Arch Manning and Steve Sarkisian flipped the script.
Underachievers no more and national championship contenders for sure.
That’s the Texas-sized takeaway from Week 2 in the SEC.
How could it be anything else?
The largest fourth-quarter comeback against a top-ranked opponent this century? Naturally it involved a Manning at quarterback. The football gods wouldn’t have it any other way, unless Tom Brady has a son who one day graces the gridiron in Ann Arbor.
While Texas continues to celebrate its 24-23 win over Ohio State, its archrival, Oklahoma, continues to lick its wounds after falling to Ohio State’s archrival in the Big House. Talk about symmetry. Brent Venables promises his team will grow and respond from losing to a Wolverines team that lost to Western Michigan (I know, I know), but Paul Finebaum isn’t the only person unconvinced. At some point, Venables has to stop talking about Oklahoma being the most physical team and the Sooners have to be about it. Barring that cultural shift, perhaps last year’s late season Playoff push was an aberration? It’s starting to feel that way.
Mid-September means SEC action is in full swing.
Alabama’s second half comeback at Kentucky was a Week 2 appetizer, but Week 3 gives us 5 league games on a crowded slate, including the “Honeymoon’s Over” Bowl between first-year head coaches Jon Sumrall and Alex Golesh when Florida visits Auburn on the Plains.
League play tends to bring separation for “The List,” which spends the first 2 weeks trying to determine how to evaluate returning 2 punts for a touchdown against the Campbell Camels (goodness Vernell Brown III is special) or tossing 3 interceptions against the likes of Louisiana Tech (not good, Sam Leavitt!).
Special stories appear to be brewing across the league, from Austin Simmons giving Eli Drinkwitz the balance the Tigers lacked a year ago to Mississippi State finding a genuine difference maker at quarterback in Jeff Lebby’s offense. Those are fun stories, and because the most prestigious list in college football is a “list” rewarding production, it means there’s surprising names and plenty of fluidity in the top 10 early in the season.
Stability? We can always wake you up when September ends.
As always, “The List” has up to 2 honorable mentions per school first, and then our top 10.
Honorable Mentions: Alabama: Bray Hubbard, S; Yhonzae Pierre, Edge. Auburn: Elijah Melendez, LB; Eric Winters, S. Florida: Vernell Brown III, WR/Return; Myles Graham, LB. Georgia: Drew Bobo, C; Gunner Stockton, QB. Kentucky: Jordan Castell, S; Mi’Quise Humphrey Grace, DE. LSU: Jordan Ross, Edge; Jordan Seaton, OT. Mississippi State: Canon Boone, C; Anthony Evans III, WR. Missouri: Cayden Green, OL; Daeden Hopkins, Edge. Ole Miss: Deuce Alexander, WR; Terez Davis, OT. South Carolina: Nyck Harbor, WR; Vicari Swain, DB/Return. Tennessee: DeSean Bishop, RB; Dejuan Lane, S. Texas: Arch Manning, QB; Colin Simmons, Edge. Texas A&M: Mario Craver, WR; Mark Nabou Jr., C. Vanderbilt: Sedrick Alexander, RB; CJ Heard, S.
10. Xavier Atkins, LB (Auburn)
Atkins is a boundary-to-boundary linebacker who plays with tremendous instincts and is always around the football. With 9 tackles and a sack early in the season, his numbers aren’t as impressive as fellow linebacker Elijah Melendez (see above), but Atkins is the centerpiece of everything DJ Durkin is trying to do with a talented defense. Atkins lines up anywhere from the middle of the box to the edge (15 snaps), and after just 2 games, he’s nearly halfway to his 2025 hurries total of 11 hurries with 5 hurries and nearly a third of the way to his 2025 pressure total (25) with 8 pressures. The best linebacker in America folks don’t talk enough about finds his way to “The List” for the second-consecutive season. Will he stay this time?
9. Luke Metz, LB (Alabama)
Metz seems poised to become a breakout star for the Tide through 2 games, compiling 10 tackles and registering an interception on his way to SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors after Alabama’s 45-17 Week 2 win at Kentucky. The pick 6 gets the headlines, but Metz had 8 tackles without a single missed tackle in the victory and added 2 quarterback hurries.
