Week 1 of the greatest list in college sports went as well as you’d think.

A Vanderbilt player made the top 10 for the first time in the list’s 4-season history, a decision met swiftly with derision and accusations of delusion. The SEC offensive linemen of week 1 (Gunner Britton) was omitted from the list while his teammate, Avery Jones, who graded out No. 1 among centers in Week 1, managed to find his way into the honorable mention section. Jalen Milroe’s top 5 ranking clearly exposed our Alabama-bias … or so the readers would have you believe.

After all, it’s an easy job ranking the best 10 players in the best league in college sports. Or is it the 3rd best league this season? Time will tell, but early returns (a 4-1 ACC record in head-to-head matchups, a Texas win in Tuscaloosa) are frightening for the SEC. At least Georgia is unbeaten, with blowout wins over mighty Ball State and Tennessee-Martin.

Two things The List promises are sarcasm and volatility, especially in the early season. That’s when there tends to be the most movement, with names coming and going like the patrons at your local Wawa.

Last week’s list is linked above. Let’s get started with this week’s list. As always, we begin with Honorable Mentions, limited to 2 per school.

Honorable Mention: Alabama: S Caleb Downs, LB Deontae Lawson; Arkansas: LB Jaheim Thomas, DL Trajan Jeffcoat; Auburn: S Donovan Kaufman, LB Eugene Asante; Florida: LB Shemar James, RB Trevor Etienne; Georgia: OL Amarius Mims, S Tykee Smith; Kentucky: QB Devin Leary, OL Eli Cox; LSU: WR Malik Nabers, DT Jordan Jefferson; Missouri: RB Cody Schrader, C Connor Tollison; MSU: QB Will Rogers, LB Jett Johnson; Ole Miss: QB Jaxson Dart, RB Quinshon Judkins; SC: WR Xavier Legette, LB Debo Williams; Tennessee: Edge James Pearce, Edge Tyler Baron; Texas A&M: WR Evan Stewart, DB Josh DeBerry; Vanderbilt: WR Will Sheppard, LB CJ Taylor.

10. Spencer Rattler, QB (South Carolina)

The SEC Player of the Week put together a second consecutive 300-yard passing performance in South Carolina’s win over Furman. Rattler was nearly perfect, completing 25-of-27 passes for 345 yards and 3 TDs. His completion percentage of 83.3% leads the SEC. The Gamecocks struggle to run the football, so Rattler will need to keep playing great to give South Carolina a chance to reach its goals, but it seems possible through 2 games.

9. Aaron Beasley, LB (Tennessee)

Beasley went Beast Mode in Tennessee’s 30-13 win over Austin Peay. He collected 9 tackles, including 5 for a loss and 2 sacks in helping Tennessee put away the pesky Governors late. Beasley has tremendous instincts finding the football and the Volunteers’ staff does a great job putting him in a position to impact the game in a variety of ways. He’s getting better every week and part of what makes UT’s front 7 such an electric group thus far in 2023.

8. Jaylin Simpson, DB (Auburn)

The Auburn corner has been marvelous through 2 games, intercepting a pass in each of Auburn’s early-season wins and laying the thunder in run support.

 

Simpson’s 7 tackles aren’t gaudy, but with a pick-6 and a 38.5% completion percentage against rating, he’s clearly established himself as one of the best corners in the country.

7. Barion Brown, WR (Kentucky)

Brown is poetry on grass, an elusive, fast playmaker who is doing a little of everything for Kentucky through 2 early wins.

 

The Cats use him in the run game, the return game, and as a receiver and he’s a long-distance threat anytime he touches the ball. In addition to his week 1 kick return for a touchdown, Brown has caught 9 passes for 90 yards and a score and added 34 yards rushing in Kentucky’s first 2 contests. Finding him ways to get the ball will continue to be a priority, which could give Brown staying power on the list.

6. Brock Bowers, TE (Georgia)

Bowers hasn’t lit up the stat sheet early this season, but he hasn’t had to, either. Mainly what he’s done is command double- and yes, triple-teams from defenses that are intent on not letting the Georgia All-American beat them. Bowers caught just 1 pass for 3 yards in the win over Ball State, but it is his ability to affect game plans every week that keeps him in the top 10 this week. He’ll almost certainly play a bigger role Saturday when Georgia opens SEC play against the Gamecocks.

5. Malaki Starks, S (Georgia)

The Georgia safety has 10 tackles and a pass breakup through 2 games, helping the Bulldogs start the year in the top 20 in total defense, per CFB stats, and the number 2 SP+ defense through 2 games. Starks, who grades out as the No. 2 safety in college football, per PFF, gives Kirby Smart an “extension of myself” on the field, as his head coach put it this week.

4. Jayden Daniels, QB (LSU)

The LSU quarterback was magnificent in LSU’s bounce-back win over Grambling. Daniels threw 5 touchdown passes and accumulated 298 total yards in just a half of action. He’ll get a chance to continue to make his case as one of the best players in college football this week as LSU begins conference play against Mississippi State.

3. Jaylen Wright, RB (Tennessee)

The Volunteers have run the ball beautifully in their 2 early-season wins, with Wright at the center of that success. The junior from North Carolina has 233 yards rushing through 2 games, averaging a dominant 9.3 per attempt. Wright grades out as the 2nd-best running back in the SEC — and the country — per PFF, and if he improves as a pass blocker, he’ll continue to move up mock NFL Draft boards this season. A bigger challenge awaits this weekend in The Swamp against Florida, but if Wright meets it, he’s another guy with staying power on the list.

2. Jo’Quavious Marks, RB (Mississippi State)

Marks does it all for the Bulldogs. He has rushed for 250 yards in Miss State’s 2-0 start and also caught 4 passes in each of State’s victories. Marks grades out as the nation’s best running back through 2 games, per PFF, a testament to his effectiveness as a runner, receiver, and pass blocker for Will Rogers.

The senior from Atlanta made his college debut in Miss State’s last win over LSU, which came in 2020. He’d love to bookend his career with another victory this weekend.

1. KJ Jefferson, QB (Arkansas)

KJ Jefferson earned first-team college football honors in Week 2 from PFF, despite numbers that don’t really wow you, which says a great deal about his growth as a quarterback. Kent State plays solid defense, and they had a great plan against the Razorbacks, but ultimately Jefferson’s brain and ability to grind out tough yards as a runner were the difference in a 28-6 Arkansas win.

On the season, Jefferson has thrown for 5 touchdowns with 0 interceptions and added 59 yards rushing and a touchdown while grading out as PFF’s best quarterback in the SEC (and No. 2 in the country, behind Michigan’s JJ McCarthy). A visit from BYU will be a stiff test as to whether the early returns on Jefferson’s final campaign in Fayetteville are legitimate.