The 2025 college football season started out with a bang. Miami might be back. Alabama might be dead. Lee Corso has called it a career on College GameDay. Jackson Arnold might be good. Even in the SEC alone — with all the storylines, oddities, upsets and general tomfoolery — some may find it tough not to become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of it all.
Those of you who watch hockey may appreciate this one. Starting today and spanning the remainder of the college football season, we’ll be picking 3 “stars” from the previous week in SEC football. This could include the most deserving teams, players, mascots, groups, specific plays or whatever else we find notable from SEC football each and every week.
We’ll also tally up the SEC’s weekly statistical leaders (from a team and individual level) and provide them down below. That way, combined, we can give a lighthearted and (hopefully) interesting snapshot of the last week of SEC football before we do it all again the following Saturday.
Let’s not waste any time.
First Star: Lee Corso
Want even more proof that Lee Corso is a college football legend? How about finishing a perfect 6/6 on the final picks of his College GameDay career?
Corso picked Tennessee and South Carolina to take care of business against average-to-below-average ACC programs. He picked his Florida State Seminoles to upset Alabama. Finally, he picked the lower seed in 3 top 25 matchups: Ohio State over Texas, Miami over Notre Dame and LSU over Clemson. With that, Corso finishes his GameDay run a sizzling 292-144 on picks dating back to 1996 (just under 67%).
Oh, but that’s not all. Incredibly, all 6 of his former FBS schools (from his time as a player and as a coach) won on Saturday; Florida State beat Alabama, Maryland beat FAU, Navy beat VMI, Louisville beat Eastern Kentucky, Indiana beat Old Dominion and Northern Illinois — just barely — outlasted Holy Cross.
Thanks for all the memories, Coach.
Second Star: Blake Baker
I do not think Cade Klubnik is a bad quarterback. He’s fresh off a strong junior year and a College Football Playoff berth, and he’ll likely be an early rounder when it’s all said and done. Heck, he was heralded by many as a Heisman contender preseason. Not sure if I quite agree with that one, but you get the point.
That said, Klubnik and the Tigers offense looked completely and utterly lost against LSU in Week 1. If Saturday is any indication, Blake Baker’s Year 2 LSU defense is going to be a massive, massive problem for the SEC in 2025. Let’s quickly run through some numbers.
LSU held Clemson to 3-of-13 on 3rd downs. It sacked Klubnik twice and forced an interception with 6 pass deflections, all while holding him to 50% passing. Clemson miserably failed at establishing the run; the Tigers rushed for just 31 yards on 19 carries — an average of 1.7 yards per tote. Their longest run of the evening went for just 7 yards.
Harold Perkins and Whit Weeks are absolute monsters at linebacker. PJ Woodland, DJ Pickett and Mansoor Delane patrolled the secondary and locked down what is supposed to be a dangerous receiver unit. The word “dominant” doesn’t even describe it. Apart from Ohio State, no defense across the entire Week 1 college football slate looked as stout as LSU.
The Tigers are going to be tough to bring down if that unit keeps it up.
Third Star: Tennessee Fans
I’d argue no SEC fanbase had a better Week 1 than Tennessee, though LSU and Auburn fans probably aren’t too far behind. Let’s run down the checklist for the Vols:
- The Vols beat Syracuse convincingly thanks in part to a strong debut from Joey Aguilar
- Rival Alabama embarrassed itself on a national stage against Florida State (Auburn fans are excited about this one as well)
- Nico Iamaleava was a complete dumpster fire out west against Utah
Did I miss anything? Seriously, what a week for the Vol faithful. Let’s zoom in a little closer.
I really don’t take joy in piling on Iamaleava. I almost feel bad for him. It’s a classic case of a college athlete getting really, really terrible advice from those around him. But ultimately, he alone pulled the trigger on his decision to leave Knoxville. And if you’re going to be paid the big bucks, you’ll have to take the criticism and consequences that follow. It all turned out to be a blessing for the Vols; Tennessee’s ceiling indeed appears higher now than it would have been with the former 5-star under center.
Aguilar was far from perfect on Saturday, but he showed stuff Iamaleava simply wasn’t doing last year (or Saturday night against the Utes). He scanned the field and read through his progressions. He kept his poise following a first half turnover, and he showed obvious command of his offense. He dropped a deep ball in the bucket to Braylon Staley, and he led the Vols to 45 points against a genuinely decent secondary. There’s some accuracy stuff to work on, but Tennessee fans should be really excited heading into Week 2 and beyond with Aguilar as their quarterback.
Team Statistical Leaders (Week 1)
Most points scored: 63 – Ole Miss (vs. Georgia State)
Fewest points scored: 7 – Texas (at Ohio State)
Fewest points allowed: 0 – Florida (vs. LIU).
Most points allowed: Alabama – 31 (vs. Florida State)
Most rushing yards: 307 – Auburn (at Baylor)
Fewest rushing yards: 87 – Alabama
Fewest rushing yards allowed: 31 – LSU (at Clemson)
Most rushing yards allowed: 230 – Alabama
Fewest passing yards allowed: 34 – Oklahoma
Most passing yards allowed: 419 – Auburn
Most total yards: 695 – Ole Miss
Fewest total yards: 305 – Kentucky (vs. Toledo)
Fewest yards allowed: 86 – Florida
Most yards allowed: 483 – Auburn
Most penalty yardage accumulated: 119 yards – Mississippi State (vs. Southern Miss)
Fewest penalty yardage accumulated: 0 – Florida
Best turnover margin: +2 – Arkansas, Florida, Mizzou, Vanderbilt
Worst turnover margin: -2 – Oklahoma (vs. Illinois State)
Most first downs: 34 – Ole Miss
Fewest first downs: 16 – Texas
Tackles for loss: 9 – Texas A&M (vs. UTSA)
Sacks: 5 – Tennessee (vs. Syracuse)
Individual Statistical Leaders (Week 1)
Passing touchdowns: 6 – Taylen Green, Arkansas (vs. Alabama A&M)
Passing yards: 392 – John Mateer, Oklahoma
Receiving touchdowns: 2 – Mario Craver (Texas A&M), Keontez Lewis (Oklahoma), CJ Brown (Arkansas)
Receiving yards: 146 – Germie Bernard, Alabama
Receptions: 9 – Keontez Lewis, Oklahoma
Rushing touchdowns: 3 – Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss
Rushing yards: 137 – Jackson Arnold, Auburn
Yards per carry (min. 10 carries): 10 – Ahmad Hardy, Mizzou (vs. Central Arkansas)
All-purpose yards: 180 – Harrison Wallace, Ole Miss
Tackles: 13 – Alex Afari, Kentucky
Sacks: 2 – Steven Soles (Kentucky), Damon Wilson II (Mizzou)
PBU: 3 – Colton Hood (Tennessee)
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