Metz graded out at an 85, per PFF, and his 90.8 coverage grade was the best among linebackers in the SEC.
8. Cayden Lee, WR (Missouri)
The Tigers punked Kansas in the Border War, and Cayden Lee’s big-play capability was front and center in the Mizzou victory. Lee caught 6 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown, averaging 20 yards per reception. On the season, Lee is averaging 100 yards receiving per game and has caught 10 of his 13 targets with 0 drops. A dynamic weapon who is quickly becoming a favorite of new quarterback Austin Simmons.
7. Trey’Dez Green, TE (LSU)
On a night Sam Leavitt struggled, Trey’Dez Green played like the All-American candidate he is at tight end, hauling in 6 catches for 104 yards and scoring this touchdown.
As Lane Kiffin did at Ole Miss, he’s also creative about using players he trusts in short-yardage situations, and Green picked up a tough first down on the ground to round out a 111-yard day on just 8 touches. The junior is averaging 16.2 yards per reception through 2 games and offers Leavitt, who clearly is still adjusting to Kiffin’s offense, an elite security blanket.
6. Kamario Taylor, QB (Mississippi State)
Jeff Lebby has found the quarterback his offense has been begging for in Taylor, who tallied 313 total yards (227 passing, 86 rushing) and 3 touchdowns in helping State smash Minnesota’s 8 game home winning streak in a dominant 38-13 road win.
With over 700 yards of total offense already this season, Taylor’s decision-making and maturity are what have impressed Lebby most: 0 interceptions and only 1 turnover-worthy play all season (a lost fumble), per PFF.
5. Nate Frazier, RB (Georgia)
Georgia has an embarrassment of riches offensively, as evidenced by the preposterous 14 different Dawgs who have scored touchdowns in the first 2 games of the season. A season ago, only 3 offenses in the Power 4 had 14 players score touchdowns in an entire season. That’s how multiple and maniacally talented Mike Bobo’s arsenal is on offense in Athens. Frazier, who has 4 touchdowns on 11 touches this season and is averaging a first down per touch, is the best of the weapons. He’ll be more involved (snap wise) as the Dawgs open SEC play this weekend at Arkansas.
4. Trevor Goosby, OT (Texas)
Goosby graded out at an impressive 81.5, including 86.6 as a pass blocker, in Texas’s immense win over then-No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday night. Goosby played 80 snaps, conceding just 1 hurry on 46 pass attempts, paving the way for Arch Manning, Hollywood Smothers and the rest of the UT offense to score 3 times in the fourth-quarter comeback win. If there’s a better left tackle in America, I’m not sure where he plays.
3. Princewill Umanmielen, Edge (LSU)
Umanmielen leads the country in sacks with 5 after just 2 games, posting a dominant 3-sack performance in LSU’s 45-14 win over Louisiana Tech on Saturday night. With Umanmielen menacing quarterbacks, the Tigers rank 2nd in the country early in the season in SP+ efficiency defense. It’s only been 2 games, of course, but that’s LSU’s highest SP+ defensive rating this decade. Having one of America’s best pass rushers, it turns out, is a rising tide lifting all boats.
2. Jadan Baugh, RB (Florida)
Baugh leads the SEC with 296 yards through 2 games, and he’s doing it averaging a first down per carry (10.6 ypc). Baugh’s 5 touchdowns rank 3rd nationally.
With absurd jump cuts like the 75-yard touchdown run above, it’s hard not to buy into the Le’Veon Bell comparisons being made by salivating NFL scouts. Of course, Baugh’s gaudy numbers came against FAU and FCS foe Campbell. Auburn’s sensational linebackers and a jacked Jordan-Hare Stadium will be a different test entirely.
1. Trinidad Chambliss, QB (Ole Miss)
No “List” champion has ever gone wire to wire. Keep that in mind as Chambliss maintains the top spot for a third-consecutive week after torching Charlotte on an efficient 23-26, 225-yard, 2-touchdown performance. We all know who comes to town next. If Ole Miss wins, Chambliss will solidify his status at the top of other “lists” too, including the Heisman favorites list.
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Neil Blackmon covers SEC football and basketball for SaturdayDownSouth.com. An attorney, he is also a member of the Football and Basketball Writers Associations of America. He also coaches basketball.
