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Where did the greatest regular season in sports go?
It’s hard to believe it’s Week 13 and we’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving and Rivalry Week next week.
There’s still football to be played, of course, and plenty to be decided.
We’re grateful for that, even as late November always feels bittersweet, a slow march to the thrill of Championship Week and the burn and fade of bowl season and the longest, most interminable offseason in sport.
Week 12 was a “prove it” week for multiple SEC contenders. Only one passed the test.
Unsurprisingly, that team was Georgia, which played its best when it mattered most, as the Dawgs tend to do under Kirby Smart, the best coach in college football. Carson Beck looked like … well, Carson Beck again in throwing for 347 yards and 2 touchdowns against one of the nation’s best defenses. Tennessee? It will need help to access the College Football Playoff now, with the only true star on their résumé a home win over Alabama.
LSU entered The Swamp still very much a factor in the SEC Championship Game race. They left Gainesville with a 3rd consecutive loss, surrendering more sacks (7) than they’d allowed all season (6) to that point.
Credit the Gators, who were the more physical and explosive group and are a legitimately good team with DJ Lagway under center. Perhaps Billy Napier has finally turned the corner.
Meanwhile, at Missouri, Eli Drinkwitz should have listened to his inner Jim Mora.
Maybe then he wouldn’t have talked Playoff before Missouri’s latest big game defeat — a 34-30 loss at No. 21 South Carolina. The Tigers haven’t been able to recapture the magic of last year’s 11-win Cotton Bowl champions. There’s no shame in that, of course, but whatever they call the Outback Bowl these days seems a more fitting destination than a grand stage for Drinkwitz’s 2024 outfit.
It was a “prove it” week at “The List” as well.
Dylan Sampson, a staple in the top 3 all season, was marvelous against Georgia, maintaining his push to become the first running back to end the season atop the greatest list in college football.
Jalen Milroe, a top-5 “List” finisher a season ago, burst back onto the scene with his latest eye-opening performance, a 3-TD performance in Alabama’s rout of Mercer that represented Milroe’s second consecutive game in November producing 3 touchdowns or more. It might be too late for Milroe to top “The List,” but it’s certainly not too late for Alabama to make a College Football Playoff run behind their outstanding quarterback.
Finally, in a season where defensive players have shined, Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron staked his claim to return to this top 10 with a sensational performance in a 20-10 win over Arkansas. Texas has the nation’s best defense and a host of All-American candidates, beginning with Barron in the secondary.
As always, we begin with Honorable Mentions, limited to 2 per school. If your favorite player is conspicuously absent from the top 10 or Honorable Mentions, they should probably play better. Or maybe you should do a list of the top 10 players in the SEC because it’s obviously quite easy to rank only 10 players in the best league in America.
Last week’s list is here. The race to the title remains as open as it has been in any past season.
Alabama: Deontae Lawson, LB; Ryan Williams, WR. Arkansas: Xavian Sorey Jr., LB; Andrew Armstrong, WR. Auburn: Jalen McLeod, DL; Jarquez Hunter, RB. Florida: Caleb Banks, DT; Jeremy Crawshaw, P. Georgia: Tate Ratledge, OL; Chaz Chambliss, LB. Kentucky: Jordan Lovett, DB; D’Eryk Jackson, LB. LSU: Will Campbell, OT; Aaron Anderson, WR. Mississippi State: Isaac Smith, S. Missouri: Corey Flagg Jr., LB; Luther Burden III, WR. Oklahoma: Robert Spears-Jennings, S; Danny Stutsman, LB. Ole Miss: Tre Harris, WR; Suntarine Perkins, DE. South Carolina: LaNorris Sellers, QB; Kyle Kennard, Edge. Tennessee: Cooper Mays, C; James Pearce Jr., Edge. Texas: Michael Taaffe, DB; Kelvin Banks Jr., OT. Texas A&M: Shemar Stewart, DL; Nic Scourton, Edge. Vanderbilt: CJ Taylor, S; Brock Taylor, K.
10. Jalen Milroe, QB (Alabama)
Milroe is Mr. November.
https://twitter.com/CoverCrimson/status/1858319650263646482
This year, he has torched LSU to the tune of 294 total yards (109 passing, 185 rushing) and 4 touchdowns and blitzed Mercer for 229 yards (186 passing, 43 rushing) and 3 touchdowns. The Crimson Tide remain in position to play for the SEC Championship and advance to the College Football Playoff. The Oklahoma defense will be the best unit Milroe has played since the Crimson Tide’s loss to Tennessee, but if you are betting against this quarterback in a big, late season moment, you haven’t paid enough attention.
9. Diego Pavia, QB (Vanderbilt)
The Commodores had a bye week ahead of Saturday night’s showdown with LSU in Death Valley. Pavia can cement All-SEC credentials by leading Vanderbilt to an upset in Baton Rouge against a Tigers defense that has struggled mightily against mobile quarterbacks. Pavia, who leads the Commodores in rushing with 628 yards, will be the best running quarterback that LSU has played all year. Pavia has slipped on “The List” after spending weeks at No. 1 this season, but he’s still the biggest reason Vanderbilt has gone from a 2.5-win over/under in August to bowl eligible in November. He’s simply adding to that legacy as Vanderbilt heads down the stretch.
