On the long July days when there’s nothing but Paul Finebaum talking about talking season and a bad Atlanta Braves team on television and your soul is withering away like Crisco melting in the furnace of a southern summer, Week 3 in the SEC is the kind of dream you obsess over.
From noon until near midnight, last Saturday was a glorious day filled with high quality football. From Kalen DeBoer’s ascending Alabama showing those overmatched Yankees from Wisconsin what is what to DJ Lagway throwing every football he could find to the team in the white jerseys in the roaring cauldron of Cajun fury that is Tiger Stadium on a warm, muggy Louisiana Saturday Night, it was a Saturday filled with statement performances, signature standouts, quarterback implosions, and at least 1 road comeback for the ages.
Tennessee talk radio this week has been filled with chatter about how the Vols proved they belong, and I guess that’s true, but didn’t they do that last year when they made the College Football Playoff? Josh Heupel isn’t paid to claim moral victories. When you blow a 2-touchdown lead at home in a Checkerboard Neyland with College GameDay in town, you don’t talk about “proving you belonged.” You don’t ask the audience to clap. You play to win the game.
Gunner Stockton played to win the game, and his “List” worthy throw earned him a spot in this week’s Honorable Mentions. A week full of questions surrounded the Georgia quarterback entering the game. He left answering most of them and proving, yet again, why Kirby Smart’s imperious Death Star is still the SEC’s meanest machine (in red and black) on the tracks.
Georgia’s furious rally wasn’t the only big-time performance of Statement Saturday in the SEC.
Ty Simpson was nearly flawless (24-29, 382 yards, 4 TD) in Alabama’s 38-14 win and that seems flattering to the other guys out of Wisconsin. It was a much-needed win for Alabama, still smarting from being pantsed by Florida State in Tallahassee in Week 1. I’m not saying that Bama fans should start strutting around the Capstone in Houndstooth hats and Nick Saban national title shirts yet, but the way Alabama’s passing game came alive and pass defense put the game to bed had to encourage Tide fans ahead of the Sept. 27 showdown with Stockton and the Dawgs in Athens. Alabama and Georgia in the national spotlight? Same as it ever was.
We also need to talk about Mike Elko, who is doing the dadgum thing at Texas A&M. The Aggies fell behind, rallied, fell behind, and rallied again to win against an excellent Notre Dame program in South Bend.
Marcel Reed finds himself in our Honorable Mention section this week after throwing for 360 yards, including the game-winning touchdown to Nate Boerkircher with 13 seconds remaining. The loss was Notre Dame’s second this season in the final 90 seconds of a game. For the Aggies, it was the latest reminder that sometimes, the best hire isn’t the sexiest one, and the best quarterback in the state of Texas isn’t the one with the famous last name.
Speaking of highly touted quarterbacks, shout out to DJ Lagway for single-handedly bringing back DBU. Okay, okay, that’s not quite above board. Billy Napier helped.
In all seriousness, though, Dashawn Spears and the LSU secondary intercepted 5 — no, really — Lagway passes Saturday night to help the Tigers win a game when their offense managed (checks notes) 10 first downs. The Gators were great defensively but lost by multiple scores thanks to Blake Baker’s championship-level LSU defense. Florida, who spoiled a generational offense in 2020 by throwing shoes and declining to play any defense, appears to have finally rebuilt on that side of the football. If only their preseason Heisman candidate quarterback were living up to his side of the bargain.
As for “the List,” we’re now 3 weeks into the season and on our third “No. 1.” That’s only the second time in “List” history (2019-present) that we’ve had a new No. 1 in all 3 editions of “the List” to begin a season. There’s usually turnover in September, but this season feels especially tumultuous, with no clearly dominant football team and a host of hyped preseason stars (I’ll let y’all figure out and debate which ones) that have yet to live up to the talkin’ season billing. In other words, we might have a really tight race on “The List” this season, which will either make for fun “List” making or leave me more confused than a northerner trying to figure out how to properly order their hash browns at Waffle House (scattered, smothered, and covered — thanks for attending my TED Talk).
