O’Gara: 3 overrated SEC players and 3 underrated players in EA Sports’ top 100
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I try not to get triggered by video game ratings.
I’m the guy who rolls my eyes at the “Madden” ratings police, who come out in full force every summer. They complain about a guy’s speed or say that a quarterback needs better accuracy. Getting upset at a video game representation shouldn’t be worth getting so upset about.
Yet here I am. Triggered.
To be clear, it’s awesome that EA Sports College Football ’25 is coming out on Friday, July 18. That’s a huge when for the sport after a decade-plus away. But with Wednesday’s release of the top 100 players in the game, yeah, I had some thoughts.
Here are the SEC players who made the cut:
- 99. Oscar Delp, Georgia
- 98. Mason Taylor, LSU
- 94. Billy Bowman, Oklahoma
- 92. Emery Jones Jr., LSU
- 88. Nic Scourton, Texas A&M
- 81. Tre Harris, Ole Miss
- 76. Deontae Lawson, Alabama
- 73. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
- 71. Jalen Milroe, Alabama
- 61. Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky
- 60. Jaeden Roberts, Alabama
- 58. Landon Jackson, Arkansas
- 52. Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma
- 48. Dylan Fairchild, Georgia
- 43. Tyler Booker, Alabama
- 35. Malachi Moore, Alabama
- 32. Parker Brailsford, Alabama
- 31. Harold Perkins Jr., LSU
- 27. Quinn Ewers, Texas
- 26. Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
- 21. Deone Walker, Kentucky
- 20. Mykel Williams, Georgia
- 18. Carson Beck, Georgia
- 13. Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas
- 11. Luther Burden III, Mizzou
- 10. Tate Ratledge, Georgia
- 7. Malaki Starks, Georgia
- 4. James Pearce Jr, Tennessee
- 2. Will Campbell, LSU
These are the SEC players I thought were the most overrated and the most underrated:
Overrated
No. 26 Walter Nolen (Ole Miss)
Nolen is unbelievably talented, which is why he’s worthy of cracking the top 100. The Texas A&M transfer could have a major say in whether Ole Miss makes the 12-team Playoff and bridges the gap between itself and Georgia. But how much of the Nolen ranking is based on half of a season and a recruiting ranking? The former No. 2 overall recruit was excellent before he got hurt against Tennessee, and then he wasn’t the same player. Nolen is a disrupter on the inside, but I’m surprised that he was rated as the No. 2 defensive tackle in the game after essentially half a season of living up to the hype.
No. 35 Malachi Moore (Alabama)
It’s great that Moore opted to stay in Tuscaloosa and work with this new coaching staff. Alabama is much better with guys like Moore and fellow top-100 guy Deontae Lawson returning to that post-Nick Saban defense. Having said that, he’s someone who has never really become a star the way it felt like he would after his impressive true freshman season back in 2020. Well, he played the “STAR” position. Now he’s playing more of a traditional safety role in this new-look defense. He wasn’t a lockdown corner like Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry, nor could he get downhill like 2022 defensive star Brian Branch, though they gave Moore a 94 “acceleration” rating. Moore is a fine player, but I’ll agree to disagree that he’s worthy of a 92 rating at No. 35 overall.
No. 10 Tate Ratledge (Georgia)
Again, it’s not that Ratledge should be ranked outside of the top 100 or anything like that. He’s one of the best returning offensive linemen in the sport. It just seems like making him a top-10 player and the No. 2 offensive lineman behind Will Campbell is a bit too lofty for a right guard entering Year 5. He’s excellent in pass protection, which is partially why Stetson Bennett IV and Carson Beck have had games in which they haven’t been touched. But is he that much of a force in the run game? I think that’s at least debatable. That’s why I thought he should’ve been closer to the Tyler Booker territory down by No. 43.
Underrated
No. 71 Jalen Milroe (Alabama)
Hey. I get it. Milroe isn’t the most polished passer. He had a rough start to 2023 and because of the showing against Michigan, he didn’t finish on the best note. I hear that. But come on. The guy finished higher in the Heisman Trophy voting than any returning player in college football. He also played a massive role in ending the longest win streak in SEC history. Go ask Kirby Smart about stopping Milroe. It ain’t easy. The fact that Milroe’s strength was only a 75 (Shedeur Sanders is a 72) is wild for someone who power-cleaned 405 pounds. Milroe won’t use that as motivation, but he told me a few weeks ago that he just wanted to be someone who could actually throw the football to open receivers. Note that was before he knew there were 70 players in the game who were ranked better than him.
Jalen Milroe explains what he hopes his rating is for the new college football video game #Alabamafootball #JalenMilroe #secfootball pic.twitter.com/YgMw916XIN
— Saturday Down South (@SatDownSouth) June 29, 2024
No. 88 Nic Scourton (Texas A&M)
I know that they technically play different positions on the defensive line, but remember how I said that Nolen was overrated in his ranking? Go watch how many times Nolen gets off a block and then watch how many times Scourton gets off a block. Scourton will be the better player, which isn’t that bold when you realize that he’s been the better player. But of course, Scourton is the transfer who will have to “prove it” against SEC competition before he gets more national love. For me, leading the Big Ten in sacks as a 19-year-old is a pretty promising sign. There’s a chance that he’ll have the biggest impact of any non-transfer quarterback in the sport, and that No. 88 ranking will age poorly.
No. 81 Tre Harris (Ole Miss)
I’m probably in the minority here, but I think Harris is one of the 5 best returning receivers in the sport and I’d rather have him closer to 40-50. Why? In an offense that had a ton of mouths to feed, the Louisiana Tech transfer often felt like the best player on the field. Think about this — he only played 46 total snaps in the first 4 weeks because of injuries. He still nearly had a 1,000-yard season while averaging 18 yards a catch. And they weren’t just schemed looks. Harris had PFF’s highest grade against press coverage against any receiver in America. That grab he made against A&M wasn’t just one of the best catches of the year. It was one of the best catches I’ve ever seen.
Holy Tre Harris pic.twitter.com/b48SjbP9iP
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) November 4, 2023
I think Luther Burden III is the best returning player in the SEC, but do I believe there’s much of a gap between the two? Nope. Harris won’t be considered a fringe top-100 guy by season’s end.
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.