8. Armand Membou, OT (Missouri)
Membou was marvelous in defeat Saturday at South Carolina, allowing just 1 pressure against the outstanding Gamecocks defensive line. On the season, Membou is the lone offensive tackle in the SEC who has played over 200 snaps without allowing a sack. More impressive? He’s allowed only 6 pressures the entire season, the lowest figure in the SEC. This is the best offensive linemen in the league, per PFF, outplaying preseason All-American candidates like Will Campbell of LSU (1 sack, 2 pressures allowed vs. Florida) and Kelvin Banks Jr. of Texas (2 sacks allowed vs. Arkansas). Javon Foster’s All-American turn (and Top 10 “List” finish) a season ago might not just be a one-off at a program that appears to evaluate and then develop tackles at an elite level.
7. Jalon Walker, LB (Georgia)
Walker was all over the football field in Georgia’s 31-17 win over Tennessee. Walker had 8 tackles, 3 pressures and a sack — all while matched up against an All-SEC caliber tackle.
Jalon Walker against a Future 1st round pick
1 of 1 pic.twitter.com/IBtGqYakOo
— 704 Dawg (@FSFRecruits) October 20, 2024
Walker has saved his best football for Georgia’s biggest wins, with the performance Saturday nearly as dominant as the 8 tackle, 3 sack, fumble recovery output in Georgia’s rout of Texas. The best player on what appears to be another championship caliber defense in Athens.
6. Princely Umanmielen, Edge (Ole Miss)
Umanmielen’s 9.5 sacks rank 3rd in the SEC, but the Florida transfer has missed 6 quarters due to injury, which might explain why he trails South Carolina’s Kyle Kennard and his terrific teammate, Suntarine Perkins, in that category. A season after finishing top 5 in the SEC in pressures, Umanmielen ranks 2nd in that category this year, and he’s 1 of 2 players in the SEC ranking top 5 in pressures, sacks, hurries and tackles for loss. He’ll return to The Swamp on Saturday to face his former team, a juicy storyline given Umanmielen’s criticism of the Florida coaching staff in the offseason.
5. Jihaad Campbell, LB (Alabama)
Campbell’s 87 tackles rank 5th in the SEC and his 5 sacks place him just outside the top 10 in that department. The junior linebacker has also forced 2 fumbles and intercepted a pass for an Alabama defense that has played its best football over the past month, including allowing just 13 points in blowout wins over Missouri and LSU. Campbell was named a Butkus Award semifinalist earlier this month.
4. Jahdae Barron, DB (Texas)
The nation’s top corner, per PFF, Barron’s 91.0 coverage grade is the best in college football. In Saturday’s win at Arkansas, Barron did a little of everything, registering 2 tackles for loss in run support and collecting his 4th interception of the season, tying him for the SEC lead with DB Nick Emmanwori of South Carolina.
The SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week Honor was well-deserved for Jahdae Barron
• INT
• 2 TFL
• Sack
• PBU
• tackle on special teams https://t.co/Aj97EVnCEM pic.twitter.com/J1rWuhEaPE— CJ Vogel (@CJVogel_OTF) November 19, 2024
The Longhorns lead the country in total defense, and are No. 2 in success rate passing defense and in SP+ defensive efficiency. Barron is at the heart of all of that and will play a central role in Texas’ push to win its first national title since 2005.
3. Jaxson Dart, QB (Ole Miss)
Dart is the SEC’s highest ranking quarterback, per PFF, coming in at 2nd in the Power 4 behind only Kurtis Rourke of Indiana. The Rebels rank 4th in SP+ offensive efficiency and 5th in success rate offense behind the senior quarterback, who has thrown for 3,409 yards and 22 touchdowns while rushing for 304 more yards this season. Dart leads the SEC in yards per completion (11.4), total yards and quarterback efficiency rating while ranking No. 2 in completion percentage and average depth of target (11.8). No surprise he continues to lead SDS’ SEC QB power rankings. An All-American campaign that should garner plenty of postseason award buzz. Will it also end in the College Football Playoff?
2. Nick Emmanwori, S (South Carolina)
The Gamecocks’ captain led South Carolina in tackles (11) in Saturday’s win over Missouri. Emmanwori’s coverage grade of 89.8 ranks No. 2 among all SEC defensive backs, behind only Barron, and the Gamecocks’ star is also tied with Barron for the league lead in interceptions (4). Emmanwori also leads the Gamecocks in tackles with 71, the anchor of the nation’s most improved defense. South Carolina has never had a Consensus All-American in the secondary. That should change this season.
1. Dylan Sampson, RB (Tennessee)
Sampson reclaims the top spot after churning out 117 yards on 22 touches at Georgia on Saturday. Sampson’s 21 rushing touchdowns are a modern era (post-integration) record at Tennessee and rank No. 2 nationally, behind only Ashton Jeanty of Boise State.
Dylan Sampson.
Good at football. pic.twitter.com/TUVxgDq4UV
— Barstool SEC (@SECBarstool) November 17, 2024
Sampson leads the SEC in rushing by 215 yards with 1,230 on the season and his 21 touchdowns are 4 more than the closest player (Jalen Milroe) and 10 more than the 2nd-best running back total (11).
More impressive, only 5 SEC players in league history have rushed for more TDs in a single season: Derrick Henry (28), Najee Harris (26), Tim Tebow (23), Tre Mason (23) and Leonard Fournette (22).
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava has been inconsistent in his first season as a starter, but the Volunteers remain in the College Football Playoff hunt thanks to Sampson, the best running back in the best conference in America.
Neil Blackmon covers Florida football and the SEC for SaturdayDownSouth.com. An attorney, he is also a member of the Football and Basketball Writers Associations of America. He also coaches basketball.