Last week’s “List” can be found here. Fan mail can be sent to me via email. I promise to respond but please remember that if I’ve left your favorite player off “The List” it’s not because I hate your team. It’s because your favorite player needs to be better at football. If I left them off “Honorable Mention,” it’s because I hate your team and not because I have a self-imposed cap of 2 great players per team on the “Honorable Mention” portion of “the List.”
Honorable Mention: Alabama: Germie Bernard, WR; Bray Hubbard, S. Auburn: Jackson Arnold, QB; Keyron Crawford, DE. Arkansas: O’Mega Blake, WR; Taylen Green, QB. Florida: Austin Barber, OT; Myles Graham, LB. Georgia: CJ Allen, LB; Gunner Stockton, QB. Kentucky: Alex Afari Jr., LB; Seth McGowan, RB. LSU: A.J. Haulcy, S; Dashawn Spears, S. Mississippi State: Brenen Thompson, WR; Blake Shapen, QB. Missouri: Ahmad Hardy, RB; Connor Tollison, C. Oklahoma: Jaren Kanak, TE; Sammy Omosigho, LB. Ole Miss: Zxavian Harris, DT; Diego Pounds, OT. South Carolina: Nick Barrett, DT; Vicari Swain, Return/DB. Tennessee: Joey Aguilar, QB; Jesse Perry, OT. Texas: Anthony Hill Jr., LB; Jelani McDonald, DB. Texas A&M: Marcel Reed, QB; Scooby Williams, LB. Vanderbilt: Diego Pavia, QB. Eli Stowers, TE.
10. Dylan Stewart, Edge (South Carolina)
Stewart falls from the top spot to tenth after a lethargic outing in South Carolina’s 31-7 loss to Vanderbilt. Stewart had 3 pressures, 2 hurries, and 2 tackles for loss in the defeat, but was ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct in the second half. On the bright side, he’s cleared to play in Saturday night’s prime time tilt at No. 23 Missouri, a huge break for the Gamecocks, who will need all the pressure they can get on Mizzou quarterback Beau Pribula to have a chance to win and avoid a disappointing 0-2 start to SEC play.
9. Micah Morris, OG (Georgia)
The big Georgia lineman surrendered 0 quarterback pressures and helped Georgia impose its will on the football game in the Dawgs’ 44-41 win at Tennessee on Saturday afternoon. The Dawgs gained 492 yards in the comeback win, with Morris grading out as the team’s best offensive lineman, per PFF. Morris has yet to surrender a pressure or hurry this season in 214 snaps, making him easily the most productive Georgia offensive linemen to date.
8. Beau Pribula, QB (Missouri)
We will know more about Missouri on Saturday, but right now, the blend of offensive firepower between Ahmad Hardy, Kevin Coleman Jr., Brett Norfleet, and a powerful offensive line might make this the most dangerous team Eli Drinkwitz has had in CoMo. That’s a frightening thought considering the Tigers won 21 games over the 2 seasons preceding the 2025 campaign. Pribula leads the SEC in completion percentage and ranks top 5 in a TD-INT ratio (7:1) and efficiency rating (4th), all key factors in Missouri’s fast 3-0 start. He’ll face his first SEC defense — and a test of his staying power on “The List” — this weekend when the Gamecocks visit Faurot Field.
7. Harold Perkins Jr., LB (LSU)
Whit Weeks was ejected early in the game for a targeting penalty, putting pressure on Perkins to replicate his standout performance in LSU’s Week 1 win at Clemson. Arguably, the All-SEC linebacker was even better against the Gators, drumming up 3 pressures, 2 hurries, 2 quarterback hits, and batting down a DJ Lagway pass on a critical third down. Perkins also registered 5 tackles in the LSU win while grading out as one of LSU’s best run stoppers on the evening (78 PFF grade) against a talented Florida run game. The key for Perkins, who was inconsistent and oft-injured as a sophomore, is building upon this performance. But there’s no question the gargantuan talent that made him a Freshman All-American is present and he’s beginning to flourish in defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s scheme.
