level.
2. Georgia
Here’s the thing. In the Kirby Smart era, here were UGA’s scoring defense finishes in the SEC:
- 2016 — No. 5
- 2017 — No. 2
- 2018 — No. 4
- 2019 — No. 1
- 2020 — No. 2
- 2021 — No. 1
- 2022 — No. 1
- 2023 — No. 1
- 2024 — No. 7
Yes, UGA is on the heels of its worst scoring defense in the SEC during the Smart era. Maybe that was inevitable after the Dawgs lost 17 defensive players to the NFL Draft from 2022-24. Even UGA has a limit to its powers. Of course, we’re saying that after it won the SEC and did so with a defense that finished No. 26 in FBS in scoring and No. 30 in yards/play allowed.
That’s a nice way of saying, yeah, the defensive floor of a Smart defense is still ridiculously high. I have to think that CJ Allen and Christen Miller will lead a better run defense than the group that atypically struggled in odd spots last year (I still can’t get over the UMass performance). KJ Bolden and Daylen Everette should prevent that secondary from regressing in a post-Malaki Starks world, too. Let’s not assume that Gunner Stockton will be an upgrade from whatever Carson Beck was last year, but countless times, that defense was put in a tough spot because of a Beck turnover. Improving with ball security feels inevitable, which would inevitably help that defense instead of giving it such a small margin for error.
So yes, I’m trusting the development of Smart, the play-calling of Glenn Schumann and the defensive line coaching of Tray Scott to prevail. For the 7th time in 10 seasons under Smart, UGA will have 1 of the 2 best defenses in the SEC.
1. Texas
I’m already on record with this, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise. Not only do I think Texas will have the best defense in the SEC; I think it’s the best returning unit in all of college football. That’s right. Best returning unit. Period.
Elaborate? Sure. Anthony Hill Jr. is the best returning linebacker in America having been a play-making monster in the middle of Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense the last 2 years. Fellow All-American Michael Taaffe decided to run it back for 1 more season of leading a Texas secondary that still has a legitimate first-round prospect in Malik Muhammad and returning starter Jalon Guilbeau with the emerging Kobe Black to help in a post-Jahdae Barron world.
But the true strength of this Texas defense — even after it had 5 players selected in the NFL Draft — is up front. Colin Simmons looked more like a 6-star recruit than a 5-star recruit as an edge-rushing menace during his true freshman season, former UTSA transfer Trey Moore was nearly unstoppable in the latter half of the season and Ethan Burke provided a ton of value on that defensive line rotation (he was the Texas A&M game hero). Texas once again has questions to answer on the interior of that defensive line, but Purdue transfer Cole Brevard should be experienced enough to fill that need, especially with so many game-wreckers around him up front.
A unit that returns that much talent after finishing in the top 3 in FBS in scoring defense and yards/play allowed should be illegal. Instead, it could pave the way for a national title.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Down South. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.
