Even in a year when SEC defenses allowed more points than usual, they still were the dominant group in college football.

Will that change in 2021? Not if these guys have any say.

Continuing our Top 25 Week, here are the best 25 defensive players in the SEC for 2021:

25. Ventrell Miller, LB, Florida

Solid and productive across the board, you know what you’re getting with Miller. After 88 tackles, 7.5 TFL and 3.5 sacks in 2020, there’s no reason to think he won’t improve on all three numbers in 2021.

24. Yusuf Corker, CB, Kentucky

Corker did a little bit of everything for the Wildcats in the secondary and finished with 77 stops and 2 interceptions to make the All-SEC second team.

23. Grant Morgan, LB, Arkansas

Morgan deciding to return for his extra year is a big boost. He was a tackling machine in 2020, recording 111 stops with 7.5 for loss to make it on the All-SEC first team.

22. Jayden Peevy, DT, Texas A&M

Peevy was one of those players who got better every week last season and began to evolve from being a good player to a difference-maker. He was so good against Mississippi State last year, the Bulldogs probably should have triple-teamed him. He can still get a lot better and that’s a scary thought.

21. Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia

Davis is probably the best space-eater in the conference and a big reason Adam Anderson is able to do so much damage as a pass rusher. Davis was particularly impressive against Auburn, when he ate up their double teams. We were robbed of Davis for a few games because of injury, but when he played he was a problem for everyone.

20. Christian Harris, LB, Alabama

Maybe this is a little low for Harris, but there are a lot of good defensive players in this conference. Harris had 79 tackles, 7 TFLs and 4.5 sacks. He was the foundation for the Tide’s defense and played big in big games.

19. Ali Gaye, DL, LSU

Gaye came out of junior college and proved to be a handful on the LSU defensive line in his first year with the Tigers. Almost a third of his tackles (32) were for loss (9.5). He looks like a potential high NFL Draft pick.

18. Kingsley Enagbare, DE, South Carolina

South Carolina’s pass rush consisted of Enagbare and whoever else lucked into an occasional sack. Enagbare did everything he could on a fairly bad football team and was rewarded with a hard-earned first-team All-SEC designation.

17. Zakoby McClain, LB, Auburn

Not the biggest dog in the park, but few do more with their physical tools than McClain. He had to make a lot of big-play saving tackles last year and did his thing. McClain had 5 games with double-digit tackles, including 17 against Texas A&M.

16. Jalen Catalon, S, Arkansas

Catalon did the thing in the Arkansas secondary last season. It wasn’t always easy, but Catalon brought a lot of effort and stood out as a redshirt freshman. He had 99 tackles and 3 interceptions and 4 pass breakups playing the majority of his time at strong safety to earn Freshman All-American honors.

15. Tykee Smith, CB, Georgia

The West Virginia transfer established himself as one of top slot corners in college football as an All-American performer. Now he’ll step into a major role in a completely retooled Georgia secondary. As a slot corner, he didn’t give up squat. He plays so much bigger and meaner than his size (5-10, 198).

14. Mike Jones Jr., LB, LSU

The second-highest rated transfer on the list, Jones is very good in space. If you watched a lot of Clemson games last year, he stood out in coverage, so his 90.2 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus wasn’t a surprise. He had a couple of interceptions and 5 pass breakups last year. Jones should give LSU a lot of options on defense.

13. Jordan Battle, S, Alabama

Defensive backs at Alabama typically improve significantly from freshman season to sophomore season. Battle was a different player and went from being a liability to a guy who could defend the slot and play free safety. His 66 tackles proved that Battle will get his nose dirty and the pick-6 proved he can make plays.

12. Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia

Dean could be the best linebacker in the conference this season. He led Georgia with 71 tackles and consistently got in the quarterback’s face, finishing with 13 QB hurries. His ability to play the run with integrity and be a high-level situational pass rusher separate him from some of the other top linebackers.

11. Brenton Cox Jr., DE, Florida

Florida should have a great defense in 2021, especially if Cox, Zachary Carter and Gervon Dexter all play up to their respective potential. He was one of the best pass rushers in the conference last year with a whopping 18 quarterback hurries and 9.5 tackles for loss.

10. Adam Anderson, LB/DE, Georgia

At times last season, Anderson looked like the premier pass rusher in the SEC. Anderson had 24 QB pressures and 6.5 sacks in 2020, but should be able to improve on both numbers with some more consistency and additional strength. He was protected on run downs last year, but Anderson will be expected to do it all in 2021.

9. Eli Ricks, CB, LSU

LSU’s secondary struggled early last season and that was expected given how young they were, but Ricks, a true freshman in 2020, got better quickly and showed he was comfortable on an island against some of the conference’s better receivers. Ricks is big and physical and he’ll make you pay for mistakes as his 9 pass breakups and 4 picks prove.

8. Henry To’o To’o, LB, Alabama

One of the higher-profile transfers in the offseason was a stalwart for Tennessee for the past 2 seasons. He had 76 tackles and 10 tackles for loss in 2020 and will now switch divisions in 2021 and add to an already sturdy Alabama defense.

7. Josh Jobe, CB, Alabama

Remember Hall of Fame cornerback Mike Haynes? He was so good and sound without displaying too much flash. Haynes just understood the art of coverage. Jobe plays with a similar style. He understands the art of coverage and very few in the country play the football better than him. Jobe doesn’t have good turnover numbers, but his coverage is top-notch.

6. Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida

Another in the line of strong cover cornerbacks in the conference. Elam has a great pedigree in the line of his uncles Matt and Abram Elam, both former NFL players with the former having a standout career at Florida. Elam had an amazing 13 pass breakups in 2020 and was named to the first-team All-SEC team by conference coaches.

5. Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Mississippi State

If Jobe is reminiscent of Mike Haynes, Forbes plays like the guy who lined up on the other side, Lester Hayes. Forbes invites the challenge and you must do it at your own risk because he took 3 of the 5 interceptions to the house last season. As a true freshman. He was challenged, he expected to be challenged and if you made a mistake, Forbes made you pay.

4. Kobie Whiteside, DT, Missouri

It’s time to go all-in on the Missouri defensive line this year with Whiteside and Trajan Jeffcoat. Whiteside wasn’t healthy for much of last season, but when he was, you saw a monster on the interior who could get in the backfield regularly from the nose guard position and blow up plays before they got started. If Whiteside is healthy in 2021, he’ll be a first-round pick.

3. Phidarian Mathis, DT, Alabama

Mathis had to take a major step as a pass rusher in 2020 and did so by becoming much more active at dispatching blockers and working his way into the backfield. He can do it all — Mathis was already nearly at an elite level as a run-stopper going into the 2020 season. This is the year he puts it all together and becomes one of the most impactful defensive players in the country.

2. Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU

There is little doubt that Stingley will be the first defensive back taken in the 2022 NFL Draft as long as he’s healthy. He was banged up at times last year and had a few rough outings. But when Stingley is right, there probably isn’t a better or more tested defensive back in the country. Teams also didn’t test Stingley as much in 2020 after he grabbed 6 interceptions in 2019. Either way, a healthy Stingley is one that will be among the best in the country.

1. DeMarvin Leal, DE, Texas A&M

The top two players on this list were the easiest. Leal is a 6-4, 290-pound end who has the strength of a nose guard and the quick-twitch athleticism of an outside linebacker. He is an all-around player who is tough to run on and grades out as one of the best pass rushers in the country. If Leal stays healthy and produces as expected, he’ll be among the top 10 players taken in the 2022 NFL Draft.