6. Kewan Lacy, RB (Ole Miss)
Lacy tallied 84 yards on 21 touches in Ole Miss’s 41-35 win over Arkansas last weekend, helping the Rebels open SEC play 2-0 ahead of a brutal 4-game stretch that includes duels with unbeaten Tulane, unbeaten and No. 3 LSU, and unbeaten and No. 5 Georgia. An Oct. 11 home tilt with Washington State is the sole game in the next 4 where the Rebels won’t face a team widely considered to be a College Football Playoff contender. As staying power tests go, that month will likely define things for Ole Miss and Lacy, who ranks second in the SEC in rushing touchdowns and fourth in rushing yards, will be at the center of things if Ole Miss hopes to survive and reach its first College Football Playoff.
5. Chris Brazzell II, WR (Tennessee)
In devastating news to Tennessee fans who have sent emails over the past week accusing me of hating Tennessee even though a Volunteer won this list a season ago, the Vols have an entry this week and I need to ask:
Does Josh Heupel have a bona fide star blooming on Rocky Top? Brazzell II looked the part on Saturday, torching the Georgia secondary for 177 yards and 3 touchdowns on just 6 receptions. If a consistent knock on the Heupel offense post Hendon Hooker has been the lack of explosiveness in the downfield passing game, Brazzell II appears to be answering the bell.
He ranks second in the SEC in receiving yards (364) and receptions (20) while leading the conference in receiving touchdowns (5). A home date with a soft UAB defense should only pad those numbers and solidify Brazzell II’s case as one of the breakout stars of September in college football.
4. Nick Rinaldi, LB (Vanderbilt)
Vanderbilt’s star linebacker had 7 tackles, including 2 for loss, with a sack in the Commodores’ 31-7 rout of South Carolina. Rinaldi is instinctual as a pass rusher and run stopper and has worked relentlessly to improve as a coverage linebacker, efforts that have paid dividends as evidenced by a 72.4 PFF coverage grade in 2025.
The result is also that Vanderbilt can play Rinaldi, who was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 2 and dominated again in Week 3, all over the field, trusting him on the edge, in the middle of a box, or in the slot covering a tight end. Rinaldi’s versatility is a big reason the Vandy defense ranks 34th nationally in yards allowed per play this season and an even more impressive 21st in defensive success rate.
3. John Mateer, QB (Oklahoma)
Mateer wasn’t perfect in Oklahoma’s 42-3 win over Temple, as evidenced by a second quarter interception. But he was really good again, throwing for 282 yards and a touchdown and adding 63 more on the ground with another rushing score. On the season, he’s thrown for 944 yards and rushed 161 more and is responsible for 9 Sooners touchdowns.
The talk of Heisman frontrunner status is certainly premature, and he’ll need to cut down on the turnovers for Oklahoma to hit its ceiling. But with another showcase home game coming this weekend in Norman (No. 22 Auburn, 3:30 p.m., ABC), he’ll have plenty of opportunities to play his way into the Heisman race and help the Sooners play their way back into another College Football Playoff, where the program feels it belongs.
2. Mario Craver, WR (Texas A&M)
Craver was all over the field at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday night, including this stupendous 86-yard catch-and-run touchdown to help the Aggies tie the game early.
Craver finished the evening with a staggering 207 yards receiving in the Aggies’ 41-40 win over the Fighting Irish. On the season, the sophomore from Birmingham has racked up 3 consecutive games with 100+ yards receiving, ranking first in the country in receiving yards (463) through 3 games. Perhaps most impressive? At 22.2 yards per reception on the season, Craver has 274 yards after the catch. That’s nearly 90 YAC yards per game!
1. Mansoor Delane, DB (LSU)
Delane’s PFF grade of 88.7 is best in the Power 4 among defensive backs, but what’s most impressive is that teams keep testing him and he keeps answering the bell. After Clemson threw at him 8 times and he allowed just 1 reception, Florida came at him 6 times on Saturday night, convinced it could beat him 1-on-1, especially on intermediate routes (4 of Florida’s 6 targets). The Gators failed to complete a single intermediate route against Delane and managed just 2 completions for 11 yards overall against Delane, who added another pass breakup to his team-high collection (4) on the young season. Opponents have completed just 16% of their targets against Delane in 2025, clearly the stingiest defensive back in a secondary that is bringing DBU back to life on the Bayou. Did we mention he’s great in run support? Delane had 4 of his 5 tackles in run support on Saturday, notching his season total up to 9 tackles to accompany his pass breakup and interception totals. A complete player on what looks like the SEC’s best defense.
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.
